PREFACE. Vll
did at the same time, the amatory or metaphysical
sentiments which pervade his romantic poem of
Laili and Majnfin. But he may have been a
Sufi, and aimed at describing the passions of the
soul in its progress to eternity. The Odes of
Hafiz have been supposed to have a similar spi-
ritual object !
In honour of Nazdmi, it is related that Ata
Beg was desirous of forming and cultivating an ac-
quaintance with him, and with that view ordered
one of his courtiers to request his attendance.
But it was replied, that Nazami, being an austere
recluse, studiously avoided all intercourse with
princes. Ata Beg, on hearing this, and suspect-
ing that the extreme piety and abstinence of
Naz4mi were affected, waited upon him in great
pomp for the purpose of tempting and seducing
him from his obscure retreat ; but the result was
highly favourable to the poet ; and the prince ever
afterwards looked upon him as a truly holy man,
frequently visiting him, and treating him with the
most profound respect and veneration. Nazdmi
also received many substantial proofs of the ad-
miration in which his genius and learning were
Vlll PREFACE.
held. On one occasion, five thousand dinars were
sent to him, and on another he was presented wdth
an estate consisting of fourteen villages. The
brief notice in Dowlat Shah's account of the
Poets of Persia represents him as the finest writer
of the age in which he lived. Hafiz .thus speaks
of him : —
Not all the treasured store of ancient days
Can boast the sweetness of Nazami*s lays.
Barrackpore,
December 20th, 1835.
LAILf AND MAJNtrN.
I.
Saki, thou know'st I worship wine ;
Let that delicious cup be mine.
Wine ! pure and limpid as my tears,
Dispeller of a lover's fears ;
With thee inspired, with thee made bold,
'Midst combat fierce my post I hold ;
With thee inspired, I touch the string,
And, rapt, of love and pleasure sing.
Thou art a lion, seeking prey.
Along the glades where wild deer stray ; 10
And like a lion I would roam.
To bring the joys 1 seek for home ;
With wine, life's dearest, sweetest treasure,
I feel the thrill of every pleasure :
— ^Bring, Saki, biing the ruby now ;
Its lustre sparkles on thy brow,
2 LAILf AND MAJNCn.
And, flashing with a tremulous light,
Has made thy laughing eyes more bright :
Bring, bring the liquid gem, and see
Its power, its wond'rous power, in me. 20
— No ancestors have I to boast ;
The trace of my descent is lost.
From Adam what do I inherit ?
What but a sad and troubled spirit ?
For human life, from oldest time.
Is ever mark'd with guilt and crime ;
And man, betrayer and betray'd.
Lurks Hke a spider in the shade ;
But wine still plays a magic part,
Exalting high the drooping heart. 30
Then, Saki, linger not, but give
The blissful balm on which I Kve.
Come, bring the juice of the pm-ple vine,
Bring, bring the muskynscented wine ;
A draught of wine the memory clears.
And wakens thoughts of other years. —
When blushing dawn illmnes the sky.
Fill up a bumper, fill it high !
That wine, which to the fever'd Hp,
With anguish parch'd, when given to sip, 40
Imparts a rapturous smile, and throws
A veil o'er all distracting woes :
That wine, the lamp which, night and day.
Lights us along our weary way ;
LAIli AND MAJNIJn. 3
Which strews the path with fruits and flowers,
And gilds with joy onr fleeting hours ;
And hfts the mind, now grown elate.
To Jamshid's glory, Jamshid's state.—
But of the kingly race beware ;
'Tis not for thee their smiles to share : 50
Smiles are deceitful, flre looks bright,
And sheds a lucid dazzling light ;
But, though attractive, it is known
That safety dwells in flight alone.
The moth the taper's radiance tries,
But 'midst the flame in torment dies :
And none lament that fooHsh pride
Which seeks to be with kings allied. —
Bring, bring the musky-scented wine I
'Tis the key of mirth, and must be mine: 60
The key which opens wide the do©r
Of rapture^s rich and varied store ;
Which makes the mounting spirits glad,
And feel the pomp of Kai-Kobdd.
Wine o'er the temper casts a spell
Of kindness indescribable :
Then, siace Pm in the drinking vein.
Bring, bring the luscious wine again!
From the vintner another fresh supply.
And let not the reveller's lips be dry. — 70
Come, Saki, thou'rt not old, nor lame ;
Thou'dst not incm- from a minstrel blam^e ;
A 2
4 LAlLf AND MAJNUN.
Let him wash from his heart the dust of sorrow ;
Let him riot in social bliss till the morrow ;
Let the sotmd of the goblet delight his ear,
Like the music that breathes from Heaven's own sphere.
IL
Mark, where instruction pours upon the mind
The light of knowledge, simple or refined ;
Shaikhs of each tribe have children there, and each
Studies whatever the bearded sage can teach. 80
Thence his attainments Kais assiduous drew,
And scattered pearls from lips of ruby hue ;
And there, of different tribe and gentle mien,
A lovely maid of tender years was seen :
Her mental powers an early bloom displayed :
Her peaceful form in simple garb array'd
Bright as the mom, her cypress shape, and eyes
Dark as the stages, were view'd with fond surprise :
And when her cheek this Arab moon reveal'd,
A thousand hearts were won ; no pride, n( shield, 90
Could check her beauty's power, resistless grown.
Given to enthral and charm — but chiefly on«.
Her richly flowing locks were black as night,
And Laili she was call'd — ^that heart's delight :
One single glance the nerves to frenzy wrought.
One smgle glance bewildered every thought ;
And, when o'er Kais affection's blushing rose
Diffused its sweetness, from him fled repose:
LAni AND MAJNfrN. 5
Tumultuous passion danced upon his brow ;
He sought to woo her, but he knew not how : 100
He gazed upon her cheek, and, as he gazed,,
Love's flaming taper more intensely blazed..
Soon mutual pleasure warm'd each other's heart ;
Love conquered both — they never dreamt to part ;
And, while the rest were poring o'er their books,
They pensive mused, and read each other's looks :
While other schoolmates for distinction strove,
And thought of fame, they only thought of love :
While others various climes in books explored.
Both idly sat — ^adorer and adored: 110
Science for them had now no charms to boast ;
Learning for them had all its virtue lost :
Their only taste was love, and love's sweet ties,
And writing ghazels to each other's eyes.
Yes, love tritunphant came, engrosang all
The fond luxuriant thoughts of youth and maid ;
And, whilst subdued in that deUcious thrall.
Smiles and bright tears upon their features play'd.
Then in soft converse did they pass the hours, —
Their passion, like the season, fresh and fair ; 120
Their opening path seem'd deck'd with balmiest flo^wers,
Their melting words as soft as summer air.
Immersed in love so deep,
They hoped suspicion would be lull'd asleep,
6 LAni AND MAJNtJN.
And none be consciouB of their amorous state ;
They hoped that none with prying eye,
And gossip tongue invidiously,
Might to the busy world its truth relate :
And, thus possess'd, they anxious thought
Their passion would be kept imknown ;
Wishing to seem what they were not.
Though all observed their hearts were one.
s
By worldly prudence uneontroird,
Their every glance their feelings told;
For true lore never yet had skill
To veil impassioned looks at will.
When ringlets of a thousand curls,
And ruby Ups, and teeth of pearls,
And dark eyes flashing quick and bright.
Like hghtning on the brow of night —
When charms like these their power display.
And steal the wilder'd heart away —
Can man, dissembling, coldly seem
Unmoved as by an idle dream ?
Kais saw her beauty, saw her grace.
The soft expression of her face ;
And as he gazed, and gazed again,
Distraction stung his burning brain :
No rest he found by day or night —
Lain for ever in his sight.
LAILI AND MAJNUN. 7
But, oh ! when separation came,
More brightly glow'd his ardent flame ;
And she, with equal sorrow fraught,
Bewail'd the fate upon them brought.
— He wander'd wild through lane and street,
With frantic step, as if to meet
Something which still his search defied,
Reckless of all that might betide.
His bosom heaved with groans and sighs,
Tears ever gushing from his eyes ; 160
And still he struggled to conceal
The anguish he was doom'd to feel ;
And, maddened with excessive grief,
In the lone desert sought rehef.
Thither, as morning dawn'd, he flew;
His head and feet no covering knew ;
And every night, with growing pain.
The woes of absence mark'd his strain.
The seqret path he eager chose
Where Laili's distant mansion rose ; 170
And kiss'd the door, and in that kiss
Fancied he quaft'd the cup of bliss.
flow fleet his steps to that sweet place !
A thousand wings increased his pace ;
But thence, his fond devotions paid,
A thousand thorns his course delay'd.
8 LAILI AND MAJNihi.
m.
Tte lover from his mistress parted,
Lingering, oppress'd, and broken-hearted,
Sank, Uke the smi all rayless, do^sra —
Khosru, without his throne or crowoi. 180
With matted locks and bosom bare.
Unshielded from the scorching air.
This hapless youth, absorbed in grief,
Hoped with his friends to find relief;
The few, by strong affection bound,
And, 'midst his woes, still faithful found.
But vaia the refuge — ^friendship's smile
Could not his love-lorn heart beguile :
Again he hasten'd to that place remote,
Where all he loved in life had gone : 190
He caird her magic name, but she was not.
Nor of her kindred, one, not one.
In that sequester'd lonely spot :
He call'd a thousand times, but call'd in vain ;
None heeded, for none heard the strain ;
And thence no fond reply that hapless youth could gain.
Laili had, with her kindred, been removed
Among the Nijid moimtains, where
She cherish'd still the thoughts of him she loved,
And her affection thus more deeply proved 200
Amid that wild retreat. Kais sought her there ;
LAILI AND MAJNCN. 9
Sought her in rosy bower and silent glade,
Where the tall palm-trees flung refreshing shade.
He call'cl upon her name again ;
Again he call'd, alas ! in vain ;
His voice unheard, though raised on every side ;
Echo alone to his lament repUed ;
And Laili ! Laili ! rang around,
As if enamour'd of that magic sound.
Dejected and forlorn, fast-falling dew * 210
GUsten'd upon his cheeks of palUd hue ;
Through grove and frowning glen he lonely stray'd.
And with his griefs the rocks were vocal made.
Beautiful Laili ! had she gone for ever ? —
Could he that thought support ? oh, never, never !
Whilst deep emotion agonised his breast,
He to the morning-breeze these words address'd ; —
" Breeze of the mom ! so fresh and sweet.
Wilt thou my blooming mistress greet ;
And, nestling in her glossy hair, 220
My tenderest thoughts^ my love, declare ?
Wilt thou, while 'mid her tresses sporting.
Their odorous balm, their perfume courting^
Say to that soul-seducing maid.
In grief how prostrate I am laid !
And gently whisper in her ear
This message, with an accent clear : —
10 LAILf AND IVIAJNUN.
* Thy form is ever in my sight,
In thought by day, in dreams by night ;
For one, in spiiits sad and broken, 230
That mole would be the happiest token ;
That mole which adds to every look
A magic spell I cannot brook ;
For he who sees thy melting charms,
And does not feel his soul in arms,
Bursting with passion, rapture, all
That speak love's deepest, wildest thrall.
Must be, as Kaf s ice -summit, cold.
And, haply, scarce of human mould.
Let him, unmoved by charms like thine, 240
His worthless life at once resign —
Those lips are sugar, heavenly sweet ;
O let but mine their pouting meet !
The balsam of delight they shed ;
Their radiant colour ruby-red.
The Evil eye has struck my heart,
But thine in beauty sped the dart :
Thus many a flower, of richest hue.
Hath fall'n and perish'd where it grew ;
Thy beauty is the sun in brightness, 250
Thy form a Peri's self in lightness ;
A treasure thou, which, poets say.
The heavens would gladly steal away —
Too good, too pure, on earth to stay I ' '*
LAILf AND MAJNtJN. 11
IV.
As morning broke, the sun, with golden light,
Eclipsed the twinkling stars of silvery white ;
And Majniin, rising, eagerly pursued
The path which wound to Laili's soUtude,
Grieved to the heart ; and, as he went along.
His lips breathed softly some impassioned song ; 260
Some favorite lay, which tenderly express'd
The present feeling of his anxious breast.
In fancy soon her image he beheld ;
No shadowy cloud her lucid beauty veil'd ;
He saw her fresh as morning's scented air —
Himself exhausted by incessant care :
He saw her blooming as the blushing rose —
Himself dejected by unnumbered woes :
He saw her like an angel soft and bland —
Himself consuming like a Ughted brand : 270
Her ringlets flowing loosely to the ground,
His ringlets, fetters by affection bound ;
And still, all faint with grief, he pass'd his days.
Pouring his soul out in melodious lays.
His friends, to whom his griefs are known.
His altered aspect now bemoan ;
Alarm'd to hear the sufferer still
In frantic mood unceasing fill
LAILf AND MAJNUN.
The night-breeze with his plaintive woes ;
For son'ow with indulgence grows.
They try to soothe his wilder'd mind,
Where reason once was seen enshrined ;
His father, with a father's love.
Sought his sad son'ows to remove.
And gave him maxims full and clear.
And counsel meet for youth to hear.
But, though good counsel and advice
May often lead to Paradise,
When love has once the heai-t engross'd.
All counsel, all advice is lost ;
And weeping Majmin not a word
Of his poor father's counsel heard.
Ah ! when did prudence e'er control
The frenzy of a love-lorn soul ?
Disconsolate the father now
Behind the Harem-screen appears.
Inquiring of his females how
He best might dry the maniac's tears ;
And what had drawn the sparkling moon
Of intellect from him so soon.
The answer of the old and young
Was ready, quivering on the tongue —
" His fate is fix'd — ^his eyes have seen
The charms of his affection's queen
LAILI AND MAJNtJN. 13
In all their winning power display'd ;
His heart a captive to that Arab maid.
Then what relief canst thou supply ?
What to the bleeding lover, doom'd to die ?
What but fulfilling his desires ?
And this a father's generous aid requires. 310
See them united in the bands of love ;
And that alone his frenzy will remove."
The6e words (for woman's words convey
A spell, converting night to day,
DiffuBe o'er troubled life a balm,
And passion's fiercest fever calm ) —
These words relieve the father's heart,
And comfort to his thoughts impart.
Resolved at once, he now with speed
Marshals his followers, man and steed ; 320
And, all assembled, bends his way
To the damsel's home, without delay.
Approaching, quick the enquiry rose —
— •' Come ye hither as friends or foes ?
Whatever may your errand be.
That errand must be told to me ;
For none, unless a sanction'd friend.
Can pass the boundary I defend."
14 LAILl AND MAJNUN.
y
This challenge touch'd Syd Omri's pride :
And yet he calmly thus replied, — 330
" I come in friendship, and propose
All future chance of feud to close."
Then to the maiden's father said, —
" The nuptial feast may now be spread :
My son with thirsty heart has seen
Thy fountain pure with margin green ;
And every fountain, clear and bright.
Gives to the thirsty heart delight.
That fountain he demands. With shame,
Possess'd of power, and wealth, and fame, 340
I to his silly humour bend,
And humbly seek his fate to blend
With one inferior. Need I tell
My own high lineage, known so well ?
If sympathy my heart incline,
Or vengeance, still the means are mine.
Treasure and arms can amply bear
Me through the toils of desert-war ;
But thou'rt the merchant, pedlar-chief.
And I the buyer ; come, sell, — be brief I 350
If thou art wise, accept advice ;
Sell, and receive a princely price ! "
The sire of LaiU mark'd his haughty tone,
But smoothly answer'd, — '' Not on us alone
LAILI AND MAJNtJN. 15
Depends the nuptial union — but on Heaven,
By which all power, and right, and tinith are given.
However just our reasoning may appear,
We 're still beset by endless eiTor here ;
And proffer'd friendship may perchance become
The harbinger of strife and of the tomb ; 360
Madness is neither sin nor crime, we know,
But who'd be link'd to madness or a foe ?
Thy son is mad— his senses first restore ;
. In constant prayer the aid of Heaven implore ;
But while portentous gloom pervades his brain,
Disturb me not with this vain suit again.
The jewel, sense, no purchaser can buy,
Nor treachery the place of sense supply.
Thou hast my reasons — and this parley o'er,
u
Keep them in mind, and trouble me no more ! " 370
Abash'd, his very heartstrings torn.
Thus to be met with scoff and scorn,
Syd Omri to his followers tum'd,
His cheek with kindled anger buni'd ;
But, scorning more to do or say.
Indignant homeward urged his way.
And now for a disorder'd mind.
What med'cine can affection find?
What magic power, what human skill.
To rectify the erring will ? 380
— The necromancer's art they tried —
Charms, philtres used, to win a bride.
16 LAILI AND MAJNtJN.
And make a father's heart relent,
As if by Heaven in pity sent. —
Vain efforts all. They now address
Kind words, his mind to soothe and bless.
And urge in his unwilling ear
(Treason and death for him to hear)
" Another love, of nobler race,
Unmatched in form, unmatch'd in grace; 390
All blandishments and fairy wiles ;
Her every glance the heart beguiles :
An idol of transcendent worth,
With charms ecUpsing royal birth ;
Whose balmy Ups like rubies glow ;
Sugar and milk their sweetness show ;
And her words like softest music flow :
Adom'd in all the pride of spring,
Her robes around rich odoiu's fling ;
SparkUng with gold and gems, she seems 400
The bright perfection of a lover's dreams ;
Then why, with such a prize at home.
For charms inferior amid strangers roam ?
