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Suvashun (Soovashoon)
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Suvashun (Soovashoon) (edit title/settings)

by Simin Daneshvar (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Savushun is a folk tradition, surviving in Southern Iran from an undatable pre-Islamic past, that conjures hope in spite of everything. Savushun chronicles the life of a Persian family during the Allied occupation of Iran during World War II. It is set in Shiraz, a town which evokes images of... read more

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Summary edit see section history

The first novel published in Iran by a woman.

Characters edit see section history

Show all 62 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “<p. 27> The women, in their colorful dresses, were dancing in the arms of strangers, the officers, while their husbands sat on the sofas and watched. The men looked like they were on pins and needles. Perhaps they were happy. Or maybe they were mad as hell. You never know what is going on inside somebody else's mind.”
  • “<p.27> Yusof's eyes, darker than the clear sky of these spring days, were fixed on hers. He winked at her and made her feel warm inside. Yusof always seemed to have a teardrop hidden in his eyes, like two moist emeralds, like the emeralds in her earrings.”
  • “<p.28> The lime, with its delicate green skin and odor that combines all the scents in the meadow, and the cypress, so free-spirited and restrained, are among the major plants in this city, and humans must naturally resemble the plants of the region in which they are born. Delicate and restrained. They have sent me to ask you why you are not delicate and moderate.”
    MacMahon
  • “<p.28> How well you accomplished your mission, oh Irishman, ever-drunk poet!”
    MacMahon
  • “<p.28-29> We are kin, aren't we, Iran and Ireland? Both are the land of the Arians. You are the ancestors and we the descendents! Oh, our old, old ancestors. Give us solace! Oh, Catholic Irishman, the patriarch, the ever drunk!”
    MacMahon
  • “<p.30> Some people are like rare flowers; others are envious of their splendor. They imagine this rare flower will absorb all the earth's energy, devour the brightness of the sunshine and the moisture in the air, and usurp their place, leaving them no sunshine and no oxygen. They are jealous of it and wish it did not exist. Be like us or don't be at all.”
    MacMahon
  • “<p.30> Oh Ireland, oh land of Arian descendents, I have composed a poem about a tree that must grow in your soil. This tree is called the Tree of Independence. This tree must be irrigated with blood, not water. Water will dry it up."”
    MacMahon
  • “<p.31> Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose name was Mina. This girl was the only girl who cried for the stars when they were not in the sky. In all my life, I had never seen a child who cried for the stars. Only Mina. When she was younger, her mother would pick her up, show her the sky and say, 'Moony, moony, come, come; go into Mina's chest,' or something like that. That's how Mina fell in love with the sky. Now, every night when it is cloudy, Mina cries for the stars."”
    MacMahon
  • “<p.33> Zari could see him from where she was sitting. He was standing by the twins' bed, watching them. Then he moved out of sight, but she knew that he was straightening the pillows. He would take Zari's keys, which they had hidden between their pillows. She knew that he would kiss them and that he would say, 'My cutie dolls.' When she heard the door, she knew that Yusof had gone to Khosrow's room. She knew that he would pull up his cover, kiss his forehead and say, 'My son, if I don't succeed, you will. You are dearer to me than my life.”
  • “<p.34> "Do you know what Mina told me today? When I tossed her up in the air and caught her in my arms, she asked 'Daddy, has Mama given you two stars? I can see them in your eyes.' " Zari laughed. "The child is right. Two stars shine in the depths of your eyes. Your eyes...God protect them, are like emeralds."”
  • “<p.43> Strangers I don't complain about, alas, it's friends who are the cause of my woes.”
  • “"<.49> ‘No, Zari, Khosrow must learn how many nails you have to suffer through in order to have shoes on your feet. He must learn that in this world, pain and suffering…’”
