Nocturnal                                                                 ~ Ahmad Shamloo

If in vain

Is the beauty

Of the night

Wherefore then

Is beautiful the night

And for whom?

The night

And the endless stream of stars

That passes by coldly

And the long haired mourners

On the banks of the river lament

The reminiscence of which memory

With the panting ode of frogs

While every dawn is pierced

With the resonating chorus

Of a dozen bullets?

If in vain

Is the beauty of the night

For whom then

Is beautiful the night

And for what?

© 2014 Translated by Kourosh Bahar