Bid all unduteous thoughts depart,
/ And wisely banish Laili from thy heart."
When Majniin saw his hopes decay.
Their fairest blossoms fade away ;
And friends and sire, who might have been
Kind intercessors, rush between
LAILI AND MAJNtJN. 17
Him and the only wish that shed 410
One ray of comfort romid his head,
(His fondly cherish'd Arab maid).
He beat his hands, his gannents tore,
He cast his fetters on the floor
In broken fragments, and in wrath
Sought the dark wilderness's path ;
And there he wept and sobKd aloud,
Unwitness'd by the gazing crowd ;
His eyes all tears, his soul all flame,
Repeating still his Lailf s name. 420
And Laili I Laili ! echoed round.
Still dwelling on that rapturous sound.
— In pilgrim-garb he reckless stray'd.
No covering on his feet or head ;
And still, as memory touch'd his brain,
He murmur'd some love-wilder'd strain :
But still her name was ever on his tongue.
And Laili I Laili I still through grove and forest rung.
Sad inmate of the desert wild.
His form and face with dust defiled ; 430
Exhausted with his grief's excess,
He sat him down in weariness.
" Estranged fi-om Mends," he weeping cried,
'* My homeward course is dark to me ;
But, Laili, were I at thy side,
How bless'd would thy poor lover be !
B
18 LAIli AND MAJNIJN.
My kindred think of me with shame ;
My friends they shudder at my name.
That cup of wine I held, alas !
Dropp'd from my hand, is dash'd in pieces ; 440
And thus it is that, like the glass.
Life's hope in one dark moment ceases.
O ye who never felt distress.
Never gay scenes of joy forsaking,
Whose minds, at peace, no cares oppress,
- What know ye of a heart that's breaking 1 "
Worn out at length, he sank upon the groimd.
And there in tears the mournful youth is foimd
By those who traced his wanderings : gently they
Now to Syd Omri's home the faded form convey : 450
His sire and kinsmen round him moan.
And, weeping, make his griefs their own ;
And, garrulous, recall to memory's eye
The progress of his life from infancy —
The flattering promise of his boyish days —
And find the wreck of hope on which they gaze.
They deem'd that Mecca's sacred fane
His reason would restore again ;
That blessed boon to mortals given,
The arc of earth, the arc of heaven ; 460
The holy Kdba where the Prophet pray'd,
Where Zam-Zam's waters yield their saving aid.
LAILf AND MAJNUn. 19
'Tis now the season of the pilgrimage,
And now assemble merchant, chieftain, sage,
With vows and offerings, on that spot divine :
Thousands and thousands throng the splendid shrine.
And now, on that high purpose bent, await
Syd Omri's camels, ready at his gate ;
Ai'ound their necks the tinkling bells are hung,
Rich tassell'd housings on their backs are flung ; 470
And Majniin. faint, and reckless what may be.
Is on a litter placed — sad sight to see ! —
And tenderly caress'd, whilst born along
By the rough moving camel, fleet and strong.
The desert soon is passed, and Mecca's bright
And ghttering minarets rise upon the sight ;
Where golden gifts, and sacrifice, and prayer,
Secure the absolution sought for there.
The father, entering that all-powerful shrine,
Thus prays — *'Have mercy,Heaven, on me and mine ! 480
from my son this frenzied mood remove,
And save him, save him from the bane of love 1 "
Majniin at this, poor wayward child,
Look'd in his father's face and smiled ;
And frankly said his hfe should prove
The truth and hoUness of love.
" My heaii: is bound by beauty's spell,
My love is indestructible.
Am I to separate from my own,
From her for whom I breathe alone ? 490
B 2
20 LAILf AND MAJNtJN.
What friend could wish me to resign
A love so pure, so true as mine ?
What, though I like a taper burn.
And almost to a shadow tm-n,
I envy not the heart that's free-
Lovers soul-encircling chains for me ! ''
The love that springs from Heaven is blessM ;
Unholy passions stain thfe rest ;
That is not love : wild fancy's birth,
Which lives on change, is constant never : 500
But Majniin's love was not of earth,
Glowing with heavenly truth for ever ;
An earthly object raised the flame.
But 'twas from Heaven the inspiration came.
In silent sorrow the aged sire
Foxmd all his cares were vain ;
And back to his expecting tribe
Address'd his steps again ;
For Mecca had no power to cool
The lover's burning brain ; 510
No consolation, no reKef
For the old man's heart-consuming grief,
V.
Sweet Laili's kinsmen now describe
To the haughty chieftain of their tribe.
LAILf AND MAJNUN. 21
A youth amidst the desert seen.
In strange attire, of frantic mien ;
His arms outstretched, his head all bare,
And floating loose his clustering hair :
" In a distracted mood," they say —
" He wanders hither every day ; 520
And often, with fantastic bound.
Dances, or prosttate hugs the ground ;
Or, in a voice the soul to move,
Warbles the melting songs of love ;
Songs which, when breathed in tones so true,
A thousand hearts at once subdue.
He speaks — and all who listen hear
Words which they hold in memory dear ;
And we and thine endure the shame.
And Laili blushes at his name." 530
And now the chieftain, roused to wrath,
Threatens to cross the maniac's path.
But, haply, to prevent that barbarous deed.
To Omri's palmy groves the tidings flew,
And soon the father sends a chosen' few
To seek the lost one. Promptly they proceed
O'er open plain and thicket deep,
Embowering glen and rocky steep.
Exploring with unwearied eye
Wherever man might pass or lie, 540
22 LAILI AND MAJNUN.
O'ercome by grief or death. In vaiii
Their sight on every side they strain,
No Majniin's voice, nor form, to cheer
Their anxious hearts ; but far and near
The yell of prowling beasts they hear.
Mournful they deem him lost or dead,
And tears of bitterest anguish shed-
But he, the wanderer from his home,
Found not from beasts a living tomb ;
His passion's pure and holy flame 550
Their native fierceness seem'd to tame r
Tiger and ravenous wolf pass'd by him.
The fell hyena came not nigh him ;
As if, ferocious spirits to quell,
His form had been invisible^
Or bore a life-protecting spell.
Upon a fountain emerald brink
Majniin had stooped its lucid wave to drink ;
And his despairing friends descried
Him laid along that murmiuing fountain's side, 560
Wailing his sorrows still ; his feeble voice
Dwelt, ever dwelt, upon his heart's sole choice.
A wild emotion trembled in his eye.
His bosom wrung with many a deep-drawn sigh ;
And groans, and tears^ and music's softest lay.
Successive mark'd his melancholy day.
— Now he is stretch'd along the bumiag sand,
A stone his pillow — ^now, upraised his hand.
LAILf AND MAJN&N. 23
He breathes a prayer for Lailf, and again
The desert echoes with some mournful strain, S70
As wine deprives us of the sense we boast,
So reason in love's maddening draughts is lost.
Restored to home again, he dreads to meet
His father's frowns, and bends to kiss his feet ;
Then, gazing wildly, rises up, and speaks.
And in a piteous tone forgiveness seeks : —
" Sad is my fate, o'ercast my youthful mom,
My rose's leaves, my life's sweet buds are torn ;,
I sit in darkness, ashes o'er my head.
To all the world's alluring pleasures dead ; 580
For me what poor excuse can soothe thy mind I
But thou 'rt my father still — still be kind 1 "
Syd Omri his unchanged aflfection proved,
And, folding to his breast the child he loved,
Exclaim'd : — " My boy ! I grieve to mark
Thy reason erring still, and dark ;
A fire consumiQg every thread
Of which thy thrilling nerves are made.
Sit down, and from thy eyesight tear
The poisonous thorn that rankles there : 590
'Tis best we should to mirth inchne.
But let it not be raised by wine :
'Tis well desire should fill the breast :
Not such desire as breaks our rest.
24 LAILf AND MAJNCN.
Kemain not under griefs control,
Nor taunt of foe which stings the soul ;
Let wisdom every movement guide ;
Error but swells affliction's tide ;
Though love hath set thee all on fire,
And thy heart bums with still unquench'd desire, 600
Despair not of a remedy ;
From seedling springs the shady tree ;
From hope continued follows gladness,
Which dull despair had lost in sadness ;
Associate with the wealthy, they
Will show to glittering wealth the way ;
A wanderer never gathers store,
Be thou a wanderer now no more.
Wealth, opens every door, and gives
Command, and homage still receives : GIO
Be patient then, and patience will
By slow degrees thy coifers fill.
That river rolling deep and broad.
Once but a narrow streamlet flow'd ;
That lofty mountain, now in view.
Its height from small beginnings drew.
He who impatient hurries on.
Hoping for gems, obtains a stone ;
Shrewdness and cimning gain the prize.
While wisdom's self unprosperous lies : 620
The fox of crafty subtle mind
Leietves the wolfs dulness far behind ;
— n
LAIli AND MAJNtJN. 25
Be thou discreet, thy thoughts employ,
The world's inviting pomp enjoy. —
In search of wealth from day to day
Love's useless passion dies away ;
The sensual make disease their guest,
And nourish scorpions in their breast.
And is thy heart so worthless grown,
To be the cruel sport of one ? 630
Keep it from woman's scathe, and still
Obedient to thy own free will,
And mindful of a parent's voice.
Make him, and not thy foes, rejoice."
Majniin replied : — " My father ! — father still ! —
My power is gone ; I cannot change my will :
The moral counsel thou hast given to me,
(To one who cannot from his bondage flee,)
Avails me nothing. 'Tis no choice of mine,
But Fate's decree, that I should thus repine : 640
Stand I alone ? Look round, on every side
Are broken hearts, by sternest fortune tried :
Shadows are not eelf-made — the silver moon
Is not selfnstation'd, but the Almighty's boon.
From the huge elephant's stupendous form.
To that of the poor ant, the smallest worm,
Through every grade of life, all power is given.
All joy or anguish by the Lord of Heaven.
26 LAILI AND MAJNtJN.
I sought not, I, misfortune — ^but it came —
I sought not fire, yet is my heart all flame : 650?
They ask me why I never laugh nor snule,
Though laughter be no sign of sense the while.
If I should laugh in merry mood, a-gape,
Amidst my mirth some secret might escape^
— A partridge seized an ant, resolved to kill
The feeble creature with his homy bill ;
When, laughing loud, the ant exclaimed^ — *^ Alas I
A partridge thou ! and art thou such an ass ?
I'm but a gnat, and dost thou think to float
A gnat's sHght filmy texture down thy throat ? ' 660
The partridge laugh'd at this unusual sound,
And, laughing, dropp'd the ant upon the ground.
Thus he who idly laughs will always find
Some grief succeed — 'tis so with all mankind.
The stupid partridge, laughing, droop'd his crest,
And by that folly lost what he possess'd.
— This poor old drudge, which bears its heavy load,
Must all life long endure the same rough road ;
No joy for him, in mortal aid no trust,
No rest till death consigns him to the dust." 670
Here paused the youth, and wept ; and now
The household smooth his foiTow'd brow.
And with unceasing eagerness
Seek to remove his soul's distress.
LAri.1 AND MAJNOn. 27
But grief, corroding giief, allows no space
For quiet thoughts ; his wounds break out anew ;
His kindred every change of feature trace,
And unavailing tears their cheeks bedew ;
A deeper, keener anguish marks his face ;
His faded form so haggard to the view ; 680
Useless the task his soitows to remove,
For who can free the heart from love, xmchanging love ?
h
Few days had pass'd, when, frantic grown, ••
He burst from his domestic prison, I
And in the desert wild, alone, j
Pour'd, like the morning bird, new risen, <
His ardent lay of love. Not long I
The mountains echoed with his song, 1
ft
Ere, drawn by sounds so sweet and clear, c
A crowd of listeners hover'd near : 690 J
They saw him, tall as cypress, stand, 5
A rocky fragment in his hand ; j
A purple sash his waist around, J
His legs with links of ii-on bound ; I
Yet, unencumber'd was his gait ; *
They only show'd his maniac state.
Wandering he reach'd a spot of groxmd,
With palmy groves and poplars crown'd ;
A Uvely scene it was to view,
Where flowers too bloom'd of every hue ; 700
28 LAlLf AND MAJNUN.
Starting, he saw the axe applied
To a cypress-tree — and thus he cried : —
'' Gardener ! did ever love thy heart control 1
Was ever woman mistress of thy soul ?
When joy has thrill'd through every glowing nerve,
Hadst thou no wish that feeling to preserve 1
Does not a woman's love dehght, entrance,
. / And every blessing fortime yields enhance ?
Then stop' that lifted hand, the stroke suspend,
Spare, spare the cypress-tree, and be my friend ! 710
And why ? Look there, and be forewam'd by me,.
'Tis Lailf's form, all grace and majesty ;
Wouldst thou root up resemblance so complete,.
And lay its branches withering at thy feet ?
What 1 Lain 's form ? no ; spare the cypress-tree ;
Let it remain, still beautiful and free ;
Yes, let my prayers thy kindhest feelings move,
And save the graceful shape of her I love ! "
— The gardener dropp'd his axe, o'ercome with shame.
And left the tree to bloom, and speak of Laili's fame. 720
VL
LaiH in beauty, softness, grace,
Surpass'd the loveliest of her race ;
She was a fresh and odorous flower,
Pluck'd by a fairy from her bower ;
With heart-delighting rosebuds blooming,
The welcome breeze of spring perfuming.
LAILI AND MAJNIJn. 29
The killing witchery that lies
In her soft, black, delicious eyes,
When gather'd in one amorous glance.
Pierces the heart, like sword or lance ; 730
The prey that falls into her snare.
For life must mourn and struggle there ;
Her eyelash speaks a thousand blisses,
Her lips of ruby ask for kisses ;
Soft hps where sugar-sweetness dwells,
Sweet as the bee-hive's honey-cells ;
Her cheeks, so beautiful and bright,
Had stole the moon's refulgent Kght ; — ^
Her form the cypress-tree expresses,
And full and ripe invites caresses ; 740
With all these charms the heart to win.
There was a careless grief within —
Yet none beheld her grief, or heard ;
She droop'd like broken-winged bird.
Her secret thoughts her love concealing,
But, softly to the terrace stealing.
From mom to eve she gazed around.
In hopes her Majnun might be found.
Wandering in sight. For she had none
To sympathise with her — not one I 750
None to compassionate her woes —
In dread of rivals, friends, and foes ;
And though she smiled, her mind's distress
Fill'd all her thoughts with bitterness :
30 LAILf AND MAJNUN,
The fire of absence on them prey'd,
But light nor smoke that fire betray'd ;
Shut up within herself, she sate,
Absorbed in grief, disconsolate ;
Yet true love has resom-ces still.
Its soothing arts, and ever will ! 760
Voices in guarded softness rose
Upon her ever-listening ear ;
She heard her constant lover's woes,
In melting strains, repeated near ;
The sky, with gloomy clouds o'erspread,
At length soft showers began to shed ;
And what, before, destruction seem'd,
With rays of better promise gleam' d.
Voices of young and old she heard
Beneath the harem-walls reciting 770
Her Majnun's songs ; each thrilling word
Her almost broken heart dehghting.
Lailf, with matchless charms of face.
Was bless'd wdth equal mental grace ;
With eloquence and taste refined ;
And fi'om the treasures of her mind
She pour'd her fondest love's confession
With faithful love's most wann expression ;
LAILf AND MAJNON. 31
Told all her hopes and sorrows o'er,
Though told a thousand times before : 780
The Hfe-blood circling through her veins
Recorded her affecting strains ;
And as she wrote, with passion flush'd,
The glowing words with crimson blush'd.
And now the terrace she ascends
In secret, o'er the rampart bends,
And flings the record, with a sigh,
To one that moment passing by :
Unmark'd the stranger gains the prize.
And from the spot like hghtning flies 790
To where the lingering lover weeps unseen.
— Starting upon his feet, with cheerful mien.
He gazes, reads, devours the pleasing tale.
And joy again illumes his features pale.
Thus was resumed the soft exchange of thought ;
Thus the return of tenderest feeling wrought :
Each the same secret intercourse pursued,
And mutual vows more ardently renew'd ;
And many a time between them went and came
The fondest tokens of their deathless flame ; 800
Now in hope's heaven, now in despair's abyss,
And now enrapt in visionary bliss.
32 LAJLI AND MAJNtJN.
VII.
The gloomy veil of night withdrawn,
How sweetly looks the silvery dawn :
Rich blossoms laugh on every tree,
Like men of fortunate destiny,
Or the shining face of revelry.
The crimson tulip and golden rose
Their sweets to all the world disclose.
I mark the gUttering pearly wave 810
The fountain's banks of emerald lave ;
The birds in every arbor sing,
The very raven hails the spring ;
The partridge and the ring-dove raise
Their joyous notes in songs of praise ;
But bulbuls, through the mountain-vale,
Like Majniin, chant a mournful tale.
The season of the rose has led
Lain to her own favorite bower ;
Her cheeks the softest vermil-red, 820
Her eyes the modest sumbul flower.
She has left her father s painted hall.
She has left the terrace where she kept
Her secret watch till evening fall,
And where she oft till midnight wept.
LAIli AND MAJNfjTN. 33
A golden fillet sparkling roimd
Her brow, her raven tresses bound ;
And as she o'er the greensward tripp'd,
A train of damsels ruby-lipp'd,
Blooming like flowers of Samarkand, 830
Obedient boVd to her command.
