I Lured Shirin, You killed Farhad

Jaihoon’s poem explores the intertwined nature of love and pain, using classic references to illustrate their inseparable bond.

On the pathway of Life, met
Strangers two, who alike felt.

Never before had they seen
Each other, yet they’re keen

To know. Said Love,

“In the lover’s heart, do I blossom,
Treasured in the beloved’s bosom.

I make Majnun dance,
The ring on Leila’s hands.

I convince Farhad to dig the rocks,
I lure Shirin out of her palace doors.

Friends spend on my behalf,
For hours they rejoice and laugh.

Tell me about your tale,
From where do you hail?

Why do we look so similar,
As I see you in my mirror?”

Replied Pain,

“Ah! I am that sigh,
In my hands, all cry.

I bring tears in the lover’s

Beloved, I make them shiver.

Majnun suffers and hides his face,
Leila loses her dreams in a haze.

I kill the pride of Farhad,
Shirin ends the life she had.

Friends curse their hearts,
The fire when the dear departs.”

Said Love,

“If I am the seed at the start,
You are the harvest in the end.

We grow in the same land,
I, the profit, you, the loss.

Lovers cannot eat me alone,
They can have us only as twins.”

Hey, lovers!
Jaihoon has said nothing new,
This truth is known to few.

June 01 2010. Edit March 2024