  • “<p.57> From what she said, Zari gathered that a show had been arranged for their fighting boys who had come on leave to the city of flowers and nightingales. They needed to be entertained in order to fight the monster of fascism with a strong spirit and send that Satan to hell. They were all grateful for the hospitality extended to them by the Iranians, who had made their war against this Satan, that is, Hitler, easier. She also said that Hitler was a microbe, a cancer, and the cancerous growth had to be removed.”
  • “<p.58> (recurring) They (Indian soldiers) eat their own pottage and stir other peoples porridge.”
  • “<p.58> The poem was about a soldier abroad who traps a foreign girl and gets as much out of her as he can...shoes, hat, money on top of that...but when the girl says 'I'm pregnant, marry me,' he confesses that he has a wife and kids.”
    Zari (Zahra) regarding MacMahon
  • “<p.58-59> Then he recited his own poem. The one about the Tree of Independence. 'A strange tree which draws its strength from the soil and blood. This tree has a gardener who looks like a prophet. Of all the trees, the gardener only loves this one. When it is time to water it, he shouts: Blood. All the people gather around the tree and cut open one of their veins. This tree has a cool and vast shade. All the people sit under it, and forget their sorrows. People dry up and grind its fruits and leaves to apply to their eyes. As a result, pride, hope, and self-confidence nestle in their hearts, replacing cowardice, suspicion, and lies, and they all become men of courage and honor.”
    MacMahon
  • “<p. 59-60> The woman reached into the pit and took out some items one by one: wood, pieces of board, the red cape that MacMahon had worn, a dunce cap, a box, a hammer and an air pump. Now the woman became the assistant to the man with the bushy eyebrows. The man made a scarecrow out of the wood and took the rubber tube from the woman and covered the trunk, arms and legs of the scarecrow with it. He put the cape on the scarecrow’s shoulders, which had a snake head, and put the dunce cap on its head. He glued a moustache over its lip. The moustache covered the entire width of the snake’s face. He also took a swastika from the woman and pinned it to the cape. Then he went to the air pump and attached it to the scarecrow and began to pump it up to the beat of the music. The scarecrow kept getting bigger and bigger. Its head, its body, its hands and its legs kept swelling. It became astonishingly huge—taking over most of the stage...Someone behind Zari’s whispered, ‘It’s Hitler.’”
  • “<p.68> Instead of books, teachers, doctors, medicine, and sympathy, they gave us bayonets, tanks, guns, and animosity.”
    Sohrab
  • “<p.71> 'You want food to give to the foreign troops in exchange for weapons you will then use to shoot your brothers and compatriots? Like that saying we have, "We stretch it one way, it didn't work, now we'll stretch it another way!'"”
    Yusof
  • “<p.73> This is their war. What is it to us? Hitler is from their own continent. They fattened him up themselves. Let them pay for it. Pay for everything. Pay for the pain they caused those who, as Zinger puts it, have the bounty but don't know how to make use of it. But they never say who is responsible for this not knowing how.”
    Yusof
  • “<p.75> I'll give the peasants their share in full and take the rest to the city. That's to make up for all the unfair landowners who have sold both the peasants' share and the people's food to the foreign troops.”
    Yusof
  • “<p.80> The water flowed on, losing the reflections, pouring into the pool without a witness. One could only hear its current. And when spring came, the white and purple violets gracefully greeted the passing water without promise or memento.”
  • “<p.87> ‘I will hint to Khosrow that his horse is sick, that in this world one should never become attached to anything whose loss would cause grief…’”
  • “<p.92> ‘When I think about it, I see that throughout our lives we are all like children happy with our toys. And what a calamitous day when our delights are taken away from us or we’re prevented from having them. Our children, our mothers, our philosophies…our religions…’”
  • “<p.94> When a child develops a memory and can remember the past, she is no longer a child, even if this past is a few hours old.”
  • “<p.95> ‘But you’ve always said yourself that if one talks about it, one’s sorrow will be lifted. You said, His Holiness Ali bent his head into a well and passed his sorrow to the water he could not see. You said you were sure that the wells dried up from hearing Ali’s sorrows.’”
  • “<p.100-101> She <Sudabeh> didn't become my father's wife. She never did. But what a woman she was. One of those women who could draw people to herself as if by magical rays. Those she attracted would never be able to free themselves from her spell. It has nothing to do with beauty or ugliness. It has to do with what a person is made of.”
