Siavash Kasraie (February 25, 1927, Isfahan - February 8, 1996, Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

) was an Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian poet.

Kasraie graduated from Tehran University, Faculty of Law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

. He was a native of Isfahan

Isfahan (city)

Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...

. His first collection of poetry was published in 1957 followed in 1959 by "Arash the Archer", based on the mythological tale of Arash

Arash (mythology)

Arash the Archer is a heroic archer-figure of Iranian oral tradition and folklore.The basic story of the bowman runs as follows: In a war between the Iranians and the non-Iranians over the "royal glory" , the General Afrasiab has surrounded the forces of the righteous Manuchehr, and the two sides...

. The second collection of poetry brought him to fame immediately.

Works

• The Melody
• Arash the Archer (poem) text in Persian audio file: read in Persian by the poet
• Siavash's Blood
• The Stone and the Dew
• Red as Fire
• From Game Reserve to Cock's Singing
• Arise Iran!

An Extraxt of Kasraie's Poems

Life

Translation: Mohammad Rajabpur

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah

Life is beautiful

Life is an eternally-built fireplace

If lit, you can behold its flame dance from each side

If not, it’s out & its being out is our fault.

زندگی

آری

آری

زندگی زیباست

زندگی آتشگهی دیرینه پابرجاست

گربیفروزیش رقص شعله اش در هر کران پیداست

ورنه خاموش است و خاموشی گناه ماست