The Rose's Worship
The rose, beholding thy bright face, entranced hath grown,
All eye and cheek and ear in worship lost and shown.
Thou stole my heart, O heedless one—I still recall,
Though thou hast forgotten me, I stand and heed love’s call.
’Tis dawn, bring forth that wine jar, bearer, on whose face
Thy beauty's form in painted art hath found its place.
No vigor stirs the potter's wheel or shaping hand,
This matchless craft, struck by thy beauty, cannot stand.
I turn toward thee as I pray, my stature meets
That moon-beauty's form, robed in silk from head to feet.
Come forth, sweet idol, from behind that mystic veil!
Thy cypress form—in whose embrace doth love prevail?
O heart, be patient as the soul, and drink with grace
The poison from those honeyed lips that love’s embrace.
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Explanatory Footnotes:
1. Ghazal - A classical Persian poetic form, often focused on love, longing, and mystical themes; each couplet can stand alone yet contributes to overall spiritual progression.
2. Rose - Symbolizes beauty, love, and often the beloved in Persian poetry.
3. Moon-beauty - A metaphor for the beloved’s radiant and perfect appearance.
4. Cypress form - Cypress trees symbolize grace, elegance, and tall, slender beauty; a traditional metaphor for the beloved’s form.
5. Wine jar / Wine - Symbolizes divine love, spiritual intoxication, or earthly passion in Persian mystical poetry.
6. Honeyed lips / Poison - Contrasting images where sweetness brings delight and poison represents the pain or transformative power of love.
7. Mystic veil - Represents the barrier between the lover and the divine or the hidden nature of the beloved; common in Sufi imagery.
8. Potter's wheel / Shaping hand - Figurative expressions highlighting the transformative effect of the beloved’s beauty on art, creativity, or human effort.
9. Entranced / worship lost and shown - Depicts total surrender to the beloved’s beauty, a common motif in classical Persian love poetry.
Copyright ©
Saeed Koushan
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