She gUtter'd like a moon among
The beauties of the starry throng,
With lovely forms as Houris bright,
Or Peris glancing in the Kght ;
And now they reach an emerald spot.
Beside a cool sequestered grot,
And soft recline beneath the shade,
By a delicious rose-bower madet
There, in soft converse, sport, and play, 840
The hours unnoted glide away ;
But Laili to the Bulbul tells
What secret grief her bosom swells,
And fancies, through the rustling leaves.
She from the garden-breeze receives
The breathings of her own true love^
Fond as the cooings of the dove*
In that romantic neighbourhood
A grove of palms majestic stood ;
Never in Arab desert wild 850
A more enchanting prospect smiled ;
34 LAILf AND MAJNON.
So fragrant, of so bright a hue,
Not Irem richer verdure knew ;
Nor fountain half so clear, so sweet.
As that which flowed at Laili's feet.
The Grove of Palms her steps invites ;
She strolls amid its varied scenes,
Its pleasant copses, evergreens,
In which her wakened heart delights.
Where'er the genial zephyr sighs, 860
LiHes and roses near her rise :
Awhile the prospect charms her sight.
Awhile she feels her bosom Hght,
Her eyes with pleasure beaming bright :
But sadness o'er her spirit steals.
And thoughts, too deep to hide, reveals :
Beneath a cypress-tree reclined.
In secret thus she breathes her mind : —
" faithftd ftiend, and lover true,
Still distant from thy LaUf s view; 870
Still absent, still beyond her power
To bring thee to her fragrant bower ;
O noble youth, still thou art mine,
And Laih', Lailf still is thine 1 "
As thus she almost dreaming spoke,
' A voice r^roachful her attention woke.
LAni AND MAJNthf. 35
"What! hast thou banish'd prudence from thy
mind I
And shall success be given to one unkiad?
Majniin on billows of despair is toss'd,
Laill has nothing of her pleasures lost 5 880
Majniin has sorrow gnawing at his heart,
LaHi's blithe looks far other thoughts impart ;
Majniin the poison-thom of grief endures,
Laili, all wiles and softness, still allures ;
Majniin her victim in a thousand ways,
Laili in mirth and pastime spends her days ;
Majniin's unnumber'd wounds his rest destroy,
Laill exists but in the bowers of joy ;
Majniin is bound by love's mysterious spell,
Laili's bright cheeks of cheerful feelings tell ; 890
Majniin his Laili's absence ever mourns,
Lailf s light mind to other objects turns/'
At this reproof tears floVd apace
Down Laili's pale, dejected face ;
But soon to her glad heart was known
The trick, thus practised by her own
Gay, watchful, ever sportive train.
Who long had watch'd, nor watch'd in vain ;
And mark'd in her lovers voice and look,
Which never woman's glance mistook. 900
Her mother too, with keener eye,
Saw deeper through the mystery,
C 2
36 LAILf AND MAJNtJN.
Whicli Laili thought her story veil'd
And oft that fatal choice bewail'd;
But Laili still loved on ; the root
Sprang up, and bore both bud and fruit ;
And she believed her secret flower
As safe as treasui-e in a guarded tower.
vm.
That day on which she pensive stray'd
Amidst the Grove of Palms — that day 910
How sweetly bloom'd the Arab maid,
Girt by her train in fair array 1
Her moist red Hps, her teeth of pearl.
Her hair in many a witching curl ;
Haply, on that devoted day,
A gallant youth, with followers gay,
In splendid faahion pass'd that way ;
Who saw that lamp of beauty gleaming.
Her luscious eye with softness beaming ;
And in his bosom rose the fire 920
Of still-increasing fond desire.
Besolved at once her hand to claim
(Ibn Salim his honor'd name),
He from her parents seeks success,
Offering the nuptial-knot to tie ;
And, to promote that happiness,
Scatters his gold abundantly.
LAILf AND MAJNiCN. 37
As if it were but common earth,
Or sand, or waiter, little worth —
But he was of illustrious birth. 930
The parents scarce believed the word,
The marriage-union, thus preferred :
And, though consenting, still they pray'd
The nuptial mom might be delay'd :
In her no ripen'd bloom was seen,
The sweet pomegranate still was green;
But a future day should surely deck
With a bridal yoke her spotless neck;
" We will then surrender the maiden to thee.
The maiden, till now, "unaflSanced and freel ' 940
The promise soothes his eager heart.
And he and his followers, pleased, departs
IX.
Majnun, midst wild and solitude^
His melancholy mood pursued :
In sterner moments, loud he raved.
The desert's burning noon-tide braved.
Or, where refreshing shadows feU.
Warbled of her he loved so well
The Arab chief of that domain
Which now his wandering footsteps press'd, 950
Was honored for his bounteous reign^-
For ever succouring the distressed.
38 lAni AND MAJNtJN;
Noxifal his name — ^well known to wield,
Victorious in the battle-field,
His glittering sword, and overthrow
The robber-band or martial foe ;
Magnificent in pomp and etate.
And wealthy as in valour great.
One day the pleasures of the chase,
The keen pursuit of bounding deer, 960
Had brought the chieftain to that place
Where Majniin stood, and, drawing near.
The stranger's features sought to trace,
And the sad notes of grief to hear.
Which, ere he. saw the maniac's face.
Had, sorrow-laden, struck his ear.
He now beheld that wasted frame.
That head and mien o'ergrown with hair,
That wild, wild look, which well might claim
Brotherly kindred with despair, 970
Dejected, miserable, borne
By grief to life's last narrow verge,
With wounded feet and vestment torn.
Singing his own funereal dirge.
Noufal had traversed forest, copse, and glade.
In anxious quest of game, and here he found
LAILf AND MAJNfjN. 39
Game — ^but what game t — aJas ! a hmnan shade^
So light it scarcely touch'd the gromid.
Dismounting straight, he hears what woes
Had marr'd the mournful youth's repose ; 980
And kindly tries with gentle wordia
To show what pleasures Ufe affords ;
And prove the uselessness, the folly,
Of nursing grief and melancholy;
But worse, when men from reason flee,
And willing steep their hearts in misery.
The sympathy of generous minds
Around the heart its influence winds,
And, ever soothing, by degrees.
Restores its long-lost harmonies ; 990
Majniin, so long to love a prey,
Death hastening on by swift decay.
Began to feel that calming spell.
That sweet deUght, unspeakable,
Which draws us from ourselves away.
A change now gently o'er him came ;
With trembling hand he took the cup. ^
And drank, but drank in Lailf s name,
The life-restoring cordial up.
40 LAni AND MAJNtJN.
His spirits rose ; refreshing food 1000
At Noufal's hospitable board
Seem'd to remove his wayward mood,
So long endured, so long deplored.
And Noxifal with delight smr'ey'd
The social joy his eyes betra/d,
And heard his glowing strains of love,
His mnrmurings like the turtle-dove,
While thinking of his Arab maid.
Changed from himself, his mind at rest,
In customary robes he dress'd ; 1010
A turban shades his forehead pale.
No more is heard the lover's wail,
But, jocund as the vintner's gtlest,
H^ laughs and drinks with added ze^
His dungeon gloom exchanged for day
His cheeks a rosy tint display ;
He revels midst the garden's sweets.
And still his lip the goblet meets ;
But so devoted, so unchanged his flame,
Never without repeating Lailf's name. 1020
In friendly converse, heart uniting heart,
Noufal and Jilajniin hand in hand are seen ;
And, from each other loathing to depart.
Wander untired by fount and meadow green*
LAni AND MAJNfjN. 41
But what ifl friendship to a soul
Inured to more intense control ?
A zephyr breathing over flowers,
Compared to when the tempest lours ?
A zephyr, firiendship's gentler course ;
A tempest, love's tumultuous force ; 1030
For friendship leaves a vacuum still,
Which love, and love alone, can fill :
So Majniin felt ; and Noufal tried,
In vain, to fill that aching void :
For, though the Uquid sparkling red
StiU flow'd, his fiiend thus sorrowing said : —
« My generous host, with plenty bless'd,
No boding cares thy thoughts molest ;
Thy kindness many a charm hath given,
But not one solace under heaven ; 1040
Without my love, in tears I languish.
And not a voice to check my anguish ;
Like one of thirst about to die.
And every fountain near him dry :
Thirst is by water quench'd, not treasure,
Nor floods of wine, nor festive pleasure.
Bring me the cure my wounds require ;
Quench in my heart this raging fire ;
My Laili, oh I my Laili giv.e,
Or thy poor friend must cease to Uve I '' 1050
Majnrin had scarce his wish express'd
Ere rose in generous Noufal's breast
u/
42 LATtJ AND MAJNUN.
The firm resolve to serve his friend,
And to his settled purpose bend
Laili's stem father ;
Now, in arros arrayed.
And lifting high his keen Damascus blade,
He caUs a band of veterans to his aid.
Swift as the feather'd race the assembled train
Bush, sword in hand, along the desert plain ; 1060
And when the chieftain's habitation bright
Upon the blue horizon strikes the sight,
He sends a messenger to claim the bride,
In terms imperious, not to be denied ;
Yet was that claim derided. " Thou wilt soon
Repent this folly : — Laili is the moon ;
And who presumes the splendid moon to gain ?
Is there on earth a man so mad, so vain ?
Who draw their swords at such a hazard? None.
Who strikes his crystal vase upon a stone ? " 1070
Noufal again endeavours to inspire
With dread of vengeance LaiH's haughty sire ;
But useless are the threats — ^the same reply—
** Alike thy power and vengeance I defy 1 "
The parley over, Noufal draws his sword,
And with his horsemen pours upon the horde.
Ready for battle. Spears and helmets ring,
And brass-boimd shields ; loud twangs the archer's
string ;
v..
lailI and majnun. 43
The field of conflict like the ocean roars,
When the huge billows burst upon the shores. 1080
Arrows, like birds, on either foeman stood.
Drinking with open beak the vital flood ;
The shining daggers in the battle's heat
Roird many a head beneath the horses* feet ;
And lightnings, hurl'd by death's unsparing hand,
Spread consternation through the weeping land.
Amidst the horrors of that fatal fight,
Majnun appeared — a strange appalling sight 1
Wildly he raved, confounding fidend and foe.
His garments half abandoned in his woe, 1090
And with a maniac stare reproachful cried —
" Why combat thus when all are on my side?"
The foemen laugh'd — the uproar louder grew —
No pause the brazen drums or trumpets knew ;
The stoutest heart sank at the carnage wrought ;
Swords blush'd to see the numerous heads they
smote.
— ^Noufal with dragon-fierceness prowFd around,
And hurl'd fiiU many a warrior to the ground :
Whatever hero felt his ponderous gerz
Was crush'djtho' stedfast as the Mount Elb6rz. 1100
Upon whatever head his weapon fell,
There was but one heart-rending tale to tell.
Like a mad elephant the foe he met ;
With hostile blood his blade contiiiued wet ;
44 LAILI AND MAJNtJN.
— Wearied at length, both tribes at once withdrew,
Eesolved with mom the combat to renew ;
But Noufars gallant friends had suffer'd most ;
In one hour more the battle had been lost ;
And thence assistance, ere the following dawn,
From otherwarlike tribeswas promptly drawn* lllC
The desert rang again. In front and rear
-^ GKtter'd bright sword and buckler, gerz and spear;
Again the struggle woke the echoes round,
^ Swords clash'd, and blood again made red the
V ground ;
The book of life, with dust and carnage stain'd,
Was soon destroy'd, and not a leaf remain' d.
At last, the tribe of Laili's sire gave way.
And Noufal won the hard-contested day ;
Numbers lay bleeding of that conquer'd band,
And died unsuccour'd on the burning sand. 1120
And now the elders of that tribe appear,
Imploring the proud victor. " Chieftain, hear I
The work of slaughter is complete ;
Thou seest our power destroyed ; allow
Us, wretched suppUants, at thy feet,
Humbly to ask for mercy now.
LAILI AND MAJNtJN. 45
" How many warriors press the plain,
Khanjer and spear have laid them low ;
At peace, behold our kinsmen slain,
And thou art now without a foe. 1130
" Then pardon what of wrong has been :
Let lis retire, unharm'd — unstayed —
Far from this sanguinary scene,
And take thy prize — ^the Arab Maid."
U"
Then came the father, full of grie^ and said —
(Ashes and dust upon his hoary head,)
" With thee, alas I how useless to contend !
Thou art the conqueror, and to thee I bend.
Without resentment now the vanquish'd view,
Wounded and old, and broken-hearted too ; 1140
Reproach has fallen upon me, and has dared
To call me Persian — ^that I disregard ;
For I 'm an Arab still, and scorn the sneer
Of braggart fools, unused to shield and spear.
But let that pass. I now, o'ercome, and weak.
And prostrate, pardon from the victor seek :
Thy slave am I, obedient to thy will.
Ready thy sternest purpose to fulfil ;
But if with Laili I consent to part.
Wilt thou blot outallvengeancefrom thy heart? 1150
Then speak at once, and thy behest declare :
I will not flinch, though it my soul may tear.
46 LAILf AND MAJNtfN.
My daughter shall be brought at thy command ;
Let the red flames ascend from blazing brand,
Waiting their victim, crackUng in the air,
And Laili duteously shall perish there.
Or, if thou 'dfit rather see the maiden bleed.
This thirsty sword shall do the dreadftd deed :
Dissever at one blow that lovely head,
Her sinless blood by her own father shed ! 1160
In all things thou shall find me faithful, true,
Thy slave obsequious, — what wouldst have me do ?
But mark me ; I am not to be begmled ;
/ I will not to a demon give my child ;
^ I will not to a madman's wild embrace
Consign the pride and honor of my race,
And wed her to contempt and foul disgrace.
I will not sacrifice my tribe's fair fame,
Nor taint with obloquy her virtuous name.
Has honor on an Arab heart no claim ? 1170
Better be overwhelm'd by adverse fate
Than yield up honor, even for kingly state.
Through all Arabia is her virtue known ;
Her beauty match'd by heavenly charms alone.
I'd rather in a monster be enshrined
Than bear a name detested by mankind.
What ! wed a wretch, and earn my country's ban !
A dog were better than a demon-man.
A dog's bite heals, but human gnawings never ;
The festering poison-wounds remain for ever." 1180
LAILf AND MAJNtJN. 47
Thus spake the father, and in Noufaru breast
Excited feelings not to be repress'd :
" I hoped to win consent," he said —
" But now that anxious hope is dead,
And thou and thine may quit the field,
Still arm'd with khanjer, sword, and shield ;
Horseman and elder. Thus in vain
Blood has bedew'd this thirsty plain."
When Majniin this conclusion hears.
He flies incensed to Noufal, and with tears 1190
Wildly exclaims — " The dawn, my generous friend 1
Promised this day in happiness would end ;
But thou hast let the gazelle sKp away,
And me defi-auded of my beauteous prey.
Near where Fordt's bright stream rolls on, reclined,
Staunching my wounds, hope soothed my tortured
mind.
And gave me Laili ; now that hope is cross'd,
And life's most valued charm for ever lost."
Noufal with heavy heart now homeward bent
Hisway, and Majniin with himsorrowingwent; 1200
And there again the pitying chieftain strove
To calm the withering pangs of hopeless love ;
To bless, with gentleness and tender care,
The wounded spirit sinking in despair :
48 LAILf AND MAJNUN.
But vain his efforts ; mountain, wood, and plain,
Soon heard the maniac's piercing woes again ;
Escaped from Kstening ear, and watchful eye,
Lonely again in desert wild to lie.
X.
The minstrel strikes his soft guitar,
With sad forebodings pale ; 1210
And fills with song the balmy air,
And thus resumes his tale : —
The pensive bird, compelled to cower.
From day to day in Noufal's bower.
Tired of the scene, with pinions Hght,
Swift as the wind has urged its flight,
And, far from Noufal's wide domain,
Enjoys its liberty again ;
Pouring aloud its sad complaint
In wildest mood without restraint. 1220
And now remote from peopled town,
Midst tangled forest, parch'd and brown,
The maniac roams ; with double speed
He goads along his snorting steed,
Till, in a grove, a sportsman's snare
Attracts his view, and, struggling there,
LAILf AND MAJNtJN, 49
Its knotted ineshes fast between,
Some newly-prison'd deer are seen ;
And as the sportsman forward springs
To seize on one, and promptly brings 1230
The fatal knife upon its neck,
His hand receives a sudden check ;
And looking upwards, with surprise,
(A mounted chief before his eyes I)
He stops — ^while thus exclaims the youth : —
*' If e'er thy bosom throbb'd with ruth,
Forbear I for 'tis a crime to spill
A gazelle's blood — ^it bodeth ill ;
Then set the pleading captive free ;
For sweet is life and Kberty. 1240
That heart must be as marble hard,
And merciless as wolf or pard,
Which clouds in death that large black eye,
Beaming like Laili's, lovingly.
The cruel stroke, my friend, withhold ;
Its neck deserves a string of gold.
Observe its slender limbs, the grace
And winning meekness of its face.
The musk-pod is its fatal dower,
Like beauty, still the prey of power ; 1250
And for that fragrant gift thou 'rt led
The gentle gazelle's blood to shed I
0, seek not gain by cruel deed,
Nor let the innocent victim bleed."
D
50 LAILf AND MAJNtJN,
<* But," cried the sportsma^n, " these are mine ;
I cannot at my task repine :
'Tis the sportsman's task, and free from blame,
To watch and snare the forest-game,"
Majmin, upon this stem reply.
Alighted from his steed, and said — 1260
'* 0, let them Kve I they must not die.
