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The Lawns of Paradise

THE LAWNS OF PARADISE



Dim road in Moscow’s winter taxi.
Maybe our Uzbek driver’s memory 
Drifts  to Bukhara,Samarkand and Tashkent: 
The shifting sands  and the caravan’s load,
Blue-gold minarets, mosaic tiled rooms,
Sunny desert oases  along the Silk Road, 
Bountiful grapes, scarlet pomegranate blooms.   




30 December 2018
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 Note

After I wrote this poem, I researched  and discovered 
a beautiful similar verse (translated) from the 16th century:

Poet Zayn ad-DinVasi  (1485–1556), dedicated these lines to  Tashkent: 

“Oh, what a kingdom! None of the lawns of paradise 
Can be compared with ancient Shash. 
And the one who settled here for good 
Will forever forget about paradise groves. 
Perhaps, to die in Tashkent is better 
Than to live a dragging life in another place“.

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Hilary Minor

Date: 7/17/2023 7:35:00 AM

I'm so pleased to have found this poem as we will be travelling along part of the Silk Road this September, 2023. We will visit Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand - places that have been celebrated in poems and continue to feed the imagination.

Darlene De Beaulieu

Date: 1/4/2019 6:52:00 PM

This poem is beautifully written.Hello Sidney. Have a nice evening my friend.

Sidney Beck
Date: 1/5/2019 1:41:00 AM

Thank you very much .. I'm glad you liked it....best wishes