“The Cold Stove” by Nima Yushij is a melancholic work of modern Persian poetry exploring memory, loneliness, loss and the passing of time. Through the haunting image of a small stone stove containing only cold ashes, Nima transforms a simple object into a powerful symbol of faded warmth, lost happiness and the remnants of a life that has changed.
Presented here in English as part of Persian Poetry After Dark, Nima Yushij’s poem is reimagined through emotional indie pop, deep house and cinematic electronic textures. This English musical adaptation brings the evocative imagery of one of Iran’s most influential modern poets into a contemporary atmospheric soundscape for a wider international audience.
Nima Yushij and The Cold Stove
Nima Yushij is one of the most influential figures in modern Persian poetry and is widely regarded as the father of modern Persian verse. By moving beyond traditional poetic structures and experimenting with rhythm, imagery and free verse, Nima helped transform Persian literature and opened the door to a new generation of Iranian poets.
The Cold Stove brings Nima Yushij’s poetry into a contemporary musical setting. As part of Persian Poetry After Dark | In English, the poem is reimagined for an international audience, combining the atmosphere and emotional depth of Persian poetry with modern electronic and cinematic sound.
Persian Poetry Reimagined in English
Persian Poetry After Dark explores what happens when classic and modern Persian poetry is translated into English and transformed into music. Rather than simply presenting translated poems, the project uses sound, rhythm and atmosphere to create a new way of experiencing the poetry.
With The Cold Stove, Nima Yushij’s imagery and emotional world become part of a darker, contemporary soundscape. Electronic textures, atmospheric production and expressive vocals create a bridge between Persian literary tradition and modern music.
Persian Poetry After Dark | In English
The project brings together the poetry of influential Persian writers and poets—including Nima Yushij, Rumi, Hafez, Forough Farrokhzad, Ahmad Shamlou, Sohrab Sepehri, Fereydoon Moshiri, Vida Farhoudi and Ghazal Tajbakhsh—and reimagines their work through contemporary music.
Moving across ambient, electronic, emotional indie pop, deep house, downtempo, trance and cinematic sounds, Persian Poetry After Dark | In English explores universal themes of love, longing, dreams, darkness and human connection.
The goal is simple: to introduce the beauty and emotional power of Persian poetry to a wider international audience, while allowing these timeless words to live in a new musical form.
Lyric: The Cold Stove
Surviving from very distant nights,
At a silent path towards the jungle,
A little stove made of stone,
Contains some cold ashes.
Like my melancholy thoughts
Buried in the dust,
Bearing sketches of everything,
A tale whose fruit is but pain.
My sweet day that agreed with me
Has become an incongruous sketch,
It has grown cold,
It has turned into stone.
Still surviving from very distant nights,
At a silent path towards the jungle,
A little stove made of stone,
Contains some cold ashes.
Cold ashes…
Cold ashes…
And the autumnal breath of my life
Turns yellow on the spring’s face.
My sweet day that agreed with me
Has become an incongruous sketch.
It has grown cold,
It has turned into stone,
While melancholy thoughts
Lie buried in the dust.
Bearing sketches of everything,
A tale whose fruit is but pain.
A tale whose fruit is but pain…
Still surviving from very distant nights,
At a silent path towards the jungle,
A little stove made of stone,
Contains some cold ashes.
Still surviving…
From very distant nights…
A little stove made of stone,
Contains some cold ashes.
Cold ashes…
Cold ashes…
At a silent path towards the jungle…
Still surviving from very distant nights.
- Genre: Indie Pop & Deep House with Cinematic Electronic Textures
- Music & Lyric Adaptation: Tony Zohari
- Language: English
- Poet: Nima Yushij
- Original Poem Language: Persian
