To Respect of Dear Daikundy* and Its Oppressions
Poem by Shaban Karamdokht
Translated by Asadullah Jafari “Pezhman”
Daikundy! Your sorrow is great!
There is hatred hidden in your throat
It hurts from your breath
The pain is visible in your eyes
The business of the world is ruined
Your house is not a house but a prison
You with the Autumn memories
Your flower’s leaves are distressful
See the clouds in your songs
In your gaze is the design of raining
Ah, of these forced migrations
Your house is in the path of the storm
You and the dark conditions
Your share is from angry times
Your enemies have been looted
What is hidden in the heart of your mountains?
Your land looks like a tablecloth
How many hands are on the tablecloth
In this side, Russia, China, and America
The other side is Britain and Germany
In this side, the footprints of Pakistan
Qatar is on the other side with the Turks
“They are like flies around the sweets”
Your land is the design of Shakeristan
Daikundy! I am full of your voice
With pride, I drink a lyric song
Oath to the God we love
These are the good words of the Qur’an
Let suffering pass and happiness will arrive
The house of oppression is ruined
Your mountains know well
In your voice is the spirit of faith
Although these are meager days
Your tired tablecloth is empty
Your happy days arrive, one day
Your heart branches are flowering
Daikundy! You know well
Everyone except you is from Iran
It reaches your air by the way
Your Rustam that is in Samangan
Kaviani with a flag in his hand
It has been centuries since the command
The voice of the horse comes from afar
Your Rustam is in the battle of devils
Jacob is suffering from you
That his heart is the same as your heart
The whitesmith who was born says
In his heart is the zeal of Khorasan
Daikundy! Skip from this and that
All your pain is from this and that
Whatever they said about you is useless
Whatever is said about you is slander
*Publishers note: In September 2021 at least 1,200 residents of a Hazara-dominated farming community were ordered by Taliban fighters to leave their homes in Daikundi province, southwest of Kabul, declaring the land as “disputed” after strongmen with links to the Taliban claimed ownership of at least 15 villages…
