The Diwan of Zeb-Un-Nissa

EDITORIAL NOTE

TH E object o f the Editors of this series is a very deﬁnite one . They desire above all things that , in their humble way, these books shall be the ambassadors of good- will and understanding between East and West—the old world of Thought and the new of Action . In this endeavour, and in their own sphere , they are but followers of the highest example in the land . They are conﬁdent that a deeper knowledge of the great ideals and lofty philosophy of Oriental thought may help to a revival of that true spirit of Charity which neither despises nor fears the nations of another creed and colour .

R E - L . C ANM R BYNG .

S . A . KAPADIA .

N o m no o x O TY n S CIE , 2 O E 1 , CB MW LL Ro w , 8 KE N SIN TO W . G N , S . . WISDOM QF THE EAST

T H E D IWA N O F

Z E B- U N - N IS S A

TH E FIRST FIFTY GHAZALS

RE N DERED FROM TH E PERSIAN BY M A GA N LAL A N D JE SS IE D U N CA N WES TBROOK

WITH A N IN TROD U CTION A N D N OTES

LONDON A O R A L E A LE EE . J HN MUR Y, B M R STR T , W 1 9 1 3

C ON TE N TS

D E D ICATION

INTROD U CTION — D IWAN - I- MAKHF I TH E GHAZALS

NO TES l l Thy p easaunce , Princess , now is deso ate Where once the gleam ing water- courses traced s th e Their path among cypresses , a waste Stretches beyond thy rui ned garden- gate ; e ul b ﬂ The rose is d ad , the b ul own away,

A n Z e b - nu - d Nissa but a memory.

’ th e ui G But where rapt faq rs od s praises tell , h l m Where at the s rine the pious pi gri s meet , Makhﬁ Thy verses , , holy tongues repeat , Thy name is honoured and remembered well For through thy words they win a ﬂeeting gleam f l e O the Divine Be ov d of their dream .

So might we , even in an alien tongue ,

Bring from thy mystic garden , where , apart , l Thou dwe t communing with thy burning heart, t n These echoes of h e songs that thou hast su g , ’ And t l catch thy vision of h e Sou s Desire , The im rh o rtal Phoenix with its wings of ﬁre INTRODUCTION

TH E Princess Zeb- nu - Nissa was the eldest daughter of the Mogul Emperor Aurungzebs of di 1 63 9 . In a, and was born in She came of , a di Ge n hi z distinguished line , in rect descent from g

- Khan and Tamerlane . Her Emperor ancestors were famous not only fo r. their valour and states t manship , but as pa rons and inspirers of art and i learn ng , and, moreover, they themselves possessed ’ dis tinguished literary gifts . Baber s reminiscences are written in so fresh and delightful a style that

- e their charm holds us to day, and he wrote po try both in Turki and Persian , even inventing a new style of verse . One of his sons , Mirza

l . Kamran , was a so a writer of Persian verse Al though Akbar has given the world no writings of his own—tradi tion even says that he never — found time to learn to write yet h e surrounded himself with a most cul tured circle ; and Abul

Fazl , his talented minister, constantly records ’ in his letters Akb ar s wise sayings and noble h an ir l . Je sentiments g , ike Baber, wrote his r own memoi s , and they are ranked high in Persian INTRODUCTION

literature . Shah Jehan wrote some account of

his court and of his travels , and a record called - ul - the Dastur Amal, or Laws of Shah Jehan . Aurun zeb e l g wrote books on Musu man law, and l Ru at the col ection of his letters , called the q

Al am iri . g , is famous Nor was this literary talent ’ ’ conﬁned to the men s side of the house . Baber s Gulb ad an daughter, , wrote some history of her own times , and has left us an interesting ’ picture of Baber himself ; and Zeb- un- Nissa s verses still testify to her skill as a poe t . It is di fﬁcult to learn precisely the details of her lif e they were not written in any connected sh e biography, for in her later days incurred the wrath of her stern father, and no court chronicler D ru dared to speak of her . Her mother was il s

Banu Begum , daughter of Shah Nawaz Khan .

From her childhood she showed great intelligence , and sh e was instructed from an early age . At — seven years old sh e was a Hafiz she knew the Koran by heart ; and her father gave a great feast to celebrate the occasion . We read that the whole army was feasted in the great Maidan at Delhi , thirty thousand gold mohurs were ffi given to the poor , and the public o ces were closed for two days . She was given as teacher h a lady named Miya ai, and learned Arabic in four years ; sh e then studi ed mathematics and sh e astronomy, in which sciences gained rapid proficiency . She began to write a commentary INTRODUCTION

on the Koran , but this was stopped by her

father . From her early youth she wrote verses , at ﬁrst in Arabic ; but when an Arabian scholar saw her work he said : Whoever has wri tten

this poem is Indian . The verses are clever and di wise , but the i om is Indian , although it is a miracle for a foreigner to know Arabian so ' l f o r wel . This piqued her desire perfection , t sh e i n and thereaf er wrote in Pers a , her mother tongue . She had as tutor a scholar called R ir Shah ustum Ghazi, who encouraged and d ected r her literary tastes . She wrote at ﬁrst in sec et, but he found copies of her verses among her

- exercise books . He prophesied her future great all ness , and persuaded her father to send over Indi a and Persia and Kashmir to ﬁnd poets and to invite them to come to Delhi to form a

ﬁttin g circle for the princess . This was the more wonderful as Aurungzebs himself cared little fo r poe try and us ed to speak against the ’ e po t s calling . He had forbidden the works of

Haﬁz to be read in school by boys , or in the c palace by the Begums , but he made an ex eption

- un - in favour of Zeb Nissa . Ali Among the poets of her circle were Nasir , n Sayab , Shamsh Wali Ullah , Brahmi , and Be hraaz . Nasir Ali came from Sirhind , and was famous for his pride and his poverty, for he - un despised the protection of the great . Zeb a Nissa admired his verses , and in way he came INTRODUCTION

Her to be regarded almost as her rival poet . coterie used to engage in a poetical tournament a kind of war of wits . One would propose a line—sometimes it would be a question another would answer it or contradict it or quali fy it or expand it , by a line or lines in the same metre , rhyming with the original line . This is called — m ushaim a poetical concourse ; and in this - un - quick repartee Zeb Nissa excelled . She had been betrothed by the wish of Shah J f ul hiko h chan , her grand ather , to S eiman S , wh o was her cousin and so n of Dara Shiko h ; s but Aurungzeb , who hated and feared Dara , was unwilling that the marriage should take place , and caused the young prince to be poisoned .

She had many other suitors for her hand , but sh e demanded that sh e should se e the princes and test their attainments before a match was arranged . One of those who wished to marry r h her was Mi za Faruk , son of Shah Abbas II of Iran ; sh e wrote to him to come to Delhi so wa that she might see what he s like . The record remains of how he came with a splendid —uh — retinue , and was feasted by Zeb Nissa in a - sh e pleasure house in her garden , while waited on him with her veil upon her face . He asked b ' for a certain sweetmeat in words which , y a - nu play of language , also meant a kiss , and Zeb ' f : Ask Nissa, a fronted, said for what you want from our kitchen . She told her father INTRODUCTION

’ that , in spite of the prince s beauty and rank , his bearing did not please her, and she refused ir the marriage . M za Farukh , however, sent her this verse : I am determined never to leave te a ill this mple ; h re w I bow my head , here will I prostrate myself , here will I serve , and ' - un— an here alone is happiness . Zeb Nissa swere d : H o w light dost thou esteem this

0 . game of love , child Nothing dost thou t e v in know of h fe er of long g , and the ﬁre of ' s eparation , and the burning ﬂame of love .

And so he returned to Persia without her . She enjoyed a great deal of liberty in the palace : she wrote to many learned men of her

time, and held discussions with them . She was hiko h a great favourite with her uncle Dara S , who was a scholar and wide- minded and e n

lightened . To him she modestly attributed her r sh e verses when ﬁ st began to write , and many of the ghazals in the Diwan of Dara Shiko h are

by her . She came out in the court, and helped ’ in her father s councils , but always with the r veil upon he face . Perhaps she liked the metaphor of the face hidden till the day when the Divine Be loved should come ; perhaps lif e behi nd carven lattices had a charm for her ;

- ﬁ e n Makh i . for her p name is , the h dden one Once Nasir Ali said this verse : O envy of if the moon , l t up thy veil and let me enjoy the ' w wonder of thy beauty . She ans ered l lif l I Wil not t my vei , di d wh o k For, if I , nows

Th e b ulb ul might forget the rose , The Brahm an worshipper A doring Lakshm i ’ s grace k n Migh t turn , forsa i g her, To see my face l My b eauty m ight prevai . Think how with in the ﬂower H idden as in a bower ul b e H er fragrant so must , An d none can look on it So me the world can see Onl y within the verses I have writ l l I will not ift the vei .

She was deeply religious , but she was a Suﬁ , and di d not share her father’ s cold and narrow orthodoxy . One day she was walking in the garden , and, moved by the beauty of the world around her, exclaimed , Four things are necessary to make me happy- wine and ﬂowers and a ' running stream and the face of the Beloved . Again and again she recited the couplet ; suddenly s she came upon Aurungzeb , on a marble platform under a tree close by, wrapt in meditation . She was seized with fear, thinking he might have s sh e heard her profane word but, as if had not noticed him , she went on chanting as before , but with the second line changed, Four things — are necessary for happiness prayers and fasting and tears and repentance k She belonged, li e her father , to the Sunni se ct of Musulmans , and was well versed in con INTRODUCTION

’ tro versial i Au un ze e s rel gious points . One of r g b ’ Ma uz m sons , Muhammad a , was a Shiah , and when s ectarian disputes took place in the court the prin s i cess was often a ked to settle them . Her dec sion in one dispute is famous , for it was copied and T sent to Iran and uran , and many scores of Begums are said to have been converted to the

Sunni cause on that occasion . At ﬁrst she took great pleasure in the Tazia celebration s ’ gave them up at her father s wish when he came r to the th one , and adopted a simpler form of faith . Much of her personal allowance of four lakhs sh e a year used in encouraging men of letters , in providing for widows and orphans , and in sending every year pilgrims to Mecca and r Medina . She collected a ﬁne libra y and em ployed skilled caligraph ers to Oopy rare and l l va uab e books for her ; and , as Kashmir paper and Kashmir scribes were famous for their sh e excellence , had a scriptorium also in that

province , where work went on constantly . Her personal interest in the work was great, and every mornin g sh e went over the copies that had been made on the previous day . She had s contemporary fame a a poet, and literary men used to send their works for her approval or she criticism , and rewarded them according to

their merits . In personal appearan ce she is describe d as ) 3 IN TR OJ. U( 1 1 ON

being tall and slim , her face round and fair in - o colour , with two moles , or beauty sp ts , on her

left cheek . Her eyes and abundant hair were sh e very black, and had thin lips and small

teeth . In Lahore Museum is a contemporary

portrait , which corresponds to this description . She did not u se missia for blackening between

the teeth , nor antimony for darkening her eye

lashes , though this was the fashion of her time . Her voice was so beautiful that when she read

th ~ K ran h e e o s moved her hearers to tears . In dress sh e was simple and austere ; in later life sh e always wore white, and her only ornament i s was a string of pearls round her neck . She ' ’ held to have invented a woman s garment, the an a di gy kurti, a modiﬁcation , to suit In an di con tions , of the dress of the women of Tur kestan ; it is now worn all over India . She was humble in her bearing , courteous , patient, and philosophic in enduring trouble ; no one , w ruﬁl e sa d . it is said , ever her with a forehead

‘ Her chief friend was a girl named Imami, a - un - i poet like herself . Zeb Nissa was skilled n the use of arms, and several times took part in war . In the beginning of 1 6 62 Aurungze b e was n his take ill , and , physicians prescribing change his of air, he took family and court with him so n to Lahore . At that time Akil Khan , the of

z . his vi ier, was governor of that city He was INTRODUCTION

famous for his beauty and bravery, and was - un- also a poet . He had heard of Zeb Nissa, se e and knew her verses , and was anxious to her . On pretence of guarding the city, he used h O in to ride round the walls of the palace, p g d a to catch a glimpse of her . One y he was fortunate ; he caught sight of her on the house top at dawn , dressed in a robe of gulnar , the colour of the ﬂower of the pomegranate . He ' said , A vision in red appears on the roof of ' the palace . She heard and answered, com ple ting the couplet : Supplications nor force nor gold can win her . She liked Lahore as a was : residence , and laying out a garden there one day Akil Khan heard that sh e had gone with her compani ons to se e a marble pavilion which was being built in it . He disguise d himself as a mason , and, carrying a hod, managed to pass the guards and enter . She was playing chausar b e with some of her girl friends , and , : passing near, said In my longing for thee I have become as the dust wanderin g round the ' earth . She understood and answered imme di ate ly -z Even if thou hadst become as the i w nd, thou shouldst not touch a tress of my ' n hair . They met again and agai , but some Aurun zeb e rumour reached the ears of g , who was l at De hi , and he hastened back . He wished to hush up the matter by hurrying her into -un - r e marriage at o nce . Zeb Nissa demanded f e INTRODUCTION

dom of choice , and asked that portraits of her suitors shoul d be sent to her and chose naturally Aurun z that of Akil Khan . g e b e sent for him ; but a di sappointed rival wrote to him ' It is no child’ s play to be the lover of a daughter Aurun ze e of a kin g . g b knows your doings ; ll as soon as you come to Delhi , you wi reap the ' fruit of your love . Akil Khan thought the

E . mperor planned revenge So , alas for poor Zeb - un - Nissa 'at the critical moment her lover proved a coward ; he declined the marriage,

and wrote to the king resigning his service . Zeb un— Nissa was scornful and disappointed , and wrote : I hear that Akil Khan has left off ' — paying homage to me o r the words might h as also mean , resigned service on account ' l of some foolishness . He answered, a so in ul verse , Why sho d a wise man do that which ll 2 he knows he wi regret (Akil also means ,

a wise man). But he came secretly to Delhi to see her again , perhaps regretting his fears . Again they met in her garden ; the Emperor dl - un was told and came unexpecte y, and Zeb

Nissa, taken unawares , could think of no hiding

place for her lover but a deg , or large cooking E vessel . The mperor asked What is in the nl deg and was answered , O y water to be ' heated . Put it on the ﬁre , then, he ordered - un - and it was done . Zeb Nissa at that moment thought more of her reputation than of her

L h x l Makhﬂ l r ong is t ine e i e , , ong thy yea ning , W Long shalt thou wait , thy heart ithin thee burning, h - n Looking t us forward to thy home retur ing . nf But now what home hast thou, u ortunate T e s he y ars have passed and left it de olate , w e The dust of ages blo s across its gat .

If on the Day of Reckoning o d G say, In due proportion I will pay ' A n d ff recompense thee for thy su ering , Lo h , all the joys of heaven it would outweig ; ’ Were all God s blessings poured upon me , yet H e l wou d be in my debt .

When her memory was becoming dim in the hearts of her friends , Nasir Ali alone thought of e te h e r her, and a poem to , saying that , ul now, the world co d not delight in her presence , and he himself had to go about th e earth um i l happy, having no one but h mse f to appreciate e his verses . But she sent no answ ring word . When sh e was released sh e lived solitary in

Delhi, and the verses she wrote there are very melancholy, telling of the faithlessness of the times Makhﬁ Why shouldst thou , O , complain of

ds - o f 2 frien , or even enemies Fate has frowned i ni upon thee from the beg n ng of time . Let no one know the secrets of thy love . On M khﬁ E 0 a . the way of love , , walk alone ven if Jesus seek to be thy companion , tell him thou r desi est not his comradeship .

Here is one of her saddest poems , expressing somethi ng of the tragedy of her life INTRODUCTION

0 dl i e arms , Never the lost Beloved have ye caresse d Better that ye were broken th an like this ll s Empty and cold eterna y to re t .

0 useless eyes , Never the lost Beloved for all these years H ave ye beheld : better that ye were blind

Than dimmed thus by my unavailing tears .

O l foo ish springs , That bring not the Beloved to my abode ; Ye a al l , the friends of youth have gone from me , hi s t Each has set out on appoin ed road .

0 fading rose , Dying unseen as hidden thou wert bo rn ; So my heart ’ s blossom fall en in the dust ’ r H is u Was ne e ordained t rban to adorn .

’ di 1 689 e l She ed in aft r seven days i lness , was awako t and buried in her garden at N , di h e sh e near Lahore , accor ng to t instructions left . The tomb is desolate now, although once it was made of ﬁne marbles , and had over its dome a pinnacle of gold ; it was ruined in the troublous times of the dissolution of the Mogul

E . mpire The great gate still stands , large enough for an elephant with a howdah to enter , and within the enclosure is a tower with four minarets , roofed with turquoise and straw l th e yellow ti es . But garden that was in its i b time very splend d , eing held second only to

that of the Shalimar of Shah Jehan , has dis N TR 0 1 ) UCTION appeared ; and the walls rise up now from the waving ﬁelds of grain . The garden which she laid out in Lahore itself e Ch aub ur i and which was call d the g , or four l towered , can stil be traced by portions of the walls and gates remaining . Three of the turrets a over the archway still stand , orn mented with tiles in patterns of cypress- trees and growing

ﬂowers , and the gateways have inscriptions in

Arabic and Persian . One of these tells that she presented the garden to her old instructress a Miy b ai . 1 72 4 - ﬁve In , thirty years after her death , what coul d be found of her scattered writings were collected under the name of the Diwan - i M akh . ﬁ, literally , the Book of the Hidden One It contain ed four hund red and twenty- one ghazals

‘ ru ai 1 30 o and several b s . In 7 ther ghazals were u O added . Many man script opies were made in both India and Persia ; some beautift illu i te m na d examples are known and preserved . The Diwan - i - Makhfl shares the characteristics — of other Sufic poetry the worship of God under the form of the Beautiful Beloved , who is adorable ni but tyran cal , who reduces the lover to abject him despair , but at last bestows on a gleam of h O e p when he is at the point of death . The e ul Beloved is the Hunt r of the So , chasing it like a deer through the jungle of the world h H m e I ave no peace, the quarry I , a unter chases , It is Thy memory ; fle e i I turn to , but fall ; for over me he casts h s snare, T h hy perfumed air . Who can escape T hy prison T no mortal hear t is free m From drea s of Thee .

