51. Na-kushad áb-i-khasm átash-i-tu; Nashkinad táb-i-núr muhra-
i-már!
“The water of the enemy extinguishes not thy fire; the snake-
stone
*
cannot outshine the light!”
52. Gar mahí, fárigh az hawá-yi khusúf: Gar mayí, íman az balá-
yi-khumár!
“If thou art a moon, [then it is one] free from anxiety of eclipse:
If thou art wine [it is wine] exempt from the plague of
wine-headache!”
The next ten verses form a lughaz, or riddle:—
53. Chíst án dúr, wa aṣl-i-ú nazdík? Chíst an fard, wa fi'l-i-ú
bisyár?
54. Khám-i-ú har-chi 'ilm-rá pukhta: Mast-i-ú har-chi 'aql-rá
hushyár.
55. Dil-shikan, lík dard-i-dil-paywand: Khush-guzar, lík rúzgár-
guzár.56. Ranj-i-ú nazd-i-bí-dilán ráḥat: Khwár-i-ú nazd-i-zírakan
dushwár.
57. Chún du'á khush-'inán u bí-markab: Chún qaḍá rah-naward u
bí-hanjár.
58. Anduh-ash hamchu lahw u ráḥat-bakhsh: Átash-ash hamchu
áb núsh-guwár.
59. Na'ra dar way shikanj-i-músíqí: Nála dar way nawá-yi
músíqár.
60. 'Ishq aṣlíst kaz munáza'at-ash 'Aql ghamgín buwad, rawán
ghamkhwár.
61. Kháṣṣa 'ishq-i-butí ki dar ghazal-ash Midḥat-i-Sháh mí-kunam
takrár.
62. Sháyad ar-zán ghazála bi-n'yúshad Zín nawá ín ghazal bi-
naghma-i-zár.“What is that distant one, whose origin is withal near? What is
that unique one, whose deeds are withal many?
Whose rawest [recruit] ripens whatever is knowledge: whose
most drunken [dependent] gives sense to whatever is
understanding.
A breaker of hearts, but a healer of hearts' ills: living pleasantly,
but compelling fortune:
Whose pain is peace to those who have lost their hearts; whose
easiest is hard to the intelligent.
Like prayer, light-reined and horseless: like Fate, a swift and
unaccountable traveller.
Care for him is like play and a giver of ease; whose fire is like
water, sweet to drink.
A cry in whom is a movement of music; a wail in whom is the
melody of the shepherd's pipe.
Love is that element by whose struggles reason is rendered
sorrowful and the spirit sad;
In particular the love of that idol in my love-songs to whom I
repeat the praises of the king.
Therefore it were meet if the sun should listen graciously to the
ode in this song set in plaintive strain.”
These riddles are generally very obscure, and I regret to say that of the one here given I do not know the answer. Other specimens, with the solutions, will be found on pp. 336-338 of Rückert's work on Persian Poetry and Rhetoric.
Next comes what is called a “double-rhymed maṭla',” i.e., a Maṭla'-i-Dhú qáfiyatayn. fresh opening-verse with an internal double rhyme, or rhyme between the two half-verses:—
63. Az dil-am súsan-ash bi-burd qarár: bi-saram nargis-ash supurd
khumár.“Her lily [breast] hath snatched repose from my heart: her
narcissus [eye] hath imposed intoxication on my head.”
Then follows the favourite figure, called “the feigned Tajáhulu'l'Árif. ignorance of one who knows,” which is akin to what Puttenham (p. 234) calls Aporia, or “the Doubtful”:—
Su'ál u jawáb.64. Wayḥak! Án nargis-ast, yá jádú? Yá Rabb, án súsan-ast, yá
gulnár?“Alas! is that [eye] a narcissus, or a witch? O Lord! Is that
[breast] a lily or a pomegranate?”
The next figure is the simple one called “Question and Answer” (su'ál u jawáb):—
65. Guftam: ‘Az ján bi-'ishq bí-záram!’ Guft: ‘'Áshiq zi ján
buwad bízár!’“I said: ‘Through love I am sick of life!’ She said: ‘Sick of
life must the lover needs be!’”
The next verse is a muwashshaḥ, or acrostic, of which also,
Muwashshaḥ. I regret to say, I have not been able to discover the solution.66. Dúst mí-dáram-ash ki yár-i-man-ast: Dushman án bih ki khud
na-báshad yár!“I love her, for she is my friend: it is, indeed, well that a friend
should not be a foe!”
The mulamma', or “pied verse,” illustrated in the next Mulamma'. line, has been already mentioned on p. 23 supra. Examples in English and Latin are frequent in the Ingoldsby Legends, e.g.:—
“… I've always considered Sir Christopher Wren,
As an architect, one of the greatest of men;
And, talking of Epitaphs,—much I admire his,
‘Circumspice, si monumentum requiris.’”
And again (though this, perhaps, rather comes under the figure tarjuma, or “translation”):—
“‘Hos ego versiculos feci, tulit alter honores’:
I wrote the lines— * * owned them—he told stories!”67. Súkht dar átash-am: chi mí-gúyam? Aḥraqat-ní 'l-hawá bi-
ghayri'n-nár!“She hath burned me in fire: What do I say? Sine igne amor me
comburit!”
The next five verses illustrate figures which depend upon the peculiarities of the Arabic letters, in respect to their being joined or unjoined, dotted or undotted respectively; and which cannot, therefore, be represented in English characters. In the first, termed “disjointed” (muqaṭṭa'), all the letters are unjoined; in the second (muwaṣṣal, all are joined; the third (mujarrad) is not mentioned in the books at my disposal, and I do not see wherein its peculiarity consists; in the fourth (raqṭá) the letters are alternately dotted and undotted; while in the fifth (khayfá) the words consist alternately of dotted and undotted letters.
Muqaṭṭa'. 68. Zár u zard-am zi dard-i-dúriy-i-ú: Dard-i-dil-dár
zard dárad u zár. Muwaṣṣal. 69. Tan-i-'aysh-am naḥíf gasht bi-gham: gul-i-bakht-am
nihufta gasht bi-khár. Mujarrad. 70. Chihra-i-rawshan-ash, ki rúz-i-man-ast, Zír-i-zulf-ash
mahíst dar shab-i-tár. Raqṭa. 71. Ghamza-i-shúkh-i-án ṣanam bu-k'shád ashk-i-khún-
am zi chashm-i-khún-áthár. Khayfá. 72. Dil shud, u ham na-bínad az way mihr: sar shud,
u ham na-píchad az tan kár.“I am weak and pale through grieving at her farness [from me]:
grief for one's sweetheart keeps [one] pale and weak.The frame of my life grew weak in sorrow: the flower of my
fortune became hidden by thorns.
Her bright face, which is my day, beneath her locks is a moon in
a dark night.
The wanton glances of that idol have loosed blood-stained tears
from my blood-shot eyes.
My heart is gone, and it does not even see kindness from her:
my head is gone, and it does not even turn aside the
trouble from the body.”