Layli and Majnun

The planets linked their hands and danced upon

  Fair carpets where the far horizons shone,

  While meteors pierced the demons of the night,

  Calling on God to aid them in their flight.

  The heavenly air seemed scented with fine musk,

  The moon’s jewel made earth glimmer in the dusk,

  Beneath the sky’s six vaults100 their scent and light

  Made the horizons odorous and bright.

  Heaven above higher heaven rose, and made

  About earth’s pole a lofty barricade.

  A hundred different stars contributed

  To one vast dazzling pageant overhead:

  The Pleiades’ bright banner’s silken glow

  Was made of starry gold and indigo,

  Across the skies its bright expanse unrolled

  Affixed there by a nail of heavenly gold;

  Like silk the full moon shone with golden light

  Its halo was spun linen, pure and white;

  The stars seemed changed, as though they were revealed

  As glittering gems upon a heavenly shield.

  *

  You’d say the shadows on the moon were like

  Marks where our glorious monarch’s missiles strike,101

  Or that the planet Mercury was one

  Such glistening missile passing by the sun;

  Venus is like his glittering saddle now,

  Sweet-smelling as the sweat upon his brow,

  The sun’s his royal sword that’s sheathed at night

  And in the day subdues the world with light,

  Red warlike Mars is hastening through the skies,

  Eager to pierce his hostile rivals’ eyes.

  Jupiter bears the royal seal, the clasp

  That brings the whole wide world within his grasp,

  And Saturn is the whetstone that will render

  His sword unrivaled in its dazzling splendor.

  May no clime be deprived of such a king

  Or of the glories that his reign will bring,

  O Nezami, what could be greater than

  To serve as we do such a glorious man!

  The zodiac itself, the bright moon’s phases,

  Shake in amazement and proclaim his praises,

  The archer Aries shares their perturbation

  And laughs and urges on their celebration.

  *

  The shining pearls of Taurus’ necklaces

  Are stars he’s borrowed from the Pleiades,

  Gemini’s there, the twins, never alone,

  Two beings seated on a single throne,

  Like houris dressed in linen they appear

  Together, side by side and ear to ear,

  Cancer is there, the crab, sidling to snatch

  And tear whatever its sharp claws might catch,

  And Leo’s there, his blazing heart a fire

  Of sandalwood whose flames flare ever higher.

  There Virgo clasps her wheat stalks to ensure

  No grain is lost, her harvest stays secure,

  Orion with his hunting dogs prepares

  To seek out lions in their hidden lairs;

  Libra is there, her scales are true and just,

  Like words of wise men who deserve our trust.

  The stars of Scorpio are surmounted by

  A crown of stars that curves across the sky,

  Aquarius is mute, his mouth is filled

  With precious water that must not be spilled—

  Beneath him golden verses introduce

  His silent meaning and his mantic use

  (And in the heavenly highways there are those

  Strange stars whose hidden meaning no one knows).

  Capella is so bright because she takes

  The light each other star beside her makes,

  The brightest star in Canis Major glows

  Like shameless dancers who have shed their clothes,

  And like a traveler now one star shines high

  And solitary in the southern sky

  While Aquila extends its pinions there,

  A hovering eagle in the darkened air;

  Close to the Bear a star now fades, as though

  Its death knell were proclaiming it must go.

  *

  The fainter stars were now invisible;

  As pale as Joseph hidden in his well102

  The dawn began to break, and as the night

  Drew back, the heavens were suffused with light.

  Majnun gazed up at the deceitful sky,

  Reproaching Venus with his heartfelt cry:

  “O Venus, O bright star of providence,

  Benign bestower of magnificence,

  The shining torch of those who seek delight,

  Bright emblem of all those who sing and write,

  You hold the key to every joy, you shine

  In every goblet as the purest wine,

  Your seal confirms great monarchs, and you are

  Of every human bliss the guiding star;

  Sweetest of noblewomen, those you bless

  Live in the fragrance of your happiness—

  Out of your kindness now, I beg you, be

  Kind to Majnun, open hope’s door for me;

  Waft me my dear friend’s scent, it’s time, I swear,

  For her sweet scent to cure me of despair.”

  *

  And then, above the far horizon’s rim,

  Jupiter rose, and Majnun called to him:

  “O most auspicious star, O guarantor

  Of vows, whose promises are true and sure,

  O quickener of the soul, whose sanction brings

  Triumphant conquests to world-conquering kings,

  O scribe whose writ proclaims supremacy,

  Success in war and final victory,

  O arbiter whose absolute command

  Determines lawfulness in every land,

  Of all my destiny the one decider,

  Of all my heart’s resolve the sole provider,

  Look down on me now with benevolence,

  If you can help me, come to my defense:

  Drive sorrow from me, free me from distress,

  Treat me with chivalry, with manliness,

  Show me your heavenly friendship, and oh leave me

  One rose from all life’s roses, don’t deceive me!”

