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tosufferforthesakeofthatprimordialcovenantthepainofalienationandexilein

thislowerrealm,acquiescingtothesorrowsandwoesthatwillpolishhisheartand

transformhimintoaperfectmirrorreflectingthecountenanceofBeauty.Painis

theinstrumentofannihilationthatburnsuptheegooftheloverandrendershim

selfless,anditishisselflessnessthatmakeshimsusceptibletotheravishmentof

love.Hencepainandloveareinseparablecompanions.^39 WhereḤāfiẓquipsthat‘At

firstLoveappearedsosimplebutthenhardshipscameup’(ki‘ishqāsūnnamūdavval,

valī āftād mushkilhā)intheveryfirstopeninglineoftheDīvān,TaqīPurnāmdāriān

wiselyremindsusthat:

Theword‘atfirst’[avval],transportsusbacktoabeginninglessbeginninginto

ameta-historyandtotheeventofthecovenantofpre-Eternity[mīthāq-ialast]

thatisatoncethefons et origoofmankind’sloveforGodandthecommence-

mentofman’snever-endingexilefromthebelovedthroughseparationand

hisbootlessentanglementinallthegruellingpainsandhardshipsborneof

love.^40

This,indeed,isexactlythegistofḤāfiẓ’sverse:

ThoughḤāfiẓbelostandgone,hehas

asyetanintimatetieofoneness

Withgriefandsufferanceinlove–soulmate,

Bygraceofthatancientcovenant.^41

Notincidentally,intheSavāniḥthissamedialecticofgriefandloveappearsasan
all-pervasivetheme,whereGhazālīemploysviolentimagestodepictandjustifythe
Beloved’scruelty.Inoneplace,Ghazālīremarks:‘Loveisadevourerofmen;itcon-
sumesmen,suchthatnothingelseremains.’^42 Thefunctionoflove’sgrief(gham)in
thereligionofloveinPersianliteratureneedstobeunderstoodinexactlythis
sense,forghamservesnotonlytokeepdesirealivebutalsotoburnawaytheself-
hoodofthelover,toravishanddeprivehimofallthatisnottheBeloved.^43 Itisfor
thisreasonthatthemissiveoflove’sjoyanddelightcanonlybecomposedanddis-
patchedtothepoetwhenallthewherewithalofdelight(allmeansbywhichthe
heartisdelighted:asbāb-i dil-i khurram)hadbeencrossedoutanddissolvedbythe
ravagesoflove’sgrief(ghazal148,v.7).Atthatpoint,viewedfromthehigherstand-
pointoftheRealityoflove’sgrief–‘theMtRubwaofLove’asRūmīcallsit^44 –can
heagainreflectinhisheartthelostimage:theiconofbeauty.

Beloved and Lover, Beauty and Love

Apparently,theaddresseeofḤāfiẓ’sPoemofPre-Eternityisa‘you’thatnever

appearsassuch,exceptintwopossessiveenclitics^45 andintwopronounsusedas

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry