Original content

English translation

O knight of the steed of meaning, In your thought, the sea that bestows pearls of meaning. With every pearl that you put into verse, You have turned a world of stony hearts into wax. Since you bring wax out of hard stone, You manifest a candle out of wax. You make that bright candle so visible That a hundred gatherings are lit by your candle. The world is bright from the candle of your mind, Do not be absent, for a gathering is present for you. Since you kindle the candle of the horizons, Kindle a lamp for the sake of lovers. Thus spoke he who was masterful in speech, Who bound a new ornament to speech at every moment: That the Sultan of Isfahan had a sister, Who had an appearance like a graceful cypress. In beauty she was renowned throughout the world, Jahanafruz (World-Illuminating) was the name of that idol. From the plays of the unfavorable sphere (fate), That silver-armed one fell upon her bed. The Emperor quickly sent Hormoz, Saying: 'Another weakness has befallen us.' Look at the cause and hear the words quickly, Do not delay, make a remedy quickly. When Hormoz received the response from the king, He departed for the residence of the king's sister. He saw a residence like a stored treasure, In whose beauty the eye became dazzled. Before the hall, a golden throne was placed, Jahanafruz had laid her head upon it. Houris had formed a line around her throne, Holding ambergris and camphor in their hands. Rosewater and aloe-wood placed at her bedside, A golden tray set around her. A veil drawn over her moon-like face, Under her eyes, looking towards the prince. The prince came towards her throne, All hearts given to that moon. When Jahanafruz looked at him, She turned the world upside down in her eyes. She saw a face shining like the sun, Lips like the ruby of Badakhshan. She saw his stature like a cypress and his face like the moon, His down like emerald and his hair like musk. From his down, the moon deviated from its path, A beautiful line brought upon the moon. His down had joined hands around the moon, From the greenery, it bound a palm tree on the fresh rose. When his hair displayed musk-raining, His down performed fine-crafting. His down drew a ring around the moon, And cut off the path in the middle of the city of his hair. In beauty, his face had both this and that, For it had amber clusters on the moon. The silver-bodied one saw the moon in clusters, And from that cluster, she saw a heart in a corner. A moon with amber clusters bound, Like fresh musk, fifty clusters gathered from it. When that night-illuminator showed his face, Day became dark for Jahanafruz. Her silver body on the soft mattress Began to boil like a sea full of fire. A fierce fire fell into her soul, She trembled and fell from the throne. So intensely did that fire glow within her, That her shirt was burning from without. Her days turned black before her eyes, Patience and composure fled from her. Where does patience remain for anyone in love, For the heart cannot endure for a single breath. When that impatient beloved became unconscious, That cloudless moon shed much rain (tears). The handmaidens stood around her in bewilderment, They scattered rosewater and musk like rain. When that lover regained consciousness for a moment, Like a sinful drunkard, she wept bitterly. She felt ashamed of her state and remained in wonder, Like a thirsty field, she remained dry-lipped from that grief. She said to her heart: 'Is this a calamity or a physician, For my face is drowned in tears because of him?' Hormoz realized that that jasmine-bosomed one Had fallen into distress due to love for Hormoz. He went and took her pulse in his hand, When he saw her pulse, he leaped up from his place. He said: 'I have gained benefit from this work, May evil be far from this beautiful face.' A remedy must be prepared in an orderly way, Perchance a cure may appear in due order. He said this and went out of the court, Jahanafruz slept happily in her blood (distress). He said to his companions: 'I remained with a burning heart, For I was left in the affair of Jahanafruz. I know not how to treat her with cruelty, Since I know I will see trouble from her. There with my sorrowful heart, I was good, for this was my requirement. But what can I do, since the matter has happened, This has happened often in the world.' His companions said to him: 'Be joyful, Who told you to be heavy-headed with such grief?' For you from this place a hundred joys exist today, Since two princesses are tenderly devoted to the king. You have Jahanafruz and Golrokh as beloveds, Why then do you have grief from the world? He who found comfort in these two companions, Why should he not rub shoulders with the two worlds? My work will not