Little Black Fish and Other Modern Persian Stories

Sometimes they joined other fish and rapidly darted in and out of small crevices.

"Forget this pretentious talk," interrupted the mother - "Let's go swimming. Now is the time to swim, not talk."

One of the old fish asked, "Did you think we'd pity you?"

Wait, we've gotten used to having you around ..." said a seventh. The mother cried, "Have mercy on me.

The fish looked them over thoroughly and said, "Please don't insult me. My name is Little Black Fish. Tell me your names so that we'll get acquainted. "We call one another tadpole," replied one of the tadpoles. "We come from nobility," said another. "You can't find anyone prettier than us in the whole world," said another. "We aren't shapeless and ugly-faced like you," said another one. The fish said, "I never imagined you would be so conceited.

The fish looked them over thoroughly and said, "Please don't insult me. My name is Little Black Fish. Tell me your names so that we'll get acquainted. "We call one another tadpole," replied one of the tadpoles. "We come from nobility," said another. "You can't find anyone prettier than us in the whole world," said another. "We aren't shapeless and ugly-faced like you," said another one. The fish said, "I never imagined you would be so conceited.

I'll forgive you since you're speaking out of ignorance."

"If you weren't ignorant," replied the fish, "you'd know that there are many others in the world who are pleased with their appearances. You don't even have names of your own."

The frog responded "Worthless creature, now is not the time to show off. You've found some children to listen to you and are talking pretentiously. I've lived long enough to know that the world is this pond. Mind your own business and don't lead my children astray."

The fish flipped quickly and fled like lightening, stirring up sediment and worms at the bottom of the pond.

"Little fish, why are you so pessimistic and scared?" asked the crab.

Then the lizard crawled into a crack in the rock and returned wit a very sharp dagger.

"Excuse me for talking so much," said the black fish, "but if you don't think me meddlesome, tell me how they give the fisherman a hard time. "

At one place a deer was hastily drinking some water.

At another place the boisterous noise of partridges twisted through the valley.

"In spite of all this, you still want to go?" exclaimed the tiny fish.

The little black fish moved aside and said to the tiny fish, "Don't agree! This deceitful bird wants to turn us against each other. I have a plan ..." But the tiny fish were so intent on saving themselves that they couldn't think of anything else.

The black fish was enjoying the immensity of the water.

The heron had grabbed the fish's waist so tightly that its life was ebbing away.

If I were to write everything that happened to me in Tehran, it would take several volumes and perhaps be dull.

Another bought and sold used clothing, and a third was an orange vendor.

We four were completely baffled.

I seized the opportunity to say, "I'm going to cut off your balls with a knife."

"Shoes aren't really so important to me," said Mahmud amicably.

The laughter of those two jokers was contagious; we burst out laughing too.

Ahmad Husayn had no money whatsoever.

Ahmad Husayn flayed out his arms and legs until his feet reached the ground, then he stood up right there at the edge of the gutter.

The old woman honked the horn once or twice and yelled again, "Are you deaf or something? …Get out of the way of the car!… One or two other cars passed around us. The old woman stuck her head out and was about to say something else when I spit in her face, swore at her several times, and then ran off. When I had run a ways, I sat down on the step of a locked store. My heart was beating fast. The store had a door of iron grating. It was light inside. All kinds of shoes were in the show window

The old woman honked the horn once or twice and yelled again, "Are you deaf or something? …Get out of the way of the car!… One or two other cars passed around us. The old woman stuck her head out and was about to say something else when I spit in her face, swore at her several times, and then ran off. When I had run a ways, I sat down on the step of a locked store. My heart was beating fast. The store had a door of iron grating. It was light inside. All kinds of shoes were in the show window

"No," the camel said, "Not summer quarters. Millionaires build palaces and magnificent houses for themselves in places with pleasant climates so that whenever they feel like it, they can go there to rest and enjoy themselves. These houses are called villas. Villas have pools, fountains, large gardens and flower plots full of flowers. They have a troupe of gardeners, cooks, servants and maids. Some millionaires own several villas in foreign countries, Switzerland and France for example. Now we're

"Well," I said, "out here, there's no smell whatsoever of smoke or filth. The houses are all large and pretty as a bouquet of flowers."

The camel smiled and said, "You're right, Latif, my boy. Tehran has two parts, each with its own characteristics. North and South. The North is clean, but the South is full of smoke, filth, dust and dirt, because all the worn-out buses operate in that section. All the brick kilns are in that section, and the diesels and trucks come and go from there. Many of the streets in the south aren't paved; the dirty putrid water in the open sewage gutters of the north flows downhill to the South. In short

The camel smiled and said, "You're right, Latif, my boy. Tehran has two parts, each with its own characteristics. North and South. The North is clean, but the South is full of smoke, filth, dust and dirt, because all the worn-out buses operate in that section. All the brick kilns are in that section, and the diesels and trucks come and go from there. Many of the streets in the south aren't paved; the dirty putrid water in the open sewage gutters of the north flows downhill to the South. In short

The camel smiled and said, "You're right, Latif, my boy. Tehran has two parts, each with its own characteristics. North and South. The North is clean, but the South is full of smoke, filth, dust and dirt, because all the worn-out buses operate in that section. All the brick kilns are in that section, and the diesels and trucks come and go from there. Many of the streets in the south aren't paved; the dirty putrid water in the open sewage gutters of the north flows downhill to the South. In short

Lots of different foods with intoxicating odors were arranged on the tables.

Don't be ungrateful, Son.

There was a woman lottery ticket vendor who wore a ragged veil like Zivar the lottery ticket vendor.

Qasem's mother was always having trouble with either aching legs or ulcer.

The air was hot and suffocating.

My father didn't want to leave me alone, but I said I wanted to walk around to shake off my depression.