Isa Ismayilzada
(1941-1997)
Isa Ismayilzada (full name Ismayilzada Isa Mustafa oghlu) was a well-known Azerbaijan poet, translator and publicist. He was born on March 15, 1941 in Garayazi (currently Gardabani) of Georgia Republic. He moved to Baku and studied at the Azerbaijan State University in the faculty Philology (1958-1963). He was editor in the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Committee, later scientific editor in Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia, then deputy editor-in-chief at the newspaper Adabiyyat ve Injasanat (Literature and Art) and in the magazine Azerbaijan (1968-1981). His poems were translated into many languages including Russian, Georgian, Turkish, English, etc. He was a member of the Azerbaijan Writers" Union. He wrote more than 15 books such as The Birthday of Stars (1968), The Brilliant Leaves (1972), The Song Of Land (1977), Hello, the Earth! (1982), Talk with My Mother (1985), Selected Poems (1991), etc. He died on July 14, 1997 in Baku.
1941
The year when I was born
was the name and address
of an unknown soldier.
The year when I was born-
the trenches were born,
the smokes were born too.
The year when I was born
was born in trenches,
in the smoke-bombs.
My birthday was written
on the chest of Land
by the battle trenches
like a dagger"s wound.
My birthday was written
by the heeled boot
of my homeland"s soldier.
the gun muzzle pointed
at the breast of skies,
the sky-rocket"s lustre
that warmed the stars.
The tears wrote my birthday
on the pillows, on the roads-
mothers looked for in hope.
I don"t want to celebrate my birthday,
I don"t want to awake it by the sound of glasses.
I don""t want to awake the longings
that dreamed in the memory cradles,
to awake cooled longings
like my touchy brother"s portion
stood in the plate.
I suffer greatly and regret for
the Year I was born,
I am ashamed of the picture
which is in black selvedge.
1962.