The lover is the madman , who for his love is scorned and mocked by the unsympathetic E E world . The personiﬁed Power of vil , the nemy, ’ di lurks at the devotee s elbow, ready to stract him from the contemplation of God .

The poet was evidently acquainted , not only o with the theories of Sufism , but with the pra tices of the faquirs as well . We read of the assembly of the devout , as in the Dargah at — Ajmer to day : how they greet the morning with floods of tears and deep sighs , how they beat their hearts of stone till the sparks of divine ’ love fly out from them . The hatchet to strike the fli n ty heart is the symbol of the Sufic poet : one sees it in the portraits of Hafiz and others . There is also the s co ffing at the orthodox who e i m et with n the mosque , and the glorification of the more advanced soul to whom all the uni o f i verse is the temple God , nay even God h mself — Where I make my prayer at that place is the Kiblah .

- un— But the poems of Zeb Nissa , in addition Suﬁc to what they share with other poetry,

‘ u h wn have a special Indi an flavo r o f t e ir o . She inherited the Akbar traditio nl o f the uni fication nl Hin of religions , and knew not o y Islam , but u m i d is and Zoroastrian sm also . Her special triumph consists in that sh e weaves together the religious tradi tions and harmonizes them ufic with S practices . In some of her poems un she hails the s as the symbol of deity . Con stan tly sh e speaks of the mosque and the temple together or antithetically—saying that God is equally in both , or too great to be worshipped in either

l m No Mus i I , l But an ido ater , b o w L I b efore the image of my ove , An d worship her

m No Brah an I , My sacred thread k I cast away , for round my nec I wear r H e plaite d hair ins tead .

Sometimes she even combines the Hindu and Musulman idea :

- In the mosque I seek my idol shrine . On the Day of Judgment we should have had much difficulty in proving that we were true b e believers , had we not brought with us our K fir loved a idol as a witness . ir The glorification or adoration of the p , or

ri . spi tual teacher , is also shown in her poems

He is the intermediary between God and man , and is sometimes symbolized as the Morning n Breeze , bri ging from the enclosed garden the INTRODUCTION

fragrance to those, less privileged, who can only stand without the gate . Di wan -i -Makh d The ﬁ is widely rea in India , hi l and is gh y esteemed . Its verse is chanted in the ecstatic concourses which meet at festivals at the tombs of celebrated saints ; so that, although her tomb has been despoiled of the splendour which b e ﬁtte d the resting- place of a ul sh e Mog princess , has the immortality she perhaps would have desired . In one of her sh e - I verses says am the daughter of a King , but I have taken the path of renunciation, Zeb - uh - and this is my glory , as my name Nissa , e being int rpreted , means that I am the glory of womankind .

J . D . W . LWICH 'ILLA GE D U ,

March 1 91 3 . IN TH E OF GOD MP T NAME , CO ASSIONA E , THE MERCIFU L

As slave s The powers of the darkness for me Will obedi ent ﬂy ;

If a word of my praise be accepted by Thee,

Like Suleiman I .

And now N0 more do the ready tears start

As laments from my tongue, For like pearls the blood- drops that drawn from my heart

On my lashes are hung .

Bear thou , Makhﬁ O , with patience thy pain , l It is end ess , and leave thou the night Of thy passions for then shall not Khizr attain

Such a spring of delight . O THOU Who all things mortal and divine

Hast fashioned , and by Whom alone we live , May there still shine The torch of hope that Thou to us didst give

Within us stirs the leaven of Thy love ,

As streams of water of Thy mercy run . Look from above

And bless Mahmoud and all that he hath done .

’ Whether it be in Mecca s holiest shrine ,

Or in the Temple pilgrim feet have trod,

Still Thou art mine ,

Wherever God is worshipped is my God .

w The morning I shall greet ith tears and sighs, And from my heart that burns with holy ﬁre A breath shall rise r To bu nish thus my mirror of desire .

Makhﬁ Give me thy tears , O , let them rain In quenching torrents on my burning heart ; So hot its pain

At every sigh I breathe the ﬂames o utstart . 2 7 ’ R P T O P O HE , o er the world Thy soul- compelli ng banner is unfurled See how thy faith hath spread ll Ti Iran and Arabia are led . Thy lips unclose

- Like petals of a newly budded rose , And from them ﬂow

Thy words of wisdom , till not only know

The sons of men , But birds within the garden sing again

Thy words of gold . 0 thou whose beauty I with joy behold, Nature in truth i Made never loveliness l ke to thy youth . Snared me it hath Till fain would I renunciation ’ s path

With patience tread ,

And follow where thy holy feet have led . But how can I

My cherished joys to my poor heart deny,

Or, even more ,

My cherished sorrows can I yield , for sore My heart doth bleed

Where cruel love hath wounded it indeed . 28 Look thou and see Where from my wounds there drOps continually A crimson ﬂood n But fragra t ﬂowers are springing from my blood , And every thorn Wherewith my weary wandering feet are torn

Turns to a rose . 0 Makhﬁ , if the Kaaba keeper close

To thee his door, Complain not thou possessest even more A holy place ;

- For look into the Well Beloved Face , Over His Eyes Arches more fair than Kaaba gates arise

Thy heart shall bend , th Itself an archway welcoming e Friend . MY eager heart a pang of rapture stings When the long- wandering wind unto me brings

The perfume of thy presence on its wings .

’ r i And so I wait in this my sor ow s n ght , Until thou givest to my weary sight ’ li Thy beauty for my longing eyes de ght .

The world through Isla‘m light in darkness saw

And walked safe guided by thy Scroll of Law, Bowing to God in hope and holy awe

To God , Who sinners can forgive and lead,

Inscrutable Himself , yet Who can read i The h dden heart and comprehend its need .

0 Prophet , shining like a lonely gem , ’ The fairest of Heaven s highest diadem , ’ Look on men s need and intercede for them .

Thou art the veil through which the light doth

shine ,

Nay, thou thyself the very torch divine z Naught else behold these daz led eyes of mine . 3 0 — HERE is the path of love how dark and long ' Its winding ways , with many snares beset Ye t crowds of eager pilgrims onward throng ’ And fall like doves into the fowler s net .

‘ Now tell m e what the grain that drew the dove 3

The mole it was upon a cheek so fair . Tell me of what was wove the net of love ’ The wandering curls of the Beloved s hair .

The festival of love is holden here , i The goblet passes ; drink thou of th s wine , a Yea , drain it to the lees , and never fe r

Intoxication that is all di vine .

How easy ’ tis to sigh and to complain ' All the world weeps to give its woe reli ef ;

But proudly in thy heart conceal thy pain , An d silent drink the poison of thy grief .

Here is the source of light , the heavenly fount, Here is the vision of eternal grace ;

Brighter than Moses thou , when from the Mount ’ shm m i n He came , God s radiance g his face . 3 1 The wine at ni ght unto the morni ng lends ni Its exaltation , morning to the ght Its dream bequeaths in turn so never ends ’ The sequence of the happy soul s delight .

’ Makhﬁ 4 But , , tell me where the feast is made

- 2 Where are the merry makers Lo , apart , Go d Here in my soul the feast of is laid ,

Within the hidden chambers of my heart .

ul n in I wo d that I my lo g g might outpour , l My grief might turn to hymns , my pain might tel

In psalms like that sweet singer sang of yore ,

David of Israel .

Unto the ﬁelds like pecking birds I go

To gather up the ears of golden grain , r — But only tea s , not corn , I gather lo ,

They fall in ﬂoods like rain .

o ne 0 wise , at the feast of love be glad,

But careful too , and guard thy cup of wine s In ecsta y I drank the share I had , ' t 0 a e ake . S g , heed of thine

Makhﬁ hi With slumber, , heavy are t ne eyes ,

And though thy tale has not attained its close, So deep a languor on thy spirit lies ;

Seek thou for it repose . As at the coming of th e spring- tide rains

Rivers of sap through growing trees upstart , u So r ns Thy love throughout my very veins ,

Yea, to the tender tendrils of my heart .

