Vis and Ramin

68 VISRAMIANI
by thee, the idol l of the Barbarian is put to shame by thee,
and its carver is disgusted with it. Thy lips make monarchs
slaves, and thy mouth raises corpses to life. My heart is
melted, and my body, by thinking on thee, like mountain
snow by the heat of the sun ; my heart is, despite itself,
pierced 2 by thy love, like game fallen in a snare; reason
and quiet have gone from me ; my heart in my body has
become booty ;
3
neither in sleeping nor in waking does
sorrow seem sorrow to me, nor joy, joy ;
neither do I rejoice
at all in my royalty, nor in my treasures, nor greatness. I
have no more gladness, nor do I even tilt in the ring on the
maidan with the grandees ; nor do I hunt in the fields with
the greyhound, 4 nor do I pursue the partridge with the
lordly hawk 5 ; neither do I rejoice in the drinking of wine
with banqueters, nor among the fair ones do I sit down in
their intimacy. I can choose no treasure on earth save thee,
nor am I free from grief even for a moment ;
nor can I find
pleasure in anything save the thought of thee ; I have no
friend and no congenial fellow spirit. Dwelling in mine
own house, I am like a prisoner, from twilight to dawn I
76 sigh and writhe |
like a scotched snake. Thy discourse is
a balm to my body, and the sight of thee is the enlivener of
my heart. I shall immediately find consciousness of my
reason again when I hear thy pleasant voice. Although I
have grieved for thee a year, and by the turning away of
joy my tears are crimsoned, my face is yellowed, neverthe-
less in my soul I prefer thy love. My soul is overcome by
love of thee, I seek not life without thee, nor joy without
thee. When my heart is satisfied 6 with thy love, my hair
on my head will become a sword. I have the light of day
from thy face and the darkness of night in thy hair. Know
this : As long as I live I shall be more devoted than thy
slaves, and (even now) I am thy slave. Thy white-hued
face is the giver of my joy and the disperser of my grief.
My sun shines from thy face, and my musk yields its
i Butki, 74. Chaidchra, 96. E., 1188.
3 Iwoar, 142. R., 1081.
8 Mt'havarit'ha korit'ha.
4
AvazWha, 30, 57, 118. R., 459, 1137.
6
Gadzghes, 85.