Twinklings of hopeMahsa & Marjan VahdaT

Like water from deep sources, their music somehow finds its way to the

hearts of people, even if many obstacles are trying to keep them hidden and

cut away from their natural audience in their homeland, iran.

together with their Persian ensemble, Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat have

through several years developed a unique repertoire based on traditional and

contemporary Persian poetry.

without being visible in their own society, they have continuous contact

with a large audience who appreciate their art in countries throughout the

world. in ways nobody quite understands, even people in iran know their

names and skills and how to find their music.

true art transcends across the boundaries. it may take some time from the

delivery till it reaches an open soul. Like the spring water in the mountain

chains of old Persia can be heard beneath the soil without being seen before

it reaches to the sea.

erik hiLLestad

Twinklings of hope

Vocals: Mahsa and Marjan Vahdatsetar: atabak Elyasiney: Pasha hanjani

daf and percussion: ali rahiMi

all arrangements are made by Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat and their ensemble.recorded by Erik hillEstad in august 2011, in a beautiful garden, in the

harem of an old Persian patrician mansion built during the 19th centurys Qajar dynasty in tehran.

Photos: MariannE lystruP | design: brandbOOkMixed by Martin abrahaMsEn in studio nordraak, Oslo, december 2011.

Mastered by bjrn EngElMann, Cutting room, stockholm.Produced by Erik hillEstad

thanks to Carlo Cereti, sohrab Mahdavi, Mona Flognfelt and Mohammad Ebrahim jafari. special thanks to the italian Embassy in tehran

and germana rivi and alberto bradanini.

Twinklings of hopeMahsa & Marjan VahdaT

FXCd 376

kirkelig kulturverksted, oslo 2012

kkV Management, oslo

www.kkv.no

1. eLegy For a garden 6.30

2. garden oF Visions 3.47

3. LuLLaby 6.46

4. goLden straws oF wheat 3.49

5. when the CurL oF your tress aPPears 4.48

6. the Moon oF our beLoVeds FaCe 2.41

7. naVa 8.23

8. a ProMise to My beLoVed 8.18

9. Crane 10.02

10 CoMe, My beLoVed 8.27

11. twinkLings oF hoPe 2.40

Mahsa & Marjan VahdaT

a poem by hooshang ebtehaj (contemporary poet)

Music: Mahsa Vahdat

Music of interlude is from song sheipourchi from Lorestan province

o yellow flower, yellow flower, yellow flower

Come to mourn with us because of pain

because the rein is under the grip of inhuman ones

inhuman ones oppress human ones

o flower, you who lost your petals! where can i find your imprint?

the sound of crying is heard from your garden

the sound of crying is heard days and nights

the heart of the nightingale burns for your heartache

1. ElEgy for a gardEn

a poem by Mohammad ebrahim Jafari

Music: MarJan Vahdat and aLi rahiMi

based on golriz baharsong

o! Lonely nightingale, where are you?

where is your beautiful voice, the sound of the garden of vision?

there is the sound of the breeze and the river

there is the story of life

it is only in the dream that rivers are full of water

Lips are smiling but eyes are full of water

the breeze brought the scent of desire for making a journey

and it brought the memory of you

you are the scent of the jasmine flower

i am a bird of the night, and you are my flower

you are the green meadow of the garden of vision

you are the beautiful season of the year

it is only in the dream that rivers are full of water

Lips are smiling, but eyes are full of water

2. gardEn of Visions

3. lullabytraditional lullaby

From if you cant sleep: Mohammad ebrahim Jafari

Music: Mahsa and MarJan Vahdat

Lalalala, my paradise garden flower

Lalalala, my destiny

go to sleep, my souls and hearts companion

go to sleep, my sweet tongued nightingale

if you cant sleep, be my companion.

Comfort my heart and soul,

show compassion to my sorrows.

as long as you cant sleep, be awake and aware.

Lalalala, i want you to be on alert.

with your heart longing for desire,

we shall be soul mates, sharing the very same feelings.

Pray that our land will be free.

Lalala my darling, lalala, my precious one.

i sing you a lullaby and bring you to sleep

i sing you a lullaby and bring you up till youre 100 years old!

