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Nizami – Makhzanol Asrar (The Treasury of Mysteries) – from The First Seclusion 01

The fruit of the first seclusion

(59) 695. The wind lifted the veil sideways. The master hastily returned to his love-making.

696. He saw one with scented breath and sweet laughter, who had given colour to the rose and sweetness to sugar.

697. The intrigues of that beauty, clothed in muslin, had burnt the harvest of the moon, as a, fire burns reeds.

698. From her tresses she had woven armour to her waist. She was beautiful from head to foot.

699. Since to see her dazzled the eyes, whoso beheld her shed salt tears.

700. Since her savour had been mixed with sweetness, it destroyed the sweetness of the beauties.

701. The parrot of the garden was put to shame by her sweetness. Her chin had a ring like that on the head of the parrot.

702. Close to that beautiful orange-shaped chin, a silvery neck was formed on her breast.

703. Cherisher of drunkards like the rose of the garden, destroyer of repentance like the wine of a friend,

704. Her lips, like a Tabari, had in them the red wood of Tabarestan with which they crush the sugar cane.

705. She was a red rose fresher than sugar cane, a dry sugar candy full of rose water.

(60) 706. Her black mole which burnt the heart, was the ambergris pounded in the oyster shell of the dawn.

707. Yearning for that black mole, the full moon became a mole.

708. Her eyes burnt the heart more than the sun; her lips illuminated the night more than the moon.

709. Because of the baggage of the pilgrim hearts which surrounded her for miles, the road to her was as narrow as her mouth.

710. My heart was broken in my breast by that hard heart of hers which destroyed hearts.

771. She spoke with a sweet smile on her lips; her face pleaded, and her airs and graces were magical.

712. Like a casket of gems, she had closed her mouth and had left an opening only as large as a bead.

713. When love saw that casket and that bead, it performed wonders and spread the magician's carpet.

774. It loosened the burden of form from my girdle and freed my soul from the fetters of the body.

715. My burden became unbearable, because the water of life passed my lips.

(61) 716. Our magical reason saw a demon; it suffered iron chains to gain this silver.

717 . The heart which was relieving its sorrows with joy. was closing the eyes of the sun with clay.

718 The companion which takes away grief, is grief itself. The remedy for one suffering from the after effects of wine is the wine itself.

719. Oh thou whose brow is marked by my brand and who art ignorant of my meadow and my garden.

720. The meadow was Heaven, and the vision its Splendour. The garden was the night and tears its water

72I. And she whose face was jealously veiled, was the mirror for the face of sincerity.

722. For a long time my head rested on my knees until I understood this mystery.

723. I have made this journey on the road of certainty. Go thou on the road by which I have travelled

724. Thou hast not the secret of this road, beware, leave Nezami’s work to Nezami.