Forbear I and take this barb instead,"
The sportsman seized it eagerly,
And, laughing, from the greenwood sped.
Majniin, dehghted, view'd his purchased prize,
And in the gazelle's sees his Lailf s eyes ;
But soon, freed from the snare, with nimble feet
The tremblers bound to some more safe retreat.
The simple maniac starts, and finds, amazed,
The vision vanished which his fancy raised. 1270
'Tis night — and darkness, black as Laili's tresses,
Veils all around, and all his soul oppresses ;
No lucid moon like Laili's face appears ;
No glimpse of light the gloomy prospect cheers :
In a rude cavern he despairing lies,
The tedious moments only mark'd with sighs.
LAILl Am> MAJNtJN. 51
XL
Behold, what clouds of dust emerge
IVom the lone desert's distant verge I
And, high in dusky eddies driven.
Obscure the azure hue of heaven : 1280
And now the tramp of steeds is heard,
And now the leader's angry word —
Now nearer, jnore distinct they grow—
Who is that leader ? — friend or foe ?
Alas I 'tis Lailfs vanquish'd sire,
Returning home, his heart on fire ;
For though he has survived the blow,
Still bums the disgrace of his overthrow.
His tale is told : some Diw or Ghoul
Had palsied his intrepid soul, 1 290
And held his arm by magic foul,
Or potion from the enchanter's bowl ;
Else had he driven, with easy hand.
The miscreant Noufal from the land ;
For when did ever braggart lord
Fail, but when magic held his sword ?
Now, shielded by the harem screen,
The sweet Narcissus sad is seen :
Listening she hears, disconsolate.
Her feither's words, which seal her fate ;
D 2
52 LAIli AND MAJNUN.
And what has Laill now to bear,
But loneliness, reproach, despair,
With no congenial spirit to impart
One single solace to her bursting heart !
Meanwhile the spicy gale on every side
Wafts the high vaunting of her beauty's pride
Throughall the neighbouring tribes, andmore remote
Her name is whisper'd and her favor sought.
Suitors with various claims appear — the great,
The rich, the powerful — all impatient wait 1310
To know for whom the father keeps that rare
But fragile crystal with such watchful care.
Her charms eclipse all others of her sex.
Given to be loved, but rival hearts to vex ;
For when the lamp of joy illumes her cheeks,
The lover smiles, and yet his heart it breaks :
The fall-blown rose thus sheds its fragrance round ;
But there are thorns, not given to charm, but wound.
Among the rest that stripling came.
Who had before avow'd his flame ; 1320
His cheerful aspect seem'd to say,
For him was fix'd the nuptial-day.
His offerings are magnificent;
Garments embroidered every fold.
And rarest gems, to win consent,
And carpets work'd with silk and gold :
LAILI AND MAJNUN. 53
Amber, and pearls, and rubies bright,
And bags of musk, attract the sight ;
And camels of unequall'd speed,
And ambKng nags of purest breed ; — 1330
These (resting for a while) he sends
Before him, and instructs his friends.
With all the eloquence and power
Persuasion brings in favoring hour.
To magnify his worth, and prove
That he alone deserves her love. —
" A youth of royal presence, Yemen's boast,
Fierce as a lion, powerful as a host ;
Of boundless wealth, and valor's self, he wields
His conquering sword amid embattled fields. 1340
CaU ye for blood ? 'tis shed by his own hand.
Call ye for gold 1 he scatters it Uke sand."
And when the flowers of speech their scent had shed,
Diffusing honors round the suitor's head ;
Exalting him to more than mortal worth,
In person manly, noble in his birth ;
The sire of Laili seem'd oppressed with thought, (. ^
As if with some repulsive feeling fraught ;
Yet promptly was the answer given — he soon
Decreed the fate of Yemen's splendid moon ; 1350
Saddled the steed of his desire, in sooth.
Flung his own offspring in the dragon's mouth.
54 LAni AND majnOn.
Forthwith the nuptial pomp, the nuptial rites.
Engage the chieftain's household — every square
flings with the rattling drums — whose noise excites
More deafening clamor through the wide baz&r.
The pipe and cymbal, shrill and loud,
Dehght the gay assembled crowd ;
And all is mirth and jollity.
With song, and dance, and revelry. 1360
But Lain, mournful, sits apart,
The shaft of misery through her heart ;
And black portentous clouds are seen
Darkening her soft expressive mien :
Her bosom swells with heavy sighs,
Tears gush from those heart-winning eyes,
Where Love's trimnphant witchery lies.
Li blooming spring a withered leai^
She droops in agony of grief;
Loving her own — ^her only one — 1370
Loving Majnun, and him alone ;
All else from her affections gone ;
And to be joined, in a moment's breath,
To another I — ^Death, and worse than death !
Soon as the sparkling stars of night
Had disappear'd, and floods of hght
Shed from the mom's refulgent beam
Empurpled Dijla's rolling stream,
LAILI AND MAJNtJN. 55
The bridegroom, joyous, rose to see
The bride equipp'd as bride should be : 1380
The litter, and the golden throne, ^
Prepared for her to rest upon :
But what avails the tenderest care,
The fondest love, when dark despair
And utter hatred fill the breast
Of her to whom that fondness is address'dl
Quickly her sharp disdain the bridegroom feels,
And from her scornful presence shrinks and reels :
A solemn oath she takes, and cries,
With frenzy flashing from her eyes, — 1390
" Hop'st thou I ever shall be thine ? '
It is my father^s will, not mine I
Eather than be that thing abhorred.
My life-blood shall distain thy sword.
Away 1 nor longer seek to gain
A heart foredoom'd to endless pain ;
A heart, no power of thine can move ;
A bleeding heart, which scorns thy love t "
When Ibn SalAm her frenzied look beheld, 1399
And heard her vows, his oherish'd hopes were quell'd.
He soon perceived what art had been employed, —
All his bright visions faded and destroy'd ; —
And found, when love has turn'd a maiden's brain.
Father and mother urge their power in vain.
56 LAlLl AND MAJNUN.
XII.
The Arab poets who rehearse
Their legends in imperishable verse,
Say, when Majniin these tidings knew.
More wild, more moody wild, he grew ;
Raving through wood and mountain glen ;
Flying stiU more the haunts of men, 1410
Sudden a perfiime, grateful to the soul,
O'er his awaken'd senses stole.
He thought from LaiH's fragrant couch it came.
And filled with joy his wearied frame.
Ecstatic with the unexpected pleasure.
The fond memorial of his dearest treasiu-e.
He sank upon the ground, beneath the shade
Of a broad palm, in senseless torpor laid.
A stranger, quickly passing by.
Observed the love-lorn wanderer lie 1420
Sleeping, or dead, and check'd his camel's pace
To mark the features of his face.
Loud roaring, like a demon, he awoke
The maniac from his trance, and gaily spoke : —
" Up, up, thou sluggard I up and see.
What thy heart's-ease has done for thee 1
Better drive feeling from thy mind,
Since there's no faith in womankind :
LAILf AND MAJNtJN. 57
Better be idle, than employ'd
In fruitless toil ; better avoid 1430
A mistress, though of form divine,
If she be fair and false as thine I
They 've given her charms to one as young —
The bride-veil o'er her brow is flung :
Close, side by side, from mom till night,
Kissing and daUiance their delight ;
Whilst thou from human solace flying,
With unrequited love art dying.
— ^Distant from her adorer's view,
One in a thousand may be true : 1440
the pen which writes, as if it knew
A woman's promise, sphts in two.
While in another's warm embrace.
No witness to thy own disgrace,
Faithless, she wastes no thought on thee,
Wrapp'd in her own felicity.
Woman's desire is more intense
Than man's — more exquisite her sense ;
But, never blinded by her flame,
Gain and fruition are her aim, 1450
A woman's love is selfish all ;
Possessions, wealth, secure her fall.
How many false and cruel prove,
And not one faithful in her love I
A contradiction is her hfe ;
Without, all peace ; within, all strife ;
58 LAILf AND MAJNCn. ]
A dangerous friend, a fatal foe,
Prime breeder of a world of woe.
When we are joyous, she is sad ;
When deep in sorrow, she is glad. 1460
Such is the life a woman leads,
And in her sorcery still succeeds."
These words confused the lover's brain ;
Fire ran through every swelling vein : I
Frantic he dash'd his forehead on the ground,
And blood flow'd trickling from the ghastly wound.
" What added curse is this? " he groaning said, —
" Another tempest, roaring round my head I ''
Whenever did a bleeding heart
Betray no sign of bKghted reason ? 1470
Can the most skilful gardener's art
Still keep his flowers or fruit in season ?
No ; hearts dissolved in grief give birth
To madness, as the teeming earth
Yields herbs ; and yet bewilder'd mind,
To all but one bright object bKnd,
Suffers no censure from the seer
Who guides the faithful Moslem here.
Love sanctifies the erring thought, 1479
And Heaven forgives the deed by frenzy wrought.
LAILl AND MAJNUN. 59
** A rose, a lovely rose, I foiind,
With thorns and briers encompassed round ;
And, stnigglLag to possess that prize.
The gardener in his wrath denies,
Behold my heart, all torn and bleeding,
Its pangs all other pangs exceeding :
I see the leaves expand and bloom,
I smell its exquisite perfume ;
Its color, blushing in the Hght,
Gives to my raptured soul delight : 1490
I weep beneath the cypress-tree,
And stiU the rose is not for me.
Alas I none hear, nor mark my moan ;
Pride of my soul, my rose, is gone I
Another has, in open day,
Borne the heart-winning prize away.
Though wrapp'd in sweetest innocence.
The fell oppressor snatch'd her thence.
But who deserves the curse that 's sped
Upon the foul betrayer's head? 1500
The gardener, in his lust for gold,
That rose — the boast of Irem — sold.
" Poor wretch ! if worlds of wealth were mine,
Full willingly I 'd make them thine ;
But not a dirhem for that rose,
The fatal cause of all my woes.
60 LAni AND MAJNfjN,
I would not play a villain's part,
And buy with gold a woman's heart ;
'Tis not in gold to purchase love,
Above all wealth, all price above ; 1510
For I would rather die than see
A smile on Kps that are not free.
Give me the boundless swell of bliss,
^The heart upspringing to the kiss,
When life, and soul, and breath combine
To tell me, she is only mine ;
The flood of joy o'erwhelming quite
My glowing senses with dehght.
— Base wretch I and thou that rose hast sold :
A demon's curse upon thy gold." 1520
The traveller witnessed with surprise
How he the maniac's heart had wrung —
What remedy could he devise ?
He from his camel sprung ;
And when the sufferer seem'd to be restored.
Forgiveness anxiously implored : —
" 'Twas wrong, and I deserve the blame ;
I mark'd with infamy her name :
My fault is of the darkest hue, —
My crime — ^for Lailf still is true 1 1530
What I though in nuptial band united.
Her faith, to thee so often plighted.
LAILI AND MAJNUN. 61
Spotless remains, still firm, mibroken.
As proved by many a mournful token.
For every moment's space can claim
A thousand recollections of thy name :
Thus ever present to her memory,
She lives, and only Hves for thee.
One year has pass'd since she was made a bride ;
But what of years ? whatever may betide, 1540
Were it a thousand, stiU her heart's the same,
Unchanged, unchangeable her earliest cherish'd flame."
Now Majniin, desolate, his fate perceived,
As in a glass, the misery of his lot.
And, from the first impression scarce relieved.
Felt his abandonment, and only not forgot.
Wasted and wan, he fluttered where he lay ;
And, turning to that magic point which led
To where his angel-face was wont to stay.
Thus, in a melancholy tone, he said : — 1550
** Alas 1 my passion glow'd in every part ;
Thine in thy tongue, but never in thy heart ;
With thy new love hast thou so amorous grown ?
And am I worthless as a desert-stone?
What is a word, a propaise, oath, or pledge ?
Mockery, which never can the heart engage.
62 LAILI AND MAJNCN.
What was my garden's wealth but fruit and flowers?
And all that wealth a raven now devours ;
And what has been my constant care and toil,
But for another to prepare the spoil I 1560
When first my soul was destined to be thine,
I Httle thought that treasure to resign ;
Think of thy broken vows, to what they tend ;
Think of thy falsehood, and lament its end.
My doom is fix'd ; my choice no longer free ;
My martyr-life devoted still to thee 1 "
XIII.
Meantime, the father moum'd his wretched state,
Like Jacob o'er his Joseph's unknown fate ;
\/ No rest by day, no sleep by night ;
Grief o'er him shed its withering bhght ; 1570
Incessant yawnings wrung his heart.
He sat in darkness, silent, lone :
" Why did my child from home depart ?
Where has the hopeless wanderer gone ? "
Dreading that death's relentless dart
His best-beloved had overthrown.
Sudden he rose — despair gave force
And vigor to his aged frame ;
And, almost frantic with remorse.
Gathering upon himself the blame, 1580
LAILI and MAJNtJN. C3
He trod the maze of wood and wild,
Seeking his poor forsaken child ;
And when the day withdrew its Kght,
He pass'd in cavern rude the night ;
But never ceased his venturous quest —
No peace for him — ^no strengthening rest.
In vain he paced the desert round.
For not a trace of him was found.
At length a herdsman, falling in his way.
Described the spot where Majniin lay ; 1590
Craggy, and deep, and terrible to view.
It seem'd a grave all damp with noxious dew,
Tlnther proceeding, by the stranger led,
He finds with horror that sepulchral bed ;
And, fearful of the worst, beholds the wreck
Of his once-lovely boy ; —
He sees a serpent winding round his neck.
Playful, not destined to destroy :
It stays but for a moment — all around.
Limbs half-devour'd, and bones, bestrew the ground. 1600
With cautious step descending, he surveys
Th' unconscious youth, who meets his anxious gaze
With a wild look, which could not recognise
The tottering form before him — " Who art thou 1
And what thy errand ? " The old man rephes —
" I am thy father I I have found thee now,
After long search I " Embracing, both remained
In deep compassionate sorrow, fondly strain'd
64 LAILI AND MAJNtJN.
Each to the other's bosom ; and when he,
The maniac, had regain'd his memory, 1610
And beams of light burst through his 'nighted brain,
And he beheld and knew his sire again,
Joy sparkled in his faded eye awhile,
And his parch'd lips seem'd curl'd into a smile.
The poor old father said, with feeble voice,
'* Thou mak'st my heart both tremble and rejoice :
The path o'er which thy feet are doom'd to pass
Shows blades of swords, not harmless blades of grass ;
And I would warn thee never more to roam ;
Thy only safety is to stay at home, 1620
Dogs have a home, and thou hast none to boast :
I Art thou a man to human comfort lost ?
I If man thou art, then like a man appear,
I Or, if a demon, be a demon here.
The ghoul, created to perplex the earth,
Is still a ghoul, and answers to its birth ;
But thou 'rt a man ; and why, with human soul.
Forget thy nature and become a ghoul I
To-day, if thou shouldst throw the reins aside.
To-morrow thou may'st ask, and be denied. 1630
Soon shall I pass away, and be at rest ;
No longer this frail world's unhappy guest.
My day is mingling with the shades of night ;
My life is losing all its wonted light.
Soul of thy father I re-inspired with grace,
Rise, and protect the honors of thy race !
LAILf AND MAJNtJN. 65
That, ere this frame be in the grave laid low,
I may the guardian of my birthright know ;
That, ere I die, to soothe a parent's grief,
Thou mayst be hail'd in thine own home, the chief. 1 640
Forbid it, Heaven, that when my hour is past,
My house and home should to the winds be cast !
That plundering strangers, with rapacious hand.
Should waste my treasure and despoil my land !
And Heaven forbid, that both at once should fall,
(My greatest dread) and thus extinguish all 1
That when the summons reaches me to die.
Thy death should also swell the funeral cry I "
These words sank deep in Majniin*s breast: he seem'd
Alter'd in mood, as through his senses streamed 1650
The memory of his home, the fond regard
Of his dear mother, and the joys he shared
From her affection. Days and nights he tried.
To banish from his thoughts another's bride :
Repentance came, and oft the strife renewed.
But tyrant love that feeling soon subdued ;
(Love, a wild elephant in might, which grows
More powerful when opposed by friends or foes ;)
And the poor maniac thus his sire addressed : —
"Thy coimsel, father, is the wisest, best; 1660
And I would gladly to thy wish conform :
But what am I ? a helpless wretch, a worm.
Without the power to do what I approve,
Enslaved, the victim of almighty love,
E
I >i
I
• I
66 liAILl AND MAJNCN.
To me the world is swallow'd up— I see
Nothing but Laill — all is lost to me,
Save her bright image — father, mother, home,
AU buried in impenetrable gloom,
Beyond my feeling ; — ^yet I know thou 'rt here,
And I could weep ; — ^but what avails the tear, 1670
Even were it at a father's funeral shed ?
For human sorrows never reach the dead.
Thou say'st, the night of Death is on thee falling !
Then must I weep, thy fostering care recalling ;
But I shall die in utter misery,
And none be left in life to weep for me."
Syd Omai, with unutterable grief.
Gazed on his son, whose sorrows mock'd reKef ;
And, hopeless, wretched, every thought resigned
That once was balm and comfort to his mind. 1680
Then, showering blessings o'er his offspring's head.
Groaning, he parted from that dismal cave ;
And, wrapt in deepest anguish, homeward sped ;
But 'twas alas I to his expected grave.
Gently he sank, by age and grief oppress'd.