4. goldEn straws of whEat

a folk song from the Fars province

o! golden straws of wheat

dressed in your god given golden garment

tell my beloved, who is the precious stone of my ring

how hard separation is

Fragile one, i will come to your home

My soul is tied to your soul

o! My heart of soul, my leaf of flower, my fresh sweetness, my water of life

o! My peerless one

My dearest one

My heart longs for you

My heart desires to come to your dwelling place

o! you, the light of my home

o! My heart of soul, my leaf of flower, my fresh sweetness, my water of life

5. whEn thE curl of your trEss appEarsa Poem by attar of nishapur 1142 - 1220

Music: MarJan Vahdat and Pasha hanJani

when the curl of your tress appears,

a hundred lovers lose their heart

o you, my heart and soul! when i see your tress

My heart is lost, and so is my soul

My heart can never cry for your tress

these words are coming from a sorrowful soul

My heart was lost because of your sorrow

My soul laments for my heart

you always put an end to repenting

o, you are the commander of repentance

a poem by hafez

Music :traditionaL song

roses in my bosom, a cup of wine in hand, and the beloved of my desire;

on such a day the sultan of the world is my slave.

tell them no candle is needed at our gathering;

tonight the moon of our beloveds face is full.

in our religion wine is lawful, but

without you, our blooming cypress tree, it is forbidden.

how can you talk about shame? ive made a name from shame.

how can you ask of my name? im ashamed of having a name.

6. thE moon of our bEloVEds facE

a poem by tabib esfehani (18th century)

Music :MarJan Vahdat and Pasha hanJani

based on navai song from khorasan Province

there is a sorrow deep in my heart

as when Leyli sits gracefully on the camels saddle

do not break my heart, because this wild bird

Could not easily land when it flew from the roof

navai, navai, navai, navai

Following the camels saddle, walk with slow steps

dont let dust spread and tarnish the saddle

Following the camels saddle, i cry from the depth of my heart

and because of my tears, the camel stamps in mud

navai, navai, navai, navai

a sorrow lies deep in my heart

as when Leyli sits gracefully on the camels saddle

do not break my heart because this wild bird

Could not easily land when it flew from the roof

navai, navai, navai, navai

the others are friendly, you are unfriendly

Following the camels saddle, walk with slow steps

dont let dust spread and tarnish the saddle

Following the camels saddle i cry from the depth of my heart

and because of my tears the camel stamps in mud

navai, navai, navai, navai

7. naVa

a poem by hafez

Music: Mahsa Vahdat

i gave the beloved a promise, that as long as i have soul in my body

i will value his devoted ones as my own soul

when my hearts desire is fulfilled, and loneliness again is here

i dont fear the evil from those who slander me in the gathering

it is true that i boast like salomon about the seal that was put by the ruby

red lips of my beloved

because i am blessed with the greatest of all names, i dont fear the evil

o, you wise and old one, dont blame me for going to the tavern

i have a promise breaking heart when it comes to abstention from the bowl

8. a promisE to my bEloVEd

9. cranE

oh Crane,

your wings,

i wish

will never be closed

your lips,

Colourful, joyous

with winds and clouds

in the sky,

in the fruitful, green lands.

the pigeons, the captured ones

May they be free

oh the wings tired, the lips closed

your voice, from a far mountain,

the tales of a patient stone

the colour of the moonlight,

the crystalline tears

in the shadow of the cloud and the moon,

Looking forward to

a dream fountain,

the flight of the light

in the shadow of the cloud and the moon,

Looking forward to

translate

d b

y ak

ra

M a

Fsha

ra poem by Mohammad ebrahim Jafari (Contemporary poet and famous painter)

Music :froM khorasan ProVinCe based on sima binas Performance

10. comE, my bEloVEda poem by rumi

Music :atabak eLyasi

Come, my beloved

appear in all my deeds

you are my rose garden

tell me my mysteries

Come my dervish

dont leave me

you are my faith mate

you are my soul mate

where ever i go, you are with me

everywhere you are present

every day and night, you are my companion

you are a beautiful deer in my trap

you destroyed my patience

you stole my reason

where can i hide my heart?

o you my pride and my king

you are my commander

if you pay attention to me

My eye will be shining

a poem by Mohammad ebrahim Jafari

Music: MarJan Vahdat based on a kurdish song

i have a dream

in your sky, i have seen a white cloud

o beautiful cloud,

o unbroken horse!

a lonely horse rider rides while touching your mane

a restless lonely horse rider

a kaveh who came for making a change

a lover who is looking forward to meeting the beloved one

o plain! have you seen the lonely horse rider from the dream?

in the sky and on the earth; is anybody like him?

the messenger who never talks, but has a lot of tales to tell?

the untamed, white cloud of our dream?

i have a dream

i have a dream

i have a dream

11. twinklings of hopE

Pasha hanJani

Mahsa Vahdat

MarJan Vahdat

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Lyasi

aLi r

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