Hafez [ حافظ ]
Translated by Erfan Mojib & Gary Gach
Art by Fariba Hajamadi
Fariba Hajamadi, Seated on a throne of Glances, 1988
Oil and silver gelatin emulsion on canvas
From shore to shore
The armies of tyranny rule
Yet
From before the dawn of time
Until after eternity
Is the domain of the holy beggars
Spring / Summer 2023
The Iran Issue
Hafez
Hafez (1325–1390) is the acme of Persian literature. The brief exceprt here is inspired by the book Wine, adaptations made by Abbas Kiarostami (1914–2016), the most influential of Iranian filmmakers.
Erfan Mojib
Erfan Mojib has published a number of works in Persian translated from English including Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes; Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy; The Spell Chanted by Lambs, and The Illusion of Separateness, by Reza Ghasemi; García Márquez: The Man and His Work by Gene Bell-Villada; and The Passion by Jeanette Winterson.
Gary Gach
Gary Gach (born 1947) teaches Zen Buddhism at the University of San Francisco. His translations include Flowers of a Moment (BOA Editions, 2015) by Ko Un, co-translated with Brother Anthony and Young-moo Kim. He dwells on Ohlone Ramaytush lands, in the City of Saint Francis.
Fariba Hajamadi
Fariba Hajamadi (b. Esfahan, Iran) lives and works in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. She received her BFA from Western Michigan University and her MFA from CalArts. Since 1982, Hajamadi has made work that investigates displacement, loss, trauma, tragedy, war, culture, and gender identity. Her work has been exhibited in the US and internationally and is included in prestigious collections worldwide.