I beat my flinty heart till from it flies fire The spark divine of the eternal , And from the flashing gleams I see arise ’ e —m s The lightning of Thy lov y heart desire .

Come , O ye weak in faith , for help is here ,

Behold these ﬂashes from our hearts that ﬂy, Had ye the eye of faith they would appear Li i ke the white light that gleamed on Sina .

Come to the feast of love , for it is spread ; Share ye the win—e- cup where we drink so deep Behold the wine the tears that we have shed , Th e - o ur e wine cups are eyes that ver weep .

s But, as we drink , upon us fall the spell ,

The dream , the vision , and the ecstasy nor The wine of pain turns blood , can we tell t o . If we exist , or if we cease be 3 5 Within the jun gle of this world of woe

The lion of desire stalks ravenous . Girded with faith let us as hunters go : hi m ll If we resist he wi ﬂee from us .

i Ofttimes my heart can sing and can rej o ce, Pouring forth hymns throughout my rapturo us days

Alas , that powers of evil choke my voice ,

And blast my thoughts , and burn my psalms of praise R M the o F O glance Thou bestowed, O Bel ved , ﬂows beauty no words can express

—ﬂ My lif e it were li ttle to off er in thanks for Thy

bountifulness . s How shamed were the pious a sembly, how grieved in their hearts when they heard That for love of Thy ﬂuttering tresse s the utter

most nations were stirred . b a s My heart is riven in fragments , ravaged y te r

of my grief, But to one whom Thy lashes have wounded neve r i there cometh rel ef . 0 the At Thy feet , haughty Beloved , I lay down

pride of my brow , I am ne ar to Thy heart as Thy raiment ; why sayest A stranger art thou Makhﬁ i O , walk boldly l ke Majnun in the valley

of grief undismayed , di e Girt round with thy new de cation , the promis

of love thou hast made .

3 7 AR th O S I, do y task ; Into this moon- like goblet pour The wm e t s n n sun golden tha , hi i g like the , From out the dusky ﬂask ’ Comes till my goblet bubbles o er ,

As from the clouds the dawn when night is done . l Behold my luck ess heart , i So broken, so d ssolved by pain , It even ﬂows In te ars between my lashes And yet how can I part l With it , while stil to me remain —I Its shards wait till it is burnt to ashes .

I knew long , long ago ,

Your promises were less than naught ,

I blotted them for ever from my mind . Why was I born to know An age above all others fraught With love ungrateful and with fate unkind

wh o But grasp thy joy knows , Makhﬁ , what may to thee befall Th e ﬁrm foundations of the earth may shake , The breeze that blows

May , if this empty life be all ,

The bubble of our vain existence break . 3 8 I A SK not from Heaven that it give

Fortune or power ,

I ask but a garden apart , Where for the brief hour we That are appointed to live , Of earth the delight that is nearest Might be mine

To live in the love of the friends of my heart .

The rapturous nightingale sings, Wooing the rose In the midst of the garden new- born But onl y the gardener knows Of the labour that brings To the garden its beauty ; he toil ed in the And his feet

Have been wounded by many a thorn .

se e Immortal is beauty , for , , i sun L ke the in his might , It illumines the worlds and all things are made With the joy of its light

For this be our thanks unto Thee , 3 9 And fo r the great teachers vouchsafed in our nee d and To guide to lead ,

Their presence to be our safe shelter and shade .

Upon us Thy mercy bestow

Consider how weak, How aﬂlicte d we are and how sorro wful ; then When we passionate seek

For oblivion , and Thou dost know How time on our desolate spirit has beat And brought us defeat

O . save us , nor let us endure it again

0 happy the seer wh o knows

Good and evil are one , h as - Who learned how self poised he may live,

Who is shaken by none , To whom spring with its rose — And autumn are . equal z not him canst thou teach

Or, careless one , preach

To him ; thou indeed hast no counsel to give .

If perilous love doth thee lead, hi s If thou enter track, ’ In the desert like Majnun thou dwell st

evermore, Thou shalt never look back Nor even take heed

W K a A A E, rise , my soul for it is spring WIth di Let the narcissus, its scent vine,

Cast its bewitchment , let the Saki bring

His i . idol , for indeed he worsh ps wine

To the forbidden path turn not aside ,

And , tyrannous Beloved , let thine eye

Look on thy victims trampled in thy pride , dl Who for a glance from thee would gla y die .

n Some pay their worship at the Kaaba shri e, w l Some pray ithin the Temp e courts apart , Makhﬁ But, , think what secret joy is thine,

To bear thine idol ever in thy heart .

42 R E D r F I N S had I , many friends , who sha ed with me

Days glad and sad , But in o ut m e they are no more , I am free

From all I had .

Dust falls within the cup of Kaiko b ad hi And King Jams d ,

Nor recks the world if they were sad or glad ,

Or what they did .

we Only to day have , and through the sand ,

With feet that tire ,

We march , but never reach the promised land ’ Of heart s desire .

’ I follow on where Wisdom s feet have led ,

And ﬁrmly hold ,

The while this hard and thorny path I tread , ’ Her garment s fold .

0 l a How many hearts , Love , thy sword hath s in , And yet will Slay ' wil They bless thee , nor to God l they complain

At Judgment Day . 43 When in the mosque to seek thine idol there

Thou wendest, may s l Makhﬁ o Thy step fall gent y, , lest th u

The birds away . WHY should I argue that on Sinai Celestial radiance glows ' n o I ca not reason th ugh the world deny, n My heart e lightened knows .

My heart is hot within me , yea, has burst In ﬂames of love the while So ﬁerce that like a drop to slake my thirst

Were all the ﬂoods of Nile .

So deep in sin am I - I cannot wend Where holy pilgrims fare ’ To Mecca , even if Abraham , God s friend, ul Sho d come to lead me there .

’ i ne I tire of wisdom s k ngdom which is mi , ’ I tire of reason s sway : 0 Passion of love , carry me to thine , il A hundred m es away .

’ Lo , when I come unto the water s side

The obedient waves retire , My ﬂaming heart exultantly shall guide ’ s of Like Mo es torch ﬁre . 45 Though evil days are mine , of joy bereft,

With pain that never ends ,

Fate , do with me your worst , there still is left

The Friend beyond all friends .

Makhﬁ 2 Tell me , O , is it I who sin Is this my sin I bear Is it the body’ s or the soul ’ s within That lived and sinned elsewhere 7 F O OOLISH heart , Thy carelessness how can I comprehend

Hast thou no strength , no will , to tear apart The barrier that divides me from my Friend

i See how the budd ng ﬂower, E e merging fair from out her torn green dr ss , Is a be uteous in the garden for her hour , his n As Yusuf in youthful loveli ess .

r e Go , b e ze of spring ,

Haste to tell Yakub , blinded by his tears , The tidings that shall end his so rro wmg if his o d ea And l t the darkness from tr uble y rs .

T ’ reading love s path so long,

Under such heavy burdens did I bow, e so o At last my chast ned heart has grown str ng,

No task , no pain , can bend my spirit now .

0 fortunate , ’ More blessed than Alexander s lot is mine .

: - m Come to me , O ye thirsty this y fate e To know the giver of c lestial wine . 47 I have wiped clean my heart

From actions , yea , and from desires as well ,

And yearn alone for peace , to have no part

At Judgment in Heaven or Hell .

Gushed from my stricken , widowed heart in never- ending ﬂood : h O e Yet to me , purged by grief , does p arise , My withered chaplets change to fragrant ﬂowers s of Paradi e . r Love holds me in these c uel fetters bound, e My faithfulness to Thee beside Thy fe t, a

beaten hound ,

I crouch and fawn for crumbs of love from Thee . Makhﬁ O , if thy sighs could reach the bosom of se a the , Even within the cold and lightless deep Caught from thy heart a quenchless ﬂame should

leap . 0 O' . L E , I am thy thrall As on the tulip ’ s burning petal glows

A spot yet more intense, of deeper dye , So in my heart a ﬂower of passion blows

See the dark stain of its intensity,

Deeper than all . This is my pride

That I the rose of all the world have sought, ’ d And , still unwearie in the eager quest , a e F inted nor failed have I , and murmur d not ; ’ es Thus is my head exalted o er the r t,

My turban gloriﬁed .

O blessed pain , 0 e e precious grief I keep , and swe t unr st, ' Desire that dies not, longing past control

My heart is torn to pieces in my breast, An d for the Shining diamond of the soul ins I p in vain . Behold the light That from Thy torch of mercy comes to bless

The garden of my heart, Beloved One,

With the white radiance of its loveliness , l ’ u Ti l my wall s shadow shall o tvie the sun,

And seem more bright . 5 1 I humbly sit apart

The Kaaba courts the true believers tread ,

I dwell outside , nor mix my praise with theirs Yet every ﬁbre of my sacred thread More precious is to God than all their prayers H e sees the heart .

