Amir Hushang Ebtehaj (; 25 February 1928 – 10 August 2022), also known by his

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

H. E. Sayeh (, lit. ''Shadow''), was an Iranian poet of the 20th century, whose life and work spans many of Iran's political, cultural and literary upheavals.

Life

Ebtehaj was born 25 February 1928 in

Rasht Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...

in a prominent Baháʼí family in Iran and had his primary schooling there before moving to

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. His first book of

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, with an introduction by eminent poet Mehdi Hamidi Shirazi, was published when he was 19 years old. During Iran's open period following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Sayeh got involved in various literary circles and contributed to various literary magazines such as Sokhan, Kavian, Sadaf, Maslehat, and others. Unlike many other literary figures of the time who got deeply involved in politics and left-leaning activities, Sayeh stayed true to his social and political consciousness but refrained from deeper involvement. He was employed at the National Cement Company for 22 years while continuing his literary activities. Later he was invited by the National Iranian Radio to produce the traditional music program Golhaye Taze and "Golchin Hafte." After the 1979

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

and the ensuing suppression, Sayeh spent a year in prison for his writings. After he was released, he began to work on "Hafez, by Sayeh," a verse-for-verse study of the various publications of

Hafez (), known by his pen name Hafez ( or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, “Ḥāfeẓ” designates someoone who has learned the Qurʾān by heart" also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyri ...

. In 1987, he moved to

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, Germany, with his family and lived there, but he visited Iran several times a year. Sayeh died from kidney failure at his home in

on 10 August 2022 at the age of 94.

Poetry

Sayeh published his first poetry collection while still a high school student in the northern province of

Gilan Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...

, Iran. His total output, however, remains small because of his preoccupation with increased craftsmanship and exact

phraseology In linguistics, phraseology is the study of set or fixed expressions, such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and other types of multi-word lexical units (often collectively referred to as ''phrasemes''), in which the component parts of the expression tak ...

. In the political climate of the 1940s, Sayeh was an ardent advocate of the poetry of social commitment. His early poetry reveals his concern with purposive literature. Sayeh has also written a collection of lyrical poems (

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

) in the classical style. Here, he reveals an easy mastery of traditional forms—the lyrical ode, in particular—which he uses to celebrate both the sacred and the secular moments of life. Sayeh's poetry, at times highly emotional, is always remarkable for its convincing directness and unconcealed sentiment. A number of his lyric poems, ballads and poems have been performed by famous Iranian singers such as Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Alireza Eftekhari, Shahram Nazeri, Hossein Ghavami and

Mohammad Esfahani Mohammad Mahdi Vaezi Esfahani (; born 5 July 1966), better known as Mohammad Esfahani, is an Iranian Persian pop and traditional singer. He graduated from The Medical Sciences University of Iran in 1997, while learning Iranian music from t ...

Works

Poetry *The First Songs, 1946 (نخستین نغمه‌ها) *Mirage, 1951 (سراب) *Bleak Travails I, 1953 (سیاه مشق ۱) *Nocturnal, 1953 (شبگیر) *Earth, 1955 (زمین) *Pages from the Longest Night, 1965 (چند برگ از یلدا) *Bleak Travails II, 1973 (سیاه مشق ۲) *Until the Dawn of the Longest Night, 1981 (تا صبح شب یلدا) *Memorial to the Blood of the Cypress, 1981 (یادگار خون سرو) *Bleak Travails III, 1985 (سیاه مشق ۳) *Bleak Travails IV, 1992 (سیاه مشق ۴) *Mirror in Mirror, Selected Poems, 1995 (آینه در آینه) :(selected by M.R. Shafie-Kadkani) *Dispirited, 2006 (تاسیان) (non-ghazal poems) Other *Hafez, by Sayeh, 1994 (حافظ به سعی سایه) Please note: English names of books are not official, but the Wikipedia author's translation. See talk page.

Poems in translation

Translations by Mojdeh Marashi and Chad Sweeney: * “Arghavaan.” Washington Square Journal, 2008 * “Search/Circle” and “Moan of the Mirror.” Poetry International 12, 2008 * “Kayvaan Was a Star,” “Sterile,” “The Fall,” and “Bird in the Cage.” Pingpong, Henry Miller Library Journal, Issue 3, 2008.
"Sunset on the Green"
and "Image." Subtropics, Issue 6, Fall 2007. * “Fright,” “Life” and “The Few Thousand Hopes of the Children of Adam.” Crazyhorse Issue 72, 2007. * “Night’s Alley.” American Letters & Commentary 19, 2007. * “The Art of Stepping Through Time” and “Black and White.” Indiana Review 29.2, Winter 2007. * “Maybe,” “Story” and “Dove’s Wings” Seattle Review, Spring 2007. * “Numbers” and “Red.” Fourteen Hills, Fall 2005.

References

* * *

External links