Poem Image
March 28, 2026

240. Iran, O my gorgeous paradise 

Iranian authorities have just released a patriotic song amid the ongoing war to boost the morale of its people, but I couldn’t find the lyrics.


However, “Ey Iran” is a well-known Iranian patriotic song composed during World War II. In September 1941, Allied forces took control of Iran following the Anglo-Soviet invasion that toppled Reza Shah. Hossein Gol-e-Golab was motivated to write a poem about Iranian nationalism upon seeing Allied flags displayed at an Iranian military barracks in Tehran. According to Gol-e-Golab, a confrontation between a British soldier and an Iranian officer further encouraged him to write the poem. 


Here is the English translation - 


O Iran, the land of gems abound,
O the wellspring of arts is your ground.
Far from you may the thoughts of evil be,
Long may you last and eternal be.
O enemy, if you are of rock, I am of iron,
May my life be sacrificed for my homeland's pure soil.


 
Since your love became my calling,
Never far are my thoughts from you.
In your cause, when do our lives have value?
Eternal may the land of Iran be. 


 
The stones of your peaks are jewels and pearls,
Greater than gold are your valleys' soils.
When would I ever doff your ardour?
Tell me what I'd do without your fervour?
As long as the earth revolves and the sky cycles,
The light of the Divine will always guide us.

 
 
Iran, O my gorgeous paradise, 
Bright is my destiny because to you.
Even if fire on my body rains,
I'll cherish naught but my love for you.
I am made of your love, your waters, and your earth,
If your love leaves my heart, empty it will become.