Tulips Bloom from Youths’ Blood

1. What season is it in the poem? What is the speaker’s mood? How does the situational irony work in this poem?

2. This poem makes an emotional call to action. Is the use of traditional metaphors, such as nightingale, rose, tulip, cypress, etc. effective in this context? 

3. As a song, the piece has a chorus that acts like a recurring refrain.  What does this repetitive section add to other stanzas?

4. In Persian poetry, takhallus or signature verse is the inclusion of the poet’s name or pen name in the final lines of a poem. Oftentimes, the name is introduced as a character in the third person (she or he), a person other than the speaker. Sometimes, it is directly addressed in the second person (you). The device adds an additional dimension to the drama unfolding in the poem. It introduces an aesthetic distance through which self-critique becomes possible as the new character bears the same name as the poet. The speaker describes and/or critiques this character, comments on their views and attitudes, and distances themself from them. What kind of character is ʿĀref in the final stanza of the song before the last chorus? How different from or similar to the persona / speaker of the poem is he?

5. How many different voices do you detect in the poem and how would you render them in recitation?

Writing Activity:

1. Write a poem using traditional metaphors in English literature to make a contemporary call to action. Here are a few: candle, moth, cloud, mist, castle, dagger, sword, armour, mountain, river, storm, ocean, flame, and blood. You can find more by checking the works of poets before the twentieth century.

Suggested topics include but are not limited to: patriotism, anti-corruption, anti-censorship, anti-racism, gender justice, women’s rights, children’s rights, climate justice, and other urgent topics of our time.

2. This song/ poem is a translation. If you know another language, choose a political poem in that language, and translate it into English. Select a historically significant poem or song that deepens the readers’ understanding of the original culture.

Useful Links:

1. Constitutional Revolution, Encyclopædia Iranica: https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/constitutional-revolution-index

2. Constitutional Revolution, Iran Chamber: https://www.iranchamber.com/history/constitutional_revolution/constitutional_revolution.php

3. This song has been performed by numerous Iranian singers over the years. Here is a short video clip of a performance by Parastoo Ahmadi in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9gAv6AA2EU