fall lower because of that idol, When two lovers become three, this is better. Nothing less than three is of any value, A tripod pot does not stand without three legs. Now in love you have the capital, Trade, for you possess the capital. Your work goes better with two beloveds, A lamb of two mothers becomes fatter. When you knock on two door-rings at a time, If you are not of that door, you will not remain outside. For you in medicine, water flows in the stream, For your bread is now baked from both sides. Happily play love in secret, Do not make your heart unhappy with the affairs of the world. The king laughed so much at those words That his laughter blocked the way of speech. All night, Khosrow, from anxieties until day, Like a candle, was burning with pain until dawn. When the revolving golden tambourine (the sun) appeared, It poured silver light stars into the tambourine. Khosrow went to the rose (Gol) as a physician, To give her a new medicine for her pain. Since Gol was alone, with a half-wink, He spoke to her a hint about Jahanafruz: Since that beloved of mine has embraced me, My heart has given up on its own soul. The world is like a painting from the face of Golrokh, At any rate, what is Jahanafruz doing? What if I have a burning heart from Gol? Why do I have my heart on Jahanafruz? Say, my heart, be burning from Golrokh, Say, let the world be without Jahanafruz. He said this and departed from Golrokh, Towards the palace of the auspicious Jahanafruz. All night in grief was that heart-illuminating moon (Jahanafruz), So that she might see Khosrow's face the next day. Giving the thread of her heart into the hand of the demon (passion), Her heart had become entirely bewildered. When she saw Khosrow, out of painfulness, Her face became like a ruby from bashfulness. Shame took effect on her heart, Her moon went under the bridal veil out of shame. When she made the moon a prisoner of the veil, She made a Tigris from the Pleiades (tears) by her side. When the apple of Hormoz (his chin/cheek) appeared from the down, Pomegranate seeds (tears) rained down on her face. From her two narcissus (eyes), she made a river on her face, Throwing clods of pear at that apple. When she extended her silver-like hand, She made the foundation of love firmer. When her beloved got hold of the vein of her heart, She saw her own body as a single vein with her soul. As he held her hand tightly and rubbed the vein, Her heart was loose-veined from Khosrow's love. When the king's hand became straight upon the vein, The girl's heart rose to run like blood in the vein. The heart laid in blood entered the vein, For the kissing of the prince's hand. The girl's vein leaped quickly thereafter, Because it was kissing his hand at every moment. Those two beloveds sat face to face, Looking under their eyelids, hair to hair. The foundation of love for both became firm, All at once their rings fell into each other. They spoke without message or voice, Secretly with one another, sharing secrets. They gestured from the corner of the eyes, Abandoning the use of words. Jahanafruz said to her heart a hundred times: 'O heart, this beloved is none other than the king.' 'I have seen all the manners of kings in him,' 'I have heard nothing from him but politeness.' 'My heart beats, telling me that he is a king,' 'To which the divine glory (Farr-e Yazdani) is witness.' When she let this thought enter her heart, She gave her heart to that desired one. She said to Khosrow: 'O wise master,' 'The king sent you here for this reason:' 'To bind a heart to my affair,' 'And quickly resolve a difficulty.' 'You threw fire within my heart,' 'Why do you bind my external burning on ice?' 'You remain within me, from without,' 'What must I do with you now?' 'Do not do this, put away stubbornness from your head,' 'You burned my inside, cure it now.' 'I kept saying you would come inside to me,' 'How did I know you would come out against me!' 'What have I done to you, O capturer of the weak?' 'Take away the duplicity from your exterior.' 'Fire appeared within me,' 'Do not carry this manner of behavior across the bridge.' 'As long as his hand has been placed on my hand,' 'My heart has fallen from my hand due to his hand.' 'What grief was this that came upon my soul from him?' 'I cannot emerge from this affliction.' 'My head has taken the melancholy of this stubborn one,' 'My inside has caught the flame of fire.' 'From head to toe I remain in burning,' 'I know not if Jahanafruz (the world-illuminator) remains.' 'In this affliction, I fear the evil eye,' 'I fear my own disgrace.' 'At once intellect fled and there is fear for life,' 'Which intellect? For this melancholy is not that (ordinary) one.' 'Love brought me to work in a single moment, 'Much madness...'