From the Simorgh Fable to our Simorgh
You may have heard of or read the Simorgh fable. It is the story of thousands of birds that set out for Mount Qaaf to find Simorgh. After enduring great hardship to reach their goal, only 30 birds arrive there and realise that they are themselves the Simorgh (name of a mythological bird, literally means 30 birds).
This is a beautiful fable which you can read in detail in Manteq ul-Tayr of Attar Nayshaburi, take lessons from and enjoy it. What is our Simorgh fable, however?
The Simorgh Literary Prize, lauched by Armanshahr Foundation to mark the International Day of Peace, with the motto of “We want 365 days of peace”, will be awarded by the festival jury to outstanding works of poets and writers in consideration of the quality of their work.
A large number of authors and lovers of culture, who have always spoken of love and friendship and not of war and violence, gathered at the garden of the Culture and Civil Society Foundation in Kabul on 15 September 2009. There, they heard the Simorgh fable, and celebrated the opening of the new literary festival by reciting their poems and verses that poets in other parts of the world have written for peace in Afghanistan and have appeared in “Women Celebrate Peace” anthology published by Armanshahr Foundation.
At the beginning, Rooholamin Amini and Diana Sagheb performed the Simorgh. It wasn’t necessary to call for silence, as is the case in some gatherings, because everybody was all ears. This was quite meaningful for the organisers of the festival, Armanshahr Foundation and its collaborators (Kashaneh Nevisandegan, The 50%Women’s Campaign and the Culture and Civil Society Foundation: our message was being heard clearly. That gave us joy.
Then it was time for reciting the poems. Master Parto Naderi (referring to the limits on freedom of expression), expressed the concern: I leave behind the winter/Not knowing which red rose will begin the spring.
Mohammad Va’ezi, the next poet, searched for his world with the following stanzas: Your eyes were two Turkmen horses/Two Turkmen horses were my world/Two Turkmen horses went into the garden/He resembled me, strange and homeless.
Seyyed Zia Ghassemi was in a room full of newspapers, in a world full of…: There is me and my room full of newspapers/The world is full of withered flowers, full of rifles…
Mahbubeh Ebrahimi called on Amanollah Khan (an Afghan king at the turn of the century): Come to the roof of the palace sometimes/Amanollah Khan/Kabul is a sight from up there/You sigh/And a cigarette/That summer palace belonged to the queen.
Then we heard Parviz Kaveh recite “Sadness and pride,” and noticed that Hafizollah Shariati lighted his cigarette and puffed it at the UN.
The third part was more youthful. Lively poets had brought verses from all corners of the world, verses written for their oppressed country, from Frocio Brognaro (Italy), Taher Bekri (Tunisia), Clement Meril (the Netherlands), Barbara Gallardi (Cuba), Forugh Farrokhzad (Iran), Latif Nazemi (Afghanistan), Ahmad Shamlu (Iran), and Ali Madad Rezvani (Afghanistan).
Absence of peace is really a common suffering, at a time when: They smell your mouth/Lest you may have said I love you. At a time when Layla Mohajer: Doesn’t hear the shepherd calling hey hey/In the bewilderment of the plains. At a time when: Music must die/Love is the work of Satan.
Finally came the turn to read out the Call for submissions to the literary Prize. Yasin Negah took the stage and said: All writer and poet friends may take part in the Simorgh Literary Prize Competition and send all their heart-felt writings to the festival’s secretariat.
We had to say good-bye until our next gathering, because we are the Simorgh…
Invitation to 41st Goftegu Public Debate: Simorgh Literary Peace Prize: Poetry reading and performance
