“It’s not what people want from me.”
“You haven’t really let them decide, especially when you haven’t even offered it to them. At least, start with your wife. You know she will support you in whatever you do.”
“In time.”
This time, it was Shams who walked away. Unfortunately for him as soon as he did, Hadiyah decided the time for his wife to know about his poetry was now. She had to move Shams out of his own way. She knew if she could get Nur to read even one of Shams’ poems, she would fall in love with them, just as she had. She just had to create a situation where he would be forced to show Nur his poems.
To fulfill this goal, Hadiyah decided to call on Shams and his wife at home the following evening. Luckily, Shams had already gone for his walk that evening, and she knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. So, she made a suggestion to her friend.
“Nur, dear, how about we go for a walk also on this beautiful night?”
“It is a beautiful night for a walk. Let’s go. The moon is especially beautiful this night.”
“Especially illuminating, too.” Hadiyah replied, under her breath.
Just as Hadiyah had hoped, they came upon Shams in his usual spot, writing away. Nur wanted to approach him right away, but Hadiyah motioned her to be quiet, then pointed at the book. Nur was immediately enthralled.
Again, Shams did not turn around right away, assuming Hadiyah was invading his space again. He just wanted to prolong the silence as long as he could. Meanwhile, Hadiyah backed away and let Nur come closer to Shams and continue reading. It was then Shams realized it wasn’t just Hadiyah near him. He turned around. He immediately stood up.
“What are the two of you doing here?” he cried.
“I didn’t know when you would show her, and while I may have a century to wait, you don’t. I just gave you a push.”
“You should have let me decide!”
“Why didn’t you want to show me Shams?” Nur asked quietly.
Hadiyah took that moment to slip way, but she wasn’t unnoticed by Shams.
“That’s right! Make a mess and leave me to clean it up!”
She didn’t answer, although both Shams and Nur heard a laugh in the wind.
“Your poems are beautiful. Why wouldn’t you want to share them with me?”
“It was a hobby that turned into a passion and by that time, we were on this political path. You worked so hard. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Don’t you understand that your passion is my passion? That you could never disappoint me?”
She grabbed his hands and made him sit with her again. Then, she kissed his cheek.
“Now, which one of these is about me?” she asked, with a smile.
“Most of them.”
“Read one to me.”
If my whole life, I had only to breathe your aroma,
It would be a life well spent.
“How could I ever be disappointed with that?” she asked, lovingly.
Then, they sat in each other’s arms, just grateful to be near each other. Shams felt an overwhelming sense of relief. The great passion that was his wife was finally aware of his other passion and embraced it, just as she was embracing him. At that moment, he felt a calm and peace that only comes when you know everything that you have ever wanted is within your reach.
Shams and Nur were now at a new level of existence with each other. He noticed that she wasn’t making as many decisions for him as she once did. She offered advice, but the decisions were Shams.’ Of course, she kept his schedule in order and told him when he had to be somewhere. That was one responsibility he wanted no part of. When he went to write, he would sometimes have Nur by his side, and she continued to inspire him.
One morning, she inspired him in the most important way. The day started with a poem on
Nur’s pillow:
I would trade 1000 nights in Jannat-al-Firdous
For one night in your arms
Shams would sometimes leave her notes like this. She loved waking up in the morning with a reminder of how much he loved her.
Her reverie was interrupted by Hadiyah. She had repaid her debt when Nur became aware of her husband’s poetry, but she saw no need to walk away from them. As a matter of fact, the mother in her still wanted to guide them.
“The governor is throwing a poetry festival in two weeks, and you’re invited!” she cried, handing her the invitation.
“Really? Who gave it to you? That would be wonderful for Shams.” Nur replied.
“The governor’s man. He was supposed to deliver it himself, but he allowed me to relieve him of it. It seems he can’t refuse me anything. You must convince your husband to go.”
“I will. Will you be there Hadiyah Pari?”
“Of course, dear. I wouldn’t miss it. Here he comes now.”
Then, she ran out as quickly as she came in. Typical Hadiya, Nur thought. Starts something.
Then leaves.
“I love when the morning meetings are short,” he smiled.
“Me, too. I get to see you sooner. I wanted to show you something.”
“Where have we been invited to now? I see the envelope in your hand.”
“The governor’s poetry festival.”
“Would you like to go?”
“Yes, but only if you compete.” she said, looking up at him.” Shams said nothing.
“What do you want to do? Not what I or what anyone else would want you to do? What do you want to do?”
“I’m ready. We’ll go.” he said quietly.
She put her arms around him. “I will be beside you.” “I can do anything with you beside me.”
“You can do anything even without me beside you.” “It wouldn’t be worth it.”
The evening of the festival, Shams felt as if he would crawl out of his skin. He was excited and afraid at the same time. In a short time, he would show the world a side of him he had hidden for so long. He wondered why he didn’t do it sooner.
He and Nur walked into the festival hall of the palace. The whole room was lit with white candles with gold cushions on the floor. He mingled with the other nobles, and settled into his seat on the floor with Nur.