0 Makhﬁ sorrowing , Look from th e valley of despair and pain

The breath of love like morning zephyr blows , Pearls from thine eyelids fall li ke gentle rain

Upon the garden , summoning the rose , in Call g the spring . XVII

TH E wine of my delight has lost its taste

The earth of my existence turns a waste ,

No wholesome grass grows there , but only weed ;

My ﬂaming spring of life has passed indeed . v I searched for joy , but ne er found the end ;

My empty hands , outstretched , can greet no friend ’ And if God s pardon never come to me , m il st Then less than withered grass my prayers be .

M khﬁ But , a , look with a discerning eye Deeper than thy despair thy bliss may lie ; T th e o f l hough on path ove thy feet may tire , l e w n r . New strength sha l come to thee , and desi e

5 3 XVIII

ICA Lave and r TYRANN L , that goads me gi es me

no rest , As proud as thine arrogant self is this heart in

my breast, It will keep in its pain

Its faithfulness , though it be trampled beneath

thy disdain .

k This mirror, my heart, is ' bro en against my desire ; 0 H eaven , give me not of your pity , nay, rather

1 My soul that s proud , M a . o y he d , though I beat it in sorr w, has never d be en bowe .

Think not that with joy and with ease I pursue my desire e With heart that is weary , with footst ps that

lag and that tire ,

I follow my quest , To attain through the difficult way to the kingdom e s of r t . 54 Yet Makhﬁ s , , look up from thy de olate region of ni ght , And see how the army of sorrow has taken to ﬂight ;

Dawn comes , and despair H as vanished before the miracul ous arrows of r p ayer . T 0 D ESOLA E one , when Shalt thou the shining garden see again 7

Keep thou within thee , holy and apart , The garden of thy heart ;

- s ri so ne d As the long p bird ,

Forgetting that it ever ﬂew, and heard ni wi Songs of the wild , and pi ons de unfurled ,

Makes of the cage its world .

No fear indeed thou hast , 0 heart within the net of love held fast, Of separation ’ s bitter agony

Thy love is one with thee .

we Sadly wait and tire , And sight of the Beloved Face desire

In vain , till in our hearts the hope is born

Of Resurrection morn .

0 heart, thine be no less ’ Than the ascetic Brahman s faithfulness , The knotted veins his wasted body bears

As sacred thread he wears . 5 6

S Y the in had AFEL k gs kept their regal seat , k Nor ever nown the poison of defeat , di Had not the Turks the inva ng army led, And the crown toppled from each kingly head no t 0 So were we , Master , led by thee

Vain were our struggles , scant our victory

a How strong thou h st become , O moth , how

great , Worshipping thus the ﬂame this is thy fate di e r Vainly to love and , yet thou canst bea The burning sparks and ever scorn despair

Thou knowest, ﬂuttering nearer to the ﬁre , th In death thou shalt be one with y d esire .

L — e O cruel ove , when on the Judgm nt Day l Thy tyranny God shal in full repay , And all the blameless blood that thou hast shed Shall be revenged upon thy haughty head l Black Shal the place of judging be , no less ’ Than Ke rbe la s accursed Wilderness .

0 W Haply indeed , Judge , ilt thou be kind, And pity in thy heart for sinners ﬁnd ; 58 i Th nk of the memory of their disgrace , H o w dark humiliation stains their face , The shame that stings and goads them to repent Will these not be sufﬁcient puni shment 2

Within the desert of the world astray , How man y weary wanderers lose their Way '

But Love with beckoning hand appears , to

bless , il Finds them a pathway through the W derness ,

And though , like Majnun , in the wild they roam ,

Leads them through and tribulations home . ’ UNTO the garden of attainment ne er

Our pathway led , And never were our eyes anhungered fed

With vision of Thy blessed countenance , Never a glance we Attained of that face for ever fair .

in Wherefor my tears fell down ﬂoods like rain , And as I sighed u r I tho g ht of my desi es unsatisﬁed, And memory summoned up with vain regret we The garden where met, e But me t no more , I tell my heart with pain .

What have I then to do with high estate 2 Fortune I lay aside And all Wherein the world has taken pride Yet in this day of my h umility Precious to me

As wine of kings I hold my cup of fate . 60 - Makhﬁ Despair not , sorrow laden , though No grass appears hi Within t s desert watered by thy tears . Why with their arguing do learned men ’ Question God s mercy, when His works His compassion Show XXII

R e G EEN is my garden , watered by my t ars , And through my soul the perfume of the rose Kindling my heart with its enchantment ﬂows

O Saki, bring the cup , for there appears

Gleaming within th e garden through the night A radiance fair our feasting to illume What is this glamour shining through the gloom 2 ’ e nl My heart s blood, glowing , yields the h ave y

O , I have drunk my cup of cherished grief, And lo ve the torment of my wounded he art

As the scars heal I tear their lips apart ,

And in my pain ﬁnd rapturous relief . Why should I then permit the winds of care ﬂ To ruf e thus my soul , as airs of spring Through the Beloved ’ s tresses wantoning 2

For I have risen to fortune from despair .

0 fear not , if within the house of prayer The feeble camphor candl e fail s and dies From out the ﬂaming furnace of my sighs

Will rise another light , more ﬁerce , more fair . e The perfumed winds that with the dawn aris , Makh ﬁ ul Have they not , , caught thy so away dr so And enched it with delight , all the day There cling about thee airs of Paradise 2 XXIII

’ F OR my love s madness all the world on me

Hath heaped its scorn ; so from its ways I ﬂee ,

To ﬁnd a refuge from its cruelty .

A hermitage , with peace my soul to bless, W Here in a corner of the ilderness ,

Unseen by secular eyes shall I possess .

’ Who is the man who boasts to be Love s slave , And yet this petty li fe of his would save 2 s r Poor Love , who e vota ies are not more brave W hen I was young I asked , and Love gainsaid ’ What slips, what wanderings , on Love s road I

made, Until I summoned Wisdom to my aid '

The mirror of my heart I burnish bright

Until , reﬂected fair for my delight , ’ The Self s eternal beauty greets my sight .

Like Yaqub blinded by his agony, N0 face in all the world is aught to me What use have eyes except to look on Thee 2 6 4

XXV

WHEN I behold the garden in the Spring , Rejoicing like a ni ghtingale I sing ; his And if the cruel gardener, with guile, — Try to ensnare me like a rose I smile .

The morni ng breeze that from the garden i Can g ve no joy , no gladness , to my eyes ;

For , useless breeze , never to me he brings his The fragrance of Thy garments on wings .

But here before the garden door I wait ; Why should I d eem myself unf ortunate 2

For by Thy holy threshold shall I stay, t And with my lashes sweep i s dust away .

This bird , my heart , is taken in Thy net n And ﬂutters u availingly ; but yet ,

Thy captive though it be , how canst Thou keep Prisoned the sighs that from my bosom leap 2

o ul O rare and precious Ph enix of the so , Vainly I sought for thee beyond control My heart h as yearned for thee ; ever thy wings H m ’ ave hung above y soul s imaginings . 6 6 ’ E ho ld st Thou nemy , that me from my quest , If even in the sea thou e n tere st

When from my anger thou dost seek to ﬂee ,

My burning soul will ﬁnd and conquer thee .

O bulbul , glad within the garden sing , ’ Ti s Makhﬁ who has won for thee the spring That blossoms in thy heart but in her own

The barren winds of lonely autumn moan . XXVI

O' 0 L E , tell me what is Thy nature , that out of

my kingdom of pride ,

Thou canst ravish my soul and canst hold it , and keep it enslaved at Thy side n Who knows of Thy i ﬁnite wisdom , who knows what Thy lovers have borne When madmen the world has p roclaimed them and cast them derision and scorn 2

dr nk To i of my blood I am thirsting , to Shed it

abroad like a sea ,

To sacriﬁce all am I seeking , to die as a victim

for Thee . My heart through the anguish of loving has ’ swooned neath the load of its grief , 0 Come thou with thy magic , music , and give

to my spirit relief .

’ Like Ayub I sit in the ashes o erwhe lm e d by the

wrath of the skies , Yet out of the night of my sorrow shall h Ope like the morning arise : 68 and longing possessed , n I have wandered with pain and with year ing ,

with hope and despair in my breast .

Makhﬁ Yet, , unveiled is thy secret , abroad all thy passIOn 1 8 told : Who saw not the beauty of Yusuf when he in the market was sold 2 XXVII

I HA' E no need for wine To me the languorous and mag ic scent

Breathed by the ﬂowers within the garden , lent i Intoxication that is more div ne .

i a Forg ve me then , I pr y , f That I no Wine in the assembly qua fed , dr dr For I have unk of a diviner aught ,

Its fragrance ever haunts me , night and day .

