“Tears Are a Secret” by Ahmad Shamlou is a deeply moving work of modern Persian poetry exploring love, shared pain, human connection and the invisible bonds between people. Presented here in English as part of Persian Poetry After Dark, Shamlou’s poem is reimagined through cinematic noir, spoken word and atmospheric music, allowing its intimate yet universal voice to unfold in a contemporary setting. This English musical adaptation brings the emotional depth and distinctive language of one of Iran’s most influential modern poets to a wider international audience.
- Genre: Cinematic Noir, Spoken Word
- Music & Lyric Adaptation: Tony Zohari
- Language: English
- Poet: Ahmad Shamlou
- Original Language: Persian
- Themes: Iranian Poetry | Persian Poetry After Dark | In English
Lyric: Tears Are a Secret
Tears are a secret
A smile is a secret
Love is a secret
The tears of that night
Were the smile of my love
I am not a story
For you to tell
I am not a melody
For you to sing
I am not a voice
For you to hear
Nor something simply to see
Nor something simply to know
I am a shared pain
Cry me out
The tree speaks with the forest
The grass speaks with the desert
The star speaks with the galaxy
And I
I speak with you
Tell me your name
Give me your hand
Tell me your words
Give me your heart
I have understood your roots
With your lips
I have spoken
For all lips
And your hands
Are familiar with mine
In the luminous solitude
I have wept with you
For the sake
Of the living
And in the dark cemetery
I have sung with you
The most beautiful songs
Because the dead of this year
Were the most loving
Of the living
Give me your hand
Your hands
Are familiar with mine
O, long-awaited one
I speak with you
As the cloud
Speaks with the storm
As the grass
Speaks with the desert
As the rain
Speaks with the sea
As the bird
Speaks with the spring
As the tree
Speaks with the forest
Because I
Have understood
Your roots
Because my voice
Is familiar
With your voice
My voice
Is familiar
With your voice
Your voice
Is familiar
With mine
Tears are a secret
A smile is a secret
Love is a secret
My voice
Is familiar
With your voice
About Ahmad Shamlou
Ahmad Shamlou (1925–2000) was one of the most influential figures in modern Persian poetry. A poet, writer, journalist and translator, he helped transform Persian poetry through a freer, more contemporary form of expression influenced by Nima Yushij. His poetry often moves between love, loneliness, freedom, human dignity and shared suffering, combining intimate emotion with a powerful sense of humanity.
Shamlou’s language can be both deeply personal and universal. His poems speak of individual love while reaching toward the experiences of ordinary people, memory, loss and hope. This combination of intimacy and collective human feeling is particularly evident in Tears Are a Secret, where the poet speaks of shared pain, connection and the invisible roots that bind one person to another.
Through Persian Poetry After Dark, this adaptation brings Shamlou’s words into English and a contemporary musical setting, allowing the emotional force of his poetry to reach listeners beyond the Persian-speaking world.
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