¹ Behbahani, Simin, Ja-ye Pa (Tehran, 1971)Google Scholar, v. While the words “inadequate” and “dry language” may refer to the limitations imposed by censorship, the meaning of the word “dry” is not very clear.

² Behbahani, Ja-ye Pa, 6.

³ Behbahani, Simin, “Davideh-im va Hanuz Midavim” in Donya-ye Sokhan, 13 (1987), 10–13Google Scholar, 60–61. She writes,

⁴ Barthes, Roland, “Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narratives” (1966), in Image, Music, Text, trans, Heath, Stephen (New York, 1977), 79–124Google Scholar, 79.

⁵ For more information about the latter point, see Milani, Farzaneh, “Moshti Por az Setarh: Zendegi va Ashare Simin Behbahani” in Nimeh Digar no. 1 (Fall 1993): 37–63Google Scholar.

⁶ This short section on the analysis of Simin Behbahani's pre- and post-Revolutionary works summarizes what I have written about her elsewhere, including segments of the chapters on committed literature and feminist literature in The Politics of Writing in Iran: A History of Modern Persian Literature (Syracuse, 2000). See also, “Bihbahani's [Behbahani's] ‘The Broken Cup’: A Window to the Past and Future,” Iranian Studies 30, no. 3–4 (Summer/Fall 1997): 249–250; “The Broken Cup,” by Simin Bihbahani [Behbahani's], trans. [from Persian] Iranian Studies 30, no. 3–4 (Summer/Fall 1997): 250–254; and “Jame Gonah: Negahi Beh Tarjomeh-ye Guzideh-e Ashar-e Simin” [“A Cup of Sin: A Look at the Translation of Simin Behbahi's Collected Works”], Iran Nameh 18, no. 4 (Fall 2001): 457–467.

⁷ See, The Politics of Writing in Iran.

⁸ For detailed information on Behbahani's biography and works, see Milani, Farzaneh, ed., Nimeye Digar 21 Special Issue on Simin Behbahani (autumn 1993)Google Scholar; Assadipour, Bizhan, ed., Daftar-i Hunar 2, no. 4 (Sept. 1995)Google Scholar; Abumahbub, Ahmad, Zengdegi va Shi're Simin Behbahani (Tehran, 2003)Google Scholar; Abedi, Kamyar, Barasi Zendegi va Asare Simin Behbahani (Tehran, 2000)Google Scholar; and Dehbashi, Ali, ed., Zani ba Damani She'r (Tehran, 2004)Google Scholar.

⁹ Her pre-Revolutionary works alone include five volumes: Chilchiragh [Chandelier] (Tehran, 1991), (fifth edition; it was first published in 1966); Marmar [Marble] (Tehran, 1967); Rastakhiz [Resurrection] (Tehran, 1983). Second edition of the poems written in the years from 1963 to 1973; Jay-i pa [The Footstep] (Tehran, 1991). This is the fourth edition; the poems were written in the years from 1946 to 1956; Sehtar-e Shekasteh [Broken Sehtar] (Tehran, 1951).

¹⁰ Bihbahani, Simin [Behbahani], “Finjan-i Shikastih,” in Dunya-yi Sukhan [The World of Speech] 64 (Jun.–July 1995): 72Google Scholar. For the English translation of this story, see Talattof, Kamran, “Bihbahani's [Behbahani's] ‘The Broken Cup’: A Window to the Past and Future,” in Iranian Studies 30, no. 3–4 (summer/fall 1997): 249–54Google Scholar.

¹¹ Reza Barhani has written extensively on this topic. As with many other scholars, he argued that after the Revolution, poetry lost its leading role. Also, the pages of literary journals such Adineh and Dunya-ye Shokhan were filled with discussions of problems related to post-Revolutionary poetry, seeking to explain why poetry was in crisis.

¹² The poem “Ay Adamha” [“Hey, People”] by Nima reappeared in a number of anthologies (and in many journals) and became a favorite. The critics contend that its character's call, “Hey you, sitting on the shore, happy and laughing / Someone is drowning in the water,” can be read as a call for a social revolution.

