Parvin: liberation of bird from cage

I was indeed a captive bird that was liberated from the cage after divorce and flew to Tehran in relief. It was nine months after leaving Kermanshah that I officially divorced from my husband. Although I was liberated and freed, I felt lonely very badly. I became isolationist and rarely appeared in the gatherings. I only occasionally met Soror Mahkameh Mohases who was the closest friend of mine. But the agony of this loneliness didn't last long. My father collected my poems and got them published and it was exactly one year after leaving Kermanshah - August 1935 – that my divan (collection of poems) was published and I fulfilled one of my longstanding aspirations. Hadn't it been for the effort and endeavor of my father, my divan would have never been printed so quickly and easily. The publication of my divan opened a new vista in front of me. A world in which I could find myself. A world that filled my loneliness. In order to put an end to my loneliness, my father proposed to me to work at the Library of the Tehran Institute. It wasn't a bad job. Living among the colorful and diverse books was pleasant for me. I started my job as the librarian of the institute. It helped me put an end to my loneliness. I wasn't very busy at the library and after discharging my duties, I had enough time to study and think. I had two, three hours a day to think and contemplate. The members of the library were very few and I had enough time to journey within myself and plan the structure of the uncomposed poems.

The publication of my poems left a positive impact on my morale. The first day I received the first edition of my divan, I frequently picked it up and looked at its shape and form. Sometimes I wouldn't believe that it belonged to me. I had every right to think so, for the publication of my book was just like a dream. Now that I had fulfilled my longstanding aspiration, I enjoyed just holding it. More than enjoying the recitation of poems of that book I enjoyed looking at its appearance. I frequently looked at the first and second pages and fell into a sweet ecstasy: “The Divan of Parvin E’tesami, First Edition, August 1935”

Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi