ma.ebrahimi
08-07-2013, 01:45 AM
FARIBA VAFI
TRANSLATION BY MINOO RANJBARAN
hANNA
I see Hanna through the window that has a muddy worm in her bill and runs quickly. Momentarily she looks at it with her round orange eyes and gulps it with a sudden move, then while she moves her russet feathers, she disappears in petunias garden.
Since dad died, Hanna became my mother’s mate whenever I came home I saw her talking to her with a loud voice. “Come my beautiful… come eat this I’m going to buy you a rooster, so you won’t be alone. I knew loneliness is very hard you get bored like me.”
I stick my face on the glass I have sweated .Hanna’s head is down and her chubby body has appeared among petunias. I go to the closet and close the door from inside and squat there. The closet is dark and gloomy I look at the switch. I should stand up and turn the lights on the man with drooping eyes looks at me through the mirror on the wall he has a strange look on his eyes, the dark circles under his eyes make him look scrawny . His unshaved bear seems darker in his pale and yellow face.
His shaking burnt fingers slip on his face. “You weren’t like this God damn them they made you miserable and changed person.” Look at yourself you can’t even recognize yourself such a jerk you are! I turn my face and put my writing stuff in front of me. “Why are you wasting papers child. Get up and find a job, if you don’t think about me think about yourself.”
What things I’m wasting mom? I’m practicing. Where is my cigarette? I told you a thousand of times do not touch my cigarettes. She has become old and doesn’t understand anymore. She just nags and shows off her calloused hands. They don’t let one live for herself. Why should I go out? Finding a job? There is no job position. The cigarette ashes fell down. I don’t know where the damn ash tray is? It should be somewhere nearby. My hands are shaking. The ink falls on the torn rug of the closet and makes so many black spots on it. I get up and go to the street.
Inactive workers have gathered in the intersection. I see a man wandering anxiously. He asks for Moosa from whoever he comes across. He finds Moosa. I get close to him and stare at his strange and drooping eyes. He steals his look from me and while watches out the crowd, out of the corner of his eyes he disappears. I see the man who, following Moosa towards the coffee shop.
I wish something happened to you, that you had your leg broken and you wouldn’t go there. When Mr. Mammad was here I had a peace of mind my only problem was your study, I was saving money for you to continue your school and became important for yourself. Mr. Mammad admired you a lot. He said you were very smart and had nice hand writing. What a pity! Who ever did that to you I hope he’ll never live peacefully.
Your father couldn’t deal with you as well. He was stupid and died of sadness. You wanted to take care of him while he is old but you became his headache. If you go there I wouldn’t forgive you.” Moosa comes out of the coffee shop and goes to the alley, I follow him he turns back and looks at me he whistles and watches around of himself. The man standing in front of him was sweated.
He lays his hands. “How much do you have?” The man puts his hand in his empty pocket. - I don’t ... tomorrow. Moosa moves his hand how stupid I am that, I thought he would have come with money. He left. The man follows him and begs. I go to the alley the man is sitting in a corner and bumps his head to the wall and talks to himself. His tears and sweat mix together on his face. I pass him and spit on the ground I pass another alley. I’m in front of our home.
My mother is not at home, Hanna is walking upon the bricks of the yard like a pretty elegant woman. I go to the room all of my body is shivering. I lift the rug and search under it. I didn’t find anything. “If don’t give me money I mess up the home.”
Mother is squatting down and silent, the man is kneels in front of her, look mom I just want to borrow. I’ll pay it pack to you! I’m not going to eat it up. You sucked my blood. I wish you had never been born. Look! Mom don’t start again just give me some money I swear to God I will give it back to you.
Why don’t you leave me alone? I don’t have money. I don’t I don’t. I go through everything in the closet, everything is messed up. I sit and lean my head to the wall. I’m shaking with my knees tightly together. I close my eyes. Mom! Just hold on everything will be ok, we will move from here and Moosa, the junkie, and people like him can’t reach and tempt you. We will sell everything. We will just take Hanna and move and we will both work.
I hear Hanna clucking, I go to the yard Hanna is running. The weather is cloudy and the yard is gloomy. The man is following Hanna my eyes can’t see. Momentary I think maybe I didn’t close the door. The man opens his arms and goes towards Hanna quietly. My face is wet from sweating. “ Shame on you hurting your mom like this. In this world I don’t have anybody except you.”
My eyes are burning, the man attacks but Hanna runs away and slips away from his hand and she goes to the garden and clucks. The man is gets closer, I see his bony face and his stubble and his depress eyes. His purple lips are shaking.
A dry voice comes out of my throat. I want to shout” no don’t do that. Hanna is mom’s life. “
“These were pair a cat ate one of them but this one stayed alive and grew by itself. Your father bought these for me, when I saw a box in his hand with chirp noises I told him man are you a baby?