A few other poets recited before Shams. He wasn’t fully listening. He caught a few verses here and there that he liked, but the next day he couldn’t tell you what they were. He was too busy going over the poem he was going to say in his head. Nur was the only one who could see his discomfort. She kept smiling at him and squeezing his hand,
Finally, it was Shams’ turn. The other nobles couldn’t hide the surprise on their faces. While they had seen Shams attend poetry festivals before, he had never spoke as a poet at one.
He sat at his place. He looked up and saw Nur and Hadiyah sitting together. All of a sudden, he felt proud to have the support of these two exceptional women in his life. Then, he glanced at Nur and started:
I have no need of the moon,
The light in the eyes of my beloved brightens the blackest of nights
Then the room erupted into a series of, “Wah! Wah!” The next two times he recited that evening, those were the words he heard. For the first time, other people appreciated his writing. He felt an immense sense of satisfaction that he had decided to go in the direction of his heart.
Of course, he had help. From the fairy first, and then his wife. It was the support of his wife that took away his doubt and gave him the strength to pursue what he really wanted.
In time, he became the featured poet of many poetry festivals in Delhi, until eventually he became the Poet at Court for the governor. The governor was a generous patron. Over time, he caught the attention of the Sultan and became the Sultan’s Poet at Court. This position made it necessary for he and Nur to move into the palace, which exceeded even her expectations.
As for Hadiyah, as much as she was tired of her husband’s intellectual pursuits, she was not tired of him. Quite the contrary, she missed him very much. Whe
n Shams became Court Poet for the governor, she was certain that there was nowhere for Shams and Nur to go but forward. She took her leave of them and returned to Baghdad.
Ezania’s Adventures in
the House of Wisdom
In the time of the Golden Age in the House of Wisdom in Persia, where all things were possible, Ezania the scribe was helping Jabir the Alchemist explode clay pots of various sizes. Not that it was the intention of Ezania or Jabir to destroy unoffending pots, but they were actually testing the effects of certain substances on each other. The result of this experiment supported their original hypothesis, so they were both quite pleased with themselves. It was a wondrous discovery in itself that the bold Ezania and the quiet Jabir could work so harmoniously together.
The initial collaboration was an explosion of sorts, albeit a quiet one. Jabir was distilling alcohol. Although it was a simple procedure, he was making a mess of the lab he was working in. His area was covered with beakers, measuring instruments, and other materials. His notes were everywhere. Yet, this clutter was of no consequence to Jabir. In his mind, he was making simple but important steps in his journey to find the elixir of life, the potent mixture that could lead to, longevity, if not immortality. Unfortunately for him, this initial step was not working for him, and he could not determine why.
Ezania was observing Jabir while working on a translation. He was missing the simplest step, and she was waiting for him to realize it. It almost made her jump out of her seat.
Finally, she could take it no more. She looked up from what she was writing for a split second and declared, “If you turn up the temperature, it should give you the affect you’re looking for.”
He said nothing but took her suggestion. He had to admit to a bit of embarrassment that he had to be reminded of such a simple step. He was also intrigued by how a scribe knew of such matters.
“Thank you. Ezania, is it?”
“Yes,” she replied, without looking up.
“You’re Mansur’s daughter, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I respect your father’s work. It has been an inspiration to my own. I assume he taught you, given your correct advice.”
“He taught me well.”
She finally looked up. Now, it was her turn to be intrigued. She was used to many of the other alchemists being condescending or outright disregarding her just because she was a woman and a scribe at that. She observed her new acquaintance. He was a handsome man with dark hair and dark, soulful eyes. He had a softness and ease about him that was soothing. The fact that he took her suggestion with humility was an instant draw. The only other alchemist who took her seriously was her father, Mansur. She was his indispensable assistant on many experiments. Her value as a scientist was not lost on the others, but they had a hard time digesting the brilliance of a woman, especially a beautiful one. She had skin as fair as ivory with onyx, intense, eyes and dark hair to match. Her brilliance combined with this overt intensity was too intimidating for the other scientists instigating many of them to start rumors of her actually being a sorceress. Naturally, she was guarded around them. So when Jabir actually gave her credit, she thought it worthy of attention.
“Will you be conducting experiments with your father any time soon?”
“Yes. Tomorrow, actually.”
“I would like to discuss the findings of your experiment as well as mine. Please let your father know.”
“I will.”
When the three of them did meet, the flow of ideas was immediate. Each impressed the other with their clarity, focus, and lack of pretension. Jabir saw in Ezania a valuable assistant, and Ezania saw in Jabir a patron who would encourage and not hinder her ideas. That was the beginning, a collaboration of mutual respect.
This spirit of cooperative, rational inquiry was really in keeping with the true essence of the House of Wisdom. Scholars of diverse faiths, cultures, and ideas all converged on this mecca of learning with one goal in mind: to seek knowledge. This was the religion of all who entered there.
