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Poetry

The Destiny of a Leaf

By Qanbar Ali Tabesh
Translated from Dari by Zuzanna Olszewska

A man is not a bird
that he might make his home on any shore he flies to.
A man has the destiny of a leaf.
A leaf, when separated from the heights of its branch,
is trampled underfoot by passersby in the streets.

Qom, Iran, 28 June 1999

English Dari (Original)

A man is not a bird
that he might make his home on any shore he flies to.
A man has the destiny of a leaf.
A leaf, when separated from the heights of its branch,
is trampled underfoot by passersby in the streets.

Qom, Iran, 28 June 1999

سرنوشت برگ

آدمی پرنده نيست‌

تا به هر کران که پرکشد، برای او وطن شود

سرنوشت برگ دارد آدمی‌

برگ‌، وقتی از بلند شاخه‌اش جدا شود،

پايمال عابران کوچه‌ها شود

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