logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
15m 41s

Poetry | Baba Taher's khoshā emshō, Intr...

Chai & Conversation
About this episode

In this shabé shehr episode, we go over the poem khoshā emshō by the poet Baba Taher with special guest Yara Elmjouie. This poem is about enjoying the night, and the company of the night- it's short, simple and sweet, and reminds you to take pleasure in the joy of living.

Up next
Jul 7
Poetry | Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, Part 2
In this third part of the discussion of Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, we cover the next two lines in detail, beginning to contemplate the importance of love to all human beings. 
12m 51s
Jul 7
Speak Lesson 63 | Meeting Up with Friends
In this lesson, we learn some useful expressions for talking with friends or people we know, especially people who we haven't seen in a long time. 
31m 46s
Jun 30
Poetry | Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, Part 2
In this second part of the discussion of Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, we go over the first two lines of the poem in detail. 
18m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
1266: Echo by Christina Rossetti
Today’s poem is Echo by Christina Rossetti. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem calls back to a deceased beloved, to return to this side of existence, to traverse the layers of time — an incantation that wishes to reunite us with ... Show More
5m 3s
Sep 2024
1205: Leaving by Madeleine Cravens
Today’s poem is Leaving by Madeleine Cravens. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem knows the world is enticing, seductive, full of possibilities. The hack is to consciously curate our pleasures — the slow, intentional cherishing o ... Show More
7m 7s
May 2024
1122: Childhood by David Baker
Today’s poem is Childhood by David Baker. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “I enjoy today’s poem immensely for how it makes its opening comparison, then leads us to the sweet conclusion, one about an experience we all share. Yet, it individ ... Show More
5m 3s
Jul 2024
1155: A Toast by Oksana Zabuzhko
Today’s poem is A Toast by Oksana Zabuzhko. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem honors the immense feelings of connection art and poetry offer us. It notes what care is possible when we listen to each other and co-create a world ... Show More
7m 21s
Apr 14
Re-release: How to enrich your everyday life with poetry (w/ Sarah Kay)
Roses are red, violets are blue, has poetry ever been intimidating for you? For many people, this art form can feel unapproachable, but poet and educator Sarah Kay, suggests that people who don’t like poetry just maybe haven’t found a poem that really speaks to them. Sarah propos ... Show More
31m 28s
Nov 2024
1230: Second Paradise by Chard deNiord
Today’s poem is Second Paradise by Chard deNiord. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s shrewd poem ardently shows how time shreds memories into a dreamlike sequence of events, yet we are preserved in our stories.” Celebrate the power o ... Show More
6m 1s
Nov 2024
1231: Gala Noise by Diane Mehta
Today’s poem is Gala Noise by Diane Mehta. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem invites us to contemplate how language is not just what is heard, but what is conveyed beneath the surface. Underneath, it sees that we are interconne ... Show More
5m 49s
Apr 2024
1096: Gacela of the Dark Death by Federico García Lorca, translated by Merryn Williams
Today’s poem is Gacela of the Dark Death by Federico García Lorca, translated by Merryn Williams. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… "Today’s poem has me recall a pilgrimage to the home of a cherished poet, whose mystery is the very fire that ... Show More
5m 33s
Nov 2024
1244: Poem by Frank O'Hara
Today’s poem is Poem (“Instant coffee with…”) by Frank O'Hara. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Myka Kielbon writes… “Loren was the person I knew in New York who was the same kind of lost as me. There is a magic to how we find each other w ... Show More
5m 11s
Oct 2024
1219: from "Elegy for the Times" by Adonis, translated by Robyn Creswell
Today’s poem is from "Elegy for the Times" by Adonis, translated by Robyn Creswell. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “For stateless people, writing poems, taking pictures, composing songs is precarious, but making art happens, nonetheless. ... Show More
6m 8s