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(Translated by Sir Richard F. Burton, 1885–7)
I I AM taken: my heart burns with living flame | |
| For Union shorn whenas Severance came, | |
| In the love of a damsel who forced my soul | |
| And with delicate cheeklet my reason stole. | |
| She hath eyebrows united and eyes black-white, | 5 |
| And her teeth are leven that smiles in light: | |
| The tale of her years is but ten plus four;— | |
| Tears like Dragon’s blood for her love I pour. | |
| First I saw that face ’mid parterre and rill, | |
| Outshining full Lune on horizon-hill; | 10 |
| And stood like a captive for awe, and cried, | |
| “Allah’s Peace, O who in demesne doth hide!” | |
| She returned my salam, gaily answering | |
| With the sweetest speech likest pearls a-string. | |
| But when heard my words, she right soon had known | 15 |
| My want and her heart waxed hard as stone, | |
| And quoth she, “Be not this a word silly-bold?” | |
| But quoth I, “Refrain thee nor flyte and scold! | |
| An to-day thou consent such affair were light; | |
| Thy like is the loved, mine the lover-wight!” | 20 |
| When she knew my mind she but smiled in mirth | |
| And cried, “Now, by the Maker of Heaven and Earth! | |
| I’m a Jewess of Jewry’s direst e’er seen, | |
| And thou art naught save a Nazarene. | |
| Why seek my favours? Thine’s other caste; | 25 |
| An this deed thou do thou’lt repent the past. | |
| Say, does Love allow with two Faiths to play? | |
| Men shall blame thee like me, at each break of day! | |
| Wilt thou laugh at beliefs and deride their rite, | |
| And in thine and mine prove thee sinful sprite? | 30 |
| And thou lovedst me thou hadst turnèd Jew, | |
| Losing worlds for love and my favours due; | |
| And by the Evangel strong oath hadst sworn | |
| To keep our secret intact from scorn!” | |
| So I took the Torah and sware strong oath | 35 |
| I would hold to the covenant made by both. | |
| Then by law, religion and creed I sware, | |
| And bound her by oaths that most binding were; | |
| And asked her, “Thy name, O my dear delight?” | |
| And she, “Zayn al-Mawásif at home I’m hight!” | 40 |
| “O Zayn-al-Mawásif!” cried I “Hear my call: | |
| Thy love hath made me thy veriest thrall!” | |
| Then I peeped ’neath her chin-veil and ’spied such charms | |
| That the longing of love filled my heart with qualms. | |
| ’Neath the curtain I ceased not to humble me, | 45 |
| And complain of my heart-felt misery; | |
| But when she saw me by Love beguiled | |
| She raised her face-veil and sweetly smiled: | |
| And when breeze of Union our faces kiss’d | |
| With musk-pod she scented fair neck and wrist; | 50 |
| And the house with her essences seemed to drip, | |
| And I kissed pure wine from each smiling lip: | |
| Then like branch of Bán ’neath her robe she swayed | |
| And joys erst unlawful she lawful made: | |
| And joined, conjoined through our night we lay | 55 |
| With clip, kiss of inner lip, langue fourrée. | |
| The world hath no grace but the one loved fere | |
| In thine arms to clasp with possession sheer! | |
| With the morn she rose and she bade Good-bye, | |
| While her brow shone brighter than moon a-sky; | 60 |
| Reciting at parting (while tear-drops hung | |
| On her cheeks, these scattered and other strung), | |
| “Allah’s pact in mind all my life I’ll bear | |
| And the lovely nights and strong oath I sware.” | |
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II Stand thou and hear what fell to me | 65 |
| For love of yon gazelle to dree! | |
| Shot me a white doe with her shaft | |
| O’ glances wounding woundily. | |
| Love was my ruin, for was I | |
| Straitened by longing ecstasy: | 70 |
| I loved and woo’d a young coquette | |
| Girded by strong artillery, | |
| Whom in a garth I first beheld | |
| A form whose sight was symmetry. | |
| I greeted her and when she deigned | 75 |
| Greeting return, “Salám,” quoth she. | |
| “What be thy name?” said I, she said, | |
| “My name declares my quality! | |
| Zayn al-Mawásif I am hight.” | |
| Cried I, “Oh, deign I mercy see, | 80 |
| Such is the longing in my heart | |
| No lover claimeth rivalry!” | |
| Quoth she, “With me an thou’rt in love | |
| And to enjoy me pleadest plea, | |
| I want of thee, oh! muchel wealth; | 85 |
| Beyond all compt my wants o’ thee! | |
| I want o’ thee full many a robe | |
| Of sendal, silk and damaskry; | |
| A quarter quintal eke of musk: | |
| These of one night shall pay the fee. | 90 |
| Pearls, unions and carnelian-stones | |
| The bestest best of jewelry!” | |
| Of fairest patience showed I show | |
| In contrariety albe: | |
| At last she favoured me one night | 95 |
| When rose the moon a crescent wee; | |
| An stranger blame me for her sake | |
| I say, O blamers, listen ye! | |
| She showeth locks of goodly length | |
| And black as blackest night its blee; | 100 |
| While on her cheek the roses glow | |
| Like Lazá-flame incendiary: | |
| In every eyelash is a sword | |
| And every glance hath archery: | |
| Her liplets twain old wine contain, | 105 |
| And dews of fount-like purity: | |
| Her teeth resemble strings o’ pearls, | |
| Arrayed in line and fresh from sea: | |
| Her neck is like the neck of doe, | |
| Pretty and carven perfectly; | 110 |
| Her bosom is a marble slab | |
| Whence rise two breasts like towers on lea; | |
| And on her stomach shows a crease | |
| Perfumed with rich perfumery; | |
| Beneath which same there lurketh a Thing | 115 |
| Limit of mine expectancy. | |
| A something rounded, cushioned-high | |
| And plump, my lords, to high degree: | |
| To me ’tis likest royal throne | |
| Whither my longings wander free; | 120 |
| There ’twixt two pillars man shall find | |
| Benches of high-built tracery. | |
| It hath specific qualities | |
| Drive sanest men t’ insanity; | |
| Full mouth it hath like mouth of neck | 125 |
| Or well begirt by stony key; | |
| Firm lips with camelry’s compare | |
| And shows it eye of cramoisie. | |
| An draw thou nigh with doughty will | |
| To do thy doing lustily, | 130 |
| Thou’ll find it fain to face thy bout | |
| And strong and fierce in valiancy. | |
| It bendeth backwards every brave | |
| Shorn of his battle-bravery. | |
| At times imberbe, but full of spunk | 135 |
| To battle with the Paynimry. | |
| ’Twill show thee liveliness galore | |
| And perfect in its raillery: | |
| Zayn al-Mawásif it is like | |
| Complete in charms and courtesy. | 140 |
| To her dear arms one night I came | |
| And won meed given lawfully; | |
| I passed with her that self-same night | |
| (Best of my nights!) in gladdest glee; | |
| And when the morning rose, she rose | 145 |
| And crescent like her visnomy: | |
| Then swayed her supple form as sway | |
| The lances lopt from limber tree; | |
| And when farewelling me she cried, | |
| “When shall such nights return to me?” | 150 |
| Then I replied, “O eyen-light, | |
| When He vouchsafeth His decree!” | |
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