It was a long distance
from the metal rim of a balcony
to an anonymous courtyard
lost to sight among all the others.
It was a long distance
but within range of my vision
but within range of her smile
(lit by the golden margin of her hair)
spreading peacefully
generously
inexplicably.
It is a long distance:
from the recesses of the past
to the clamour of the present
but in the act of naming you
I remember I called her “Fairy”.
She does not know that today I am thinking of Her
And you
Will not know that one day
I will be thinking of you!
Vida Bardiyaz was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1959, and has lived in Italy for over 20 years. She graduated in Political Science at Genoa University and went on to do a Ph.D in Social Sciences. She translates from Italian into Farsi and from Farsi into Italian. Her translations of contemporary Iranian poets and fictions writers, including, Forugh Farrokhzad and Sadegh Hedayat, have appeared in various literary journals.
In 1995 she came in second in the literary competition Eks&Tra promoted by the publisher Fara, and her work is included in the anthologies Le voci dell'arcobaleno and Parole oltre i confini, published by the same editor.