THE BALLAD OF TARA
A film by Bahram Beizai
Look! Tara has returned!
How is the pasturage, Tara?
The trees have started to change color.
You do well to return. Here, too, they will change.
-How are the children? -They make me crazy.
Hey, Tara!
Soltan! Hello!
Grandfather is dead. Tara, did you drive over to his grave?
The devil take you!
Don't you know? I didn't think that...
To the farm, kids! Grandfather has died!
God watch over the children!
We locked the door. No need to worry.
The neighbors have been very kind. They buried him near the cypress.
We will start tomorrow...
You must pass by the Field of Abasali.
May God protect you, Tara. The old man is gone.
The cow is in my yard? Who damaged my fence?
Don't get angry, Tara. It's my cow. I'll repair the fence.
He asked us to look after the chickens.
And the chicks? I see that the wheel of my well is damaged also!
That isn't my cow. But I'll fix it for you.
The old man gave us this bundle.
I know who's taken my wood.
Don't yell. Take ours.
See if everything's there.
She doesn't know what was in it.
A pair of shoes... Well, take them.
His shirt. I don't want it. So you take it.
His hat. I've got no use for it.
Headwear for scarecrows!
Right, so it goes to you.
Take this. It may be useful to you.
Give me the book as well!
Pray for him!
What's that?
What is it?
What will you do, Tara?
He himself wouldn't know what to do with it. Take it!
For me? You all see this?
I'll attach it to my plowshare.
Tara, tomorrow...
...we'll go to the Field of Abasali. - I'll be there.
Children, where's your mother?
You left without saying anything...
but you've found a good spot.
Would you like to play the tamborine, as usual?
If it pleases you...
It's fine by me. You've always been a little crazy.
What do you want, Tara?
A sickle. This one's useless.
It will take time.
Here. And find what I want, quickly.
No, Tara. I'll go, but you keep that.
That thing terrified Djavad. He felt like your grandfather still lived.
Don't wear it out, Tara, because no one will buy it.
They need more useful things.
Let go, Ismail. As if I would marry you!
Have no fear. Have no fear of me!
It is for the sword...
that I have come.
Is it really you?
Not only myself, but my ancestors as well.
Are you injured?
I belong to a historic line.
My ancestors passed their lives in battle.
What war was it? Nowhere is it spoken of us.
Over time everything has faded.
Nothing remains of us.
Nary a trace... except a sword.
I've thrown it away.
Thrown it away? The sword with which my ancestors battled?
I didn't know!
How now, to return without the sword?
All my tribe awaits me. How can I return?
Tell them you haven't found it.
Me, tell them such a thing? That I haven't found it?
Great would be my disgrace!
So that a word destroys my tribe?
Hesmat, go look for a tamborine!
Molla, go look for a tamborine!
May the spirit of Tara's grandfather repose in joy!
Someone has stolen my clothes.
Don't accuse the neighbors.
There have never been any thieves in the village.
I've seen footprints in the yard.
Someone turned around, without getting to the door.
It's been two nights that my husband hasn't slept.
He was worried.
The river flings itself into the sea.
Their waters confound each other...
yet another sign of the sword of my race. My tribe waits in vain.
The reason blurs, and each passing day becomes too much for me.
How much longer must I suffer...
these injuries which bleed anew each day?
So here it is - the sword!
May the devil take me if I didn't recognize it!
But I cannot return. Not yet.
Why not?
Love for you has killed me!
Thou art living, nymph.
Thousands are there round about thee...
as I once had. But I loved no one.
You torment me.
Speak on!
My ancestors observe me, yet I cannot return!
It is my shame!
Why do you prowl around my yard at night?
-My injuries torment me. -You should have them dressed.
It's unthinkable, understand?
Each day they bleed again.
-Truly? -As soon as I saw you.
You have returned, Tara. But you don't want to remain without a man.
My son cultivates the land...
and his arms are as strong as his faith.
Would you accept him for a husband?
He knows how to deal with women.
I've thought of the pasturage.
And it's true, I have need of a man.
Do you want Quelitch for a husband?
It's too soon to answer. Here, sweeten your mouth.
Listen, and tell this to the neighbors:
It will still take several days...
for the harvest to be complete.
If God wills it we will mount a spectacle...
depicting the passion of the Saints...
at the base of the Fortress of the Forty, not far from here.
Each piece of silk that would make our spectacle more attractive...
will be offered intact, accompanied by the benediction of the martyrs.
This cart will pass through the neighborhood...
for the purpose of collecting as much as possible.
Give everything you can!
Tara's sword will be perfect for the spectacle. Go search for it!
Tara has returned the sword to its owner!
Find out what's going on, so we can borrow it.
May the dead rest in peace!
He who wishes ill upon others is an unbeliever.
May the glory of God's saints transform all enmity to amity.
Tara says the owner has departed!
Tara, you are in the midst of enemies.
Your husband returned wounded from the sea and died on land.
It isn't your fault!
It's the evil eye.
It's all for the best. His boat was smashed.
