In addition to filmmaking, Payam Shokouhirad is also the lyricist of numerous musical works. This page features a selection of poems and lyrics written by Payam Shokouhirad. The music and vocals of these works have been enhanced with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
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I’ve gotten used to being with you for a lifetime. Wherever I go without you, I want to come back. From not revolving around you, I’m becoming restless. For you, I would become an entire solar system. It seems like you are also searching for yourself. Like the Little Prince, you tamed your flower. If from morning till night, you are only waiting for someone to return, Then someone has tamed you forever. When you become tamed, you feel sorrow from being far away from them. In every star, you search for traces of them. Everything except your flower becomes ordinary to you. And forever, you become responsible for your flower. That is when “tamed” truly gains meaning for you. When even one second of distance feels like a light-year. I promise you, these nights will come to an end. There will be less sorrow, and my sun will rise. I promise you, everything will become wonderful. Life for us will become a little normal. I promise you, sadness will go away from you. The house will be filled with light, and everything will fall into place. I promise you, we will overcome everything. One day, we will wake up from this bitter nightmare. I promise you, God will show mercy. Most likely, He will remember us. I promise you, a good day will come. We will cry so much from happiness that our tears will not stop. I promise you, our luck will open up. A miracle will turn the world upside down. I want to lose this gamble to your eyes. Your body has become my every need. I wish you would stay a little longer tonight, So I could make ghazals out of the dimensions of your body. Don’t let me remain behind with a world full of “if only.” Just for tonight, shine and be my moon. Let the words dress you in clothing. Become the interpretation of the poem and the true meaning behind it. My love, it is too late to leave now. Let the rhyme die for your eyes. Come and turn your body into a new quatrain. Let words take shape upon your skin. I am even greedy for the scent of your clothes. I weave ghazals for you with golden thread. So that with every prayer ritual you remember me, I want to write this poem on your hands. With you, I created this new verse. In the darkness, you became the light of my hope. You, who are beyond poetry and song, I have never seen a ghazal this beautiful before.

Tamed
I’ve gotten used to being with you for a lifetime.
Wherever I go without you, I want to come back.

From not revolving around you, I’m becoming restless.
For you, I would become an entire solar system.

It seems like you are also searching for yourself.
Like the Little Prince, you tamed your flower.

If from morning till night, you are only waiting for someone to return,
Then someone has tamed you forever.

When you become tamed, you feel sorrow from being far away from them.
In every star, you search for traces of them.

Everything except your flower becomes ordinary to you.
And forever, you become responsible for your flower.

That is when “tamed” truly gains meaning for you.
When even one second of distance feels like a light-year.

I promise
I promise you, these nights will come to an end.
There will be less sorrow, and my sun will rise.

I promise you, everything will become wonderful.
Life for us will become a little normal.

I promise you, sadness will go away from you.
The house will be filled with light, and everything will fall into place.

I promise you, we will overcome everything.
One day, we will wake up from this bitter nightmare.

I promise you, God will show mercy.
Most likely, He will remember us.

I promise you, a good day will come.
We will cry so much from happiness that our tears will not stop.

I promise you, our luck will open up.
A miracle will turn the world upside down.

Naked
I want to lose this gamble to your eyes.
Your body has become my every need.

I wish you would stay a little longer tonight,
So I could make ghazals out of the dimensions of your body.

Don’t let me remain behind with a world full of “if only.”
Just for tonight, shine and be my moon.

Let the words dress you in clothing.
Become the interpretation of the poem and the true meaning behind it.

My love, it is too late to leave now.
Let the rhyme die for your eyes.

Come and turn your body into a new quatrain.
Let words take shape upon your skin.

I am even greedy for the scent of your clothes.
I weave ghazals for you with golden thread.

So that with every prayer ritual you remember me,
I want to write this poem on your hands.

With you, I created this new verse.
In the darkness, you became the light of my hope.

You, who are beyond poetry and song,
I have never seen a ghazal this beautiful before.

You don’t know what your absence has done to lonely me. I don’t know what the earth has done to that beautiful face of yours. You don’t know that I am burning from longing. I don’t know why I am still alive. You don’t know that nothing becomes like before anymore. I don’t know how to say I’m fine, because I truly can’t. You don’t know that I die hour by hour. I don’t know why they said your absence would become a habit. Everyone says, “Are you blind?” My path is far, far away from you. Yes, they say the soil is cold, But even my soil has cried out in pain. When it saw your loneliness in exile, Even my stone has cracked. There was no longer a place for me in this city, A city where your name is everywhere. Everywhere in it is a repetition of your smile. Your scent is in every corner and every place. Every escape of mine has become useless now. I am chained to the memories of you. All the people have started to look alike. I mistake them for you. One blurry photo, a hundred memories, one bracelet. All of my clues led back to you. That I would see you again soon, I remember, was your last sentence. Where am I supposed to look for you? I sit at the street corners of the city. Everyone says I’ve gone crazy. Whoever passes by, I see you in them. Maybe the thing you used to say is true. Maybe what he used to say will happen. Something of us may remain after we are gone, Perhaps a memory of a burned body. Maybe after death, there is another place. Maybe after this, there is another world. What difference does it make to me or you? Reincarnation is for lonely people. They wrote distance into our destiny. They molded our soil with longing. Even if I were to live a thousand and one times, They wrote “loser” on my forehead. I, who was a loser on this earth, I wish I could be alive just one more time. This time, I would find you in the sky. In reincarnation, I wish I were a bird.

Bitter
You don’t know what your absence has done to lonely me.
I don’t know what the earth has done to that beautiful face of yours.

You don’t know that I am burning from longing.
I don’t know why I am still alive.

You don’t know that nothing becomes like before anymore.
I don’t know how to say I’m fine, because I truly can’t.

You don’t know that I die hour by hour.
I don’t know why they said your absence would become a habit.

Was anyone blind who said this?
My path is far, far away from you.

Yes, they say the soil is cold,
But even soil has cried out in pain.

When it saw your loneliness in exile,
Even a stone has cracked.

City
There was no longer a place for me in this city,
A city where your name is everywhere.

Everywhere in it is a repetition of your smile.
Your scent is in every corner and every place.

Every escape of mine has become useless now.
I am chained to the memories of you.

All the people have started to look alike.
I mistake them for you.

One blurry photo, a hundred memories, one bracelet.
All of my clues led back to you.

That I would see you again soon,
I remember, was your last sentence.

Where am I supposed to look for you?
I sit at the street corners of the city.

Everyone says I’ve gone crazy.
Whoever passes by, I see you in them.

Reincarnation
Maybe the thing you used to say is true.
Maybe what he used to say will happen.

Something of us may remain after we are gone,
Perhaps a memory of a burned body.

Maybe after death, there is another place.
Maybe after this, there is another world.

What difference does it make to me or you?
Reincarnation is no different for lonely people.

They wrote distance into our destiny.
They molded our soil with longing.

Even if I were to live a thousand and one times,
They wrote “loser” on my forehead.

I, who was a loser on this earth,
I wish I could be alive just one more time.

This time, I would find you in the sky.
In reincarnation, I wish I were a bird.