Long Saeed Poems

Part Nine — Saeed's Love Revealed to All

Young Saeed rose in joyful flight,
A bird set free in morning light.

Through streets and lanes he wildly spun,
His careful mask now came undone.

He sang of Giti's promised grace,
Of...

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Part Three — Zuhrah's Song (1)

O knower of love and mystic's wine,
Sweet mistress of the dance divine!

With harp and lute she weaves her tune,
Her music soars beyond the moon.

A queen whose steed none can outrace,
While...

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Part Twenty-Four — The Fifth Cupbearer's Song

O Saqi, one glance—show mercy here,
And heal this wound with wine so clear.

Fill up the cup for we are dry,
Drunk with desire that makes us sigh.

That cup like chalice...

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Part Twenty-One — Saeed's Supplication to God

One day with flute and mournful song,
Saeed began a prayer so long.

His patience broke, he lost his hold,
His heart grew weary, tired, and cold.

Disheartened by both friend and kin,
Sorrow...

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Part Twenty-Seven — Giti Speaks with Her Father and His Reply

Sweet Giti, like an idol fair,
A thousand hearts caught in her hair.

As soft and gentle as the breeze,
Her charm could bring strong men to knees.

She...

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Part Six — The Story Begins

The tale begins, as poets say,
Of lovers two who found their way.

That radiant child, so young and fair,
A cypress tall with flowing hair.

The envy of all idols bright,
With beauty born...

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Part Eighteen — The Counsel of Saeed's Relatives

They came to Saeed, kith and kin,
Their faces pale, their hearts within

Full of concern. They gently said,
"What sorrow fills your weary head?

You've cast your soul before her feet,
Forsaken...

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Part Fifteen — The Third Cupbearer's Song

O Saqi, pour the midnight wine
That bears the ancient royal sign.

Arise and swiftly bring, I pray,
That sacred draught to light our way.

The wine that ruby lips inspire
And shakes the...

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Part Twelve — Saeed Meets Giti

He reached her street, his senses fled,
As if his earthly time had sped.

The wind arose with scents so rare,
Her fragrance floating on the air.

He knew by grace of heaven above
That...

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Literary and Cultural Terms

Masnavi (also Mathnawi): A classical Persian poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets with a continuous narrative. The most famous example is Rumi's Masnavi-ye Ma'navi (Spiritual Couplets), a foundational work of Sufi literature.

Saqi...

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Cultural and Social Terms

Idol: In Persian poetry, often refers to the beloved, particularly one who is non-Muslim. The term carries complex connotations of forbidden desire and spiritual challenge.

Veil: Refers both to the physical head covering...

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Introduction
"The Masnavi of Giti and Saeed" is a modern reimagining of a classic Persian love epic, woven from the threads of ancient myth, Sufi mysticism, and the eternal yearning of two souls. It tells the...

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That night,
love arrived—
not with thunder,
but with your fingernails
drumming my kitchen table,
drumming like a child
counting down to Christmas.

You said my name wrong—
*Said* instead of *Saeed*—
and the way you stumbled,
stammered with your hands,
that tiny tremor
in your certainty
undid...

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Part Thirty — The Story's End

Sweet Giti, gem in heaven's ring,
Stayed true in love through everything.

Her heart she gave to her dear flame,

Soul's companion, love's sweet name.
And Saeed—behold his blessed state!
Though challenged by his cruel...

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