No, Tara, those who watch you desired your separation...
it comes down to that.
Let's go, Tara. Those people do not want to see you here.
We love you, Tara. Don't leave us.
Since the eldest of the brothers has returned to the earth...
take the youngest.
Whose idea is this?
He fell in love with you when he saw your tears...
for his brother.
No one saw my tears.
I have asked for your hand before witnesses. What is your reply?
Love born in a cemetary is stillborn.
Gathering wood, are you?
It's going to rain.
Pity that you're so inaccessible, Tara. I would have brought...
Go find someone who'll accept.
Don't taunt me. You gave me the mirror.
I can see nothing there but your face.
That's why I gave it to you.
You want me to be enamored with you?
I swear by your hands that you desire me, Tara.
You let work slide just to chase after women?
What work have I let slide?
Everyone is at the spectacle.
If that's the case, take me into the forest.
See the wounds? It's looking for its rider.
It's from the arena. It must be a horse from the spectacle.
Catch it!
I'll get it!
You want him?
Why not? He knows what to do with women.
O, you siren! Serpent with the eyes of an antelope!
You drive me mad!
You're hurt?
O Tartar!
I believed you were gone. Hadn't you left?
I had left, but thought of you kept me back like a chain.
The scent of the land...
It's like the anchor of a boat.
While it may prevent it from capsizing, it keeps it from moving freely.
-Be kinder to me! -I'll do nothing of the sort!
I need a pain that deadens my pain.
To be put on a stake by an enemy. Words of vain boasting!
I had forgotten the shore of your praises.
I want a man like the others. I'll not wait in vain for all eternity.
I've sown in more than one grove.
You may not believe it, but I can't imagine you...
listening to a song.
A song?
Or dancing. Or coughing... your wounds!
I have forgotten them. Look at the new wound!
Jealousy!
He could have been one of my underlings.
What is it you see in him?
Life. And you. What do you have?
Honor!
It's heading for the Fortress of the Forty!
I must return it to the folk at the spectacle.
We were forty, beseiged by an army of archers.
Whose arrows were as cruel as your eyes.
All our tombs are empty, our fortress lays in ruins.
The maidens of my tribe - I haven't availed myself of their lips.
The ransom of a kingdom shines in their eyes.
Even prisoners have my blade...
I who am now captive.
Tara, my husband has lost his senses.
Last night he saw the shadows in your yard.
Someone pacing.
And also the blood!
He claims there were drops of blood...
there, just under your feet.
What is it, Grandfather? Why have you called me?
I have come to your dreams because I worry about you.
Last night there was a crying sound coming from your house.
It's a bad sign.
No one was crying in my house, Grandfather.
I too have heard the cries.
Cursed be the time when you sleep with fists clenched.
And a wounded cry...
because then the earth begins to tremble.
I never sleep with fists clenched.
It's strange, Tara. The wounded horse has fled to the ruins.
It never belonged to the spectacle.
It's in love with me, and follows me everywhere.
I've returned the sword to him, but he hasn't departed.
All I want is for him to leave and to free me.
Quelitch's parents await my answer.
It will be too late.
It is here that my skull was cracked.
An unknown dagger piereced my armor.
And here are the stones where our hopes were crushed.
What to say, O woman? There my seven brothers disappeared...
cut down by the enemy.
There, where the door collapsed.
The break by which we were pushed back toward the shoreline.
From the vast ocean to a cramped strait...
everywhere surrounded by enemies.
On the shoreline we defended ourselves, shoulder to shoulder...
and the sea swallowed us.
It is here that the cruel hooves of the enemy...
ground down our dead soldiers.
Our blood flowed in streams, trampled by anguish and temptation.
Destiny fell upon us.
They had taken an oath on the book of God...
but for a few pieces of gold they broke their word.
Last night the sword was over my head.
I was over your head. You prayed in terror.
I prayed for you to return.
Where is Tara?
Here was the thick of the battle.
Here all of mine were decapitated.
I would do anything, if you would leave.
A thousand archers were shouting at the foot of the falls.
It was noon, and we were praying.
There are many better than I.
And if you saw them, you would not think so highly of me.
The waters came to our waists and were warm with our blood.
The army of tyranny had emerged...
fighting in full force.
They massacred a thousand peasants.
Many carried the book of God over their heads.
Whom did we betray?
It was noon, we were going to pray...
You'll have everything you want, as long as you leave.
I want you to return to where you're supposed to be.
I demand little of life. I would sleep peacefully.
May the anger of the unbeliever surround me.
You tire me with your kindness.
The enemy did not do as much.
May the enemy inflict other injuries upon me...
but not the arrows I see in the eyes of this woman!
I want to see no more of you in my path.
I take my leave, Tara...
and your eyes are the one memory I will take with me.
Don't return! Ever!
Don't look at me like that!
Go on, give me a smile. And your response to my parents?
What's wrong, Tara? They say you love another.
You fool yourself.
The devil take me if I fool myself.
Don't you deny that you love...
your brother-in-law, Ashub. He follows you like your shadow.
