I Do Not Believe

Abstract

Elyas Alavi is a poet and visual artist based in Adelaide. Born in the Daykundi province of Afghanistan, he has published three poetry books: I Am a Daydreamer Wolf, published in 2008 in Tehran (5th ed., 2016), followed by Some Wounds (Kabul, 2012) and Hodood (Tehran, 2015). Fatemeh Shams’s third collection, When They Broke Down the Door, translated by Dick Davis, received the 2016 Latifeh Yarshater Award. She won the Jaleh Esfahani poetry prize for the best young Iranian poet in 2012. Leonard Schwartz’s recent books include The New Babel: Toward a Poetics of the Mid-East Crises (University of Arkansas Press) and Heavy Sublimation (Talisman House). I Do Not Believe by Elyas Alavi My beloved if Death be here for you Let it be in tuberculosis’ form Or the form of bitter cold, Not as prey of suicide bombing. You should have the time To review your memories, To review the particulars of your body, To make plans for your departure. Not to depart the house on your feet And we only find your shoes in the bazaar. Not to ever find your hands or your smile. Never to locate your eyes. With my own eyes I ought to Witness your death, your final breath. My fingers should touch your eyelids to close. Otherwise, no one will believe it, forever I myself will not believe it. Translation from the Persian By Fatemeh Shams & Leonard Schwartz Visit worldlit.org to read Alavi’s poem “Brother Khosrow” and hear the author read the Persian originals. POETRY WORLDLIT.ORG 13 ILLUSTRATION BY ELYAS ALAVI FROM THE SERIES WAKING DREAMS ...