Wild Apples

Long after Thoreau's wild apples have withered and dried, we are so fortunate as to have a writer in America, with all its uproars in industry and technology, who keeps the dream of nature and its wild apples alive for us.  How fortunate I was to encounter her and the apples that still bloom in her heart.

Sue's book has finally rested in my hands long after its writer rested in the dearest, unseen corners of my heart where very few people have ever entered.  My name is heard here and there in this book like the breeze that passes over the grass or the leaves of the trees Sue speaks so beautifully of.  This book is among the dearest gifts I have ever received in life.  Something like the Masnavi which my dervish grandfather gave me. 

Sue, I want to ask for your permission to do two things. First, if you allow us we want to make many copies of your book and distribute them among the many people who so entusiastically want to read it. And second I want to start another blog and call it "The Leaves of Life."  It is because you have mentioned this name in your book making it very special for me.  Another reason is that the organization of The Night Ocean has become a bit confusing.  Letters are mixed up with many other things.  If we go to the new blog I will transfer the precisous material from here to there and give them a better organization which will make it practically more helpful to the many people who visit it.

The gardens of my heart are full of the scent of many wild apples, Sue.  I can never thank you enough for being so brave as to write this beautiful book and for sending a copy of it to me.

Ali

A letter from Faranak to Sue

Dear Sue,
I heard about VoIP(Voice over Internet Protocol) a few days ago. This technology is very common in the US and your sun is very familiar to it.
VoIP works on a network. When we use it, we can talk each other through Internet an satellites and nobody can hear our words.
For instance, you have several offices in several countries. If you use VoIP, you can dial just 2 or 3 numbers to connect to other office phones like a internal telephone network of a company.
It is just a usage of VoIP and It is used in many cases.
I said to you network is very young in Iran so VoIP isn't common here now.

I have a thesis next term. I really like to do a new and special things in this field but I don't know what I can do. It makes my mind busy.

In the US, you do most things on a network that I don't know most of them. I thank you a lot if you help me about it.
Your friend, Faranak.

Bahman's letter to Sue,

Dear Sue,
Thank you for helping me. Ali told me that Henry Thoreau lived in a shack in Walden forest. I saw Walden forest in maps.
In our film that plant should go 50 meters up for light, because it was between many high trees. Therefore it couldn’t see light. Your sentence structure is much better than me, because you are a writer. You know all things that are necessary for writing a good letter. Sometimes I must change my sentence, because my circle words are little and I must make a new sentence. It is a practice for writing, because sometimes we cannot make sentences with our words. We need many words for making sentences. Sometimes we have it problem in our vernacular.
Take care,
Bahman

Bahman's letter to Sue,

Dear Sue,
We saw a beautiful film in class. It is about plants. Carnivorous plants hunt by deceive. In a forest a plant for light must go 50 meters up. It is very interesting and beautiful. Like animals plants strive for life. To our eyes planet world is very slow. We saw the oldest tree in our planet. Maybe, it has seen sun rise more than 150000000 times.
We answered to IELTS listening questions too. Today’s questions were hard.
I have an exam tomorrow. It is about materials, steels and cast irons. I like this lessen and enjoy it. I should go to university 1 month. After exams I must read for Masters Entry Exam.
I hope can to pass this exam.
Take care,
Bahman

The merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.

Friedrich Schiller

Shirin and Farhad

Sue,

Khosro was a Persian king and the husband of Shirin.  Farhad who was a mountain digger fell in love with the king's wife.  Noticing that Farhad will never give up his love by any means or threats, Khosro askes him to dig through a huge mountain called Bistoon to obtain Shirin.  Bistoon was made of hard rocks, but Khosro was asured that even if the mountain had been made of soft mud Farhad would have been unable to complete the task.  Farhad was so resolute and so much in love with Shirin that after a short time Khosro realized that he was sure to cut through the mountain and steal his wife away from him.  He tried to discourage Farhad in many ways, but nothing seemed to work.  In the end his advisors told him that the only way to discourage this ardent lover was to tell him that the beloved Shirin no longer existed.  The king does this.  He sends an old woman to Farhand, asking her to pretend that she is a passerby.  In the conversation that happens between them, the woman tells Farhad that the beloved for whom he is cutting through the mountain is no longer alive.  Upon hearing the news of Shirin's death, instead of hitting the ax on the mountain, Farhad brings the final blow of his ax on his own head and dies.

I have a picture of Bistoon which shows the rememnats of Farhad's ax.  Unfortunately, I could not attach it to this post.  I'll ask Faranak to do this. People visit Bistoon like a holy shrine in Iran.   If you ever visit Iran this is one of the places we will visit.

One of my nieces is called Shirin.  It is a very common name in Iran.