  *

  For all he said, the heavens moved as though

  They had no notion of the world below,

  And Majnun saw they were oblivious of

  His ardent supplications and his love.

  He cried out then to Him whose might had made

  The world itself to hasten to his aid.

  He said, “O my secure asylum, who

  Can I fly for assistance to but You?

  Venus and Jupiter serve You alone,

  The name preceding all names is Your own.

  You know far more than mankind can conceive,

  You give far more than mankind can believe;

  Resolver of all knots that hinder us,

  Lord of existence, wise and generous,

  The true performer of each hero’s deed,

  The comfort of all those in desperate need—

  We are your slaves, and there is no one who

  Bows down in prayer to any God but You.

  The seven heavens are the gift you gave

  And all but You must be your abject slave,

  By You the six directions were first made

  And always it is You they have obeyed,

  If any eye should glimpse Your radiant light,

 
It would be blinded and bereft of sight;

  The dog You favor is made wholly pure,

  And cursèd be the man whom You abjure.

  My flesh dissolves before You, look on me,

  Witness my weakness and infirmity—

  Do not withhold Your grace from me, a stranger,

  Leaving me here defenseless and in danger,

  But by Your Godly favor turn my night

  Of wretchedness to dawn’s resplendent light

  So that Good Fortune’s mine, and I can be

  Saved from this life of constant misery.”

  *

  He spoke his words more weakly now, and wept,

  And gradually sank down, and softly slept;

  He dreamed a tree rose from the earth beside him—

  A bird flew down from it as if to chide him

  But from its beak it dropped a jewel instead

  That landed softly on his sleeping head.

  When he awoke, a new dawn had begun

  And earth’s rim glittered with the rising sun,

  And he too felt refreshed and born anew

  As if he flew just as the dream-bird flew:

  In fancies or in dreams, comfort can bless

  The lovelorn in their lonely wretchedness.

  A Message from Layli Reaches Majnun

  The new day dawned, but what a day! All eyes

  Rejoiced and shone that saw the sun arise,

  The dawn partook of paradise, the breeze

  Was like the breath of Jesus in the trees103

  And Fortune’s right hand seemed to cast a spell

  Ensuring that all deeds would turn out well;

  So many grievances had come from Fate

  It sent Good Luck (though laggardly, and late).

  *

  How much Majnun had suffered! His poor heart

  And vitals were worn out and torn apart.

  He sat among the mountain slopes, around him

  Were all the animals who’d sought and found him,

  When from the plain he saw dust clouds arise

  As dark as kohl around a woman’s eyes;

  Her veil was lifted and the dust clouds cleared

  And from their midst a rider soon appeared—

  A man, but what a man! He seemed all light

  As he dismounted, an enchanting sight;

  Majnun saw that he was a worthy man,

  A jewel of virtue from a noble clan,

  And clapped his hands, and his wild retinue

  Dropped to the ground and docilely withdrew.

  Majnun stepped forward and began to speak,

  His tone was kindly, welcoming, and meek:

  “But who are you, O shining, splendid star?

  Why have you come here? Tell me who you are.

  Your face is kindly, and your manner’s mild,

  But all men know that I am mad and wild;

  A dragon’s jaws104 once robbed me of all hope—

  I saw that serpent, and I fear a rope,105

  What happened once has made my doubting mind

  Imagine snakes and thorns are all I’ll find—

  That bite, that thorn within my heart, is like

  A festering wound made by an iron spike;

  If you have only similar ware to show

  You’d better not say anything, just go.”

  The traveler fell before him and lay prone

  As if he were the shadow that he’d thrown

  And said, “My lord, you shelter in your shade

  Such savage beasts, and yet you’re not afraid,

  The deer adore you, and the lions lie

  Calmly and peaceably with you nearby.

  I am a friend to friends, a go-between

  Whose back and forth stays secret and unseen;

  I have a message for you, one I’m sure

  No passer-by has brought to you before;

  With your permission I shall pass it on,

  If you don’t want it, then farewell, I’ve gone!”

  Hope filled the lover’s heart; he cried, “What is it?

  Out with it! Tell me what’s provoked this visit!”

  The messenger replied, “I know the course

  Fate’s given you is like a stubborn horse,

  Refractory and wild, but all the same

  I hope the news I bring will make it tame.

