Water Poetries from different languages

This language meet was dedicated to Poetry month. The excerpts are from talks with our Guests-

• Nazanine Agassi sharing an Azeri poem on Caspian Sea.

  Poem “Sea, skies, love” By Nebi Xazri

• Julia Wang sharing a Chinese poem

• based on Xi Hu lake by poet Su Shi (Starts at approx- 4:40 minutes)

• Additional notes by Julie Nieset, a Wetland Scientist, as our guest and a friend.

  Listen to Nazanine Agassi’s Poem in Azeri from 1:30- 2:50 minutes

  listen to Julia Wang’s poem in Chinese from 4:50- 6:05 minutes

Translation of Azerbaijani Poem “Sea, skies, love”
Poet- Nebi Xazri (1924-2007)

“I give you the sea as a gift...”
I said…You looked at me and smiled.
The light of dawn reflected on your face.
“And I...am giving you the Skies”, you said...
We parted, with strange gifts!
The skies are as dear to me as is my love.
We parted with the sea, with its snowy waves,
How can you take the sea with you? The sea is the sea.
I gave you the sea as a gift,
So if I am gone, you’ll come to seashore,
and talk and laugh to me, because the sea and I are one.

“If we don't meet, the sea will be our mountain”,
Repeated I, so many times.
You can go back to the seashore,
But Do the Skies have shore?
 Where should I go?!
I thought, if we were to part,
You’ll be the flame that lits my love.
Is that why you gave me the Skies?
To be as far away from me as the sky?!

I am a sea, my love is a dawn,
My waves are my memories,
I am thinking of you again, my dear!
May love reach the shorelines of your soul.

Translated by Nazanine Agassi from the Azerbaijani language.

04.20.23 Urbana, IL.