Shahin Najafi Weekly Commentary- Aasi

Welcome again to your weekly installment of Shahin commentary. I wanted to discuss Zahraab this week, but I decide to cover Aasi, as I can’t find any decent English translations online, so maybe this will open some doors. Unfortunately, we won’t be doing Zahraab for the next two weeks either, as I’ve determined that two other songs, though less fun, probably are more in need of explanation (but one is Masikh, which is pretty fun).

Aasi (عاصی) means frustration. I see it translated as rebellious, too. The word comes up in other Shahin songs. Of course, that’s a pretty common emotion for any Iranian these days, but especially among those mourning the 40-year crater in Iranian culture and progress that is the Islamic Revolution.

Musically, the song starts out slow and quiet. While listening again, to write this, I was totally struck by the drums. They are soooo good. The transition to the louder and faster sections is marked by a pained, female? scream. That scream draws me back to this song. It’s so undefined. It could be a reaction to anything- being forced to wear a veil, unable to find food under sanctions, being raped before being put to death, etc. Frustration.

عاصی

به چشمهای تو بیخود نشست وسخت گریست

و پرید توی میدان مین وشکست تابلوی ایست

Frustration

I swear by your unconsciously selfless and weeping eyes

And your leap into the mine field is a shattered picture.

Notes- The use of the word به here, as seen in many of Shahin’s songs, recalls both the Quran and Sufi/Shiite religious texts. In the Quran, we see the word “و” used to mean ‘by’, as in ‘I swear by’ (look at many of the short Suras in the back of the Quran for this.) Most famously in Naghi, but in other songs, too, Shahin uses به to mean ‘I swear by’.

گذشت درگذشت و درآمیخت با طناب

خزید توی خودش با گونه های خیس از آب

Pasts inside of pasts, tangled in knots

She crawled into herself, with soaked cheeks

نگاه کرد و هیچ را در اغوش خود فشرد

و پوزخند زد به زندگی و عاشقانه مرد

She looked around and embraced nothing in her arms

And smirked at life and lovingly died

(AAAAAAAAAAAAGH)

Notes- At the risk of reading way too much into this song, it reminds me of the suicide scene in Kisilakan Afran by Bahman Ghobadi (Turtles Can Fly, in English). The movie is about children who clear minefields and one of the children leaps to her death, presumably into a minefield. She was a, perhaps 12 year-old, girl, who had been raped and impregnated by Iraqi, Arab soldiers. She assumed a caretaker role for orphaned children, but succumbed to the stress. Even at the time the film was made, it really denigrated Iraqi Kurds. I lived in Irbil, where most of it was filmed, in 2003, the same year the film covered. There were no bands of homeless kids defusing minefields, as the film portrayed. For whatever reason, Ghobadi painted a picture of a primitive Iraqi Kurdistan that was a lie. I saw international NGOs clearing minefields, with people wearing massive protective suits that made Neil Armstrong’s moon suit look like yoga pants. But there were never bands of homeless kids clearing minefields. But still, when I read these lyrics, I think of that scene in the movie. If you are a fan of cinema, you should definitely see Ghobadi’s films- he’s a master, who often uses, as actors, people who have never acted before. He’s an awesome representative of Kurdish culture and Shahin showcases many Kurdish issues and artists, as well. Also, somewhere on YouTube, there is a selection of scenes from the movie, set to the song Zombie, by The Cranberries, which is extremely powerful.

به بوسه هایی که بوی زخم می دادند

به زخم های چرک کرده که در یادند

I swear by the kisses that stink of wounds

I swear by the puss filled wounds in my memory

Notes- I don’t know what else to add here. The word ‘my’ was added. Don’t know who kisses with festering wound breath, but you should probably avoid them.