From this vain world, to that of endless rest.
Vain world indeed ! who ever rested here I
The lustrous moon hath its eternal sphere ;
But man, who in this mortal prison sighs,
Appears like lightning, and like Hghtning flies. 1690
A pilgrimnstep approach'd the wild retreat.
Where Majnun linger'd in his rocky seat.
LAILf AND MAJNtJN. 67
And the sad tale was told. He fell
Upon the earth insensible ;
And, grovelling, with a frantic air,
His bosom beat — he tore his hair,
And never rested, night or day,
Till he had, wandering far away,
Reach'd the sad spot where peaceful lay
His father's bones, now crumbling with decay. 1700
His arms around the grave he flung.
And to the earth delirious clung ;
Grasping the ashes of the dead.
He cast them o'er his prostrate head,
And, with repentant tears, bedew'd
The holy relics round him strew'd.
O'erwhelming was the sharpened sense
Of his contrition, deep, intense ;
And sickness wrapp'd his shattered frame
In a slow fever's parching flame ; 1710
Still, ceaseless, 'twas his wont to rave
Upon his father's sacred grave.
He felt the bitterness of fate ;
He saw his folly now too late ;
And worlds would give again to share
His generous father's constant care ;
For he had oft, in wanton guise,
Contemn'd the coimsels of the wise ;
Had with a child's impatience bum'd.
And scorn for sympathy retum'd ; 1720
E 2
il
68 LAHi AND majnCk.
And now, like all of human mould,
When the indulgent heart is cold,
Which would have seal'd his happiness,
He mourns — ^but mourns his own distress ;
For, when the diamond blazed like day,
He cast it recklessly away.
XIV.
Who wanders near that palmy glade,
Where the fresh breeze adds coolness to the shade ?
'Tis Majniin ; — ^he has left his father's tomb,
Again 'mid rocks and scorching plains to roam, 1730
Unmindfdl of the sun's meridian heat,
Or the damp dewy night, with unshod feet ;
Unmindful of the forest's savage brood.
Howling on every side in quest of blood ;
No dread has he from aught of earth or air.
From den or eyry, calm in his despair :
He seems to court new perils, and can view
With unblench'd visage scenes of darkest hue ;
Yet is be gentle, and his gracious mien
Checks the extended claw, where blood has been ; 1 740
For tiger, wolf, and panther, gather round
The maniac as their king, and hck the ground ;
Fox and hyena fierce their snarling cease ;
Lion and fawn familiar meet in peace ;
Vulture and soaring eagle, on the wing,
Around his place of rest their shadows fling ;
LAILI and MAJNtJN. 69
Like Suliman, o'er all extends his reign ;
His pillow is the Hon's shaggy mane ;
The wily leopard, on the herbage spread,
Forms like a carpet his romantic bed : 1750
And lynx and wolf) in harmony combined.
Frisk o'er the sward, and gambol with the hind.
All pay their homage with respect profound,
As if in circles of enchantment bound.
Among the rest, one little fawn
Skipp'd nimbly o'er the flowery lawn ;
And, beautifully deUcate,
Sprang where the admiring maniac sate :
So soft, so meek, so sweetly mild,
So shy, so innocently wild, 1760
And, ever playftd in his sight.
The fondling grew his great deUght ;
He loved its pleasing form to trace.
And kiss its full black eyes and face,
Thinking of Laili all the while ;
For fantasies the heart beguile ;
And with th' iUusive dream impress'd,
He hugged the favorite to his breast :
With his own hand the fawn he fed,
And choicest herbs before it spread ; 1770
And all the beasts assembled there
Partook of his indulgent care.
70 T^AHif AND MAJNtJN.
And, day and night, they, imconstrain'd.
In wondrous harmony remain'd.
And thus, throughout the world, we find
'Mid brutes, as well as humankind,
A liberal hand, a friendly voice,
Bids e'en the savage heart rejoice.
There is a curious story told
Of a despotic king, of old, 1780
Which proves ferocious beasts endued
With a deep sense of gratitude.
The king had in his palace-bounds
A den of man-devouring hounds ;
And all on whom his anger fell
Were cast into that dreadful cell.
Among the courtiers there was one,
For wisdom, wit, and shrewdness known.
Long iQ the royal household nursed.
But still he always fear'd the worst, 1790
Thinking the fatal day might come
For him to share an equal doom ;
And therefore, by a dexterous scheme,
His Ufe endeavoured to redeem.
Unseen, by night, he often stood
And fed the hounds with savoury food ;
And well their bounteous friend they Imew,
And in their hearts attachment grew ;
When, just a^s he, prophetic, thought,
The king his death unfeeling sought ; 1800
. LAnJ AND MAJNUN. 71
Sternly his good old courtier blamed.
And to the ravenous dogs condemn'd,
'Twas night when in the den he caet
His victim for a dog's repast :
Next morn, imshamed by such a deed,
(Dooming the innocent to bleed,)
He sent a page to look for him,
Torn, he expected, limb from limb :
The wondering keeper, who obe/d
The king, and not a trice delay'd, 1810
Now, hastening to the presence, cried,
" king 1 his virtue has been tried ;
He bears an angel's blessed charm,
And God protects his life from harm :
Untouched, though fetter'd fast, I found him,
The dogs all fondly fawning round him ! "
The king was struck with wonderment
At this miraculous event ;
And seeing, in that horrid cell,
The guiltless courtier safe and well, 1820
He ask'd, with tears profiisely shed.
By what strange spell he was not dead ?
" No juggling words had I to say ;
I fed the bloodhounds every day ;
And thence their gratitude arose.
Which saved me from my cruel foes.
But I have served thee many a year,
And for it thou has sent me here I
72 LAILI AND MAJNtJN.
A dog has feeling — thou hast none —
A dog is thankful for a bone ; 1830
But thou, with hands in blood unbrtied.
Bast not one spark of gratitude."
Abash'd the despot saw his crimes,
And changed his frightful course betimes.
XV.
Sweet slumber had diffused the charm of rest
Through the poor maniac's agitated breast,
And as the mom, magnificently bright,
Pour'd o'er the cloudless sky its purple Hght,
The smiling presage of a prosperous day.
He rose refreshed, and hail'd the heavenly ray. 1840
Graceful he stood amidst the varied herd.
And, warm'd with hope, his orisons preferr'd ;
When suddenly a horseman met his view.
Who, as it seem'd, the wandering lover knew.
" Romantic youth ! I see the timorous deer I
And the fierce Hon meet in concord here.
And thou the monarch — strange 1 but mark 1 I bear
A secret tale of one, so loved, so fair. I
What wouldst thou feel, did I her name declare I 1
What is the cypress to her form divine ? 1850
What is the perfume from a martyr's shrine ?
What, should that idol's fate be mix'd with thine ?
Her ringlets twisted like the graceful Jim, ,
Her shape an Alif, and her mouth a Mim ; *
LAlli AND MAJNt5N. 73
Her eyes like two Narcissuses, that grow
Where the pure waters of a fountain flow ;
Hei" eyebrows, join'd, a double arch express ;
Her beauteous cheeks an angel might caress.
But what can I of such perfection say ?
How to the blind Creation's charms portray ? 1860
I saw her weep — ^the tear-drops glistening fell
In showers from eyes which their own tale could tell ;
And yet I ask'd for whom she wept and moum'd —
For one untrue, or one to dust retum'd ?
Opening her ruby lips, she softly said —
* My heart is desolate — my joys are fled ;
I once was Lailf — need I more reveal ?
Worse than a thousand maniacs now I feel :
More wild than that dark star which rules my fate,
More mad than Majntin's my distracted state. 1870
If that dark spirit thou shouldsi haply find —
That mournful wreck of an enlightened mind —
How wilt thou recognise him ? By that sad
Disordered aspect, oft pronounced as mad ;
By that unutterable grief which preys
Upon his heart ; that melancholy gaze,
Which has no sense of outward things ; that love
So pure, an emanation from above.
that I could escape this wretched thrall,
And leave, for ever leave, my father's hall. 1880
But go, and seek the wanderer ; — glen and cave
Patient explore — ^his refuge, or Im grave :
74 LAni AND MAJNUN.
Find him ; and, faithful, with unwearied feet
Return, and tell me his forlorn retreat.-
Silent I heard her earnest prayer ;
Mark'd her desponding voice and air ;
And while she still, in tenderest mood,
Bedew'd with tears, before me stood,
The story of thy woes, which long
Had been the theme of many a song, 1890
Familiar to the country round,
I sang, and deep affection found ;
So deep, that sigh, succeeding sigh.
She trembled in her agony,
And, senseless, sank upon the ground.
Where pale and motionless she lay
As if her life had ebb'd away.
But soon as that dread swoon was o'er.
And sobs and tears relieved her heart ;
Again she press'd me to restore 1900
Him she adored — * If kind thou art,
And kind thou must be to a wretch forlorn,
I feel thou wouldst not play a traitor's part ; \
Thou canst not view my misery with scorn. . ^
Alas 1 though I may seem to him untrue,
Pity is still to woman's sorrows due.'
Her rosy fingers press
The written tale of her distress ;
LAUi AND MAJNtJN. 75
And, raising to her ruby mouth
That passionate record of her truth, 1910
Kiss'd it a thousand times, and shed
A flood of tears, whilst mournfully she said —
* To him this sad memorial give-
To him for whom alone I Uve.' "
Majmin, perplex'd, with painful feelings riven,
Seem'd to refuse what still to him was Heaven ;
Imputed falsehood swept across his mind,
But left no dark distrustful thoughts behind.
At length, the writing eagerly he took ;
But, as he read, he falter'd, wept, and shook. 1920
Adoring the Creator, she began —
" Beyond the praise of tongue, to mortal man
His love and goodness,"— thus her ndmeh ran —
" He with the Hght of wisdom cheers the soul ;
He bids the cheek to glow, the eye to roll.
And every mortal bends to his control.
To this, he scatters jewels bright and rare.
To that, good sense to strive with worldly care :
To me he gave the love which time defies —
The love I bear thee, spotless from the skies ; 1930
Fountain of Khizer, sparkling in the shade !
Fountain of life to thine own Arab maid 1
In truth and love to thee my heart was given, —
That truth and love remain, the gift of Heaven.
Though for from thee — a wife against my will,
I am thine own affianced partner stiU :
76 LAILI AND MAJNUnI
Still Single — still, in purity and faith,
Thine own unchanged — ^unchangeable in death.
Thou 'rt all the world to me — ^the very earth
Thou tread'st on is to me of matchless worth ; 1940
Yet in a different sphere my race is run ;
I am the moon, and thou the radiant sun :
By destiny thus sundered — how can I
Merit reproach, who at thy feet would die ?
Since thus divided, pity thou my lot,
With all thy vows and raptures unforgot ;
Life's sweetest flow'rets, in their brightest bloom,
Tum'd to the bitterness of fell Zikum.'^
Yes, Majniin wept and shook ; and now
What answer could he frame, and how? 1950
A wanderer, destitute — ^no reed.
No tablets, to supply his need —
But Laill's messenger had brought
The means — and thus the maniac wrote : —
*' To him who form'd the starry throne
Of heaven, and rules the world alone ;
Who, in the dark mysterious mine,
Maketh the unseen diamond shine ;
Who thus on human life bestows
The gem which in devotion glows ; 1960
To him be gratitude and praise,
The constant theme of Moslem lays I
TiAHif AND MAJNtJN. 77
—A turning heart, in sorrow deep,
What can it do but sigh and weep ?
And what can this memorial bear
To thee, but waihngs of despair?
I am the dust beneath thy feet.
Though destined never more to meet.
Thy beauty is my Kd.ba shrine,
The arc of heaven, for ever mine ; 1970
Garden of Irem — ^hid from me,
The Paradise I must not see ;
Yet thou hast quench'd my genial light ;
My day is now like blackest night.
With fondness on thy flattering tongae
Thou smilest, and my heart is wrung ;
For those whose tongues are gentlest found
Are wont to give the deadliest wound.
The lily's petals oft appear
As fatal as the sword or spear. 1980
She, whom 'twas rapture to behold,
Could she be basely bought and sold I
Couldst thou to me thy promise break,
And spurn me for another^s sake ?
Acting a bland deceiver's part,
And solacing another's heart 1
But, peace ! — no more of thoughts so sad.
Or I shall grow intensely mad ;
I yearn no more those lips to press ; ^
But is the joy of memory less I 1990
I I
I I
• I
I ■
. I
I I
■ I
. I
; I
78 LAnJ AND MAJNtfN.
The morning-breeze thy fragrance brings ;
And up my heart exulting springs ;
Still more when I reflecting see
How once the cup was fill'd by thee.
Heaven 1 how rapturous to receive
That which forbids the heart to grieve ;
To sit with thee in amorous play,
And quaff the niby every day ;
To kiss those lips, aU honey-dew,
Of liquid bright cornelian hue 1 2000
1 could I kiss them once again 1
The fancy fires my wilder'd brain.
— Need I the painter's art to trace
The lineaments of thy angel face 1
No— they 're indeKbly impressed
Within my ever-faithful breast.
'Tis ours, divided, to deplore
Scenes we can never witness more ;
But, though on earth denied to rest,
Shall we not both in heaven be bless'd f " 2010
v/
Majniin's distracted state was not unknown
Where to the wretched kindness could be shown ;
—A wealthy chieftain (Selim was his name),
Whose generous deeds had won the world's acclaim ;
Whose heart was still on others' woes engaged —
He heal'd their wounds, their anguish he assuaged ;
LAIli AND MAJNXJN, 79
Raiment and various food had oft supplied,
Where'er the love-lorn wanderer might abide.
Mounted upon his rapid steed, one day,
He sought the distant place where Majniin lay; 2020
And him at length, with placid mien, he found
By herds of forest-beasts encompass'd round.
Fearful of savage natures, he retired,
'Til Majniin, beckoning, confidence inspired ;
And then, approaching near, he told his name.
And recognised him, though his wasted frame
Seem'd an uncoflln'd corse. Ashamed, he said —
*' let these robes thy naked body shade.
These robes for thee brought hither." " Not for me ;
I want no covering, — without clothes I 'm free. 2030
Behold these tatter'd fragments, thrown aside ;
These once were robes, and once my foolish pride."
But, press'd again, those tatters he resumed,
And sat like one to death and darkness doom'd. —
Now savoiuy viands were before him spread.
But not a morsel raised he to his head ;
He turn'd him round, and, scorning the repast.
To his familiars all the banquet cast.
Then SeUm asked — " What is thy food, my friend %
Without support, thy life must quickly end." 2040
— " My spirit's freshness, and its seci*et power,
Come from the breeze which marks the morning-hour ;
Yes, every zephyr from my mistress brings
Life to the soul upon its fragrant wings ;
80 LAni AND MAJNtJN.
When hunger presses, from the weeping trees
I gather gums, its cravings to appease ;
And herbs and grass, and the transparent rill,
Support me in the state thou seest me stiU ;
But though thy proffer'd food regale not me,
The beasts around enjoy 'd the banquetry ; 2050
And if I sought on living thing to feed,
Birds might be caught ; but I detest the deed ;
And he who is contented grass to eat,
Defies the world — ^the world is at his feet ;
For what can pomp, and wealth, and feasts avail ?
I Hve on grass : — but hear the Zdhid's tale.
In ancient times a king, they say,
Through a wild forest took his way ;
And marking, as along he rode,
A Zdhid's desolate abode, 2060
Ask'd his attendants if they knew
What the Recluse was wont to do ;
What was his food, and where he slept.
And why remote from man he kept. —
A courtier towards the ZAhid ran,
And soon brought forth that holy man ; —
"And wherefore dost thou pass thy days
Shunning the world's inviting ways.
Choosing this dismal wretched hole.
Grave of the body and the soul ? " 2070
LAILf AND MAJNUN. 81
— ^*' I have no friends to love me — ^none ;
No power, except to Kve alone."
Then, where his fawns in quiet fed,
Took up some blades of grass, and said —
** This is my food — ^this, want supplies 1 "
The courtier look'd with scornful eyes,
And answered, — '* Taste but royal food.
And thou 'It not fancy grass so good."
** Indeed I '* the Z4hid said, and smiled,
" That is a sad mistake, my child I 2080
Worldlings are still to luxury pi one ;
To thee its sweetness is unknown ;
Stranger to such deUcious fare.
No doubt thou 'rt charm'd with food more rare ! "
— Soon as this speech the monarch heard,
Noting, attentive, every word,
And wondering such a seer to meet,
Fell at the pious Zdhid's feet.
And kiss'd the greensward, as he knelt
Where that contented hermit dwelt. 2090
XVI.
O'er Majniin's spirit, long in darkness cast,
A fitful gleam of homeward feeling pass'd ;
And now he asks for Mends he once preferr'd.
Asks for his mother, broken-winged bird ;
And wishes e'en to visit home again —
As if the maddening fire had left his brain.
F
82 LAni AND MAJNtJ^.
Selim at this brief giimpee of reason caught.
And to his mother's distant mansion brought
Without delay the wanderer. Deep her grief
To see how wither'd was that verdant leaf — 2100
To see the red rose faded from his cheek.
His eye so alter'd, and his frame so weak ;
From head to foot she kisses him, and weeps ;
His hair, all matted, in her tears she steeps,
And clasps him fondly to her beating heart.
