Jami, 1414-1492; Persian literature -- History and criticism; Persian literature -- Translations into English
Then we watch the honeyed sweetness of Zulaikha's passion burst forth
into bitter hate and shameless lying. We see the proud, chaste Yúsuf
cast into prison on false pretences and quite melodramatically freed
by the marvellous utterance of a babe at its mother's breast.[5]
But Zulaikha finds the gossip of Memphis hard to be borne--the
insinuations, the sneers, the cruel reproaches for the unrequited and
ill-fated love of hers. Moreover, Zulaikha, like the women of Austria
at the beginning of the eighteenth century,[6] had a husband as well
as a lover, Potiphar, Grand Vizier of Egypt. These two concocted a
scandalous story, which was easily set going and as easily believed by
the common people. It resulted in Yúsuf being again sent to prison. At
this point of the poem we are once more reminded of the Bible story of
Joseph, for Jámí also mentions the interpretation of Pharaoh's dream,
the release of the interpreter, and the unlimited power as the king's
right hand that followed.
So we watch Yúsuf rise from slave to be the king's chief adviser, and
in consequence the fall of the Grand Vizier and Zulaikha. The success
of Yúsuf awakens little admiration. He is so far from being human that
we should not have been very surprised if he had eaten one of the
Pyramids.
But Zulaikha's condition is to be pitied. She is now a widow. Her
jewels are gone, her dress is in rags, there are wrinkles in her once
beautiful face, and her back is bent. But more than all these trials is
the loss of her eyesight. We see her crouching in the road, listening
eagerly for the sound of the coming of the proud Yúsuf on his wonderful
steed,[7] happy to feel the dust of his passing procession. There is a
note of real pathos in this scene. We see for the first time, perhaps,
that Zulaikha's passion is changing into a fairer, nobler thing.
Sometimes the boys who preceded Yúsuf would shout to her as she sat by
her cottage of reeds, "Yúsuf is nigh!" But Zulaikha's heart, sore and
hungry and yearning, knew better than they the approach of her lord.
The eyes that had seen the Palace of Pleasure saw more now that they
were blind! And yet the old passion had not quite burnt itself out. We
see the bent form crouching on the ground, feeling the statue of her
Yúsuf with her thin, trembling fingers, and piteously praying for some
recognition.
The sound of Yúsuf's steed is heard in the distance, and a great shout
rends the air: "Make room! Make room!" Zulaikha again crouches in the
roadway. How long has she "made room" for the selfish and unfeeling
ambitions of a man who was once her pampered slave! It is then, for the
first time, that the soul of Zulaikha asserts itself and the mysticism
of the poem becomes strongly evident. The material spell of a fleshly
love is broken at last. In humility and absolute resignation Zulaikha
shatters her once dear idol, destroys a sordid and hopeless dream. Her
red rose of passion is turned into a white one, as she fervently cries:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account