  • “God forbid, I cannot interfere. I tried it and saw the consequences. After all, a person must do something greater than what he does in his daily life. He must try to change something. Now that there is nothing else for me to do, I love.”
  • “<p.105> Figure out how much you want to spend on my education and give me land instead.”
    Khan Kaka
  • “<p.106> How could they let each other go once they had found and recognized each other? First, there were two plants which had been entwined around each other and one of them had withered. In the next life, there were two migratory birds who lost each other when they were flying south or north. In the life after that, there were two intimate deer, one of them killed by a hunter and the other one grieving the loss. Then there was a father and daughter, then a sister and brother and...and when they finally find each other, how could they let each other go?"”
    Sudabeh
  • “<p.110> She convinced them that if they didn’t stay in the shade, Lady Sun would get angry and stick hot prods into their soft and tender flesh.”
Show all 31 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Shiraz, Iran (Fars Province, South Iran) " “the city of flowers and nightingales”
  • Governor's Daughter's Wedding: Ch. 1
  • Zari & Yusof's Home & Garden: Ch. 2, 3, 4
  • Kirimkhani Citadel (Prison): Zari visits or sends an emissary every Thursday per the vow she made during childbirth of her younger twins, Mina and Marjan, to take homemade bread and dates each week, for fear if she did not she would lose her twins to the same pain she experienced during Khosrow's birth, whose similar vow must have certainly saved his life as well.
  • Mental Hospital: Zari visits or sends an emissary every Thursday per the vow she made during childbirth of her oldest, son Khosrow, to take homemade bread and dates each week, for fear if she did not she would lose her child due to the pain.
  • Tent: Ch. 3
  • Vakil Bazaar (minor): mentioned.
  • Kamfiruz (minor): mentioned. The capital of Kamfiruz District, in Marvdasht County, Fars Province, Iran, in the southwest of Iran.
  • Kavar (minor): mentioned. The capital of Kavar County, Fars Province, Iran, in the southwest of Iran.
  • Ahvaz-Bandarshah (minor): mentioned.
  • Malekabad Pass (minor): mentioned.
  • Takab Pass (minor): mentioned. Assumedly in the city of Takab in Northwest Iran.
  • Mordestan District: the red light district of Shiraz.
  • Karbala (minor): city in Iraq, southwest of Baghdad. Is amongst the holiest cities for Shia Muslims after Mecca and Medina. It is home to the Imam Hussein and famous as the site of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, where commemorations are held by millions of Shias annually to remember it.
  • Gowd-e Araban: a quarter in the city of Shiraz.
  • Bajgah: a city in Fars Province.
  • Mashhad: the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. The only major Iranian city with an Arabic name.
  • Vakil Mosque: a mosque in Shiraz. Built between 1751 and 1773, during the Zand period and restored in the 19th century during the Qajar period. Vakil means regent, which was the title used by Karim Khan, the founder of Zand Dynasty. Shiraz was the seat of Karim Khan’s government and he endowed many buildings, including this mosque. Yusof gave service here after his return from Najaf.
  • Shah Cheragh Shrine: mosque in Shiraz, housing the tomb of the brothers Ahmad and Muhammad, sons of Mūsā al-Kādhim and brothers of ‘Alī ar-Ridhā. The two took refuge near the site during the Abbasid persecution of Shia Muslims.
  • Rashk-e Behesht Gardens: a building at the Southern edge of the historical palace Bagh-e Ferdows in Tajrish, giving it the name Rashk-e Behesht, meaning "Envy of the Paradise." Where Zari first saw Sudabeh.
  • Bagh-e Takht Khan Seminary: school where Yusof use to teach before retiring
  • Bardeh: mentioned. A village in Bardesareh Rural District in Western Iran.
  • Manavaz: mentioned.
  • Abadeh: a city in southern-central Iran in a fertile plain on the high road between Isfahan and Shiraz. The largest city in the Abadeh-Eghlid district, famed for carved wood-work, made of the wood of pear and box trees. Sesame oil, castor oil, grain, and various fruits are also produced there. Area also famous for Abadeh rugs.
  • Arak: a city in Western Iran; built on the ruins of a small town called Daskerah, which was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Persia.
  • New Mosque
  • Bajgah
Show all 26 settings