Ali from the land of lovers

Bahman's letter to Sue,

Dear Sue,
I think that you can find Shirin and Farhad story in internet. It is so beautiful. We have a mountain called Bisoton in Iran. In this story Farhad go to Bisoton and erase some of the mountain, because Khosro loves Shirin and Khosro is a king. Khosro kills Farhad. We have a book from Nezami Ganjavi. 5 lovely stories are in that book. I hope you can find Khamse or 5 Ganj (5 treasures) (Nezami’s book) in internet. I try to find this book if I can.
We have some lovely stories in Shahname (a book from Ferdosi). I think Shahname is in internet, because it is an internationally book.
Really, Molana jalaledin Mohammad Balkhi or Molave or Molana are names of Rumi. I don’t like to call Rumi, because Molavi is an Iranian poet.
Take care,
Bahman

Statistics

So far, this weblog has been restricted to the use of my own students mostly.  Yesterday I opened the weblog to general audience and immediately we have had visitors from: Canada, Germany, Sweden, United Arab Imarates, Denmark and even United Kingdom.  Total visits to our weblog during its life amounts to more than 2,700.  Bear in mind that the weblog has been a restricted one for most of its life.  Yesterday we have had 52 visits from Canada and 17 visits from China alone.  46 people have used Nokia mobile phones to connect to our weblog in the world and 4 people have visited us using Macintosh computers. 

Ali and Sue
The Weblog's Founders

Bahman's letter to Sue,

Dear Sue,
Thank you, it is so good, because I wrote my last letter by myself. I read Romeo and Juliet story and I enjoyed it. I think it is a tragedy like Leili and Majnon. We have many tragedies stories in our literature for example Farhad and Shirin. Classic literature and classic music and classic stories are more beautiful.
Moharam month will come soon. Imam Hoseyn (Imam Hoseyn is a little grandson of Mohammad) killed in this month. He killed for God. Kufe’s (a city in Iraq) people wrote letters for Imam and invited him to Kufa, but when Imam was in Kufa’s way they forgot them Imam. They wrote about 12000 letters for Imam. They sold them belief. Imam was alone and thirsty and he killed by him enemy. We called a martyr when a man or woman killed in god way.
I think by myself and ask this question from myself:
What was I doing if I was in Imam hoseyn period?
Take care,
Bahman

Faranak's Writing

Hi Sue,
I haven't write a letter for a long time. I miss you a lot and have a lot of speeches to tell you.
I had a presentation today. It was the first important presentation during the university.

2 days ago, I wrote a letter to you and wanted you to guide me about this presentation. Unfortunately my laptop detected a problem and couldn't connect to the Internet.

Dear friend, I'm studying for entrance exam. I love to accept in the IT/Network major. Network is one of the branches of IT.
IT is a young field in Iran. In Tehran, one university just accept 17 students in the Network branch.

I started to study in middle of October and my exam is in middle of February. I Started late because I had the internship in the summer, so I'm a little hopeless.
Now, I go to the university and have 10 lessons to study for this exam. I think 24 hours are very few for me, specially that I'm very sensitive to sleep.
You have a kind heart, pray for me.

Dear Sue, Could you see the site about Leili and Majnun? Is it good?
Leili and Majnun is one of the best story in Persian, It is very nice and a little sad. I really love it.
Sorry, I try to short my letter but it is long.

Your friend, Faranak.

Searching For the Source

Hello to Group:

I have a children's story about a Persian legend associated with a 16th century Mamluk carpet, explaining its pattern which looks like a landscape strewn with jewels. I have only the simple story, but wondered if anyone knew the source of this story? I am trying to collect some Persian stories that have messages. This is simply a story of a treasure lost and regained, unless you all can tell me of its deeper message.

Your friend, Sue

Bahman's letter to Sue,

Dear Sue,
Thank you for correcting my letter. I am so happy that we can read Masnavi in class. We listened to listening tests on Friday. Next week, we will see a film in class. It is so good, because we must see and listen. Films help us very much. I think films are better than NEWS. Words are so difficult and I forget them. Review is so good, but is difficult. I am so busy in these days and I should write in little time and my letters have errors, so sorry. I should review my letters by myself.
Do you read Leily and Majnon story?
I love that story and it is a beautiful lovely story. I hope that you enjoy it.
Take care,
Bahman

Introducing Miss Faranak Mohammadian

Miss Faranak Mohammadian is a wonderful 21 year old girl who has recently entered my classes.  She is such a nice, calm girl and absolutely resolute in mastering English.  She studies architecture in the best university in Iran.  How fortunate I am to be working with such nice ladies and gentlemen.

