To you who took flight suddenly: a review by Jennifer Jean
In her introduction to Song of the Ground Jay: Poems by Iranian Women 1960-2023, editor Mojdeh Bahar tells us that the jay in the title is a desert crow that is camouflaged while marching on its stout legs but is expressively gorgeous when taking flight. This image is an apt representation of the poets in this exquisitely curated bilingual anthology of Persian poetry by women from Iran and the Iranian diaspora. Bahar, in her introduction, and the poets as well, talk of taking refuge in the soaring words and rhythms of poetry because their lives have been incredibly restricted. The curation, she tells us, leans towards accessibility for readers of English in order to invite second-generation Iranians not familiar with Persian poetry, as well as all lovers of poetry in English, to engage with the wide range of poets and poetries presented. Bahar, a patent attorney by trade, writes that she selected each work “by heart.” After reviewing her choices, it’s clear her taste and discernment are excellent. What you will experience in this over-600-page volume, is more than academic—it is a nurturing love for every woman behind each word.
Anthologies which span an era, like this one, are often organized by decade. Or maybe they’re organized by sub-theme; for instance: love, war, desire, motherhood, family, loss, etcetera. Instead, the poets here appear in alphabetical order by last name. An author photo along with brief biographical details precede each set of poems. In this way we’re invited to look each poet in the eye before delving into their work. This arrangement was especially effective towards accessibility for an English-only reader like me because Bahar is the primary translator. When this is the case, sometimes there is a singular voice throughout a work though there are, in the original language, several authors. When the poets are set apart visually there’s little sense of this sort of blended voice. One thing that is uniform—though helpful—is that most of the poems are untitled and short, and all of them contain contemporary language and concerns. The brevity of the poems gave me a sense that I received only a taste of an entire oeuvre. And, this is the goal of every great anthology—to nudge the reader into more reading and exploration.
There are too many standout poets but a partial list includes: Mahnaz Badihian, Ghodsi Ghazinour, Mahshid Naghashpour, Maryam Raeesdana, Mehri Rahmani, Nasrin Ranjbar Irani, Hila Sedighi, and Roya Zarrin.
As well, I fell in love with the poems of Zari Minooei, like this one titled “Red Apple”:
Always
My journey through him
ends in
the craziest Eve
And his journey through me
the most Adam-like madness
Our red apple, indeed
has something different to say.
And, with the poems of Narges Doost, like this untitled one:
You come
From the exploded body of a pomegranate
With a drunken mouth
Which may or may not reach the hanging branches
Scratch
The delicate skin of the moon
And with your fingers
Postpone death
In my body
Also, with the poems of Mahasti Shahrokhi, like this untitled one:
To whom shall I apologize for all this destruction
and decay?
To myself whose best days have gone up in smoke?
Or to you who took flight suddenly, unrequited
and unbloomed?
As you can see, translation lends itself to gorgeous strangeness! Which is why writers of poetry in English, especially, should read this and other translated anthologies. Reading these words embeds unfamiliar syntax and unfamiliar history into a poet’s heart. We become not only engaged in novel conversation but are transformed by the exposure.
Song of the Ground Jay: Poems by Iranian Women 1960-2023 edited by Mojdeh Bahar, Gordyeh Press, 2023, $75, 9781949445527
Jennifer Jean’s collections include VOZ, Object Lesson, The Fool and the forthcoming Where Do You Live? أين تعيش؟ (Arrowsmith, 2025) with Hanaa Ahmed. She’s the editor of the bilingual anthology Other Paths for Shahrazad (Tupelo, 2026). Her work appears in: Poetry, Rattle, On the Seawall, the L.A. Review, and The Common. She’s received awards from: Kenyon Writers Workshop, Disquiet, and Her Story Is. Jennifer teaches at Solstice MFA and manages 24PearlStreet, FAWC’s online writing program.