My heart a bird doth seem

That never joyfully can soar and sing ,

For , shut within its cage of sorrowing ,

It sees the garden only in a dream .

Shall I not then complain When every atom of my body cries

Against your tyranny, O cruel skies , That yield me days so dark and full of pain 2

e Grant me , O Fat , this boon ,

Give me a little day of joy, of spring , When even in its cage my heart might sing

Glad as a bird Death comes , thou knowest, soon . 70 Although I seem so poor , Pity me not for empty- handedness ; so ul ll My haughty eagle I sti possess ,

And I have had the courage to endure .

How many, many years Within the prison walls of lonely grief l n Sha l I remain and never k ow relief, 2 Like Yaqub , blinded by my useless tears

Though my proud soul Torn from its saddl e l o w into the dust

May be by cruel hands of fate downthrust ,

I know my feet will somehow reach the goal .

As through life ’ s desert fare ’ Makhﬁ Love s pilgrims , , may it be thy pride ’ l Unto Love s rea m their caravan to guide ,

Thy footsteps be the bell to lead it there . XXVIII

H o w uselessly and long I struggled hard E With thee , mine nemy , nor from the ﬁght ’ traitro us Aught have I won my heart I guard,

And turn away for ever from thy sight .

What wonder if the ﬁre Within me rise

Into a ﬂame outleaping ﬁerce and swift, And that the heavy vapour of my sighs Unto the darkened eyes of Heaven should drift '

i sit Th nk not , though at the feast no more I , That I have done wi th joy there still remains —I The dream that once was mine cherish it ,

Like wine its memory courses in my veins .

What though Within this valley of Despair u s From sorrow I can never ﬁnd s rcea e ,

May I be given , in answer to my prayer , e ' One day at least of rest, one night of peac

So sad my fate that , though I long and toil

Until my forces ﬂag and faint and tire , o ff I cannot burnish the stains that soil ,

The rust that dims my mirror of desire . 72

XXIX

MP T T I A IEN were my hands , and in their haste l Never cou d they untie the knot of fate , f So vain it is to wail my li e laid waste , r My hou s unfortunate .

And strange it is that even in my heart The sweet tormenting ﬂame of my desire Is; quenched impatiently I pulled apart

' a ﬁr The brands nd kil led the e .

And never did the blossoms of success ’ Within my hope s enchanted garden bloom ,

‘ And my fair beacon- light of happiness IS sunk in gloom .

l Faith ess Beloved , many friends are Thine ;

So many love and have been loved by Thee , 2 They give their hearts , what carest Thou for mine What need hast Thou of me 2 XXX

0 R ' I AL , snatch not from my lips away The cup that holds the win e of my delight

The mirror of my joy turns cold and grey,

Darkened before my sight .

As through the gloom the radiant sun above

Comes brightening the world , and shades depart , So do I burnish with the oil of love o ff The rust from my heart .

I vainl y stretch imploring hands that long ’ To touch Hope s gleaming garment as sh e ﬂies

Though my desire may fail , yet Hope is strong

And keen , and never dies .

When on the cup that held the drink divine ’ i ls Of last night s feast the l ght of morning fal ,

The joy of night , the magic of the wine , ’ The goblet s sight recalls .

Fe rhad Like thee , O , in my loneliness i n n Toil g upon the mountai s I have been ,

But never drank the sherbet of success , as Sweet thy lips , Shirin . 75 s Mortal we are , and , fashioned thus of earth , Makhﬁ Vain , , is this world in which we trust ,

Dust is the rank of kings , the pride of birth,

Yea, thou thyself art dust . XXXI

DOWN in the dust and sunken in dis grace

My honour lies for all the world to see , But why shoul d I bear shame upon my face 2 What is the honour of the world to me 2

Although the times on my unhappy head l h e ar Have heaped the burdens I can hard y , I have not wept ; I smile in pride instead ;

Upon my brow are graved no lines of care .

For many years hath sorrow dwelt with me , n l Yet I repi e not , and so ﬁerce y wage ﬂe e My war against despair , it turns to

I am the Rustum of this later age .

r Though callous Fate upon me vengeance w eak , O breezes blowing from the heavens above

Bring unto me what I , like Yaqub , seek

The perfume of the garments of my Love . XXXII

T a HAS EN , O S ki , bring The wine that it may grant its quickening

To my dead heart , and to the withered ﬂowers Come like the showers

That give the resurrection of the spring .

What weary days

Are these , that never in the perfumed ways The bulbul sings among the cypress trees Only the morning breeze

and . Finds entrance there , with the roses plays

Masih a , thou canst heal, ’ ' Thou wise Physician , hear our heart s appeal

Give us the bitter draught to cure our grief, And grant relief

Blame not the shrinking from thy cup we feel .

Glimmer not, pearly dawn , Let not the veil of night be yet withdrawn s I long to end , with arrows of my sighs , Unto the skies s My eager prayer before the night be gone . 78 From griefs that burn and pains that never

cease , But all my cries to Heaven were empty breath ; Not even Death m i n Co g at last , could give my spirit peace .

If , on the Judgment Day,

Grieving for my transgressions , I shall pray i For mercy for the ev l I have done , 0 f - E Sel xistent One ,

Grant that my tears shall wash the sin away .

0 Makhﬁ , for thy fate Be not thou fearful nor di sconsolate

Higher , upon the Day of Reckoning ,

Faquir than king ,

There shall be then none lowly and none great . XXXIII

S T CA not , Beloved , on me

Such angry looks from thy narcissus eyes , Already conquered by their sorcery

Before thy feet my heart a captive lies .

Knotted within my heart ,

The very chords that answered to thy touch , — i ll My heart str ngs at thy presence thri and start,

For I have sighed and have lamented much .

0 e y who sleep in peace ,

You know not of the troubles Love can send ,

The days whose tribulations never cease ,

The weary nights that drag without an end .

2 Where , then , does Mecca lie Here is the Kiblah where I make my prayer Tell me the physio for my malady

The anodyne for grief is everywhere .

0 Love , where dost thou lead , Upon what travel fares our caravan 2

By Hedjaz desert shall thy footsteps speed ,

The longest journey since the world began . 80

XXXIV

WHY should we but in the assembly pray 2 Only when friends are gathered call for wine 2 LO , I have done with this hypocrisy,

And ever pray and drink the cup divine .

dr The fountain of my spirit has run y,

So that in tears no more my sorrow ﬂows , l Mute is the heart that wai ed continually,

- Silent the bulbul in the garden close .

’ Here , as we tread the pilgrim s way, we ﬁnd

The torch of inspiration like a ﬁre ,

Men see it not , so dull they are and blind ,

They yearn not for the garments of desire .

To each was given on the Creation- day Hi s ﬁtting portion , his appointed share , ’

Why should st thou then. demand from destiny 2 More joy than others have , less pain to bear

Makhﬁ O , for thy counsel all have come , r Thei secrets thou hast kept concealed , apart , ’ r But why should st thou , who for thei sakes art

dumb , Tell sham elessly the secrets of thy heart 2 82 XXXV

H o w long upon this soul that dwells in pain n 2 Thy ve geance , O Tormentor , shalt thou pour l Cou d I the Land of Love in peace attain , ul Thy poisoned sting sho d torture me no more .

No unguent salves these wounds upon my heart , ’ n The diamond lancet s heali g pang I crave ,

So keen my pain I tear my scars apart ,

Come with thy kindly cruelty, and save

From out my keeping has my heart been reft, : 2 Why, let it go then wherefore should I weep Over the empty hut a faquir left l to No watchman comes hi s carefu guard keep .

n e . Hearken , the time of parti g sounds for th e 0 Makhfi How long , , wavering like the fire , Kafir A Shall thy restless spirit be , e 2 Blown like a flame , torment d by desire

83 XXXVI

Ho w 0 hard to read , Soul , The riddle of life here an d life beyond

As hard as in the pearl to, pierce a hole

- Without the needle point of diamond .

Chide not that ’ mongst the ﬂowers The bulbul doth ecstatically sing ; and His passion , yea his delight , are ours ,

Along the garden paths meandering .

We , by our pain made brave , Seek not despair nor hope ; neither outlast r i Thei l ttle day . We take but what Fate gave , ’ Zul ikh e a . Not as , brooding o er the past

0 a c reless ones , in vain if The treasure of your l e has p assed away, He adle ss that nothing of your years remain ,

You talk like children of another day .

