Love

Strange If Beauties' Hearts Turn Blood

by Fuzuli c. 1483–1556

Translated by E. J. W. Gibb (1882) · From Ottoman Poems (1882)

Love

Strange if beauties' hearts turn blood through envy of thy cheek most fair?
For that which stone to ruby turns is but the radiant sunlight's glare.

Or strange is't if thine eyelash conquer all the stony-hearted ones?
For meet an ebon shaft like that a barb of adamant should bear!

Thy cheek's sun-love hath on the hard, hard hearts of fairy beauties fall'n,
And many a steely-eyed one hath received thy bright reflection fair.

The casket, thy sweet mouth, doth hold spell-bound the hûri-faced ones all;
The virtue of Suleymân's Ring was that fays thereto fealty sware.

Is't strange if, seeing thee, they rub their faces lowly midst the dust?
That down to Adam bowed the angel throng doth the Qur'an declare!

On many and many a heart of stone have fall'n the pangs of love for thee!
A fire that lies in stone concealed is thy heart-burning love's dread glare!

Within her ward, with garments rent, on all sides rosy-cheeked ones stray;
Fuzûlî, through those radiant hues, that quarter beams a garden fair.

✦ ✦ ✦

A ghazel in which the beloved's cheek and eyelash are so bright that they turn stone hearts to rubies, and her mouth holds the most beautiful spirits spell-bound.

MLA

Fuzuli. “Strange If Beauties' Hearts Turn Blood.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/fuzuli/2/.

Chicago

Fuzuli. “Strange If Beauties' Hearts Turn Blood.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/fuzuli/2/.

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