First Sentence edit see section history

IT was the wedding day of the Governor's daughter.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Introduction
Characters
Savushun (23 Chapters)
Glossary

<The chapter information listed below is not listed in the book, but is for reader's reference purposes only>

Ch.1 (The Wedding)
Ch.2 (Lunch/The Garden)
Ch.3 (The Tent)
Ch.4 (Men in Chador/The Settlement)
Ch.5 (The Horse/Fatemeh's Sorrow)
Ch.6 (Sudabeh, the Indian)
Ch.7 (The Gendarme ‘s Horse)
Ch.8 (The Story of Ferdows)

Glossary edit see section history

  • aba: a coarse fabric of wool or hair fiber with felted finish usually worn by men over other clothing, nowadays worn predominantly by clerics
  • Abbas (Abolfazl al-Abbas): brother of Imam Hoseyn. He was martyred in Karbala.
  • Mohammad ebn Yusof Saqafi: brother of the infamous Arab commander, Hajjaj ebn Yusof; supposed to have rebuilt the city of Shiraz in the first century after the Arab invasion of Iran.
  • Akvan (Akvan-e Div): the famous demon fought and killed by Rostam, the Iranian champion hero of Ferdowsi's epic "Book of Kings"
  • And there is life for you in retaliation, O men of understanding: Koran, Sura II, 179.
  • aqa: an honorific used for males, roughly equivalent to "Mr." or "Sir;" "Master" more equivalent; can be used before a first name or surname, after a first name, or alone as a form of address
  • arak: Persian for vodka
  • Ashkabus: a warrior in Ferdowsi's "Book of Kings" who was killed by Rostam.
  • Ashura: the tenth day of the Islamic lunar month of Moharram, on which the martyrdom of Imam Hoseyn is commemorated
  • Ayesheh: the daughter of Abu Bakr, the second caliph, and wife of Mohammad; not liked by Shi'ites
  • Baba Kuhi: shrine of Sheykh Abu Abdollah Mohammad ebn Abdollah, known as Bakuyeh, in the mountains near Shiraz; a popular place of excursion
  • Babi: a follower of Seyyed Ali Mohammad of Shiraz (1819-1850), the founder of Babism, considered a heretical sect by the Shi'ite populace in Iran
  • Bagh-e Behesht: literally, "Garden of Paradise," a garden in Shiraz.
  • Bagh-e Takht: a garrison center in the northern part of the city of Shiraz.
  • bezoar: any of various concretions found in the alimentary canal of certain ruminants; formerly believed to possess magic powers and used in the orient as a medicine or a pigment
  • Bibi: in this text, "mother," although rarely used in contemporary Persian
  • Book of Kings: in Persian "Shahnameh," Iranian national epic by Ferdowsi, consisting of 60,000 couplets of verse, completed in the early 11th century. The poem is a history of Iranian kings from mythical times to the reign of Khosrow II (A.D. 590-628), as well as the story of the overthrow of the Sasanian Dynasty by the Arabs in the mid-seventh century.
  • Boyer Ahmadi: Iranian nomadic tribes of what is now Kohkiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran.
  • Brno: reference in this text is to the Brno gun, originally manufactured in Brno, Czechoslovakia, later known as the ZB or Bren gun, manufactured in Enfield, Middlesex, England.
  • chador: a long veil used to cover the head and worn by women over their clothes.
  • Commander of the Faithful: title of Ali, the first Shi'ite imam, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.
  • crow, fly (kalagh-par): a game for small children, who sit in a circle with an older child or adult who names different birds, animals or objects, after which the children are supposed to raise their hands and say "par" or "fly," if what has been named can fly
  • danstanbu: a small, fragrant melon generally held in the hand because of its refreshing scent.
  • Dena: a mountain in northwestern Fars Province; its peak is the second highest in Iran.
  • dinars: 100 dinars equals one rial; ten rials equals one toman; a toman is about 13 cents.
  • Doshman Ziyari: a nomadic tribe in Fars Province.
  • Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken: Koran, Sura IV, 43.
  • Dror: probably a variant pronunciation of the Armenian name Dro.
  • droshky: a low, four-wheeled open carriage.
  • dugh: a beverage made of yogurt and water or carbonated water seasoned with aromatic herbs, generally served in summer.
  • Esfandiyar: known as ru'intan, or invincible, but killed by Rostam in Ferdowsi's "Book of Kings"
  • Ezhdahakosh: a clan of the Qashqa'i tribe.
  • Farsimadan: a clan of the Qashqa'i tribe.
  • fasayakfikohomollah: Arabic phrase meaning, "Then God shall be sufficient for you."
  • Fatemeh: daughter of the Prophet Mohammad and wife of Ali.
  • giveh: handwoven cotton shoes worn in most Iranian rural areas.
  • Hafeziyun: literally, devoted admirers of Hafez, the reknowned Iranian lyric poet, who lived in the 14th century in Shiraz
  • Haftan: a shrine of seven nameless dervishes in Shiraz.
  • Haj (Haji): honorific title given to a Moslem male who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca.
  • halva: a cooked paste made of flour, oil, sugar, and saffron; usually served at funeral services, along with coffee.
  • Hend the Liver Eater: the mother of the Omayyad caliph Mo'aviyyeh, who in the Ohod War carved out and, with her teeth, tore into the liver of Hamzeh, the Prophet's uncle.
  • howzkhaneh: a room with a pool and fountain or fountains, usually on ground level, found in traditional Iranian houses, where families find relief from the hot temperatures in summertime.
  • I have breathed into him of my spirit: Koran, Sura XV, 29.
  • Ilanoddowleh and Verylanoddowleh: the suffix -oddowleh usually indicates an aristocratic title; used in jest in this context to mean roofless or wandering aristocrat.
  • Imam of the Age: title of the 12th Shi'ite imam, Mahdi, who is believed to have vanished in A.D. 873 and is expected to return to establish justice in the world. During World War II, German propaganda presented Hitler to Iranians as the Imam of the Age.
  • Imam Hoseyn: third Shi'ite Imam, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, mourned in Iran more than any other martyr. He was killed while leading an unsuccessful revolt against Yazid I, the Omayyad caliph, at Karbala in A.D. 680.
  • Imam Reza: Ali ebn Musa (A.D. 770-813), the eighth imam of the Twelver Shi'ite sect, believed by Shi'ites to have been martyred by Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph. His shrine in Mashad is considered the most sacred site in Iran.
  • Jalaloddin Menkoberni: or Jalaloddin Kharazmshah, the last king of the Karazsmshahiyan Dynasty, who fought bravely and tried unsuccessfully to prevent the Mongol invasion of Iran in the early 13th century.
  • Kaka: term for "brother" in Fars Province.
  • Karbala: city, now in Iraq, where Hoseyn, the third Shi'ite imam, battled against the Ommayad army and was killed along with his followers; location of the shrine of Imam Hoseyn
  • Kavar: a village south of Shiraz.
  • khan: a tribal chief; also used as an honorific title, generally used after the first name.
  • khanom: honorific used for females; can be used either before a given name or surname, after a given name, or alone as a form of address.
  • khoresh (khoresht): any of a variety of stew-like dishes usually served atop steamed rice.
  • Khosrow and Shirin: famous lovers immortalized by Nezami in a story in verse by the same name. Khosrow II or Khosrow Parviz (A.D. 591-628) was the Sasanian king who fell in love with Shirin, an Armenian girl, who was also loved by Farhad, a stone carver.
  • Khuli: a man cursed by Shi'ites for having hidden the severed head of Imam Hoseyn in the bread kiln of his house. His wife saw light emanating from the kiln and discovered her husband's secret. She is also supposed to have hidden the two children of Moslem eben Aqil to protect them when their father was killed by the supporters of Yazid I in Kufeh.
  • kohl: a preparation of antimony or soot mixed with other ingredients, used to darken the edges of the eyelids.
  • Leyli and Majnun: legendary lovers. Majnun's story of love for Leyli is put into verse by Nezami, the 12th-13th century romantic poet.
  • Lion and Sun emblem: Iranian government emblem; in this case, emblem of the Iranian relief organization of the time, equivalent to the Red Cross
  • Lo! We have given thee a signal victory: Koran, Sura XLVIII, I.
  • malek: literally "king" or "prince;" used here as an honorific.
  • maleki: a superior quality giveh, usually with pointed toes.
  • Mard-e Emruz: a newspaper. The title literally means "Today's Man."
  • Masnavi (Masnavi-ye Ma'navi): spiritual verses by Jalaloddin Rumi, known as Mowlavi, one of the greatest Persian mystic poets who lived in Qunieh in Turkey in the 13th century. His verses are used for chanting by Sufi dervishes.
  • Ma'sumeh: the sister of Imam Reza, the eight Shi'ite imam, whose tomb in Qom is considered one of the holiest shrines in Iran.