How vain the tears you weep '

Your sorrow fruitless , your remorse too late

The threshold with your lashes wherefore sweep , Makhﬁ 2 When , , see , the shrine is desolate 84 XXXVII

’ unve il st WHEN thou thy shining countenance ,

Burnt are my lashes by thy lig htning glance , And all the night I passionately weep ’ While o er my heart tempests of longin g sweep

And if I see it not , desiring it , d arke ii e d My heart is like a lamp unlit .

h O e I have no p , no comfort , anywhere , n Caught by the ﬂutteri g tresses of thy hair .

No ﬂower can open in my garden bed ’ Until my heart s blood dyes its petals reek

Sing softly of thy love , or Silent be , 0 Makhﬁ , lest the Hunter secretly

c . Shall ome and hear thy voice , and capture thee TH E ul love of Thee the b bul sings , The moth that burns its silken wings dr Thy love has awn into the ﬁre , se e And, , the wine of Thy desire ’ On every goblet s lip it clings .

0 case N , no respite anywhere

Is now for me , for in Thy snare

Blindly or willingly I fall ,

No liberty have I at all, t e Bound by the fe t rs of Thy hair .

So m any tears mine eyes have shed ,

Such streams of blood my heart has bled,

That now mine eyes can weep no more, li Nor can the fai ng fountains pour , For dr y the source from which they fed .

Makhﬁ Thou, , in the burning ﬁre Of love and unassuaged desire

Tossing in wild remorse , shalt dwell ; ’ i Love s secrets weakly d dst thou tell , o c e So th u shalt pay with p enan e dir . 86 XXXIX

o r 0 N ﬁerce enough , moth , the ﬂame to burn

those yearning wings of thine , Not bright enough the torch of love within our

palace halls to shine .

Mine eyes have scattered pearls of tears, no consolation did they gain ;

The matchless jewel of my soul is given away, and all in vain is Long my bitter tale of grief, of separation

from my Friend , U i i h as nﬁn shed is it even yet , although my l fe reached its end :

Useless , O Saki , is thy cup , no wine of comfort ' ﬂo ws fo r me Who drink alone the wine of blood ; to others give thy remedy

Tale after tale of love is told , linked all together ik l e a chain .

The fetters hold my heavy heart , of liberty I dream in vain : Under the angry storms of death my boat of h as life foundered deep , i s n My house fallen , rou d its dust winds of anni ilat h io n sweep . 87 Makhﬁ i Yet , , if w thin thy heart the ﬂame of l heaven y love arise , Thy lonely desert shall be fair as garden of

Behold the pages of my book of lif e sin Blotted its record , black with and strife, As if th e woe of all the world should be

Ever pursuin g me .

Makhﬁ O , from this goblet thou shalt gain r No exaltation , no su cease from pain ; For tears of blood that ﬂow from eyes grown dim

it unto the brim . H U - T O bringest never , long lost happiness , To still my heart ’ s distress

The remedy I crave . Why to the crowd Should I thus voice aloud

My sadness , drawing scorn upon my name , Tellin g the world my shame 2 If in the close- hung darkness of the ni ght

There shine no thread of light , 2 What matter Though no torches ﬂame for me, My sorrowing heart can see

Illumined by the ﬁre of grief it bears . Why tangled in the cares dl 0 a d Of worl y hopes , he rt unsatisﬁe ,

Restless wilt thou abide , Seeking those things that thou shalt never gain 2 H elp askest thou in vain

From useless friends , and far into the skies a o i Pe ce like the Ph en x ﬂies .

Behold , no herb of sweet content has grown ; For we have only sown

- o ff In far springs the seeds of our disgrace . How could we bear to face

The direful Judgment Day, did we not bring n Our idol, witnessi g 91 That by this Kaﬁr worship which we give We true believers live 2 se a s se t Upon the of blis our boat is , But comfort comes not yet ; Over the soul waves of the te mpest rise

Menacing to the skies .

Makhﬁ So weary , , are thine eyes with tears ,

Darkened the world appears , N r o can they tell , by grief and watching worn , The rosebud from the thorn XLII

F- E ' T T O SEL IS EN , give ’ s Unto Thy faithful ones their heart s de ire , And visit not with Thy consuming ﬁre ’ - s O er burdened soul , too sorrowful to live .

N0 longer can I bear The separation and the bitter grief Afﬂicted am I- grant my soul re lief Weary and broken— look on my despair

0 Thou , whose praise we tell ,

Sever the tyrant bonds , give to the slave ’ as His freedom , save him , Lord , Thou did st save ' Yusuf , the Moon of Canaan , from the well

My tears fail , for they must ; The spring that fed their fountains has run dry 0 2 Give me Thy peace , Lord ; for what am I

Only a handful of afﬂicted dust .

But ﬂowers of hope return

To bloom within my garden of desire , For God can call even from ﬂames of ﬁre T n ulips like torches to arise and bur . 93 XLIII

ON my tormented heart appears

Another deep and glowing stain , Again there dawns my day of tears

Of misery , of weary pain .

So much of mine own blood I shed ,

So long the journeys I have done, diﬁi cult So the path I tread, To catch the garment of the sun '

e New balm within my h art is borne , m New lightnings fro my glance arise,

Why then your anger , and the scorn Flashing from your narcissus eyes 2

Out of my heart you reft away

The life, my heart from out its place

You ravished , and I can but pray O lift the veil that hides your face ' XLIV

O L NG, long am I denied i ’ The v sion of thy face , for o er it ﬂows

The musky darkness of thy waving hair , A S though a temple- curtain should enclose

The Kaaba , and our hearts , unsatisﬁed ,

Could never see it there .

t 0 Reason , hat can speed l A runner in the va ley of desire ,

We need not strength like thine , for we possess A remedy to cure us when we tire ; The thorns and brambles are the salves we need

For pain and weariness .

Night after endless ni ght I sat in lonely gri ef remembering thee ;

Tears fell into my heart disconsolate .

How long have I , in striving to be free , n Broken my bleedi g nails , but never quite Untied the knot of fate ' 95 Lo , where the feast was spread , What better could I offer to my guest Than wine and music when we revelled long 2 was Of all the wines the wine of tears best ,

One song of sorrow to another led ,

Making continual so ng .

Thou shalt attain success , 0 l happy lover , wa king on the height ; Thy shadow greater shall be evermore ’ Jam shid s e Than King , and plum s and pinions bright As o hath the Ph enix , shall thy soul possess,

Arrogantly to soar .

By sorrow cruciﬁed , hi s if A true believer lost l e for thee , And yet di d not attain what I attain This new delight whi ch is bestowed on Even the friends who travelled by my

Could never know nor gain .

Red with its fount of tears k Thy rosy face doth li e a tulip show,

To tell what dreams within thy heart arise .

My tears have washed with their unceasing ﬂow, The magic cup wherein the world appears

Displayed before mine eyes .

0 N way of joy and ease is mine to tread , The road of shame and madn ess jo y q y I choose instead And from my heart such streams of blood shall pour

Upon the Day of Judgment , that the Desert crimsoned o ’ er

Shall all the rosy hues of heaven outvie,

And Paradise be darkened , envious of its ﬂaming

dye .

If , penitent , I shed one tear of shame , Then shall be cleansed the follies and the sins that stained my name

For God shall show compassion in that day, My record of transgressions shall be wholl y swept

away . The tree of World ’ s Desire has set its roots Deep planted in the darkness sin and shame its bitter fruits ; Then barter not the wealth contentment brings For all the wide domini ons of a thousand mighty

kings . 98 If from my heart I loose my heavy sighs Black whirlin g from the Desert shall the blinding

dust arise .

Makhﬁ Though , , God shall pardon at the last, The Skirt of Intercession hold within thy ﬁngers a f st . XLVI

I' O G E me , friends , your care , Lest in my madness loudl y I proclaim all The secrets of the Lord , that may know . ’ Like wax I melt within Love s eager ﬂame ,

But in my breast a heart of stone I bear ,

Mocking its glow .

Down unto death I went , n The Heave s upon me showered their cruel blows .

Pity me , O ye Chosen Ones of God 0 E nemy, when shall I gain repose , Ho w long shall I groan under chastisement, ’ Win ce neath the rod 2

How darkened is my fame E xtravagantly have I spent my store , And empty—handed in the market stand

A dervish am I , and can give no more,

No emperor, with glory round my name

And lavish hand . 1 00

Upon the feasting day o q Friends j y y in the assembly meet, But Makhﬁ in the lane of sorrow goes

Slowly and loth , with melancholy feet ,

No rest , no ease , no peace upon the way,

The faquir knows . XLVII

UNTO the garden ﬂoats the wandering air To tell the roses that are waiting there The tidings of thy coming soft and sweet

Their petals open as they kiss thy feet .

- ik If from thy moon l e face the veil arise, N0 more will Yusuf turn regretful eyes Homeward to Canaan : he will only see ff Thy face, and o er all his love to thee .

