Hafez in Love by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Author:Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780815655121
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 2021-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

“Then, with his own special grin, he said, ‘Now you see He has bestowed, and there remains the royal jewel and the angel’s fate in the hands of the devil.’”

I said, “You mean that you believe no way is left to rescue Shams al-Din?”

“There is a window of opportunity for a few days. In these few days either Khajeh Qavam al-Din Saheb ‘Ayar, who has power over Kolu ‘Omar, must arrive in Shiraz, or this princess must swallow a bitter pill and agree to marry His Excellency, the police chief. Kolu ‘Omar has made her understand that it is either Shams al-Din’s neck and Amir Mobarez’s cold sword or the bridal chamber and his own warm embrace!”

“Honorable Molana,” I asked, “you mean that other than these two ways there is no way of rescuing Shams al-Din?”

“Perhaps there is, but I don’t see one. Still, I will try as hard as I can.”

“What can I do?”

“Just pray to God Almighty.”

“You don’t believe,” I said, “that we can have recourse to some of those admirers and lovers of Shams al-Din’s poetry? Perhaps in—”

‘Obayd interrupted me. “Which admirers and lovers? The minority who understand his poetry and value it do not have any power or authority. As for those who do have power and authority, in the words of that great man Shams Qeis Razi, they can’t tell the difference between ‘the sound of music and the braying of an ass.’ Among the latter group, there are some who pretend to understand and appreciate it. But Shams al-Din has not left any of them off lightly. He has massacred Sufis, judges, jurists, and police officers with the blade of his pen. Those few who have survived his pen, he has offended for his own entertainment and laughter. Consider recently, amidst all his problems, how many troubles he has caused—”

I jumped in. “I don’t think it’s for entertainment and laughs—”

‘Obayd cut off my words in turn. “No, wait. Rokn Sayen, whom you know, is an advisor and favorite companion to Amir Mobarez, and by chance he is also a poet. But he is the kind of poet who strongly believes that Sheikh Sa‘di, if alive, would not have the nerve to recite poetry in the face of his poetry. In any case, in the confectionery shop of Shah ‘Asheq, in the presence of a group of people, Shams al-Din attributed the nonsensical poem above the doorway of the Bagh-e No Bathhouse to Rokn Sayen so that everyone would laugh. You have certainly seen the poem:

You come to this public bath with a dirty body.

You go out like a flower after washing clean.

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