One of my favorite poems is For the Rosenbergs by Houshang Ebtehaj, the Iranian poet better known by his pen name, H. E. Sayeh, which means “Shadow.” The poem was written in reference to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the American couple executed in 1953. But for me, its meaning goes far beyond that historical tragedy. Over the past fifteen years, whenever the Iranian government has executed people, this poem has returned to my mind. I have memorized it, and its words keep echoing inside me every time another life is taken. The grief in this poem feels painfully familiar, as if it were speaking not only of a tragedy from another time and place, but also of the recurring sorrow of my own country. Here is English rendering of its opening lines: The news was brief: They had executed them. The little girl cried out. Her lips trembled. Her weary eyes filled with tears, and she burst into sobs. And with an aching effort, I hid my tears. “Why did they execute them?” she asks me, her tear-filled eyes fixed on mine. “Why did they execute them?” My darling, my daughter, there is a strange and terrible world where lies and hatred reign supreme. ….. There, truth and human dignity are dismissed as empty, meaningless words. There, robbery, murder, and bloodshed are free to roam unchecked. ……. My darling, my daughter, they executed them for their hatred of me, for their hatred of you, for their hatred of truth. …….. My darling, wipe the tears from your face. Rise to your feet. You live on in me, and I live on in you. We shall never die. You and I, with thousands more, shall carry on along this path. Victory shall be ours. Tomorrow shall be ours, with all its joy and all its promise of happiness. I wish I could share the entire poem in English, but I haven’t been able to verify a published, authoritative English translation. These lines are AI rendering, not an official translation. And a bit of Farsi: خبر کوتاه بود اعدامشان کردند… #freedom #execution #Victory #poem View quoted note →