QOM – Poem by Nader Naderpour, March 1953. From the collection Eyes and Hands (CHASHMHA VA DASTHA). Translated by Farhad Mafie, Nov. 1985

Qom

Thousands of women
Thousands of men
The women in veils
The men in cloaks
A single gold dome
With old storks
A joyless garden
With a few scattered trees
Devoid of laughter
Silent
A half-filled courtyard pool
With greenish water
Some old crows
On piles of rocks
Crowds of beggars
Every step of the way
White turbans
Black faces