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Text
Shereen
English source:
Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh
Briefly, as a Queen I am in the Shahnama
The poet Nezami Ghanjavi made me immortal
I am the Armenian that became Iranian
I stand before you
Shereen, sweet is the feeling of my name
Sweet is independence
Sweet is strength
Sweet is life
There are tales where I take my life
My expressions caught by brushstrokes
Some would seek to hurt me
Demand me to live in fear
To love me, it is said, is to carve a path through a mountain
It is said, to love me, is to deny delight in another
What is it I have said?
What is it I have said?
I refuse to be one definition
Never not growing
Never not striving
Ever holding your hand
The poet Nezami Ghanjavi made me immortal
I am the Armenian that became Iranian
I stand before you
Shereen, sweet is the feeling of my name
Sweet is independence
Sweet is strength
Sweet is life
There are tales where I take my life
My expressions caught by brushstrokes
Some would seek to hurt me
Demand me to live in fear
To love me, it is said, is to carve a path through a mountain
It is said, to love me, is to deny delight in another
What is it I have said?
What is it I have said?
I refuse to be one definition
Never not growing
Never not striving
Ever holding your hand
Composer
Emily Hazrati
Emily Hazrati is a composer and educator based in London. Her music centres around environment, place and belonging; frequently informed by sounds and landscapes from the natural world, as well as ideas around breath, ritual, and…