Who did you buy these for?” God bless his soul he loves animals so much. He said they wouldn’t bother anybody leave them in the garden let them play. What a quiet life we had, his job wasn’t that bad he used to wake you up early in the morning and your father and you would go to the slaughter house and buy livers and sell them in the park until night.
Mr. Mammad the petitioner watched you out later…. don’t ask...” Hanna had jumped on the empty cask in the corner of the yard my teeth were shaking whenever I opened my eyes I saw Hanna that running upon the bricks of the yard and the man was laying down his shaky burnt fingers to reach her. He was confused.
You just promise me I’ll go to Mashdi Abbas’ house tomorrow. “Hey old woman… I know you want to have a bride to work for you.” Mother laughed and revealed the only brown tooth. Hanna and I have lived enough and don’t need anybody just if you could… “
All the garden’s petunias were smashed the man’s brown pants were muddy. Hanna was scared and was moving her legs forth and back in the corner of the yard. The man struggles for the last time and catches Hanna. You couldn’t hear anything from the yard anymore. The man had gone and had taken Hanna with him.
There were so many Hanna’s feathers all over the bricks of the yard. The yard’s door was half open. The man disappeared like a shadow from the half open door. Then he was in the alley with Hanna under his arm struggling.
I threw the bloody syringe in the sink and went to the closet I sat somewhere and lightened a cigarette I could hear mom’s voice. Definitely, she is going to call Hanna now. My dizziness had gone and I was filled up with lethargy and joy. I opened the newspaper and tried to read it, but newspaper lines turned dark and my head dropped down to my chest. I rose my head up. I should clean my muddy pants up and go to the yard and tell my mom that not to worry about Hanna. I will buy her a beautiful hen, so she will not be alone anymore. I will go to work tomorrow and bring her money I put all the money on her skirt and tell her to buy whatever she wants.
She stands in front of the big mirror and tries on her new dress with shame look on her face. She should throw away her old dresses that always smell soapy”. Old woman it is enough. From this moment on, you shouldn’t work for people as a servant!” I’ll buy her a new pressure-cooker and radio and tell her” have a peace of mind. I’ll buy all of them for you again.”
I should stand up and comfort her. Mother where is my ash tray? I stand up and go to the yard staggering. Mother is standing up in the middle of the yard and is looking at Hanna’s feathers. How smaller the old woman has got in her chador.
She steals her look from feathers and stares at my legs. Hanna’s feathers have been stuck to my feet and pants.
Her little old body bends and she sits in the middle of the yard slowly. Her body looks like is sinking into the ground and the only things appearing are her hands that bumping upon her head and her moaning begins.
TRANSLATION BY MINOO RANJBARAN
hANNA
I see Hanna through the window that has a muddy worm in her bill and runs quickly. Momentarily she looks at it with her round orange eyes and gulps it with a sudden move, then while she moves her russet feathers, she disappears in petunias garden.
Since dad died, Hanna became my mother’s mate whenever I came home I saw her talking to her with a loud voice. “Come my beautiful… come eat this I’m going to buy you a rooster, so you won’t be alone. I knew loneliness is very hard you get bored like me.”
I stick my face on the glass I have sweated .Hanna’s head is down and her chubby body has appeared among petunias. I go to the closet and close the door from inside and squat there. The closet is dark and gloomy I look at the switch. I should stand up and turn the lights on the man with drooping eyes looks at me through the mirror on the wall he has a strange look on his eyes, the dark circles under his eyes make him look scrawny . His unshaved bear seems darker in his pale and yellow face.
His shaking burnt fingers slip on his face. “You weren’t like this God damn them they made you miserable and changed person.” Look at yourself you can’t even recognize yourself such a jerk you are! I turn my face and put my writing stuff in front of me. “Why are you wasting papers child. Get up and find a job, if you don’t think about me think about yourself.”
What things I’m wasting mom? I’m practicing. Where is my cigarette? I told you a thousand of times do not touch my cigarettes. She has become old and doesn’t understand anymore. She just nags and shows off her calloused hands. They don’t let one live for herself. Why should I go out? Finding a job? There is no job position. The cigarette ashes fell down. I don’t know where the damn ash tray is? It should be somewhere nearby. My hands are shaking. The ink falls on the torn rug of the closet and makes so many black spots on it. I get up and go to the street.
Inactive workers have gathered in the intersection. I see a man wandering anxiously. He asks for Moosa from whoever he comes across. He finds Moosa. I get close to him and stare at his strange and drooping eyes. He steals his look from me and while watches out the crowd, out of the corner of his eyes he disappears. I see the man who, following Moosa towards the coffee shop.
I wish something happened to you, that you had your leg broken and you wouldn’t go there. When Mr. Mammad was here I had a peace of mind my only problem was your study, I was saving money for you to continue your school and became important for yourself. Mr. Mammad admired you a lot. He said you were very smart and had nice hand writing. What a pity! Who ever did that to you I hope he’ll never live peacefully.