’ No remedy can heal the heart s distress E xcept the vision of thy loveliness . ff i ul ' Here , su er ng so s , the solace that you need

Tear not your wounds , no longer make them

bleed .

ul How difﬁc t the hunted deer to ﬁnd, Although hi s scent be left upon the wind ; r How hard to reach thee , though thine every t ess Breathes musk of Khotan through the wilderness '

0 happy Makhﬁ fortunate thy day ' For thou at the Beloved ’ s feet may lay S l Thy song in homage ; happier ti l , if thou Sing rapturously evermore as now 1 1 03 XLVIII

S 0 tyrannous thine eyes , E n ven the morni g breeze is hot with wrath , a No soft ssuagement in its breath it hath ,

It only faints and dies .

Like Khizr , strong and fair , o ul d Wh se so is steepe in the immortal spring , if The well of l e, thou shalt be worshipping

With holy words of prayer .

’ Born to the Khalif s place,

None other heired such high estate as thine, di Thou hast the beauty that is all vine, ’ Fairer than peri s grace .

From hope I turned in hate

N O further now false hope can cozen me . I know the cruel Heavens conspired with thee

To darken thus my fate .

Makhﬁ if , thy l e ﬂows fast, The days from out thy hand drop evermore 0 turn no weary traveller from thy door,

Give hi m what cheer thou hast . 1 04

Be silent : in the desert sands hi s t He learnt lore . Break not the res Of the afﬂicted and oppressed

With poisoned arrows in hi s breast . O MIGHT I have as surma for mine eyes

The dust that on her happy threshold lies , And there might waiting kneel to kiss at last Her feet like those of angels ﬂuttering past My soul has girt around it suffering And wears it as the garment that a king

hi m . Gives to his servant, decking with pride 0 E waite st nemy that by my side ,

How long shall I be bent beneath thy rod , And walk the path of pain my friends have trod 2 s The storm sweeps round my house , its rampart

fail ,

Its deep foundations sway before the gale . n I am a bird , who , ﬂyi g home to rest , ’ Finds that the waters have o e rwh e lm e d hi s nest .

ul Sell not the jewel of thy so so cheap ,

N0 friends can help thy heart its wealth to keep .

0 King of all the roses , be thou kind ul e Unto the b bul , whos unquiet mind Makes him a mad faquir in loving thee For even kings who ride in majesty 1 07 ’ ll s r Wi stop their chariots e er a faquir ti . Ble ssed is Makhﬁ God has given to her

The pearl of words , jewel of song

Fairer than spoils of ocean or of mine .

NOTE S

l l ength of a ghaza varies , but it is not supposed to be l t onger than eighteen couplets . Often the couple s z n within a gha al have no apparent con ection , and are T l complete in themselves . he last couplet usua ly

the name of the poet . a m ati m Tai H ti , or H an Arabian chief fam ed for his gene ro s it : H e y he never refused a request . was born in Y r x re Musul m an i s emen , in A abia Feli , in p t me . Some

one asked for his head , and he gave it , and so died . H edj az the gr eate st desert in Arabia along its length pass a the principal c ravan routes . J am shid i H e the type of the magn ﬁcent king . belonged i Pes h d adi an ﬂ ur to the myth cal dyn asty, and o ished 800 B 0 H e l about . . was reputed to be the bui der of is H is l Persepol . reign was a kind of go den age , when si ckn e m n T Siro us h and death were u known . he angel H him descended from eaven to visit him, and left a robe l H e and , an enchanted gird e . was gifted , like Moses , i with a ray of div ne light ; so that once , when he was c n M u i des endi g o nt Alborz , the crowd magined that H is there were two suns in the world . ring and throne b ad magic powers : when he looked into hi s seven -ringed

goblet he could see what was passin g in all the worlds . hi s But pride came into heart , and he forgot God ; his subjects revolted agains t him and dr ove h im from hi s am kingdom , and he ro ed the earth an outcast for a n H e hu dred years . repented , and was restored , with

m i n . undi nished youth , to his ki gdom and power K aaba i i . the ch ef sanctuary of Mecca , the holy c ty of the T K Musulmans . he aaba was revered before the time M of uhammad , and was then a rude stone building ; i ts as tral a us name came from a word m e amn g an g , or e die , b cause of its roughly cubical shape . It has been al s l r sever time rebui t, but the old form has been p e v x ser ed e cept in secondary details . Into its wall is l o bui t an ancient black stone , p ssibly an aerolite , said m to have been given by the angel Gabriel to Abraha . K a r s l ﬁ . an unbeliever one who is not a Mu u man . K i ko bad a . n a Sultan of the Seljukian dy asty, renowned l l as l not on y for his successfu wars , but a great bui der l ac of pa es . NOTES

H s K erbela the place of the massacre of u sain , the grandson r l Om m e ad es of the P ophet , and his chi dren , by the yy . M i n It is situated in esopotam a , near the western ba k - l ui s of the Tigris , twenty eight mi es from the r n of l Babylon . It is a great p ace of pilgrimage for the i m Shiahs , who hold that the sp ritual leadership of Isla Ali - in - h devolved upon ; the son law of Mu ammad , and d T H usse in l his descen ants . he tomb of is in a arge mosque ; and each year two hundred thousand pilgri ms all l m from parts of the Musu an world visit it, some ti mes carrying the bones o i their ancestors to be buried T H uss ei n ll there . he story of the death of is annua y

- read , and sometimes enacted as a miracle play, in l Shiah communities , with much wai ing and sorrow, on Mo h urrum the tenth day of the celebrations . K hi - u di i l zr the angel g ar an of the spring of mmorta ity. K lah M di e ib the direction in which ecca lies , in cat d by the ni h mehrab , or che , in the wall of a mosque , to w ich

the worshippers turn in prayer . ' Le i la and M aqm m the heroine and hero of the celeb rated A - rabian love story told by many poets , of whom the za H atiﬁ K i most famous are Jami , Ni mi , and . a s was A l l L the son of an rabian chief, but , mad y oving eila , the

daughter of a neighbouring chief, he was called Majnun , l or the mad one . Leila was married to a more powerfu

suitor, and Majnun wandered for years in the desert , i where he taught the secrets of love to the b rds and beasts . M ahm o ud the praised one , a name of the Prophet . M aj nu n the lover of Leila M akh ﬁ the hidden one . M ansu r M al - ll P ansur Ha aj , a ersian saint of the ninth l century, who was cruciﬁed at Baghdad for dec aring that

he was one with God . M as i ka M essiah . Jesus is known in Musulman tradition

as the Healer . P ham i x ul r ll a fab ous bi d of great size and beauty, habitua y n C M un a dwelli g in the aucasus o tains , but appe ring at its the very rare intervals . If it spreads wings over head n s of a man , he becomes a ki g . It was upposed to live r l xis for seventeen hund ed years , and on y one e ted in l the wor d at a time . N OTE S

us u m Zal : R t son of , Prince of Seistan a traditional h ero P his m G of ersia, famous for indo itable strength and H b . e l ravery conquered the Dives , or evi spirits , l ds c performed other miracu ous dee , omparable to l H l s H -N abours of ercu e . e is the hero of the S hah am eh

of Firdausi . S ake the cupbearer . S hi ri n the beloved of F e rhad The nam e means

sweet . S ule im an King Solomon ; in Mus ul man legend lord over l ange s and demons , of great wisdom and power , under d n nl th stan ing the la guage , not o y of all men, but of e H is t e beasts and birds . power lay in his possessing h o d seal with the name of G . S urm a hl s ko , or collyrium , a black powder u ed in Egypt and the East for darkening the eyelids and thus givin g l ustre to the eyes . Tu r T C l ks the urcomans from Turkestan , who ravaged entra P i C Asia from ersia to Ind a and east to hina , the Great s Wall of which was built as a protection again t them . Ya ub l l n q Jacob , who in Musu man tradition became b i d l b y weeping for the oss of his son Joseph , who had been sold by his brothers as a slave into Egypt he regained his sight when he smelt the garment of hi s son which h im had been brought to . Yusu l o veli nem f Joseph , who is regarded as of superhuman , s di e r urrounded by celestial light , the emblem of vine p f e cti n H e s n - ll tt o . po sessed ine tenths of the beauty a o ed

to the whole world .

Z ale i kha TaM us K . In daughter of , ing of Mauretania a dream she saw and fell in love with the im age of Y f l hi s l t his usu ; she was not to d name , but on y tha a bode was Egypt . She went to Memphis to marry As iz m ni Potiphar , the Grand 'izier of Pharaoh , i agi ng Y her future husband was the vision of her dream . usuf l b ut was sold as a s ave , and was purchased by her ; , bein g warned by the angel Gabriel in the likenes s o f ﬂed his father Jacob , he from her . She is represented

as always b rooding over her lost happiness .

Pri n l o n i ndo n and A la bur . ted by Hazel , Wats 4: ' ncy, Ld . , Lo y y