A poem, revolutionary in style as well as content, by the mid-19th century poetess Tahereh: Look up! Our dawning day draws its first breath! The world grows light! Our souls begin to glow! No ranting shaykh rules from his pulpit throne No mosque hawks holiness it does not know No sham, no pious fraud, no priest commands! The turban’s knot cut to its root below! No more conjurations! No spells! No ghosts! Good riddance! We are done with folly’s show! The search for Truth shall drive out ignorance Equality shall strike the despots low Let warring ways be banished from the world Let Justice everywhere its carpet throw May friendship ancient hatreds reconcile May love grow from the seed of love we sow! ― Táhirih (1817-1852) Translation: Jascha Kessler In this poem, the poetess, theologian and heroine Tahereh, living in Persia in the mid-19th century, portrays a world where love and friendship overcome hatred and injustice. Living herself in a society permeated by corruption, religious fanaticism and discrimination against women, she rises above her environs and unveils a revolutionary vision of a world order, far different from the one that she found herself in. Being revolutionary is the least you could say about Táhirih and her destiny. As one of the foremost women in Baha’i history, she dedicated her life to her newly-found Faith and its principles concerning the emancipation of women – a cause for which she eventually gave her life. *The Emancipation Of Women. Tahereh, The Poet. - By 95 Gems Many women have been born into the world when the concept of the equality of opportunities for men and women are part of the common structure of society. Many women have lived through the changes and developments while many others have fought until their very last breath to see this dream come true. One of this women that to me is the FIRST woman in the world to publicly speak about the emancipation of women was Tahereh. Born in Qazvin, a city of Iran around 1817-1820 (her exact date of birth is unknown due to the fact that her birth certificate, along with other of her possessions were burnt after she was killed), Tahereh was the daughter of one of the most prominent Mullahs of the region and was well educated in Islam and the Quran. Her father often lamented the fact that she was a woman because of her brightness and enlightenment – he thought if she had been a boy that she would have been his successor. “You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.” ― Tahereh Quarratul-Ay
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 02:02:13 +0000
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