Updated: 8 July 2019
Just before Nowruz, I came across the band Damahi and was immediately enveloped in a warm fuzzy feeling when I heard their song Divaneh (Crazy)- so much so that I included it on my Nowruz playlist for those of you who subscribe to my newsletter. The south of Iran and the culture hold a special place in my heart, so Damahi’s music which fuses contemporary and folk sounds from around the world with a southern Iranian accent turned me into an instant fan. Reza Koolaghani, who sings vocals, also played in the movie Man Asabâni Nistam (I’m not Angry), alongside golden boy Navid Mohamadzadeh, and sang the title song for the film Maghzhâye Koochake Zang Zadeh (Sheeple), which also stars Mohamadzadeh and won the Crystal Simorgh award for audience favorite.
No translation ever captures the beauty of the original language, but at least it gives the gist of the meaning, which, in the case of this song, I think is quite beautiful. Also, be sure to check out the notes at the end for a well-known Persian idiom and Persian literature reference that are in the song. Hope you enjoy the lyrics and translation of Divaneh by Damahi.
mitarsom az in keshvar-e khoside-ye khoshbakht / I fear that in this sleeping, lucky country
bidâr beshom in tarafe marz nabâshi / I wake up and you’re not on this side of the border
tu kho zamin bâshom o bâruni o gandum / In sleep I’m the earth and rain and wheat
bidâr beshom amâ keshâvarz nabâshi / I wake but you’re not the farmer
mitarsom az injâ beri o khune borombe / I fear that you’ll leave and the house collapses
leh shom to be memâri-ye âvâr bekhandi / I get crushed and you laugh at the architecture of debris
âvâre beshom mamlekatom daste to bâshe / I get displaced, my country in your hands
heyhât agar arteshe muhâto nabandi / alas if you don’t tie back the army of your hair
divâneh cho divâneh bebinad khoshesh âyad* / a crazy person enjoys seeing another crazy person
mitarsom az un lahzeh ke divuneh nabâshi / I fear the moment you’re not crazy
hey post konom omre azizom dare khunat / I keep mailing my dear life to your door
yek omr kasi dar bezane khune nabâshi / someone knocks for a lifetime, and you’re not home
ijâd shodi tuye tanom mesle ye bohrân / you were created in my body like a crisis
bohrân shodom az buse-ye ijâd shavandeh / I became a crisis from a kiss
pâyân-e ghamangiz-e khodom montazerom hast / the tragic end is awaiting me
mitarsom az un lahzeh-ye farhâd shavandeh / I fear that moment of becoming like Farhad*
afsâre parishuni-ye man daste khodam nist / the rein of my distress is out of my hands
jen rafte dar in sher dar in vazn-e aruzi / a jinn has gone into this poetic meter
mitarsom az in heyf shodan, heyf agar to / I fear becoming wasted, it’s a pity if you
hatâ be mane pâre shodeh cheshm naduzi / don’t gaze even at my torn apart self
divâneh cho divâneh bebinad khoshesh âyad / a crazy person enjoys meeting another crazy person
mitarsom az un lahzeh ke divuneh nabâshi / I fear the moment you’re not crazy
hey post konom omre azizom dare khunat / I keep mailing my dear life to your door
yek omr kasi dar bezane khune nabâshi / someone knocks for a lifetime, and you’re not home
Notes
Persian idiom
The lyrics include the following common Persian idiom:
دیوانه چو دیوانه ببیند خوشش آید
which is, “a crazy person enjoys seeing another crazy person.” According to Simin K. Habibian, author of 1001 Persian-English Proverbs, this corresponds to the English, “An ass is most pleasing to another ass.” It refers to people who are able to find their companions and sympathizers in any situation or circumstance.
It comes from the story of Zakaria Razi, an Iranian scholar who discovered alcohol and sulphuric acid, among other things. His students were following him home one day, asking him all kinds of questions about medicine. Along the way, a crazy man walked straight up to Zakaria Razi and started speaking only to him. Zakaria Razi couldn’t exactly make out what the man was saying because it was mostly gibberish. Eventually, the man left and the students resumed asking their questions. When they arrived at Zakaria Razi’s house, the students bid him farewell, but Zakaria Razi invited them in, telling them that they needed to create a medicine for him at that very moment. As he was telling them what to put in it, one of the students realized that it had the same ingredients they used for people who were deemed “crazy”. They asked why he wanted this medicine, seeing as he wasn’t crazy. Zakaria Razi responded that the man in the street only approached him, not the other students. He assumed Zakaria Razi would understand what he wanted to say. And it was only Zakaria Razi who made the man happy and caused him to laugh and smile. So for Zakaria Razi, taking this medicine was a preemptive measure against becoming crazy.
The story of Farhad
The lyrics also include a line about Farhad, which comes from a famous tragic love story Khosrow and Shirin by Nizami Ganjavi. Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version:
Farhad was desperately in love with Shirin, but she was married to King Khosrow. Khosrow tells Farhad that if he can chisel through Mount Bisotun, he’ll back off and allow him to be with Shirin. So Farhad begins his toil to win over his lover. But after some time, Khosrow sends a messenger relaying the false news of Shirin’s death. Heartbroken, Farhad dies of grief. Upon hearing this, Shirin mourns his death.
Today, Bisotun is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and if you head there, you’ll see Farhâd Tarâsh (Farhad Carving), a massive smooth rectangle about 200 m wide and 36 meters high carved into a solid rock cliff. Legend has it that this was the site of Farhad’s labor. In the song, the man is afraid of becoming like Farhad and never being able to be with his beloved.
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