Here are some of Faranak Mohammadian's recent writings.  They show where she is starting English with us:

1.
My name is Faranak.I'm twenty-one years old.I study at Tehran University.My field is architecture.I have 18 courses in this term and 4 days I should go to university.My university is on Enghelab st.Everyday I have to wake up at 6 o'clock to reach my first class starting at 8 o'clock,because our house isn't near my university and the streets are very busy at the morning.

2.
Today is wendsday.I'm in the world architecture class.I'm not well.I'm sick and my schedules are very busy for today.Our professor's speaking about the Roman's architecture but I can't listen carefully.My thaught is in the other place…

3.
3days ago,some of my classmates went to Yazd by train.I liked to go with them but I couldn't.Because I had a class couldn't cancel it.I'm very sad.It must had been interesting…

4.
I'll have an exam next week.I should study hard to pass it successfully.It's important for me to get a good mark.

Can Anyone Help Me?

Dear Friends,

I would love to have this story in English: Leyli and Majnun” by Nizami Ganjevi. I don't know how long it is, or how much work it would be to send me a copy, but I would be so happy to be able to read this wonderful story. It is a love story, and very much resembles the Shakespearian play "Romeo and Juliet".

If anyone has this story, and in order not to crowd out our letters, please send it to my email address: spetrovski@comcast.net

I have the general outline of the story but I would love to have it in Nizami's words.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

Sue Petrovski

Bahman's letter to Sue,

Dear Sue,
Sorry to take a while to answer your letter. We had a concert last Thursday and I was very busy. Our concert was very good. We did practice all last week until 10 p.m. I had 2 pieces that played them alone. I was the first player in band. I had great stress but, I was good.
Ali took an IELTS test on Friday that was a good suggestion. We answered to 10 listening questions. I answered to all of them and my answerers were correct. I think reading questions is harder than listening questions for me, because I don’t know many words. Words are my big problem.
Take care,
Bahman

One of those moments

There are moments in life which can not be described in any tongue.  You just feel these moments and let their joy flow in your soul.  The moment I received the following comment from Sue is one of those moments.  I am honored to consider myself one of her friends.  Rumi has taught me that sharing hearts is sweeter than sharing a mere tongue.  That is what has been happening between Sue and me over the many years of our beautiful friendship.  

Here is Sue's comment on Masnavi's first story where Rumi shows that the king was able to buy the slave woman, but not her love:

Oh Ali, On page 43 of Wild Apples I have quoted Thoreau:
You may buy a servant or slave, in short, but you cannot buy a friend. You can't buy the finer part of any fruit--i.e.the highest use and enjoyment of it. You can't buy the pleasure whit it yields to him who truly plucks it; you can't buy a good appetite, even."

Even a King or rich man is kept from the richest enjoyments. We cannot make someone love us. Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Sue I can not wait to hold your beautiful book in my hands and in the hands of my heart.

T

Testing

This is a test to see how we can use different font colors in our posts to the blog.

niloofar's letter

Dear sou

If you rememeber me my name is niloofar and I am an engineer and work in a factory .

I live withe my family, my family include father,mother and two sister.

I like know how do girl and boy in America?
Do they live withe their family or no?

thank you

Love's Twists and turns

What sort of a person is he who has always held in his hands what his heart has desired?  If he is a king perhaps another Hitler.  Who knows maybe such people devastate the world around them for only one or two things their hearts have desired.  But this is not something which is going to happen in a book like Masnavi.  One of the greatest beauties Masnavi's first story is that our king, although he is a king, is not able to procure the slave woman or rather her love and is conquered.  Please note that in Rumi's mystical view one of the worst calamities that may happen to you is for you to see whatever your heart desires in your hands always.  Indeed, it seems that if the king had managed to buy the slave woman's love the way he bought the woman herself this great masterpiece in the world's literature, this book of Masnavi, would not even have started.

 Yes, it turns out in our story that the slave woman herself is in love with another man, but since she is not a king or a queen and can not buy the one whom she loves she becomes sick.   And what sort of a person is he or she who is not able to fall sick I mean who is not able to fall in love.  Saadi thinks such a person is a beast. 

