I often think of my favorite actress, God’s own sister;
She possessed a bright wit, and was beauty’s great lover.
As a little girl, she was a jump rope champion;
She was the Beloved’s Mehera’s lifelong companion.
What a pride she had in pirouetting on a dime!
She was a verbal master, and an excellent mime.
She encouraged me in the study of Persian language;
She herself spoke simple Dari with great advantage.
Her cheerfulness was astonishing and delightful;
Immense patience made her fabulously skillful.
To be God’s sister was not easy, I heard her once say;
She was a serious student who had mastered life’s play.
Mani is a jewel who still sparkles in Darvish’s mind;
Most of all, I think of her as someone very kind.