به یاد تو از در و دیوار طعنه خوردن

به بوف کور کز کرده در تن من

I swear by your memories of doors and walls that teased

I swear by the blind owl hiding in my body

Notes- I don’t know what to add. The reference to the Blind Owl relates to Sadegh Hedayat’s novel by the same name. I read it 20 years ago and it’s in a box in my garage. I can’t elaborate further. It’s a dark story. If you want to fully understand this verse, you probably need to read the novel.

به موریانه گی و جان کندن در این چوب

به بی صدا گریه کردن این مرد مصلوب

I swear by the termites and the soul-boring in this wood

I swear by the silent crying of this crucified man

نه نه نه نه نه نه نه نه نه

No no no no no no no no no no

Notes- I’m not a christian. Shahin has two songs, this and Mahmad Nobari, where he ends a thought on Jesus and the cross. I don’t get this. Maybe he finds the person of Jesus in scripture (which he probably interprets as a pacifist, anarchist) favorable. Whatever.

ما فراموش شدگانیم جز نعره سلاحی نیست

ما زنده کفن شده گانیم جز دریدن راهی نیست

We are the forgotten ones, there is nothing but the scream of weapons

We live in our funeral shrouds, there is nothing but the destruction of the route/path/way

Notes- First, Shahin lived through the 1980–1988, Iran-Iraq war. If I remember correctly, I once heard an interview where he spoke about being under bombardment in Bandar-e Anzali, perhaps even while his brother was actually serving in the military and not being attacked elsewhere. Yeah, having been bombed many times, you feel forgotten and there is nothing but the immediate danger of the weapons that can draw your attention. I certainly assume that Shahin intends for the ‘forgotten ones’ to include all Iranians or all of Iran. Of all the Farsi words that an author could work into almost every single song, کفن, leads the way with Shahin. From the chorus of Naghi, to so many other songs, this word just keeps creeping in. The word means a funeral shroud, a cloth laid over a dead body. Here, the meaning is that Iranians are already under their shrouds, living as if they were dead. That’s pretty much the same meaning every other time he uses the word. I think, given Shahin’s weight, we should accept that this is the sentiment of many Iranians- to be living as if already dead. In fact, Shahin has a song about this, Istadeh Mordan, ‘Dying on your feet’. That should give some pause, because, the dead have nothing to lose- so anyone who identifies with this song could be politically dangerous. Still, I can’t stress this enough, this single word comes up again and again in Shahin’s songs. It’s everywhere- and it’s not a common word. If any singer was ever to have a, foot stamp foot stamp, theme, with Shahin, the theme is kafan. I didn’t know the word until I heard it in Naghi and looked it up. It would be insane to think that Shahin didn’t intend for this word/image to have an impact on us. Over and over, he uses the rare word. It almost seems like he was dared to include this word in as many songs as possible.

خدای را ببر از یاد که براو پناهی نیست

Carry god away from memory, there is no place for him to hide.

نه نه نه نه نه نه نه نه نه

No no no no no no no no no no no no

Notes- God doesn’t exist, so forget him.

معجزکی در کار نیست ما کشتی شکستگانیم

ای باد شرطه برخیز

There’s no miracle here, we’re shipwrecked.

Oh, bet on the wind!

نجات دهنده مرده است

تاریخ را چشمان من می سازد

The lifeguards have died,

My eyes build history

چونان عاصی ام که بر گرده ام بگذار تمامی معاصی جهان را

من برده ی آزادی ام

من برده ی آزادی ام

I’m so frustrated that I returned to take on all the sins of the world

I’m a slave of freedom

I’m a slave of freedom

Commentary- This is a weird song for me. I’m at the end and wondering what else I can say. Not only that, but I am at the end of the song and wondering what the significance even is. When listening with the music, the words seem to have great power, but once I translate it and look at each line, it seems pretty weak, but it isn’t. It’s haunting, but when examining the words, it seems less coherent in its impact. Still, I love it.

PROVE ME WRONG!!! Please comment on what I’ve missed. I’m sure, to the extent that I’m not impressed with a song, it’s because I’m missing something.

Persian is my fifth language so please forgive me if I missed something.