Ebtehaj Laid to Rest in Rasht

Houshang Ebtehaj, a distinguished Iranian poet whose small but influential body of work made him a major figure in his own country and in world literature, died on Wednesday in Cologne, Germany. He was 94.The body of distinguished contemporary Iranian poet Amir-Hushang Ebtehaj, who died earlier this month at age 94, was laid to rest in his home town on Saturday.

Ebtehaj, best known under his nom de plume of Sayeh (The Shadow), was buried at Mohtasham Garden in Rasht where his family and a deluge of his fans and friends attended the ceremony. Hundreds of Iranians had a day earlier attended his funeral service in the capital to pay farewell to the poet, who shot to prominence after composing lyrical poems themed on love and solitude as well as reflections on the woes of life.
Ebtehaj died of renal failure in his home in Cologne, Germany, on August 10 and his body was transferred to Iran ahead of Friday’s service, which was attended by a crowd of officials, artists and admirers.
“Father always said: I want to return to Rasht where I belong,” Ebtehaj’s daughter, Yalda, said at the gathering. “Although his body will be buried, he will live on in this country with his poetry… he always was with the Iranian people in their sorrow and happiness; his heart was full of the love of Iranian people.”