  I passed a group of dwellings yesterday

  And saw there, to my wonder and dismay,

  A lovely woman sitting by the road;

  Despite her linen veil, it seemed she glowed

  More brightly than the sun, a cypress tree

  Lovelier than any cypress tree could be,

  A garden, but a garden to suffice

  To be the garden of God’s paradise.

  Her voice was sweet and liquid, like a stream

  That lulls all other streams to sleep and dream;

  Her eyes like doe’s eyes, whose dark gaze would make

  A lion lie down dazed, and half awake.

  She seemed an alphabet of loveliness,

  Curved letters were the curling of each tress,

  Straight letters were her stature, and her lips

  Were like a letter formed as an ellipse,

  And all the letters made her like that bowl

  That shows the world as an enchanted whole.106

  Her eyes were like narcissus flowers that grow

  Beside a stream whose waters gently flow,

  Her eyebrows met,107 and made an arched shape there,

  So lovely that it was beyond compare;

  Her breath was sweet as basil, and her nature

  Made her a magical, enthralling creature;

  In short she was so finely formed that she

  Seemed air’s and water’s child exclusively,

  And it would be impossible to start

  To tell the kindness that was in her heart.

  Her body’s arrow has become a bow

  Bent with the weight of never-ending woe,

  She’s grown as thin and meager as bamboo

  Her cheeks have lost their pomegranate hue;

  The golden child is sallow now with pain,

  As sweet and slight as reedy sugar-cane;

  The heavens have laid siege to her, they’ve made

  This bride a burning castle that’s betrayed,

  Her father and her husband have conspired

  To make her act as they, not she, desired—

  She longs still for her friend, but as a wife

  Sits with her husband, fearful for her life.

  Her rose-like eyes wept attar’s drops, as though

  The sun were flooded with the moonlight’s glow,108

  She wept so much I pitied her, and said,

  ‘What dreadful wound has caused these tears you shed?’

  Poison was in her smile as she complained,

  ‘You rub salt in the wound that I’ve sustained—

  Oh I was Layli once, but now you’ll see

  How much more mad than my Majnun I’ll be—

  He is a black star, a besotted child,

  But I’m a thousand times more crazed and wild,

  And though pain seeks him out, I’m still the one

  Who has to suffer more than he has done.

  I am a woman, as a lover he

  Can be as reckless as he wants to be,

  Go where he wants . . . a man need never know

  The wasting agonies I undergo.

  But I’m alone and wretched, too afraid

  To make the kind of protests that he’s made,

  I’m inexperienc
ed, and fear that I

  Will fail at any venture that I try;

  I drink the awful poison that I’m given

  And hide the hell I’m in and say it’s heaven.

  On this side I see unfamiliar strangers,

  On that side I see too-familiar dangers,

  I’m pulled this way and that between the two,

  And know I’ve no idea what I should do.

  I daren’t defy my husband, and I lack

  The nerve to answer my strict father back.

  At times my heart says, “Like a partridge rise,

  Flee from these kites and crows and seek the skies.”

  Then honor says, “Don’t listen to his squawks,

  Partridges finish up as prey for hawks!”

  A woman might put up a fight, but she’s

  A woman, helpless against enemies,

  She might be like a mighty lioness—

  But she’s still hemmed in by her helplessness

  And since I can’t escape this endless grief

  I bow to it, and look for no relief.

  But still I suffer sorely, without end,

  Wondering about my lonely, absent friend,

  Thinking of how his days pass, and how he

  Must count them off, and always without me.

  Where does that lord of wandering go, and where

  Does he sit down to eat what travelers’ fare?

  Who does he sup with then? Who does he find

  To sympathize with his poor, troubled mind?

  If you know where he is or where he’s gone,

  Tell me what distant road he’s traveling on.’

  *

  “And when I’d heard her out, I knew that I

  Would be at fault if I did not reply,

  Since as a seal impresses wax I knew

  Within my heart the tales concerning you;

  I knew you’d lost your wits for love, and were

  Content to have no friends, remembering her,

  That you owned nothing but the wind, and that

  Shy deer were now the friends with whom you sat;

  And that if love had broken you before,

  Your father’s death then broke you even more,

  That all your life was thorns and misery,

  An endless cycle of adversity,

  And that at times you sang sad ballads of

  The depths and sorrows of your desperate love,

  And then you’d sing sad elegies, and make

  The rocks resound for your dead father’s sake.

  *

  “I sang a few lines from your songs that made her

  Sigh from the sorrow that she felt pervade her;

  She trembled then, and hung her lovely head

  And swooned as if without you she were dead,