  • Mazandarantaj: a play on the name of the Governor's daughter, Gilantaj. Mazandaran and Gilan are both provinces in northern Iran, by the Caspian Sea.
  • mesqal: measure of weight equal to approximately 5 grams.
  • miyur: a soft, light cotton.
  • Mohammad ebn Yusof Saqafi: brother of the infamous Arab commander, Hajjaj ebn Yusof; supposed to have rebuilt the city of Shiraz in the first century after the Arab invasion of Iran.
  • Mordestan District: literally, the Dead District, the red-light district in Shiraz. Mordestan is probably a corruption of the word Murdestan, literally "myrtle garden."
  • Moslem: Moslem ebn Aqil, a cousin of Imam Hoseyn, who was sent by him to Kufeh as his deputy but was killed by the supporters of Yazid I
  • mosquito netting (mosquito tent): translation of pashehband, a tent of sorts made of thin cotton material in which bedrolls are spread, used for sleeping outdoors in the summertime.
  • muezzin: a Moslem crier who calls the hour of daily prayers from the minaret of a mosque.
  • Najaf: city, now in Iraq, where the shrine of the 1st Shi'ite imam, Ali, is located; a center for religious learning.
  • Nakir and Monkar: two angels believed to come to the grave for questioning on the first night of one's death and who are supposed to punish sinners.
  • naneh: "mother;" usually used in rural areas
  • Nay Prison: prison where Mas'ud Sa'd Salman (d. A.D. 1121), a famous poet who spent much of his life in prison, spent three years. Nay was built for the political prisoners of the Ghaznavids.
  • Nur Hamadeh: an early Lebanese feminist.
  • Pahlavan Kachalak: literally, "the little bald champion," puppet-show characters particularly popular in Fars Province. The term also denotes the puppet show in general
  • Pahlavi hat: a form. of brimmed hat popular in Iran during the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi (1926-1941).
  • paludeh: a starch-based dessert eaten with lime juice; a summer-time specialty of Shiraz.
  • parasang: six kilometers.
  • passion play procession: rendering of ta'ziyeh, a form of religious drama reenacting the death of martyrs, particularly those who were killed in Karbala along with Imam Hoseyn.
  • qaran: one-tenth of a toman; a rial is also one-tenth of a toman.
  • Qasem wedding chamber: Qasem, son of Hasan, the 2nd imam, who was betrothed but was martyred in Karbala before his marriage. In Iranian mourning rituals, a decorated box-like structure is carried to remind mourners of his untimely death.
  • Qashqa'i: nomadic tribe in southwestern Iran.
  • qeran: monetary unit equal to one rial.
  • Ramazan: Persian pronunciation of the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan, the 9th Islamic lunar month.
  • ranginak: a local confection of Shiraz made of dates, walnuts, browned flour, and ghee
  • rish-e baba: literally, "daddy's beard;" large, elongated grapes.
  • ritual ablution with dust: or tayammom, a substitute for ablution with water before daily prayers, resorted to when water is not available or would be harmful to the worshipper.
  • Rostam: the most famous legendary hero of Ferdowsi's Book of Kings.
  • Sadiqeh Tahereh: title of Fatemeh, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammad.
  • sangak bread: a variety of flat Iranian bread baked on hot pebbles.
  • sang-e siyah: literally "black stone," a district in the city of Shiraz
  • Sardozzak: district in the city of Shiraz.
  • Serat Bridge: a bridge over Hell leading to Paradise, believed to be thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword, over which everyone must cross on Resurrection Day. Sinners will not be able to cross and will fall into Hell.
  • seyyed: honorific title that precedes a male name, used to indicate that one is a descendent of the prophet Mohammad.
  • Shah Cheragh: shrine believed to be that of Ahmad ebn Musa ebn Ja'far, a brother to Imam Reza in the city of Shiraz.
  • Shahreza: small city south of Esfahan and north of Shiraz.
  • Shemr: Shemr ebn zel-Jowshan, hated by Shi'ites for having severed the head of Imam Hoseyn in Karbala.
  • Sheykh San'an: a well-known character from Manteq al-Teyr, or "The Conference of Birds," by one of the greatest mystical poets and thinkers of the 12th-13th centuries, Attar. Sheykh San'an was a prominent, pious man with hundreds of followers. After traveling to Rome, he fell in love with a Christian girl and consented to pray in a Christian temple and became a swineherd to prove his love for her.