As if she never from her boy woidd part : —
** My darling child 1 the love-game thou hast play'd
Has thus, alas I reduced thee to a shade ;
In that encounter sad of mortal scathe
Thou grasp'dst the two-edged scimitarof death. 2110
Thy father gone, his troubles all are past.
Heart-broken man I and I shall follow fast.
Arise ! and enter thy own mansicm here ;
Come, 'tis thy own sweet home, and doubly dear—
Thy nest ; — ^and birds, though distant in their flight,
Always return to their own nests at night.
While yet an infant in thy cradle-bed,
I watch'd thy slumber, pillow'd thy sweet head ;
And canst thou now that mother's fondness see,
And mark without remorse her love for thee ? 2120
Refrise the joy thy presence can impart.
And cast a shadow o'er her drooping heart? "
A cloud again obscured the orb of day —
Again bis wavering intellect gave way ;
LAni AND MAJNtJN. 83
" Mother, there is no hope — the time is past ;
With gloom eternal is my £ate o'ercast ;
No fault of mine— no crime, to press me down —
But all my countless woes to thee are known ;
Like a poor bird within its cage immured.
My soul has long t^s prison-life endured. 2130
Ask me not, mother, to remain at home ;
For there, to me^ no pec^ce can ever come.
Oh, better will it be for me to stray
'Mid mountain-glens, and herd with beasts of prey,
Than linger on a spot where human eare
Only augments my misery and despair."
He ceased, and kiss'd his mother's feet, and fled
Precipitate along the path which led %
To the wild mountains. Dreadful was the stroke !
The mother's heart, like the old father's, broke ; 2 140
In Death's cold ocean, wave thus follows wave ;
And thus she foUoVd to the silent grave.
Selim again the maniac^s haunts explored^
Again suppHed his frugal board.
And, with a mournful voice, the tale reveal'd—
Father and mother gone.
Himself now left alone.
Sole heir — his doom of desolation seal'd —
He beat his brows, and from his eyes
Fell tears of blood ; his piercing cries 2150
Rang through the forest, and again.
Pouring the saddest, wildest strain,
F 2
84 LAM AND MAJNtJN.
He hastened from his gloomy cave.
To weep upon his mother's grave.
But when that paroxysm of grief-—
That agony intense, but brief-
Had, like a whirlwind, pass'd away.
And left him in a milder mood,
To love and Laili still a prey,
He trod again his mountainnsolitude : 2160
I'or what to him was hoarded store,
The wealth of parents now no more ?
Had he not long, ill-fated one 1
Abandoned all for love alone t
xvn.
Laili meanwhile had read and seen
What Majndn's thoughts had ever been ;
And though her plighted faith seem'd broken.
From him she held the tenderest token :
Deep in her heart, a thousand woes
Disturbed her days' and nights' repose : 2170
A serpent at its very core,
Writhing and gnawing evermore ;
And no relief — a prison-room
Being now the lovely sufferer's doom.
— Fate look'd at last with favouring eye ;
The night was dark, no watchman nigh ;
And she had gain'd the outer gate.
Where, shrouded, unobserved, she sate,
LAlLf ANB MAJNtJN. 85
Gazing on every side to JSnd
Some friend to calm her troubled mind ; 2180
When, welcome as a cherish'd guest,
A holy seer her vision bless'd,
Who, ever, like an angel, strove
The heart's deep anguish to remove ;
Who hved to succour the distressed,
To soothe and staunch the bleeding breast :
To him she spake — " In pity hear,
A wretch distraught with love and fear !
Know'st thou the youth, of peerless grace,
Who mingles with the forest-race, 2190
Savage or tame, and fills the air,
Alas 1 for me, with his despair I "
— " Yes, lovely moon ! " he answer'd, — ** well I know
That hapless wanderer, and his cureless woe ;
Lailf still on his tongue, the Arab maid
He ceaseless seeks through every bower and glade.
Unconscious of the world, its bloom or blight,
Laill alone for ever in his sight,"
The Arab maiden wept, and cried, — " No more !
I am the cause, and I his loss deplore ; 2200
Both have our sorrows, both are doom'd to feel
The wounds of absence, which will never heal ;
For me he roams through desert wild and drear,
While Fate condemns me to be fetter'd here I "
— Then from her ear a lustrous gem she drew.
Which, having kiss'd, she to the hermit threw, — •
86 LAILI AND MAJNt^N.
And said,—" Forbid it I Bhotdd aak in vain I
Let these fond eyes behold his face again I
But caution must control the zeal you show :
Some signal must be given, that I may know 2210
When he is nigh — some stanzas of his own
Warbled beneath my casement, where, alone,
I sit and watch — for secret must we be,
Or all k lost to Majnijin and to me I "
— Within his girdle-fold the smiling saint
Placed ttie rich gem, and on his errand went.
But did no obstacle his task oppose ?
A thousand, daily, in his progress rose :
Where'er his arduous course he anxious urged.
Perplexing paths in various lanes diverged ; 2220
Through ta^igled glens, the ground with creepers
spread,
Meshes of shadowy branches o'er his head,
Now a wide plain before him — mountains grey,
And now an emerald greensward cheered his way :
At last, upon a hillock's shady side,
The longHBOUght love-sick wanderer he descried.
By forest-beasts sinrounded, — in a ring,
Like guards appointed to protect their king.
Majniin perceived him, and with upraised hand
Made his wild followers at a distance stand ; 2230.
And then the seer approached — ^his homage paid —
>* thou, immatch*d in love I " he kindly said,
LAILt AND MAJN^'. 87
" Laili, the world and beauty's queen.
Who long has thy adorer been ;
And many a year has run its race,
Since she has seen that pensive faoe*^
Since she has heard that tuneful voice
Which ever made her heart rejoice :
And now, at her command, I be€tr
Her earnest, almost dying, prayer. 2240
She longs to see thee once again.
To sit with thee and soothe thy pain ;
To feel, on pleasure's downy wings.
The joy a lover's presence brings.
And wilt thou not, with equal glee,
Behold thyself from bondage free I
The Grove of Palms thy feet must trace,
Near Laili's rural dwelling-place. .
That is the promised spot ; and thou
Wilt there receive both pledge and vow, 2250
And sing, with voice subdued and clear,
Thy sweetest ghazel in her ear."
Majniin uprose with joyous look,
And for his guide the hermit took :
And, passing quick the space between,
Arrived at that romantic scene
Where the majestic palms displayed
A cool, refreshing depth of shade ;
88 LAILf AND MAJNtJN.
And there the tribes of wood and plain,
Which form'd the wanderer's vassal-train, 2260
Promptly as human retinue,
To an adjoining copse withdrew.
The seer, advancing with a cautious pace,
To the pavihon of that angel-face —
That star of beauty — that sweet sUvery moon —
Whisper'd the presence of her own Majndn.
But woman's mind can from its purpose range,
And seem to change, without the power to change ;
And thus she said — " Alas 1 it cannot be :
I must not meet him — such is Fate's decree ; 2270
The lamp thus Kt, Love's temple to illume,
Will not enlighten, but the heart consume ;
'For I am wedded — to another given —
This worthless dust still in the view of Heaven ;
And though compell'd— let others bear the blame ! —
I was not born to sacrifice my fame.
Prudence forbids such perils should be mine ;
Rather for ever let me here repine ;
But faithful still, with his melodious tongue
How often have the sweetest echoes rung ? 2280
Yes, faithful still, he may upon mine ear
Chant the rich numbers which I love to hear :
Let him with nectar fill his luscious cup,
And, still adoring, I will drink it up."
V
LAILl AND MAJNUN. 89
Prostrate, in tears, upon a fountain's side,
The saint found Majniin, who impatient cried —
" What is this amber incense round me flying?
Is it the breath of spring o'er rose-buds sighing?
No — not the fragrance of the early spring —
Lailf's sweet locks alone such odours fling 1 2290
So powerfiil is the impulse they impart,
They fill with dying ecstjisy my heart."
The saint, well-taught in love's mysterious lore,
Knew what it was the absent to deplore ;
But said — "Thou canst not hope that she,
Unsought, unask'd, will come to thee 1
Woman demands a warmer suit,
And none her sacred power dispute."
^ Upbraid me not with maxim old —
Think'st thou that Majniin's suit is cold 2300
When, from the very scent, I feel
Intoxication o'er me steal?
Must I the real bliss decline
And never taste the luscious wine ? "
So saying, seated in that palmy grove,
To Lailf thus he breath'd his lay of love.
" O whither art thou gone ?
And where am I ? — alone 1
Forsaken, lost — and what remains ?
Life only creeping through my veins ; 2310
90 LAni AND majniJn.
And yet that life is not my own,
But thine ; — ^I only breathe to moan :
A thing of memory, to deplore
The past, since hope can smile no more.
FamiUar to the pangs which scorn relief,
Grief smiles upon me, and I smile on grief.
Grief makes thee dearer still ; for grief and thee
Seem of each other bom. Grief paints to me
Thy matchless beauty : — ^without grief, no thought
Of thy perfections to my mind is brought. 2320
O Heaven ! that ever we were doom'd to part ! —
We are but one — ^two bodies, and one heart.
As simimer clouds with rain the meadows greet,
Majnun dissolves in sorrow at thy feet ;
Whilst thy soft cheeks lend beauty to the sky,
Majnun, alas I is taught by them to die.
The bulbul o'er thy roses joyous stoops ;
Majniin, from thee disjoined, divided, droops ;
And whilst the world devotes itself to strife,
Majnun would sacrifice to thee his life. 2330
that kind fortune would our joys approve,
And yield the blessings of successful love 1
The gorgeous moon, with her pellucid light.
Converting into dazzling day the night ;
And we together seated, ear to ear.
The sparkling wine, oiur beverage, ever near ;
1 playing with those ringlets, which descend
In magic curls, and o'er thy shoulders bend ;
IJlHJ and MAJNtJN. 91
Thou, with tho8e dark and love-enkindlmg eyes,
In which the living spell of witchery lies, 2340
Gazing in fondness on me. That sweet lip I
I see it the rich wine enamour'd sip :
I see us both — ^what happiness I and none
To drive the sovereign pleasure from his throne ;
Nor shame, nor fear, to crush affection's flower,
Happy, unseen, in that sequester'd bower,
—But bring me wine ! this bright illusion stay I
Wine I wine ! keep sad reaUties away 1
Wine, Saki, wine 1 the house without a light
Is but a prison, odious to the sight ; 2350
For broken hearts, immured in gloom like mine,
Are dungeon-dark, unbless'd with light or wine ;
O God ! preserve me from this endless night I
Give me one day of joy — one moment of delight ! "
Then strangely moved, he virildly closed his lay.
Sprung on his feet, and sudden burst away ;
And Lailf, who had heard him, deeply moum'd,
And, sad, to her secluded home retum'd.
XVIIL
Through many a town and bower had epread
The maniac's tale — all anxious read 2360
In Bagdad and far-distant plains
The mournful lover's amorous strains ;
92 LAILf AND MAJNON.
And every heart, which had been wrung
With withered hopes, in pity hung
O'er sorrows which to madness drove —
The very martyrdom of love.
And all aspired to seek the cave
Which hourly might become his grave ;
To find th' enduring man ; to view
That prodigy — but seen by few — 2370
Of whom the world astonish'd spoke,
As crush'd beneath misfortune's yoke ;
Whose truth and constancy excell'd
All that the world had e'er beheld.
A gallant youth, who long had known
The pangs of love, impatient rose,
And on his camel, all alone,
Sought for the. man of many woes ;
Anxious to be the first to see
The man pre-eminent in misery ; 2380
And many a farsang he had rode,
Before he reach'd the lover's wild abode.
Majniin beheld him fi-om afar,
And sent his vassals to their lair ;
And welcome gave, and ask'd his name.
And whence the hurrying stranger came, —
" 1 come, my friend, to make thee glad ;
I come firom beautiful Bagdad.
LAlLf AND MAJNUN. 93
In that enchanting place I might
Have Kved in transport day and night ; 2390
But I have heard thy tender lays,
Thy sorrows, which the world amaze ;
And all that now remains for me
Is, all life long, to dwell with thee.
Thy tmieful strains such joy impart.
Each word is treasured in my heart :
In love, like thee, I weep and sigh —
Let us together hve — ^together die I "
Astonish'd at this strange desire,
Laughing, the maniac thus replies : — 2400
" Sir knight ! so soon does pleasure tire ?
And dost thou worldly pomp despise,
And all that luxury can give,
With me in wood and cave to live ?
Mistaken youth ! what dost thou know
Of broken hearts — of love Hke mine —
That thou shouldst life's sweet joys forego,
And every cheering hope resign ?
I have companions, night and day ;
But forest-inmates — ^beasts of prey ; 2410
Yet do I ask no other — none ;
I 'd rather live with them alone.
What hast thou social seen in me,
When demons from my presence flee,
94 LAILf AND MAJNtJN.
That thou wouldst brave the noon-tide heat,
The dangers of the midnight air,
Unshelter'd, naked head and feet.
To herd with one not worit thy care,
Nor worth a thought I Beneath the scorching sun
I thread the wild wood, and, when day is done, 2420
Lie myself down upon a beggar's throne —
My canopy, the trees — ^my pillow, a rude stooe.
Houseless and poor, and oft with hunger jwess'd,
How can I take a stranger for my guest?
Whilst thou, smTounded by thy friends at home,
Moved by no need, but by a whim to roam,
Mayst pass thy hours in cheerfulness and glee.
And never think of such a wretch as me 1 '*
The gallant youth now placed in view
Various refreshmentshe hadthither brought — r2430
Sweet cakes and frui1>--and from his pannier drew
Heart-easing wine, his purpose to promote,
To win the favor of the moon-strnck man ;
And thus his brief but earnest speech began : —
" Friend, share my meal in kindness, and allow
A smile of joy to clear that furrow'd brow I
In bread is life ; it strengthens every part,
And, while it strengthens, cheers the drooping
heart."
Majniin rejoin'd — " The argument is just ;
Without refreshment man descends to dust : 2440
TiAHif AND MAJNtJN. 95
Nerve, power, and strengiii, from nouriehment pro-
ceed;
But this is not the nourishment I need."
** Yet mortals change, whatever their aim ;
Nothing on earth remains the same :
know thou canst not be mimoved ;
For ever thus thou canst not be ;
Perpetual change the heavens have proved ;
And night and morn, successively,
Attest its truth. That thou hast loved
I know ; but thou mayst yet be free ; 2450
The heavens are clothed in deepest gloom ;
Black is the threatening day of doom ;
The clouds fly off^ the storm is past,
No longer howls the scattering blast ;
The heavens resume their wonted sheen,
And brighter glows the varied scene :
So grief devours the heart awhile ;
So frowns are followed by a smile :
Like thee, was I enchanted, bound,
Girt by love's galling fetters round ; 2460
But to the winds my grief I flung.
And to my fate no longer clung.
This fire of love, which bums so bright.
What is it but a treacherous light ?
The type of youth ; — when that is o'er.
The burning mountain flames no more ! "
96 LAILf AND MAJNCn.
But Majnun spum'd the traitor-thought, and said —
'* Speak'st thou to me as one to feeling dead ?
I am myself the king of love ; and now
Glory in my dominion : and wouldst thou 2470
Persuade me to abandon all that Heaven
Has, 'mid my suflferings, for my solace given,
To quit that cherish'd hope, than life more dear,
Which rivets me to earth, and keeps me here ?
That pure ethereal love, that mystic flower.
Nurtured in Heaven, fit for an angel's dower ?
What I from my heart expel the dream of love ?
First from the ocean's bed the sands remove !
Useless the eflfort, — useless is thy aim, —
Thou canst not quench a never-dying flame. 2480
Then cease persuasion. Why to me appear
A master, teaching, like some holy seer ?
He who aspires to open locks, they say.
To be successful, first must know the way."
The youth perceived his error, yet remaio'd
In friendly converse a few fleeting days ;
And, by the oracle of love enchain'd.
Listened, em-aptured, to his varied lays ;
Companionship delectable ! then rose
To bid adieu, since there he might not stay, 2490
And, sorrowing, left the man of many woes,
Surrounded by his vassal-beasts of prey.
LAILf AND MAJN0N. &t
XIX,
How beautifully blue
The firmament I how bright
The moon is sailing through
The vast expanse, to-night !
And at this lovely hour
The lonely Laili weeps
Within her prison-tower,
And her sad record keeps — 2500
How many days, how many years,
Her sorrows she has borne I
A lingering age of sighs and tears ;
A night that has no mom ;
Yet in that guarded tower she lays her head,
Shut like a gem within its stony bed.
And who the warder of that place of sighs 1
Her husband I — he the dragon-watch supplies. --
What words are those which meet her anxious ear?
Unusual sounds, unusual sights appear; 2510
Lamps flickering rounds and waOings sad and low,
Seem to proclaim some sudden burst of woe.
Beneath her casement rings a wild lament.
Death-notes disturb the night ; the air is rent
With clamorous voices ; every hope is fled ;
He breathes no longer — Ibn Sallm is dead 1
G
98 hAJti ANI> majnGn.
The fever^s rage had nipp'd him in his bloom ;
He sank unloved, unpitied, to the tomb.
And LaiU marks the moon ; a cloud
Had stain'd its lucid face ; 2520
The mournful token of a shroud,
End of the humble and the proud.
The grave their resting-place.
And now to her the tale is told,
Her husband's hand and heart are cold :
And must she mourn the death of one
Whom she had loathed to look upon ?
In customary garb array'd.