I've never noticed that he follows me.
You're going to tell me you didn't know?
No, I didn't know.
If it's not me, then who is it?
Do I know him?
Don't act like that with me. You'll not run away from me!
What are you looking at, Tara?
Listen!
What silence!
It means that all is finished.
Tara, it's to do with your children.
Thanks be to God, Tara! Let's go, and don't torture yourself.
Ashub, when will you speak to them?
My brother gave you the money for milk, and you left us.
You'll come live with me...
or would you rather I build beside your house?
We each live in our own houses. A suitable distance.
I thought that after my brother you would start to look at me.
I see you, Ashub, but from a long way off.
I would like to know when you will be punished.
I have not wronged you, Tara.
I have always loved you, even when my brother was living.
I loved you like a brother...
until your boat returned.
I have never been near it.
You know well how to wield an axe, Ashub...
but you should have saved it for the trees.
There are others who are more beautiful and spirited than you.
I can live without you.
Try it, if you can!
Then you may understand that I have suffered.
It's very difficult, Tara, to see you every day and say nothing.
What's wrong, Tara? The tree's the same as it was yesterday...
The same shore, the same route. What has changed?
You've seen nothing?
What?
The footprints of those who've gone this way in the past.
It looks to me like blood oozing from that tree.
What are you saying?
You want to know?
Come, children! Tara will tell you of your father.
He had a good reputation...
and a voice like thunder.
The sea was his livelihood.
Enough, Ashub! The chickens have escaped...
and you haven't caught even one!
Look, Ashub, eat a bit of bread.
Ashub, drink a little water.
Ashub has left all behind. He's going.
Why, Ashub? There's no better woodcutter than you.
For whom will you release your nets?
Why, Ashub?
You have broken us, Tara.
On the contrary. I have reunited you.
The season passes.
Today they want to play the last act.
You must decide.
What will you reply to Quelitch?
I've spoken with grandfather. He's in agreement.
My best wishes!
The last act begins!
Where are you, then?
I am gone where I must. They have fixed my empty hands.
All the tribe has turned against me.
You seek a pretext to stay.
No one has welcomed me.
I have gone as far as possible.
But where is the final sign?
In my tribe each step is an ordeal.
Which tribe? I've recounted everything you've said to a learned man...
who's never heard of it.
You won't find a history of my tribe in books...
but in the earth, the wind, the plants.
We did face the enemy. One thousand steeds.
Was it a difficult battle?
Nothing is more difficult than my present battle.
Take the sword.
Push me away in anger, save me from your love...
my whole tribe begs you!
There is no tribe, there never has been one!
Those who have taken oaths on their swords beseech you...
Where are they?
Free me!
You speak of an ordeal, so free yourself - if you can!
Perhaps they can help you?
You mock me...
but I can free myself from you.
I will it so!
The thick of battle, it was there.
We prayed near the water, many still stricken with thirst.
The commander of the battle!
The first arrow pierced my side.
Why do you wait, commander? You said you have the power to escape.
Free me!
Why don't you do it?
I never meant that.
Where are my people, to assist their heroes in their disgrace?
Have you no respect?
I work for every mouthful that I eat...
and I have no respect.
Why shouldn't I laugh loudly?
Should I pretend I notice nothing? I could scream...
Submit yourself to the will of the commander...
who must be destroyed, but not dishonored.
My comrades have embraced the silence because they were betrayed.
We fought, and they revealed the secret passage to the enemy.
Nothing holds me on this earth.
May all my soldiers and comrades bear witness.
I must close my eyes, stop listening to the cries of my heart...
return to you and be liberated.
No!
Why not?
I no longer want you to depart. I love you.
You mock me.
I love you.
My misfortune. You've bound me.
I believe that I love your misfortune.
I'll listen not to you. My legs are weakening.
Take me away!
Come back! Come back!
I'm not helpless.
Where are you?
I'm the one you love, so look at me!
Why can't a man die anew?
Give me a battlefield, and I would fight all alone.
But not this battle.
You are the stronger...
Here is my sword, my token of surrender.
You would live in peace, and I brought you... what?
Only my bloody wounds.
Nothing but regrets.
Come to my room tonight, I'll let you in.
Wedding a dead man, it's impossible!
You could perhaps revive me...
if you're willing to pay the price.
The price doesn't matter.
And the children?
Are they so cruel?
You would be including them in the exchange.
Not the children. Their lives are not mine to give.
You see? You cannot revive me.
You must not die for me.
I can...
but I must entrust the children to someone who will take them.
Is there someone who loves you that much?
Quelitch would take them. Wait here!
I shall wait.
An ordeal.
Now my return has been given meaning.
Now everything has become simple.
Liar!
I will take you back! I will take you back!
Where are the children?
They've gone home. The spectacle has ended.
It's ended. Good.
When will we marry?
The day of the harvest, if you wish. That's the best time.
Look, Quelitch, they want nothing more...
of the sword.
It will remain with us.
Translation: JG