Nadia Anjuman

In 2005, when she was twenty five years old, Nadia Anjuman published her first collection of poetry, Gol-e Dudi (‘Smokey Flower’) to great acclaim. She was hailed for introducing a fresh language and youthful point of view into Dari poetry, particularly in her ghazals. Soon after the book’s publication, however, Anjuman was beaten to death. Many Afghanis believe that Anjuman was killed by her own husband and his family for the transgression of writing. Anjuman was born and lived in Herat, the beloved sixth child of her large family. She graduated from high school, despite a two-year interruption caused by Taliban rule in Afghanistan. During this time, she secretly studied literature and began her poetic career in clandestine meetings at the home of a literature professor. She later studied Dari Literature at Herat University, where she was consistently the top student. Anjuman felt a deep commitment to poetry, despite the risks in writing. “For as long as I can remember,” she wrote, “I have loved poetry, and the chains with which six years of captivity under Taliban rule bound my feet led me to haltingly enter the arena of poetry with the foot of my pen. The encouragement of like-minded friends gave me the confidence to pursue this path, but even now when I take the first step, the tip of my pen trembles, as do I, because I do not feel safe from stumbling on this path, when the way ahead is difficult, and my steps unsteady.”

Light Blue Memories

O exiles of the mountain of oblivion!
O the jewels of your names, slumbering in the mire of silence
O your obliterated memories, your light blue memories
In the silty mind of a wave in the sea of forgetting
Where is the clear, flowing stream of your thoughts?
Which thieving hand plundered the pure golden statue of your dreams?
In this storm which gives birth to oppression
Where has your ship, your serene silver mooncraft gone?
After this bitter cold which gives birth to death –
If the sea should fall calm
If the cloud should release the heart's knotted sorrows
If the maiden of moonlight should bring love, offer a smile
If the mountain should soften its heart, adorn itself with green,
become fruitful –
Will one of your names, above the peaks,
become bright as the sun?
Will the rise of your memories
Your light blue memories
In the eyes of fishes weary of floodwaters and
fearful of the rain of oppression
become a reflection of hope?
O, exiles of the mountain of oblivion!

To read the original Farsi version of this poem and another poem from Nadia ,
Click the link below :-

Light Blue Memories in Dari