T on the way to an early morning class

A letter to dear sue

Nights, he tooke food and fruite for poors and hungries.He always covered his face, because he wanted to help secret and only and only for God. That time anybody did not know him.
He always prayed, always on time. In his life he did not late in his prayers.When he prayed,only and only was with God her remember and her thought.
In a day, heprayed in mosque altar, a runty man killed him( in my country culture we say to this death shahadat and to a person die this form we say shahid and we believe that shahadat is the best of death and shahid sure goes to heaven).
When he was killed in prayer, impiouses said: unless he prayed?Poors and children that their parent died said:tonight kind our father did not come ? They cried and they said this sentence but it was late.
After his death, poors and hungries always were hungry and that time all knoew that who brought food.
Yes, ali (alayhessalam=for respecting)tooke food for poors.He really was angel on earth but when he went people knew him
when I write this letter, there are many tearrop in my eyes and in my heart many sorrow.
Ali(alayhessalam) is the first leader for us.
when I want to do a hard work or when I am sorrow, I say, help me ((ya ali)) and he sure will help me in any form. Of course He helps moslems but I think that he helps other relogion, If you like, please try once, he sure helps you.
I like and I hope that when I die, in breaths last,I see him and after die, of course if god willing.
Dear sue, I suggest you that if would you like please, you read his book.Name of his book is Nahjolbalagheh. It is life book after quran.
thank you very very much.
A sentence from ali( alayhessalam):I do not see a thing, unless I see God before it, after it and with it.
BY HAMED

Question from Walden

Thanks Sue for your very helpful comment.  I have another question from another sentence below the previous one.

He says, "Sometimes I heard four or five at once in different parts of the wood, by accident one a bar behind another, and so near me that I distinguished not only the cluck after each note, "

Is he using the word "bar" as a musical term with this definition: "the line marking the division between two measures of music."?  Since I have not heard anything but cars engines around me and am not familiar with the bird Thoreau is talking about here, I would really appreciate it if you could kindly explain in some details about what is happening here in these few lines.

T

On the wings of Masnavi

Last night we read Masnavi to line 100 with Sabber and Maryam.  The physician from the invisible has now arrived to help our king and who know maybe us.

All aboard please!  Today, Friday the 4th of October, on this beautiful autumn morning we are going to continue the journey with Bahman and Fattemeh.  Fattemeh is a very nice fellow traveller and shows intense enthusiasm for reading this book.

From beginning to the end, I don't think we will ever find anything but love in Masnavi.  Our Masnavi starts with the wailful complaints of separation and then the next thing that happens in order to end or rather begin to end this separation is falling in love.  Unlike almost all other stories, it is not enough to be a king to be happy.  Here in Masnavi, you need to find a woman, a slave woman and sacrifice your crown to her in order to take your first step towards the Friend.  As Rumi says later in his Masnavi: "Love whispered softly into my ears" It is much sweeter to be hunted than to be the hunter."

Yes, let us fall into the trap that Rumi has set up for us with his Masnavi.  Let us all be his prey.  And indeed what a wonderful predator is he. 

T in rapture

A question from Walden

Hi Sue,

At the end of chapter "Sounds" in Walden, paragraph 15, I have read this sentence:  "They would begin to sing almost with as much precision as a clock, within five minutes of a particular time, referred to the setting of the sun, every evening."  My understanding of the sentence is a bit dim and I will appreciate it if you could kindly help me understand it better.  What I do not perfectly understand is the phrase "of a particular time". In fact, I don't find myself able to parse this part of the sentence : "within five minutes of a particular time, referred to the setting of the sun, every evening."  Would it perhaps be possible for you to parse it or even paraphrase it for me?

Thanks in advance for your precious help.

T

Heavenly present

When the weather is dirty in Tehran, my heart is rainy, cloudy and sad and when the weather is clean and without pollution, my heart is sunny and happy.
I think that the weather is very important for working,teaching,living and even for our emotions.Unfortunately, these years the weather getting hot and hotter, bad and worst and it is not well, specially in Iran that it is hot and dry, for these when I see a drope of rain, I am impress and I will be happy.
Rain is a thing from God but sometimes we are sad when rain comes that it is not right.
poets always like rain and they use in their poem it, if you ask me why, I say because they see diffrence and with details.
In some countries, rain is important and they respect to it.
Anyway I think that it is heavenly present from God and I hope to see it again and again in Iran and my city meaning Tehran, of course if God willing.


BY HAMED

My physics teacher

Dear Sue
My physics teacher is my favorite teacher. He is a experienced teacher. When our school opened to now he teaches physics to students in it. He learns us a lot of new things and I like to learn them too fast. Some times what he says is not enough for me and I like to learn another things. And also he is a strict teacher . He takes two quiz in a week.One of them is test quiz and one of them is
description quiz.
Your friend E.N

Sabber's letter to Sue

Hello Sue
These days I'm too busy because I want to go to a university 9 months later and I should read my school's books alot.
In every day, an average of my studing is about4 hours. I think reading about 4 hours in a day is not enough time for going to a good universityand that is a hard work but, I belive when you love a work, that work is easy for you .I think you belive my opinion too.Is it true?
In the Masnavi, we have read 52 lines. In fact reading the Masnavi is one of the best works that we can do it in my class with T.

Finally, although I am too busy, writing a letter to you makes me happy.
take care.

Sabber