The pomp of grief must be displayed —
Dishevell'd tresses, streaming eyes, 2530
The heart remaining in disguise-
She seem'd, distraction in her mien,'
To feel her loss, if loss had been ;
But all the burning tears she shed
Were for her own Majntin, and not the dead !
The rose that hail'd the puiple mom.
All glistening with the balmy dew,
1 Look'd still more lonely when the thorn
Had been removed from where it grew.
But Arab laws had still their claim 2540
Upon a virtuous widow's fame.
And what destroyed all chance of blame I
TAILf AND MAJNtJN. 99
Two years to droop behind the screen ;
Two years tmseeingy and unseen !
No, not a glance in all that time,
Blooming in life's luxurious prime,
Was e'er aUow'd to womankind ;
Since, but to household faces blind.
She must at home her vigils keep,
Her business still to groan and weep. 2550
And LaiU weeps ; but who can tell
What secrets may her bosom swell ?
The beauteous eyes in tears may swim.
The heart may throb, but not for him
Who in the grave unconscious sleeps —
Alone for Majnlbi LaiU weeps !
Accustom'd hourly to rehearse
Her distant lover's glowing verse,
Framed Hke a spell to charm and bless,
And soothe her heart's extreme distress. 2560
** what a night 1 a long and dreary night I
It is not night, but darkness without end ;
Awful extinction of ethereal light,
Oompanionless I sit, without one fiiend.
Is the immortal source of light congeal'd ?
Or has the dreadfiil day of judgment come I
Nature's fair form beneath a pall conceal'd ;
Oh I what a night of soul-destroying gloom !
G 2
■J J .J
100 LAILf AND MAJNtJK.
Can the shrill wakener of the morn be dead ?
Is the Mowazzin heedless of his trust t 2570
Has the lone warder from his watch-tower fled,
Or, weary of his taak, retum'd to dust f
God I restore to me the joyous light
Which first illumed my heart — ^the golden ray
Of youthful love — ^that from this prison, night,
I may escape and feel the bliss of day I "
Tears, days, how slowly roll they on I
And yet, how quickly life is gone I
The future soon becomes the past —
Ceaseless the course of time. At last 2580
The morning came ; the king of day
Arose in festival array.
And Laili's night had pass'd away :
• Her morn of beauty o'er her face,
Shining, resmned its wonted grace ;
And with soft step of fairy lightness
She moved, a glittering moon in brightness.
And what was now her highest aim ?
The impulse quivering through her frame ?
Her secret love, so long concealed, 2590
She now without a blush reveal'd,
/ And first she call'd her fedthfiil Zyd,
On many a tender mission tried.
In whom her heart could best confide : —
LAlli AND MAJNtJN. 101
** To-day is not the day of hope.
Which only gives to fancy scope ;
It is the day our hopes completing,
It is the lover's day of meeting !
Rise up I the world is full of joy ;
Rise up I and serve thy mistress, boy; 2600
Together, where the cypress grows,
Place the red tuHp and the rose ;
And let the long-dissever'd meet —
Two bvers, in communion sweet,"
They met ; biit how I hearts long to joy uijiknowii
Know not what 'tis to be, except alone ;
Feeling intense had check'd the power to speak:
Silent confusion sat upon each cheek ;
Speechless with love unutterable, they
Stood ga2dng at each other all the day* 2610
Thus, when a chamber holds no golden store,
No lock protects the ever-open door ;
But when rich hoards of gold become a lure,
A lock is placed to keep that wealth secure ;
So when the heart is full, the voice is bound —
For ready speech with grief is rarely found.
Laili, with looks of love, was first who caught
The soft expression of her bursting thought :
" Alas ! " she said, as over him she hung,
" What wondVous grief is this that chains the tongue I 2620
102 LAILf AND MAJNttN,
The bulbul, famed for his mellifluouB note,
Without the rose can swell his tuneful throat,
And when in fragrant bowers the rose he sees,
He warbles sweeter still his ecstasies.
Thou art the bulbul of the bright parterre,
And I the rose — ^why not thy love declare?
Why, being absent, whilst unseen by thee,
Arose to heaven thy voice and minsla'elsy?
And now, at length, when we are met, alone,
Thy love has vanished, and thy voice is gone I '* 2630
A gush of tears to Majniin gave reKef :
Words came : — ** The misery mine, and mine the grief ;
The memory of those lips, so balmy sweet,
Bound up my tongue, which would their charms repeat.
When T, a falcon, through the woodlands flew,
The spotted partridge never met my view ;
And now, when I 'm unequal to the flight.
The long^ought beauteous bird has come in sight :
The substance thou, in angel charms array'd.
And what am I ? I know not — but a shade ; 2640
Without thee nothing. Fancy would enthrone
Us both together, melted into one ;
And thus, imited to each other, we
Are equal — equal in our constancy :
Two bodies with one heart and spirit the same ;
Two tapers with one pure celestial flame ;
Of the same essence fonn'd, together join'd.
Two drops in one, each soul to each resigned,"
LAili AND MAJKt^\ 103
He paused, and, with ineffable delight^
Laili gazed on hie glowing comitenance, 2650
So long estranged and hidden from her sight.
Now throbs his heart at every fondling glance :
The fragrance of her ringlets which enwreath
Her smooth round neck, her jasmine-scented l^^eath,
The sweet confession of her tremulous eyes,
The ardent love which time and chance defies^
The chin of dimpled sweetnesl^^ the soft cheek,
The open ruby lips prepared to speak,
Madden his finer feelings, and again
A sudden tempest rushes through his In^ain \ 2660
Furious he gazes round him for a while.
Then looks at Laili with a ghastly smile ;
Rends off his Jamardress in frantic mood^
Starts, as with more than human force endued,
And, shouting, hurries to the desert plain,
FoUow'd by all his savage vassal*train.
His love was chaste and pure as heaven :
But by excess to madness driven,
Visions of rapture fill'd his soul ;
His thoughts sublime despised control ; 2670
A joy allied to joys above
Was mingled with his dreamy love :
Majntin ! lost, for ever gone';
The world is full of love, but none,
104 hASLi AND MAJNUN.
None ever bow'd at beauty's shrine
With Buch a sinless soul as thine.
In summer all is bright and gay ;
In autumn verdure fades away,
The trees assimie a sickly hue,
Unnourish'd by the fragrant dew ; 2680
The genial sap, through numerous rills,
From root and branch and leaf distils ;
But, drying in the chilly air,
The groves become despoil'd and bare ;
Sapless, the garden's flowery pride
The winds disperse on every side.
And all that sight and smell delighted
Is by the ruthless season blighted.
So Laili's summer hours have pass'd ;
And now she feels the autumnal blast ; 2690
Her bowers, her blooming bowers, assail'd.
The perfume of the rose exhaled.
Its wither'd leaves bestrew the ground.
And desolation reigns around :
For, from the moment she beheld
Her lover's mental state unveil'd,
Her heart no consolation knew.
Deprived of hope's refreshing dew.
Ere that o'erwhelming misery came.
Thoughts of new life upheld her frame ; 2700
JiAHJ AND MAJNUN. 105
Amidst her bitterest weeping and distress,
'Mid the dark broodings of her loneliness,
Though cmsh'd her feelings, and the man she loved
A wanderer of the forest, strangely moved.
Still was there hope, still was her mental gaze
Fix'd on the expected joys of after-days.
But now all hope had perish'd 1 — she had seen
The frenzied workings of that noble mien :
The fit dehrious, the appalling start,
And grief and terror seized her trembling heart* 2710
No tears she sheds, but pines away
In deep entire despair ;
The worm has seized its destined prey,
The blight is on that face so fair.
And fearful symptoms of a swift decay
Come o^er her delicate fi:ame, that in the strife
She almost sinks beneath the load of life.
Feeling the ebbing of the vital tide,
She calls her weeping mother to her side.
" Mother I my hour is come, thou need'st no longer
chide ; 2720
For now no longer can my heart conceal
What once 'twas useless to reveal ;
Yet, spite of thy affection, thou
Mayst blame my fatal passion now.
But I have in my rapture quaffed
Poison in love's delicious draught ;
106 LAni AND majn€n.
And feel the agony which sears
The sotil, and dries &e source of tears.
mother ! mother ! all I crave,
When I am pillowed in my grave, 2730
Is that the anguish-stricken youth.
Whose wonderous constancy and truth
Blended our souls in one, may come
And weep upon his Laili's tomb.
Forbid him not ; but let him there
Pour forth the flood of his despair,
And no unhallow'd step intrude
Upon his sacred soHtude.
For he to me, my life, my stay,
Was precious as the Kght of day. 2740
Amazing was his love, subhme,
Which mock'd the wonted power of time ;
And when thou seest him grovelling near,
Wildly lamenting o'er my bier,
Frown not, but kindly, soothingly relate
Whatever thou know'st of my disastrous fate.
Say to that woe-worn wanderer, — ^ All is o'er ;
Lailf, thy own sad friend, is now no more ;
From this world's heavy chains for ever free,
To thee herheart was given — she diedfortheel 2750
With love so blended was her life, so true
That glowing love, no other joy she knew.
No worldly cadres her thoughts had e'er oppress'd ;
The love of thee alone disturb'd her rest ;
LAHi AND MAJNtJN. 107
And in that love her gentle spirit pass'd.
Breathing on thee her blessing to the last,' "
The mournfdl mother gazed upon her child,
Now voiceless— though her lips imploring smiled ;
Saw the dread change, the sudden pause of breath —
Her beauty settled in the trance of death ; 2760
And, in the frenzy of her anguish, tore
Her hoary locks, the 'broider d dress she wore ;
Dissolved in tears, her wild and sorrowing cries
Brought down compassion from the weeping skies,
And so intense her grie^ she shivering fell
Prostrate upon the corse, insensible,
And never, never rose again — the thread
Of life was broke — ^both, clasp'd together, dead !
world 1 how treacherous thou art 1
With angel-form and demon's heart ; 2770
A rosary of beads in hand,
And, covertly, a trenchant brand.
The rolling heavens with azure glow,
But storms o'erwhelm our hopes below ;
The ship is toss'd upon the shore,
The wanderer meets his friends no more ;
On flowery field, or boisterous wave,
Alike is found a yawning grave ;
For formless, riding through the air.
Devouring death is everywhere ; 2780
108 LAni AND majnOn.
EhoHrd, and Kai-koMd, and Jiim^
Have all descended to the tomb ;
And who, composed of mortal clay,
The universal doom can stay I
For this, in vain, have youth and age
Ponder'd o'er learning's mystic page ;
No human power can penetrate
The mysteries of all-ruling fate ;
FraQ life is but a moment's breath ;
The world, alas ! is full of death. 2790
How many wept that fair one, gone so soon !
How many wept o'er that departed moon ! —
How many moum'd with broken hearts for her !
How many bathed with tears her sepulchre !
Bound her pure dust assembled old and young,
And on the sod their fragrant offerings flung ;
HalloVd the spot where amorous youth and maid
In after-times their duteous homage paid.
Again it was the task of faithftil Zyd,
Through far-extending plain and forest wide, 2800
To seek the man of many woes, and tell
The fate of her, alas ! he loved so welL
Loved, doated on, until his mind, o'erwrought,
Was crush'd beneath intolerable thought.
— ^With bleeding heart he found his lone abode,
Watering with tears the path on which he rode.
LAILf AND MAJNUN. 109
And beating his sad breast, Majrnin perceived
His friend approach, and ask'd him why he grieved ;
What withering sorrow on his cheek had prey'd^
And why in melancholy black array'd. 2810
"Alas 1 " he cried, "the hail has crush'd my bowera;
A sadden storm has blighted all my flowers ;
The cypress-tree o*erthrown, the leaves are sear ;
The moon has fallen from her lucid sphere;
Laili is dead ! " No sooner was the word
Utter'd, no sooner the dread tidings heard,
Than Majniin, sudden as the lightning's stroke
Sank on the ground, unconscious, with the shock,
And there lay motionless, as if his life
Had been extinguish'd in that mortal strife. 2820
But, soon recovering, he prepared to rise,
Rewaken'd frenzy glaring in his eyes.
And, starting on his feet, a hollow groan
Burst from his heart. " Now, now, I am alone I
Why hast thou harrowing words like these expressed I
Why hast thou plunged a dagger in my breast ?
Away ! away ! *' The savage beasts around
In a wide circle couch'd upon the ground,
Wondering look'd on, whilst furiously he rent
His tattered garments, and his loud lament 2830
Rang through the echoing forest. Now he threads
The mazes of the shadowy wood, which spreads
Perpetual gloom, and now emerges where
Nor bower nor grove obstructs the fiery air ;
110 LAIli ANB MAJNtJN.
Climbs to the mountain's brow, o'er hill and plain
Urged quicker onwards by his burning brain,
Across the desert's arid boundary hies ;
Zyd, like his shadow, following where he flies;
And when the tomb of Laill meets his view,
Prostrate he falls, the ground his tears bedew ; 2840
Rolling distraught, he spreads his arms to clasp
The sacred temple, writhing like an asp :
Despair and horror swell his ceaseless moan,
And still he clasps the monumental stone.
^* Alas I " he cries — ** No more shall I behold
That angel-face, that form of heavenly mould.
/ She was the rose I cherish'd — ^but a gust
Of blighting wind has laid her in the dust.
She was my favourite cypress, fall of grace,
But death has snatch'd her from h^r biding-plaoe. 2850
The tyrant has deprived me of the flower
I planted in my own sequester'd bower ;
The Basil sweet, the choicest ever seen,
Cruelly torn and scatter'd o'er the green.
O beauteous flower! nipp'd by the winter's cold,
Gone from a world thou never didst behold.
O bower of joy ! with blossoms fresh and fair.
But doom'd, alas ! no ripen'd fruit to bear.
Where shall I find thee now, in darkness shrouded 1
Those eyes of liquid light for ever clouded ! 2860
Where those carnation lips, that musky mole
Upon thy cheek, that treasure of the soul I
LAILI AND MAJNUN. Ill
Though hidden from my view those charms of thme,
Still do they bloom in this fond heart of mine ;
Though far removed from all I held so dear.
Though all I loved on earth be buried here,
Remembrance to the past enchantment gives,
Memory, blest memory, id my heart still lives.
Yes I thou hast quitted this contentious Ufe,
This scene of endless treachery and strife ; 2870
And I like thee shall soon my fetters burst.
And quench in draughts of heavenly love my thirst :
There, where angelic bliss can never cloy.
We soon shall meet in everlasting joy ;
The taper of our souls, more dear and bright.
Will then be lustrous with immortal Ught I "
He ceased, and from the tomb to which he clung
Suddenly to a distance wildly sprung,
And, seated on his camel, took the way
Leading to where his father's mansion lay ; 2880
His troop of v£U3sal-beasts, as usual, near.
With still unchanged devotion, front and rear ;
Yet, all unconscious, reckless where he went ;
The sport of passion, on no purpose bent.
He sped along, or stopp'd ; the woods and plains
Resounding with his melancholy strains ;
Such strains as from a broken spirit flow,
The wailings of immitigable woe ;
But the same frenzy which had fired his mind
Strangely to leave his Laili's grave behind, 2890
112 LAni AND MAJNtJN.
Now drove him back, and with augmented grief,
All sighs and tears, and hopeless of reUei^
He flings himself upon the tomb again.
As if he there for ever would remain
Fatally mingled with the dust beneath,
The young, the pure, the beautiful in death.
Closely he strain'd the marble to his breast,
A thousand kisses eagerly impress'd.
And knock'd his forehead in such desperate mood,
The place around him was distain'd with blood. 2900
Alone, unseen ; his vassals keep remote
Curious intruders from that sacred spot ;
Alone, with wasted form and sombre eyes.
Groaning in anguish he exhausted lies ;
No more life's joys or miseries will he meet,
Nothing to rouse him from this last retreat ;
Upon a sinking gravestone he is laid.
The gates already opening for the dead I
Selim, the generous, who had twice before
Sought his romantic reftige, to implore 2910
The wanderer to renounce the life he led,
And shun the ruin bursting o'er his head,
V/ Again explored the wilderness, again
Cross'd craggy rock, deep glen, and dusty plain.
To find his new abode. A month had pass'd
'Mid mountain wild, when, turning back, at last
He spied the wretched sufferer alone,
Stretch'd on the gi'ound, his head upon a stone
LAIli AND MAJNUN. 113
Majniin, up-gazing, recognised his face,
And bade his growling followers give him place ; 2920
Then said, — " Why art thou here again, since thou
Left me in wrath? What are thy wishes now!
I am a wretch boVd down with bitterest woe,
Doom'd the extremes of misery to know,
Whilst thou, in affluence bom, in pleasure nursed.
Stranger to iUs the direst and the worst.
Can never join, unless in mockery.
With one so lost to all the world as me I ^
Selim replied : — " Fain would I change thy wUl,
And bear thee hence, — ^be thy companion still : 2930
Wealth shall be thine, and peace and social joy,
And tranquil days, no sorrow to annoy ;
And she for whom thy soul has yeam'd so long
May yet be gain'd, and none shall do thee wrong."
— ^Deeply he groan'd, and wept : — "No more, no more 1
Speak not of her whose memory I adore ;
She whom I loved, than life itself more dear,
My friend, my angel-bride, is buried here 1
Dead 1 — ^but her spirit is now in heaven, whilst I
Live, and am dead with grief — ^yet do not die. 2940
This is the fatal spot, my Laill's tomb, —
This the lamented place of martyrdom.
