What Then?
If for thy love my head should fall, what then?
If union with thee becomes for me, what then?
That I may tell the tale of thy love by heart,
One story of thy passion I impart—what then?
Though years I burn in exile’s piercing flame,
If suddenly thou shinest like the moon, what then?
Last night, lost in longing for thy sidelong glance,
If today in wine’s deep sea we dance—what then?
With ghazal and song prepared, and cup in hand,
If thou refusest the glass I planned, what then?
From these two eyes blood falls in endless stream,
Till separation turns the cup of life red—what then?
This wine is Mansur’s, drawn from Jam’s own bowl,
If from it we should pour another whole, what then?
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Explanatory Footnotes:
1. Ghazal - A classical Persian poetic form, usually expressing love, mysticism, or longing.
2. Mansur’s wine - Refers to Mansur Al-Hallaj, a Persian mystic; the wine symbolizes divine love and spiritual intoxication.
3. Jam’s bowl - A legendary cup (Jam-e Jam) in Persian mythology, said to reflect all truths; here it signifies the highest spiritual and mystical experience.
4. Sidelong glance / longing for thy sidelong glance - Refers to the beloved’s glance that captivates and bewilders the lover; a common image in Persian poetry.
5. Separation / h-e-j-r - The Persian term for painful separation from the beloved, often with mystical undertones.
6. Red cup / red wine - In Persian tradition, wine symbolizes both earthly and divine love; the transformation to “red” signifies intense passion or the pain of separation.
Copyright © Saeed Koushan | Year Posted 2025
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