Evin Agassi
SEEPAAR SMOOQTAA
Red Zero
KTAA-VEH[1]
-their books-[1]
SHWEE-QE-LOON JAA-VEH D BE-TEH[2]
they left in -their homes-[2]
TOO-PAANJ[3] SHQI-LOON B' EE-DAA-TEH[4]
they placed rifles[3] in their hands[4]
PO-KHEH[5] D KHISH-CHAA[6] SHOO-REE-LOON
the winds[5] of darkness[6] started
YOO-MAA-NEH[7] MID-REH[8] CHREE-LOON[9]
again[8], the days[7] -became shorter-[9] (and the nights longer)
ZEE-JAA[10] D MAAD-RRAA-SEH[11] M'KHEE-LOON
the bells[10] of the schools[11] rang (when morning came)
EE-NAA[12] YAA-LEH[13] LA JMEE-LOON[14]
but[12] the children[13] did not gather[14]
KLAA-SEH CHOO-LEH SPEE-QE-NAA[15]
the classes are -all empty-[15]
LOO-KHEH[16] M' KTEW-TAA[17] SPEE-QE-NAA
the boards[16] are empty without writing[17]
YAA-LEH B -SHO-PEH D-[18] QAA-LAA-MEH[19]
-in place of-[18] the children's pens[19]
TOO-PENJ[19.5] B EE-DEH DWEE-QEH NA
rifles[19.5] were placed in their hands
HAUNTING SOUNDS OF THE SOULS
B' EE-DEH SHO-PEH D BID-YOO-TAA[20]
in place of the ink[20] on their hands (fingerpainting)
CHOO-LEH MIN DI-MAA[21] SMEE-QE-NAA[22]
all of their hands were reddened[22] with blood[21]
RROO-SHAA-NEH[23] LA MIN KTAA-VEH
their shoulders[23], without books (that they carry to school)
YOOQ-RRAA[24] MIN TOO-PEH TdEE-PE-NAA
those shoulders, disfigured from the weight[24] of the rifles
MAAL-PAA-NEH[25] BNO-SHEH[26] CHIL-YEH[27]
the teachers[25] are standing[27] alone[26]
AAY-NEH[28] MIN DUM-AA[29] MIL-YEH[30]
their eyes[28] filled[30] with tears[29]
YAA-LOOP-EH[29.5] SOO-RREH KE-NAA?
where are they, the small students[29.5]?
MPEE-LEH[31] JOO[32] OO-RREE[?], KE-NAA?
-they have fallen-[31] (died) in[32] the fields[?], where are they?
YOO-MEH D QAA-MAA-YEH[33] QRRE-TAA[34]
the first[33] days of reading[34] (school)
MOORR-MAA-LOON[35] QE-SAA[36] D AA-TAA[37]
-they raised-[35] the stick[36] of the flag[37] (flagpole in classroom)
EE-NAA LIT-WAA[38] QE-DEM-TAA[39]
but -there was no-[38] morning[39]
YAA-LOO-PEH ZEM-REE ZMERR-TAA[40]
for the students to sing the song[40] (in the morning, the children sing the national anthom)
HAUNTING SOUNDS OF THE SOULS
B' EE-DEH SHO-PEH D BED-YOO-TAA
in place of the ink on their hands (fingerpainting)
CHOO-LEH MIN DIM-AA SMEE-QE-NAA
all of their hands were reddened with blood
RROO-SHAA-NEH LA MIN KTAA-VEH
their shoulders, without books (that they carry to school)
YOOQ-RRAA MIN TOO-PEH TdEE-PE-NAA
those shoulders, disfigured from the weight of the rifles
KLAA-SEH CHOO-LEH SHOO-RREE-LOON
all the classes started
EE-NAA YAA-LEH LA JMEE-LOON
but the children did not gather
B SHO-PAA D "ALAP, BETH , JAMMAL"
in place of their abc's
DERR-SAA-TEH D SAAH-DOO-TAA[41] QRREE-LOON
the subject of martyerdom[41] was taught
L' RROO-KHEH LIT KHDAA[42] KTIV-TAA
on the boards, not one[42] writing
JOO QAA-LAA-MEH LIT BID-YOO-TAA
in the pens, there is no ink
KLAA-SEH CHOO-LEH SPEE-QE-NAA
the classes are all empty
SHAA-WAA YOO-MEH ERR-KHOOY-TAA
"seven
days of guests" commenced (when an Assyrian family member dies, people
visit the house to consol the family for seven days)
HAUNTING SOUNDS OF THE SOULS
B' EE-DEH SHO-PEH D BID-YOO-TAA
in place of the ink on their hands (fingerpainting)
CHOO-LEH MIN DI-MAA SMEE-QE-NAA
all of their hands were reddened with blood
RROO-SHAA-NEH LA MIN KTAA-VEH
their shoulders, without books (that they carry to school)
YOOQ-RRAA MIN TOO-PEH TdEE-PE-NAA
those shoulders, disfigured from the weight of the rifles
YAA-LOO-PEH LAA OOR-QI-LOON
the students were not late
JOO SAAKH-SE-TEH[43] TOORR-QI-LOON[44]
-they tripped-[44] (failed) on their test[43]
L' LOO-KHAA D SIP-YAA[45] SAAD-RREH[46]
on the boards of their pure/innocent[45] chests[46]
DAA SEE-PARR SMOOQ-TAA SHQI-LOON
they
recieved a red zero (metaphor for when a bullet goes through you, it
creates a circle(zero) in your chest and fills with blood(red))
SHI-NEH TMAA-NEE SAA-WAA-NEH[47]
the ugly[47] 80s (the period of the 8 year war with iran (1 million died))
NAA-SHEH JOO AA-LOO-LAA-NEH[48]
the people were in the streets[48] (homeless)
YAA-LEH B' AAQ-LAA-TEH KHISH-LOON (*)
the children away went walking (to fight)
MOO-YE-LOON L' TdRAA-NAA-NEH[49]
the parents returned them on their arms[49] (they carried their dead bodies back home)
HAUNTING SOUNDS OF THE SOULS
SHI-NEH TMAA-NEE SAA-WAA-NEH
the ugly 80s (the period of the 8 year war with iran (1 million died))
NAA-SHEH JOO AA-LOO-LAA-NEH
the people were in the streets (homeless)
YAA-LEH B' AAQ-LAA-TEH KHISH-LOON
the children away went walking (to fight)
MOO-YE-LOON L' TdRAA-NAA-NEH
the parents returned them on their arms (they carried their dead bodies back home)
Possesion, Gender, and Connotation
[1] KTAAVAA -- letter / book / mail
[3.5] TOOPAA / TOOPENJ --- rifle [3.5] POOSHENJ -- bullets [6] BARRAA -- light (sunlight / rays of light)
[9] MOOZYIDLOON -- they advanced (became larger in quantity)
[14] JMEE / JMETAA -- gather (verb) / gathering
[41] SAAHDAA / SAAHDOOTAA-- martyer/ maryterdom
[41] KHDAA / KHAA -- one
[48] AALOOLAA -- street
(*) KHESHTA D AAQLAA -- walking (*) KHOOSH BAAQLOOKH (M) -- go walking
PERFORMED & COMPOSED BY EVIN AGASSI
WRITTEN BY GIVERGIS AGASSI
ALBUM: SEEPAARR SMOOQTAA