Persian → English transcript

May I say something about that night? I saw the video. His Eminence…— Now,

after we talk about Iran, remember this.

— I want to talk about what happened before. His Eminence gestures to you

to go toward him, while this, what you call a bayaz,

or this paper is also in your hand.

When you get two or three steps away from him, you drop it. You show courtesy,

you do not even take that with you. His Eminence called me, and I did not…

— No, even if I do not talk about it, it will come out.— Everyone, everyone…

I have seen it a hundred times,

just as a large number, I have watched it many times just for this reason,

I have talked about

it and praised you so much and praised this courtesy and respect of yours,

that even if I have something in my hand,

I would not go and say,“ Sir, peace be upon you, please give your order.”

You dropped those things too. All of that has to be put aside, and you sat down,

and you sat so respectfully and showed such courtesy…

— I did not even realize how I ended up on that side,

I usually sit on this side.— Yes, yes. — That was very good for me.

May God reward you.— When I sat down…— May He increase your honor.— His

Eminence was…

They would see me

rushing over here, then I would also glance at the crowd. For example,

they would respond, and then they would look at me like this.

- His Eminence’s gestures are very subtle.- Yes, exactly.

I remember one of

His Eminence’s bodyguards

was saying that once His Eminence wanted me to sit so I would not bother people,

he said His Eminence just gave a look like this. He said, I did not understand,

His Eminence said again, sit.

He said, sit, and I still did not get it. He made a gesture,

I looked around and said, who does he mean? The second time he did this,

the third time he moved his finger like this. I said, does he mean me?

Then I ran, and, like, everything fell out of my hands.- And I ran.- Then this…

when I say I grew wings,

that is where I understood what it means to grow wings. I felt like I was flying,

I did not understand why I was there. - Yes.- Then I said to His Eminence,“ Sir,

may I sit next to you?” “ Yes, please.” I sat down, and I did keep some

distance at first, then I moved right up close, that was my mistake.

Then I went to start reciting the elegy,

and I pitched it half a step too high.

O Iran, Iran, far from your pure bosom, in others’ hands… As we go a bit higher,

the crowd might have a hard time answering.

You can get out of that spiritual mood of the eve of Ashura too. At times like this,

so that you can find where you’re supposed

to start singing— it used to be like this in the old days— for example,

before the lament they would say,“ For the healing of the sick and, say,

fulfilling needs

of the crowd and so on,” someone would recite al- Hamd, they would recite al- Hamd,

then the person would find where

his lament starts and he’d sing.- So now I started.- Well done, I didn’t know.

Well, then I recited a part of it, and I realized that

in its higher key it becomes troublesome. So what do I say now? I just have to talk

so it doesn’t kill the mood.

You do not want to change the musical mode, you want to change the key.

What do I say? It was God’s work that I made a mistake like that,

then talked and said “ His Eminence himself told me to recite this.”

God arranged and set up all the means together.