Your father couldn’t deal with you as well. He was stupid and died of sadness. You wanted to take care of him while he is old but you became his headache. If you go there I wouldn’t forgive you.” Moosa comes out of the coffee shop and goes to the alley, I follow him he turns back and looks at me he whistles and watches around of himself. The man standing in front of him was sweated.
He lays his hands. “How much do you have?” The man puts his hand in his empty pocket. - I don’t ... tomorrow. Moosa moves his hand how stupid I am that, I thought he would have come with money. He left. The man follows him and begs. I go to the alley the man is sitting in a corner and bumps his head to the wall and talks to himself. His tears and sweat mix together on his face. I pass him and spit on the ground I pass another alley. I’m in front of our home.
My mother is not at home, Hanna is walking upon the bricks of the yard like a pretty elegant woman. I go to the room all of my body is shivering. I lift the rug and search under it. I didn’t find anything. “If don’t give me money I mess up the home.”
Mother is squatting down and silent, the man is kneels in front of her, look mom I just want to borrow. I’ll pay it pack to you! I’m not going to eat it up. You sucked my blood. I wish you had never been born. Look! Mom don’t start again just give me some money I swear to God I will give it back to you.
Why don’t you leave me alone? I don’t have money. I don’t I don’t. I go through everything in the closet, everything is messed up. I sit and lean my head to the wall. I’m shaking with my knees tightly together. I close my eyes. Mom! Just hold on everything will be ok, we will move from here and Moosa, the junkie, and people like him can’t reach and tempt you. We will sell everything. We will just take Hanna and move and we will both work.
I hear Hanna clucking, I go to the yard Hanna is running. The weather is cloudy and the yard is gloomy. The man is following Hanna my eyes can’t see. Momentary I think maybe I didn’t close the door. The man opens his arms and goes towards Hanna quietly. My face is wet from sweating. “ Shame on you hurting your mom like this. In this world I don’t have anybody except you.”
My eyes are burning, the man attacks but Hanna runs away and slips away from his hand and she goes to the garden and clucks. The man is gets closer, I see his bony face and his stubble and his depress eyes. His purple lips are shaking.
A dry voice comes out of my throat. I want to shout” no don’t do that. Hanna is mom’s life. “
“These were pair a cat ate one of them but this one stayed alive and grew by itself. Your father bought these for me, when I saw a box in his hand with chirp noises I told him man are you a baby?
Who did you buy these for?” God bless his soul he loves animals so much. He said they wouldn’t bother anybody leave them in the garden let them play. What a quiet life we had, his job wasn’t that bad he used to wake you up early in the morning and your father and you would go to the slaughter house and buy livers and sell them in the park until night.
Mr. Mammad the petitioner watched you out later…. don’t ask...” Hanna had jumped on the empty cask in the corner of the yard my teeth were shaking whenever I opened my eyes I saw Hanna that running upon the bricks of the yard and the man was laying down his shaky burnt fingers to reach her. He was confused.
You just promise me I’ll go to Mashdi Abbas’ house tomorrow. “Hey old woman… I know you want to have a bride to work for you.” Mother laughed and revealed the only brown tooth. Hanna and I have lived enough and don’t need anybody just if you could… “
All the garden’s petunias were smashed the man’s brown pants were muddy. Hanna was scared and was moving her legs forth and back in the corner of the yard. The man struggles for the last time and catches Hanna. You couldn’t hear anything from the yard anymore. The man had gone and had taken Hanna with him.
There were so many Hanna’s feathers all over the bricks of the yard. The yard’s door was half open. The man disappeared like a shadow from the half open door. Then he was in the alley with Hanna under his arm struggling.
I threw the bloody syringe in the sink and went to the closet I sat somewhere and lightened a cigarette I could hear mom’s voice. Definitely, she is going to call Hanna now. My dizziness had gone and I was filled up with lethargy and joy. I opened the newspaper and tried to read it, but newspaper lines turned dark and my head dropped down to my chest. I rose my head up. I should clean my muddy pants up and go to the yard and tell my mom that not to worry about Hanna. I will buy her a beautiful hen, so she will not be alone anymore. I will go to work tomorrow and bring her money I put all the money on her skirt and tell her to buy whatever she wants.
She stands in front of the big mirror and tries on her new dress with shame look on her face. She should throw away her old dresses that always smell soapy”. Old woman it is enough. From this moment on, you shouldn’t work for people as a servant!” I’ll buy her a new pressure-cooker and radio and tell her” have a peace of mind. I’ll buy all of them for you again.”
I should stand up and comfort her. Mother where is my ash tray? I stand up and go to the yard staggering. Mother is standing up in the middle of the yard and is looking at Hanna’s feathers. How smaller the old woman has got in her chador.
She steals her look from feathers and stares at my legs. Hanna’s feathers have been stuck to my feet and pants.
Her little old body bends and she sits in the middle of the yard slowly. Her body looks like is sinking into the ground and the only things appearing are her hands that bumping upon her head and her moaning begins.