  • Siboveyh: Iranian scholar of Arabic grammar (d. A.D. 796), buried in the Sang-e Siyah District of Shiraz.
  • Siyavash: legendary Iranian prince, son of King Kavus, who was betrayed by his stepmother and forced to undergo a trial by fire.
  • Sobhi (Fazlollah Sobhi): a popular radio personality who told children's stories over the radio for some twenty years, from the early 1940's to the early 1960's.
  • Sohrab: champion in Ferdowsi's Book of Kings, son of Rostam. He was unwittingly killed by his father. A version of this tragic story is found in Matthew Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum.
  • tah chin: literally, "arranged on the bottom," Iranian dish made of rice, eggs, and yogurt, mixed with butter, saffron, and spices, which forms a thick cake-like crust at the bottom of a pot of steamed rice.
  • tar: a musical instrument made of a double sound-box (of equal size) covered by a thin skin, with a neck of six strings which are plucked with a plectrum to create a velvety and brilliant sound.
  • "To what part of this dark night...": line from a poem entitled "Vay var Man," or "Woe Is Me," by Nima Yushij (1895-1960), considered the father of modern Persian poetry, who revolutionized Persian poetry by breaking away from the conventions of classical meter and imagery.
  • toman: one toman is ten rials, or about 13 cents at the official rate of exchange
  • Tuba Tree (Tree of Happiness in Paradise): said to be laden with various kinds of delicious and fragrant fruits, of which all inhabitants can partake.
  • walazalin: literally, "and those who go astray;" the last phrase of the opening sura of the Koran, which is used in daily prayers.
  • wooden platform: translation of takht, large wooden structures which in traditional Iranian homes were placed in the courtyard for outdoor family activities in late afternoons and evenings in summertime, and on which bedrolls and mosquito netting would be placed for sleeping outdoors.
  • Ya Allah: a multi-purpose phrase; here used by a man entering a room as a warning to allow women to veil themselves; equivalent to knocking on a door.
  • Ya Hu, Ya Haq: incantation calling on the name of God in Sufi chants.
  • Yazid (Yazid ebn Mo'aviyyeh): the Omayyad caliph (A.D. 680-683), abhorred by Shi'ites for being responsible for the killing of Imam Hoseyn.
  • Zeynab: Sister of Imam Hoseyn, who became a prisoner of war after the Battle of Karbala, regarded as a model of virtue and bravery by Shi'ites.
  • Zeynab Ziyadi: not to be mistaken for Zeynab, the sister of Imam Hoseyn. Not an actual character in traditional religious drama, the character of Zeynab Ziyadi, or "the unwanted Zeynab," is based on a woman who, during a ta'ziyeh performance being held for Naseroddin Shah Qajar, attempted to enter the performance center to view the play, claiming to be a fictitious character called Zeynab Ziyadi
  • zither: a musical instrument with a shallow sound box and 30 or 40 strings.
  • Zoleykha: wife of Phutiphar, who was in love with Joseph, son of Jacob.
  • handkerchief dance: The dancer hops on one foot while holding small handkerchiefs in her hands.
  • Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar: the founder of the Qajar Dynasty who reigned from 1779-1797
  • center of intrigues: an Arabic colloquialism for something that has suddenly become of great interest to the general public, often with a connotation of an urgency to address and subside such intrigue
  • gendarme: a police officer in any of several European countries
  • verjuice: the acidic juice made from unripe fruit, primarily grapes, or crab apples, unripe plums or gooseberries. Popular in Iran, called ‘abghooreh’ there
  • eiderdown pillow: a pillow full of feathers taken from the nests of the Eider Duck
  • roan: a horse with a coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"—lower legs, mane and tail—are more solid-colored.
Show all 127 glossary entries

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Simin Daneshvar (Author)

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Original Language: Persian
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Country: Iran
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More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Daneshvar's Playhouse
  • Sutra
  • Biography - Daneshvar, Simin (1921-): An article from: Contemporary Authors
  • Things I've Been Silent About

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