The dervish sang: The mint, the violets Tiny leaves, tiny flowers At the foot of the tree… The journey of the pleasant fragrance On the wings of the wind In the plains In the deserts On the mountaintops The scent of grass Of fresh, green grass That goats, kids and cows can smell The journey of the scent of grass Of delicious grass To their white, foamy milk The journey of gratitude to God Morad softly, bashfully uttered, “The journey of the poem to your lips.” The dervish smiled. He looked at Morad’s face and eyes. He licked his dark, chapped lips. “What did you say?” I said, “The journey of the poem to your lips.” “Congratulations! You have just recited poetry.”

Houshang Moradi Kermani (born 7 September 1944 at Sirch, a village in Kerman Province, Iran) is an eminent Iranian writer best known for children's and young adult fiction. For his lasting contribution as a children's writer, he was a finalist in 2014 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books.[1] Moradi Kermani was born in Sirch, a village in Kerman Province, and was educated in Sirch, Kerman, and Tehran.[2] Several Iranian movies and TV-series have been made based on his books. In 2006, Dariush Mehrjui directed Mehman-e Maman based on Moradi Kermani's novel with the same title.[3] Some of Moradi Kermani's books have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, and Armenian. His auto-biography was published by Moin Publishers in 2005, entitled "You're No Stranger Here" (Shoma ke gharibe nistid).