javaab-e shikvah
stanzas 26 through 30 (*text with stanza numbers*; *serial
glossary*)
|
26) |
==God now begins to encourage modern Muslims to anticipate a rebirth of their community. | |
| "The garden is
[habitually] devoid of straw and rubbish, The rose overthrows the redness of the martyrs' blood. |
==That is, the rose is redder even than the martyrs' blood. | |
| "If you just take a
look at the color of the sky, then it's carnation-red, This horizon of the rising sun is radiant! |
||
|
27)
"There are communities in the garden of existence who have had their fruit gathered, There are others devoid of fruit, and others who have seen the autumn. |
||
| "There are hundreds
of date-palms-- withered ones, and mature ones too, Hundreds too are still concealed in the womb of the garden. |
||
| "The date-palm of
Islam is an example of fertility, It's the fruit of all the hundreds of centuries of garden-cultivation. |
||
|
28)
"Your garment-hem is free from the dust of the homeland, You are that Joseph for whom every Egypt is a Canaan. |
==That is, because you're not bound to a single country, you are at home everywhere. Joseph, who came from a happy home in Canaan, at first suffered but eventually triumphed in Egypt. | |
| "Your caravan will
never be able to become desolate, Other than a single call of the bell, you have no equipment. |
==The "call of the bell" summons the people of the caravan to prepare for departure. |
|
| "You are the
date-palm of the candle, and in the flame is the smoke
of your wick/root; The shadow of the thought of you would be end-burning. |
==This is in Persian; perhaps it's a quotation that the educated reader is supposed to recognize. | |
|
29)
"You will not be erased by the erasure of Iran, The intoxication of wine has no connection with the wine-glass. |
==At the time of this
poem (1913), the Second Balkan War posed a grave
threat to Iran. |
|
| "It's clear from the
story of the onslaught of the Tartars, That the Ka'bah obtained door-guardians from idol-temples. |
==That is, the Mongols eventually became converts to Islam. | |
| "The boat of
truth/right has, after all, a refuge in the time/age, If the new era is a night, after all there's a dim star. |
==The effect of to is to emphasize the culminating points of an argument. | |
| .... | ||
|
30)
"The turmoil that has been created by the assault of the Bulgarians, For the heedless, it's a message of wakefulness. |
==In 1913, Bulgaria started the Second Balkan War. |
|
| "You consider that
it's a source of affliction to the heart, It's a test of your offering, of your self-respect. |
==That is, you're wrong to consider it a mere calamity when it's really a test. | |
|
"Why are you
terrified by the neighing of the horse of the enemy? |
==Here the light of truth is envisioned as an oil lamp. | |
*On to stanzas 31-36* -- *"Shikvah" index page*
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