¹³ Behbahani, Simin, “Do Bareh Misazemat Vatan,” from Dasht Arzhan in Az Salha-ye Ab va Sarab (Tehran, 1998), 327Google Scholar. The date of the poem is 1981.

¹⁴ This is my somewhat literal translation, with an eye on the more poetic translation of the poem by Farzaneh Milani and Kaveh Safa in Simin Behbahani, A Cup of Sin: Selected Poems, trans. Farzaneh Milani and Kaveh Safa (Syracuse, 1999), 68. I had to retranslate the piece for analytical purposes.

¹⁵ Fasaei, Mansour Rastegar, Anvae Sher (Shiraz, 1993)Google Scholar.

¹⁶ For more information on different genres of poetry, see the Fasaei, Mansour Rastegar, Anvae Sher (Shiraz, 1993), 64–91Google Scholar.

¹⁷ For a discussion of vazn in Behbehani's work, see the chapter “Vaznha-ye Simini” in Abumahbub, Ahmad, Zengdegi va Shi're Simin Behbahani (Tehran, 2003)Google Scholar.

¹⁸ For a detailed discussion of the ghazal form, see Shamisa, Sirus, Sayre Ghazal dar She're Farsi (Tehran, 1983)Google Scholar.

¹⁹ In many classical poems, khesht is used in its literal meaning, i.e., made of soil or gold. Hafez and Sa'di have used it in a somewhat metaphorical sense. Hafez writes,

And Sa'di states,

²⁰ The “Azme ramim” is from Surreh Baqareh, verse 178, and elsewhere in the Quran. Many classical poets have made reference to the concept. Hafez writes,

Khaju-ye Kermani also writes,

Or:

And Sa'di writes,

²¹ Genette, G., Narrative Discourse (Cornell, 1980), 2–4Google Scholar.

²² Sacks, Oliver, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales (New York, 1985), 105Google Scholar.

²³ Quoting a few lines of this poem, Mirfetrus, Ali writes, “For many years I have been reciting this poem every day.” See, “Goftgu ba Ali Mirfetrus,” in Kaveh (Spring 1996): 20–38Google Scholar, 35.

²⁴ Indeed, Mehrak Kamali in his graduate research at the University of Tehran suggests that a new literary movement has arisen. He refers to it as the “Farhang-e Badil.”

²⁵ See the chapter on Persianism in The Politics of Writing in Iran.

²⁶ The defeat of the reformist candidate in the presidential election of 2005 in fact illustrates this uncertainty and fragility.

²⁷ Behbahani, Simin, Khati ze Sorat va az Atash (Tehran, 1981), 51Google Scholar.

²⁸ ISNA reported that on 6/13/2005, women gathered in front of the University of Tehran clapped and shouted:

²⁹ The original Persian reads:

³⁰ Behbahani, Simin, “Shamshire Man,” Nameh Zan no. 4 (March 2006)Google Scholar.

³¹ Simin Behbahani, “Shamshire Man.”

³² The title of the poem and relevant verses are:

³³ She has also contributed to literary criticism from a rather personal and fresh perspective. In her book, Yade Bazi Nafarat, she proves that she is an avid reader of the works of her contemporaries. She does not claim to be writing a book of literary criticism; however, she provides the reader with many insights into the works of contemporary authors. In addition to the breadth of knowledge she demonstrates regarding the status of literature, her prose is equally impressive. This book, very much like That Man, is written in language that combines the strength of classical literary prose and the fluency of today's Persian.

³⁴ Behbahani, Simin, “Mehr Bekarid Shadi Bedravid,” in Asr-e Azadegan, reprinted in Simin Behbahani, Kelid va Khanjar (Tehran, 2000), 221–232Google Scholar, 255. Sa'di's verse from which she takes the opening phrase of this passage reads:

³⁵ Simin Behbahani, Kelid va Khanjar, 221–232, 225–226.

³⁶ See Deely, John, Williams, Brooke, and Kruse, Felicia E., ed., Frontiers in Semiotics (Bloomington, 1986)Google Scholar, and Sebeok, Thomas, The Sign and Its Masters (Austin, 1979)Google Scholar.

³⁷ Barthes, Roland, “The Death of the Author” in Image, Music, Text. ed. and trans. Heath, Stephen (New York, 1977)Google Scholar.