The Knight in the Tiger's Skin, 1938
20. I speak of the highest love–divine in its kind. It is difficult to discourse thereon, ill to tell forth with tongues. It is heavenly, upraising the soul on pinions. Whoever strives thereafter must indeed have endurance of many griefs.
21. Sages cannot comprehend that one Love; the tongue will tire, the ears of the listeners will become wearied; I must tell of lower frenzies, which befall human beings; they imitate it when they wanton not, but faint from afar.
22. In the Arabic tongue they call the lover "madman, "because by non-fruition he loses his wits. Some have nearness to God, but they weary in the flight; then again, to others it is natural to pursue beauty.
23. To a lover, beauty, glorious beauty, wisdom, wealth, generosity, youth and leisure are fitting; he must be eloquent, intelligent, patient, an overcomer of mighty adversaries; who has not all these qualities lacks the character of a lover.
24. Love is tender, a thing hard to be known. True love is something apart from lust, and cannot be likened thereto it is one thing; lust is quite another thing, and between. them lies a broad boundary; in no way do they mingle hear my saying!
25. The lover must be constant, not lewd, impure an faithless; when he is far from his beloved he must heave sigh upon sigh; his heart must be fixed on one from whom he endures wrath or sorrow if need be. I hate heartless love–embracing, kissing, noisy bussing.
26. Lovers, call not this thing love: when any long for one to-day and another to-morrow, lightly bearing parting's pain. Such base sport is like mere boyish trifling; the good lover is he who suffers a world's woe.
27. There is a first noblest love; it does not show, but hides its woes; the lover thinks of it when lied is alone, and always seeks solitude; his fainting, dying, burning, flaming, all are from afar; he may face the wrath of kings, yet will he be fearful of her.
28. He must betray his secret to none, he must not basely groan and put his beloved to shame; in nought should he manifest his love, nowhere must he reveal it; for her sake he looks upon sorrow as joy, for her sake he would willingly be burned (or? willingly burns [with love]).
29. How can the sane trust him who noises his love abroad, and what shall it profit to do this? He makes her suffer, and he himself suffers. How should he glorify her if he shame her with words? What a chance if one hurt not his beloved's heart!
30. I wonder why men show that they love the beloved. Why shame they her whom they love, her who slays herself for them,who is covered with wounds? If they love her not, why do they not manifest to her feelings of hatred?Why do they disgrace what they hate? But an evil man loves an evil word more than his soul or heart.
31. if the lover weep for his beloved, tears are his due. and Wandering and solitude befit him, and must be esteemed as roaming. He will have time for nothing but to think of her. If he be among men, it is better that he manifest not his love.
STORY OF ROSTEVAN, KING OF THE ARABIANS
32. There was in Arabia Rostevan, a king by the grace of God, happy, exalted, generous, modest, lord of many hosts and knights, just and gracious, powerful, far-seeing, himself a peerless warrior,moreover fluent in speech:
33. No other child had the king save one only daughter, the shining light of the world, to be ranked with nought but the sunny group; whoever looked on her,she bereft him of heart, mind and soul. It needs a wise man to praise her, and a very eloquent tongue.
34. Her name is T’hinat’hin; let it be famous! When she had grown up to full womanhood, she contemned even the sun. The king called his viziers, seated himself, proud yet gentle, and, placing them by his side, began to talk graciously to them.
35. He said: "I will declare to you the matter on which we are to take counsel together. When the flower of the rose is dried and withered it falls, and another blooms in the lovely garden. The sun is set for us; we are gazing on a dark, moonless night.
36. "My day is done; old age, most grievous of all ills, weighs on me; if not to-day, then to-morrow I die–this is the way of the world. What light is that on which darkness attends? Let us instate as sovereign my daughter, of whom the sun is not worthy."
37. The viziers said: "O king, why do you speak of your age? Even when the rose fades we must needs give it its due; it still excels all in scent and fair colour. How can a star declare enmity even to the waning moon!
38. "Speak not then thus, O king. Your rose is not yet faded. Even bad counsel from you is better than good counsel from another, It was certainly fitting to speak out what your heart desires. It is better. Give the kingdom to her who prevails against the sun.