Naturally, grand, passionate discussions would fill the rooms and halls of the House. Respectful disagreements would ensue unless, of course, you were a woman who was respectfully disagreeing. Ezania would find herself being dismissed many times for this reason, which caused her convergent opinions to become less and less respectful. In Ezania’s mind, if she was disrespected and gossiped about, then the offenders were fair game. However, Jabir
was not of that mind, and this would lead to admonishment that she would accept from him only.
“Do you really think you will win people over with that condescending tone of yours?” he asked.
“I don’t care about winning people over where the condescension is mutual,” she replied.
“Then, it will never change.”
“I wasn’t the instigator of it all. Bear in mind that when you’re referred to as a mere sorceress, it’s difficult to keep smiling and be charming.”
“No one will ever know how valuable you are then,” he smiled.
“They do not want to know, either,” she smiled back.
“You may be right. Some won’t, but others will. You’ll never know one from the other until you’re open to all of them. You were on your guard with me at first, and I approached you respectfully.”
“That hasn’t been my usual experience, so forgive me, if I didn’t react right away.”
“It could be if you gave it a chance to be.”
“Alright, my Sufi friend, I will give it some thought.”
“All I ask,” he replied.
So time went on, and Ezania would assist both her father and Jabir along with her usual scribing. It became apparent that it was Ezania’s acuity that carried Jabir. Not that Jabir wasn’t a capable scientist in his own right, but no one could match Ezania’s empirical expertise. Jabir, on the other hand, was a blissful dreamer. His creativity was his strong suit. This innovative ambition led him to his purpose as a scientist: to find the much fabled elixir of life. Ever since he lost his mother to tuberculosis, he considered it his divine purpose.
Ezania understood this, but felt it more practical to develop a drug to cure tuberculosis. She knew that many scientists pursued the discovery of the ever elusive elixir but thought it an unbelievable waste of time. For the elixir, in her mind, did not exist because it was not meant to exist. Although not a religious woman, she knew Allah did not intend for human beings to live forever. Therefore, he would not allow something to exist to make people live forever. However, she understood the need of some to believe in its existence and to pursue the quest. At the same time, that empathy did not stop her from steering Jabir into putting his energies into developing a cure. His natural inclination to follow inspiration wherever it may lead, made it easy for him to come round to her way of thinking. He reckoned her technical knowledge and his creative imagination blended beautifully.
Over time, their experiments yielded results that built off of each other. Ezania’s precision and pragmatism were impeccable, and Jabir’s intense desire for innovation took their research places they never imagined. He even inspired innovation in Ezania that went beyond the known data and techniques of the day. She would try new methods, just to see what results they would yield. In the past, she would have to have certainty that a method worked before she embarked on it. She was inspired by Jabir, and he was in awe of her meticulous attention to detail. They realized a breakthrough was coming and that their work was just beginning. Of course at the same time, other alchemists were doing research in the same area, and competition was stronger than ever.
To lighten their moods, Ezania, Jabir, and sometimes Mansur, would pay a visit to the observatory. There they would find the Siddiqui brothers. The Siddiquis were astronomers and astrologers of the highest order and known for their wit. However, the Siddiquis took their work seriously even if they didn’t take life seriously. They were a stark contrast to the austere alchemists that Ezania and Jabir encountered regularly
.
Omar, Jafar, and Nasir were clamored around a telescope when Jabir and Ezania entered the observatory. One could never tell when the three were joking or working. Most of the time, neither could they. Their mood became even more jovial when they saw Jabir and Ezania.
“Jabir!” Omar cried out.
“Ezania!” Jafar cried after.
“In need of the company of real scientists, instead of pompous chefs who like to mix things together?” Nasir teased.
“Better than having our heads in the skies,” Ezania shot back.
“We study the heavens, my dear sister. What could be nobler than that!”
“And we study the earth, my dear brother, which is where we actually live at the moment. Now, what could be nobler than that?” They all laughed. Unlike many of the alchemists, Omar, Jafar, and Nasir respected and admired Ezania’s intelligence and her quick wit. So, they had no problem with Ezania’s opinions or ideas. The way they saw it, truth was truth regardless of where it comes from.
“We’re getting very close,” Jabir said.
“So are Khalid and Razi,” Ezania added.
“They’re very serious scientists, aren’t they? Walking around like they’re the Caliph’s brothers,” Jafar mocked.
“No one is more impressed with them than they are with themselves,” Ezania smiled.
“They have reason to be. They’re as close as we are to finding a cure,” Jabir said.
“Doesn’t matter if you get there first. You might want to expand your research,” Omar suggested.
“How?” Jabir asked.
“Go to Damascus. Scientists there have been studying the pathology of tuberculosis for years.”
“That may be our answer, Ezania.”
“Of course, when it comes to knowledge, you have to be willing to go to the ends of the earth. Doesn’t the Good Book tell us to go to China, if need be, in order to learn!” Omar asserted.
“Or, look to the heavens. Come look at this constellation, Ezania,” Nasir interjected.
“The stars are the road map to the world and to life, Ezania. We can learn much from them.”
Shaherazade's Daughters Page 16