Here lies my life's sole treasure, life's sole trust ;
All that was bright in beauty gone to dust ! "
Selim before him in amazement stood,
Stricken with anguish, weeping tears of blood ;
H
114 LAIL! and MAJNt^.
And consoktion blandly tried to give.
What consolation ? Make his Laill live t
WiB gentle words and looks were only found
To aggravate the agonising wound ; 2950
And weeks in fruitless sympathy had pass'd,
But, patient still, he lingered to the last ;
Then, with an anxious heart, of hope bereft,
The melancholy spot, reluctant, left.
The life of Majniin had received its blight ;
His troubled day was closing fast in night.
. Still weeping, bitter, bitter tears he shed,
As grovelling in the duBt his hands he spread
In holy prayer. *' God I thy servant hear I
And in thy gracious mercy set him free 2960
From the afflictions which oppress him here,
That, in the Prophet's name, he may return to Thee 1 "
Thus murmming, on the tomb he laid his head,
And with a sigh his wearied spirit fled.
And he, too, has performed his pilgrimage.
And who, existing on this earthly stage.
But follows the same path t whate'er his claim
To virtue, honour, — ^worthy praise, or blame ;
So will he answer at the judgment-throne.
Where secrets are unveil'd, aad all things known ; 2970
Where felon-deeds of darkness meet the light.
And goodness wears its crown with glory bright.
Majniin, removed from this tumultuous scene.
Which had to him unceasing misery been.
UJll AND aiAJNUN. 115
At length slept on the couch his bride poasesB'd,
And, wakeningy saw her mingled with the bless'd.
There still lay etretch'd his body many a day,
Protected by his iaithfdl beasts of prey ;
Whose presence fiU'd with terror all around, 2979
Who sought to know where Majndn might be found :
Listening they heard low murmurs on the breeze,
Now loud and mournful, like the hum of bees ;
But still supposed him seated in his place,
Watch'd by those sentinels of the sarage raCe.
— A year had pass'd, and still their watch they kept.
As if their sovereign was not dead, but slept ;
Some had been call'd away, and some had died —
At last the mouldering relics were de&cried ;
And when the truth had caught the breath of fiune.
Assembled friends from every quarter came ; 2990
Weeping, they wash'd his bones, now silvery white.
With ceaseless tears performed the funeral rite,
And, opening the incumbent tablet wide,
Mournfully laid him by his Laili's side.
One promise bound their feithful hearts—one bed
Of cold, cold earth united them when dead.
Sever'd in life, how cruel was their doom I
Ne'er to be joia'd but in the silent tomb I
The minstrel's legend-chronicle
Which on their woos delights to dwell, 3000
H 2
116 LAni AlfD MAJNtfN.
Their matchless purity and faith,
And how their dust was mix'd in deatb.
Tells how the sorrow-stricken Zydl
Saw, in a dream, the beauteous bride.
With Majnun seated side by side.
In meditation deep, one night,
The other world flush'd on his sight
With endless vistas of delight —
The world of spirits ; — as he lay
Angels appeared in bright array, 3010
Circles of glory round them gleaming,
Their eyes with holy rapture beaming;
He saw the ever-verdant bowers,
With golden fruit and blooming flowers ;
The bulbul heard, their sweets among,
Warbling his rich mellifluous song ;
The ring-dove's murmuring, and the swell
Of melody from harp and shell :
He saw within a rosy glade,
Beneath a palm's extensive shade, 8020
A throne, amazing to behold,
Studded with glittering gems and gold ;
Celestial carpets near it spread
Close where a lucid streamlet stray'd ;
Upon that throne, in bUsefiil state,
The long-divided lovers sate,
Sesplendent with seraphic light : —
They held a cap, with diamonds bright ;
LAlLf AND MAJNtJN. 117
Their Kps, by turns, with nectar wet,
In pure ambrosial kisses met ; 3030
Sometimes to each their thoughts revealing,
Each clasping each with tenderest feeling,
— The dreamer who this vision saw
Demanded, with becoming awe,
What sacred names the happy pair
In Irem-bowers were wont to bear*
A voice replied : — ** That sparkling moon
Is Laili still — ^her friend, Majniin ;
Deprived in your frail world of bliss,
They reap their great reward in this ! " 3040
Zyd, wakening from his wonderous dream,
Now dwelt upon the mystic theme,
And told to all how faithful love
Receives its recompense above.
O ye, who thoughtlessly repose
On what this flattering world bestows,
Reflect how transient is your stay !
How soon e'en sorrow fades away I
The pangs of grief the heart may wring
In life, but Heaven removes the sting ; 3050
The world to come makes bliss secure, —
The world to come, eternal, pure.
What other solace for the human soul.
But everlasting rest — virtue's unvarying goal I
118 JjAjsI and majnOn.
Sajki I Nazdmi's strain is sung;
The Persian poet's pearls are strong ;
Then fill again the goblet high I
Thou wouldst not ask the reveller why I
Fill to the love that changes never I
Fill to the love that lives for ever I 3060
That, purified by eaxthly woes,
At last with bliss seraphio glowis.
A
NOTES.
Line 1. Sc^/ thou hiou^st I worship toine,
Saki— eup-bearer. The cup-bearer and hifl ruby wine stand in about the
same relation in Persia's poetiy, as the muse and " Oastalia's stream " in
tlie Ghreek. The cup-bearer is the great inspirer. Indeed, the Muses
were the tutelar goddesses of festiyals and banquets.
Line 42. That wme, tehiek to thefevet'd Up^
WUh anffuiah parch* d, tehen ffiven to Hp,
Imparts a rapturous smile, and throws
A veil o*er aU distrcicting woes.
The Nepenthe of Homer.
Line 48. And lifts the mind, now grown elate.
To Jwmsl^s glory, Jamshid^s state,
T^e story of Jamshid is finely told in the Shahnameh. He was one of
the early rulers of Persia, a prince surrounded with peculiar splendour
and magnificence : he was, howerer, suddenly precipitated from his
throne, and put to a terrible death ; his body being fastened between
two planks, and divided with a saw. See the Shahnameh, abridged, in
prose and Terse, by the author of the present work.
120 NOTES.
Line 81. Thence his aMainments Kais assiduous drew,
Eais was the origiiial ,name of the lover, and afterwards called Majnt&n
in oonsequenoe of the madness produced by his passion.
Line 94. Ser richly flowing locks were blctck as nigM,
And Laili she was caWd — that hearts delight,
LaiJf , in Arabic, signifies night : the name, howeyer, has been referred to
her colour, and she is accused of possessing no beaut j but in the eyes of
her loTer, being short in stature, and dark in complexion. A poet is
said to have addressed her, saying, " Art thou the person for whom Kais
lost his reason ? I do not see that thou art so beautiful." *' Silence ! **
she said, ** thou art not Majntin," Another observed to Majndn, "Laill
is not surpassing in beauty ; what occasions this adoration P " *' Thou
dost not see Laili with my eyes!'' was his brief reply. Laura and
moisa, and other celebrated fS&ir ones, have been equally robbed of their
personal charms ; indeed, Laura has been even stripped of her mortality.
GKbbon speaks of her as a nymph so shadowy, that her Tery existence
has been questioned, and adds, in a note, " The allegorical interpretation
prevailed in the fifteenth century ; but the wise commentators were not
agreed whether they should understand, by Laura, religion or virtue, or
the Blessed Virgin ! ** However, according to Naz&mi and history, Lailf
not only existed ix^ reality, but was exquisitely beautiful.
Line 180. KhosrH, without his throne or crown,
Khosrti, a king of Persia — a royal surname.
Line 208 And LaiU! LaiU ! rang around,
As if enamowf'd of that magic sounds
Thus Shakspeare, in " Twelfth Night,"
Holla your name to the reverberate hills,
And make the babbling gossip of the air.'
Cry out, Olivia !
NOTES. 121
Line 232. That mole which adds to eveiy look
A magie speU I cannot hrook.
The mole is a prodigious beautj among Oriental writers. Thus Hafix^
** If that maid of Shiraz would accept my hand, I would giye for the
black mole on her cheek the cities of Samarkand and Bokara." Sir
William Jones, in his fine Ode, has omitted, the chief point in the stania
which contains the passage just cited. He says
" Sweet maid, if thou wouldst charm my sighti
And bid these arms thy neck enfold,
That rosy cheek, that lily hand,
Would give thy poet more delight
Than all Bokara's Taunted gold.
Than all the gems of Samarkand."
In these verses, however sweet they may be, the original sentiment is
utterly lost.
Line 238. Jj Kdfs ice'tnmmit, cold,
K&ai, the Caucasus.
line 247. The JSvU eye has struck my heart.
The slayish superstition about conjuration, witchcraft, and enchantment,
is uniyersal in the East. In love affiurs, charms are concocted to produce
every imaginable effect, — attachment, scorn, jealousy, &o. A ridiculous
case of the evil eye, in a less sentimental matter, occurred to one of my
native servants the other day. He was proceeding in a boat from
Barrackpore to Calcutta, and, anxious to get on quickly, though against
the tide, he abused the boatman for not exerting himself sufficiently on
the occasion. He appears to have been greatly excited, and on his
arrival complained to me of an excruciating headache, declaring that he
had been bewitched by a look from the boatman. He lost his appetite ;
fever came on, and he applied, as usual on such emergencies, to his
saint, to get " the charm dissolved ; *' but to no purpose. He continued
without taking food, and at length obtained leave to return to his home
122 NOTES.
in a distant proyince. There was, howerer, enough of natural cause in
the intense heat of the sun, and the excitement of yiolent passion, to
occasion the symptoms complained of ; but all his fellow-seirants beHeved
him to be the riotim of an eyil eye. TaUsmans and spells are innu-
morable in Arabia and Persia. There is the Sulwan, or water poured
from a kind of shell, or upon earth taken from the graye of a dead man,
which they drink to the health of a person, as a cure for lore, or any
seyere affliction. Atfety small beads, hung by women round their necks,
as, a charm to gain the affections of their loyers. Akret, a spherical
amulet, worn by some women roimd their waists, to preyent pregnancy
and by others to fayour conception. Aksity an amulet in form of a knot,
which women wear to keep their husbands fS&ithful. KerchcMra, an ass's
head placed upon a pole in a garden, &c., to guard it from &scination.
In laughing at these fooleries, howeyer, we must remember the first
statute of James I., c. 12, against offenders ** that consult, coyenant
with, entertain, employ, or reward any eyil spirit, to any intent,'' or
'* that exercise any witchcraft, enchantment, chann, or sorcery, whereby
any person shall be killed, destroyed, consumed, or lamed in his body, or
any part thereof," which said statute was not repealed tiU the 9th of
George 11. ! ! !
Line 265. He saw her fresh as mornings scented
Wmself exhausted hy incessant care.
This sort of antithiesis, or contrast of condition, is common among the
Persian poets, and they dwell upon it with great pleasure, if we may
judge from the extent to which they proceed wheneyer an opportunity
presents itself. There are seyeral instances of it in the course of thi^
poem.
Line 461. The holy Kdba where the Prophet prayed,
Where Zam-Zam*s waters yield their sawng aid.
The E&ba at Mecca is traditignally said to haye been built by the
patriarch Abraham : it is at least of yery ancient date. Gibbon sayst
" The Greek historian Diodorus has remarked a famous temple, whose
superior sanctity was reyered by aU the Arabians : the linen or silken
yeil, which is annually renewed by the Turkish emperor, was first
NOTES. 123
offered bj a pious king of tlie Homerites, who reigned 700 years before
the time of Mahomet. A spaoioiis portico incloses the quadrangle of the
C&b&t a square chapel, twentj-four cubits long, twenty-three broad, and
twenty-seren high j a door and a window admit the light ; the double
roof ia supported by three pillars of wood ; a spout (now of gold) dia-
charges the rain-'Water, and the wdl Zem-zem is protected by a dome
finom accidental pollution. The precincts of Mecca enjoyed the rights of
sanctuary, and in the last month of each year the city and temple were
crowded with a long train of pilgrims, who presented their tows and
offerings in the house of Gk>d. The same rites which are now accom-
plished by the faithful Mussulman were inyented and practised by the
superstition of the idolaters. At an awful distance they cast away their
garments ; seyen times, with hasty steps, they encircled the Cftba, and
kissed the black stone ; seyen times they yisited and adored the adjacent
mountains ; seyen times they threw stones into the yaUey of Mina ; and
the pilgrimage was achieyed, as at the present hour, by a sacrifice of
sheep and camels, and the burial of their hair and naUs in the consecrated
ground.'' Vol. ix. p. 245.
Line 744. 8Ae drooped like hroken-wifi^ed bird.
"Like a broken-winged bird" is a common epithet, expressiye of mis-
fortune and affliction.
Line 1100. Whettever herofeU hit pondsmm get%^
Was crush* dy though stedfast as the Mount Whirz.
G«rz, a mace or club. Elbdrz is a celebrated mountain in Persia, and
forms a fiiyourite simile in the Shahnameh of Firdausi. The immoyable
firmness of his heroes is generally compared to the Mount Elbdrz.
Line 1195. Near where Fordfs bright stream roUs on, recUned,
The riyer Euphrates. The scene is Lud in the country surrounding
Bagdad.
124 NOTES.
Line 1290. Sis tale is told ; some Dim or QkotU
Sad palsied his intrepid soul.
" Diw — demon, giant, devil, ghost, hobgoblin. The diws, genii, or giants,
in Eastern mythology, are a race of malignant beings. The ghoul is an
imaginary sylvan demon, of different shapes and colours, supposed to
derour men and animals. Anything wmon suddenly attacks and destroys
a man, or robs him of his senses." — Richardson.
Line 1378. Empurpled Dijla*s rolUng stream.
The riyer Tigris.
Line 1387. Quickly her sharp disdain the bridegroom feeU^
And from her scornful presence shrinks and reels.
The original makes Laill rather Amazonian at this juncture, which is not
quite in keeping with the gentleness of her character. It says, she struck
him such a blow, that he fell down as if he were dead.
lime 1486. Close, side by side, from mom till niffht,
Kissing and dalliance their deUght.
BAshad hema roz gosh der gosh. Literally, Eyery day, ear in ear.
Line 1458. A dangerous fHend, afalalfoe.
Prime breeder of a world of woe.
AfaU-jehdn, the csJamity of the world. A common epithet applied in
anger to the fiur sex. Something in the spirit of Otway : —
'' Who lost Marc Antony the world ? a woman.
Who was the cause of a long ten-years' war,
And laid at last old Troy in ashes ? woman,
Destructiye, damnable, deceitful woman I "
NOTES. 125
Line 1748. lake SuUmcm, o*er aU extends his reign,
"No name is more famous in the East than Solomon. Omnipotence is
said to haye placed under his obedience not only mankind, but animals.
The birds were his constant attendants, screening him like a canopy firom
the inclemencies of the weather.
Line 1840. The smiling presage of a prosperous dag,
Literallj, On that day he rose up on the right-hand side ; a sign that his
fortune would be auspicious.
Line 1853. JSer ringlets twisted Uke the grtMceful Jim ;
JSer shape onAUf, and her mouth a Mim,
To make this Persian conceit, of not unfrequent occurrence, understood,
it may be enough to say the letter Jim of the Persian as well as Arabic
alphabet, is formed something hke the capital T of the German text ; the
Alif, like our number One in writing, and the Arabic letter Mim a small
horizontal oTaL
Line 1866. My heart is desolate^ mg jogs a/refied.
The original runs, Ber jigeram nimak fileamday Salt is thrown upon my
heart, expressiye of anguish. It is amusing to obserre that, in Spanish,
salt is used yery differently, and made to signify endearment, — ^thus:
Balero del alma! Salt-cellar of my soul! Es mug salada, She is yery
salt — she is yery endearing.
Line 1921. Adoring the Creator, she began —
This is the usual process in Oriental composition: and there is not a
document eyer written in Arabic or Persian but has the letter AUf, at
least, placed at the top of the page, signifying there is but one God. The
poets are especially scrupulous in pious exordiums to the Deity.
Line 1831. Fountain of Khizer, sparkling in the shade
Ehizer is the name of a prophet, who, according to Oriental tradition,
126 NOTES.
was yizier and general to an ancient king of Fersift. Thsj »Ky that Iter
discoyered and drank of the fountain of life, and that, in consequence, ha
will not die till the last trumpet. He is hj some confounded with ih&
prophet Elias, and, which is somewhat singular, likewise with St. Gheorge
of England, whom they call Khizer Elias, imagining that the same soul
animated both by transmigration.
Line 1948. Lifi^s sweetest flowerets, in their brightest bloom,
Ttim'd to the bitterness offeU Zikdm.
An infernal tree, mentioned in the Eorftn, the fruit of which is supposed
to be the heads of deyHs.
Line 2175. Faie looked at last with favouring eye.
Literally, The day on which her food was not infested with flies. A day
free from misfortune or annoyance.
Line 2316. Chief smiles upon me, and IsmUe on grief,
Shakespeare has something like this persomficaticMi of grief in King Joho,
act iii. scene 4. *
Constance. Qrief fills the room up of my absent child,
Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me ;
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Bemembers me of all his gracious parts.
Stuffs out his yacant garments with his form :
Then, haye I reason to be fond of grief.
Line 2327. The buUml o*er thy roses joyous stoops.
The bolbul is the nightingale. The reader need scarcely be reminded of
the &bled loyes of the nightingale and the rose.
Line 2381. And many a farsang he had rode,
A parasang, a league.