#persian peotry

[mxdxmoisxllx]

My Malalai is living, and they praise others' beauty.

Though they have eyes, they are blind.

-Ajmal Khattak about Malalai

[learning-persian]

Today I want to tell you about an interesting story from Ferdowsi’s Shahname (977-1010 CE). It’s a love story between Roudabeh رودابه and Zaal زال.

The interesting part in this story is the scene that seems to have inspired the German fairytale Rapunzel.

Roudabeh is the princess of a nearby land and Zaal is the prince of another land. Their relationship is in secret because Zaal’s father doesn’t approve of it (because Roudabeh’s father is a descendant of Zahhak ضحاک, an evil king that ruled over Persia for a thousand years and killed young men to feed the two snakes on his shoulders— I will tell you about this in another post)

But Zaal, deeply in love as he is, doesn’t care about such politics and keeps sending Roudabeh love letters and one day he actually goes to her palace to see her.

Roudabeh comes to the window and throws her long black hair down, telling Zaal to grab the hair and climb inside.

But unlike the prince in Rapunzel, Zaal refuses to grab his beloved’s hair, saying he would never do something that would hurt her. Instead he uses his rope to climb the wall and get into the princess’ bedroom.

Ultimately they do get married and Roudabeh gives birth to Rostam رستم, a very notable character in Shahnameh and an iconic figure in Persian literature.

[thenewonee]

In Persian instead of “lover”, we say “delbar ”(دلبر) which translates into someone who comes and takes away your heart and that’s why I’m in love with this language

[deltaati]

The person that I had been existed no longer. If I had been able to conjure him up and speak to him he would not have listened to me and, if he had, would not have understood what I said. He was like someone whom I had known once, but he was no part of me.

Sadegh Hedayat, The Blind Owl

[morethancarpets]

If you Had been by my side Perhaps Things Would have gone Differently

- Ahmadreza Ahmadi [contemporary Persian poet]

[mxdxmoisxllx]

Without Fortune and prospect, I ignite the fire

Of impatience – the guards of prudence have vanished:

My caravan defenseless in the coming fire.

A lightening flash has struck and changed me utterly

As rushes burst and spread in a sea of fire...

Understand, Navoiy, I deny my suffering

As the Mazandaran forests turned red with fire.

- Ali Sher Navai

Persian Poet