Ushshaq Concert Programme No. 01. Jalaluddin Rumi VERSES FROM THE MASNAVI

Non-metric Persian avaz

Polina Proutskova (vocals) and Peyman Heydarian (santur)

This sung text, by the renowned Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, is called Masnavi, which means rhymed verses It is taken from Rumi's seminal work Masnavi i manavi, which comprises 50,000 lines and more than 400 stories and is considered to be the most influential text in both Persian and Sufi literature.

Text:


دید مجنون را یکی صحرا نورد
در میان ِ بادیه بنشسته فرد
کرده صفحه ریگ وانگشتان قلم
میزند بااشک خونین این رقم
گفت:ای مجنون شیدا چیست این
مینویسی نامه بهر کیست این
گفت : مشق ِِ نام ِ لیلی می کنم
خاطرِ خود را تسلی می کنم
چون میسر نیست برمن کام او
عشق بازی می کنم با نام او

Translation:

A traveller in the desert saw Majnoon [the lover], sitting alone in the heart of the desert.
Using the sand as a writing board and his finger as a pen,
He was writing, while crying blood...
He asked: Hey, crazy Majnoon! What are you writing? For whom are you writing this letter?
Majnoon answered: I am writing the name of Leila. I find solace in it.
Since it is not possible for me to have her, I make love by her name.

Transliteration :

Did Majnun raa yeki sahraa navard
Dar miyaan-e baadiye benshaste fard

Karde Safhe rig o angoshtaan ghalam
Mizanad baa ashk-e khunin in ragham

Goft key Majnun-e sheydaa! Chist in?
Minevisi naame bahre kist in?

Goft Mashqe naam-e Leili mikonam
Khaatere khod ra tasalli mikonam

Chon moyasar nist bar man kaam-e ou
Eshq baazi mikonam baa naam-e ou

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masnavi