The Death of "Nazli" (or, The Death of Vartan Salakhanian)

I am usually a philistine when it comes to culture. Art generally isn't my thing, hence my distaste of an apparently Dada inspired Weekly Worker front cover for May Day. Below is a poem about an Armenian comrade who was tortured to death under the Shah, his name was Vartan Salakhanian, he refused to speak, even cry in pain, as he was being tortured to death. I put this up now, to remind comrades that we may have removed the Shah, but the torture of our comrades in Iran is going on as we speak. The Iranian regime is holding 50 comrades from May Day protests and hold many more from the social and national movements in Iran. I was told by a comrade from Iran, that when they were arrested they would recite this poem to each other.

Nazli! Spring smiled and the Judas tree bloomed.
At home, under the window, the old Jasmine has budded.
Remove [your] hand from doubt! (give up doubting)
With sinister death do not wrestle!
Being is better than becoming not being, especially in the Spring

Nazli said nothing
Head high, he clenched tooth of anger on wounded liver/heart and went.

Nazli! Talk!
The bird of silence, the chick of a tragic death in the nest, is sitting on the egg (the bird is sitting on the egg that will be the birth of a tragic death)

Nazli did not say a word
Like the sun
appeard from darkness and settled in blood and went.

Nazli did not say a word
Nazli was a star
Suddenly in this darkness, he lit up and leapt and went.

Nazli did not say a word
Nazli was a violet
He flowered and
gave the good tidings: "Winter was defeated!"
and
left ...

The Death of "Nazli" by Ahmad Shamlu