The restlessness of the young men resembles that of the young Bahram
Gur, the hero of Nizami’sSeven Icons(Haft Paykar), whofinds a secret
chamber in his palace depicting his seven future brides:
A chamber like a treasure store,
Which turned to jewelers all who saw.
The pictures on its walls excelled
A hundred Chinese temples; all
Thatfinest art and skill could form
Of pictures, did its walls adorn.
Seven beauteous images there hung,
Each one connected with a realm...
One hand had drawn these seven forms,
By one cord in a circle hung,
Each, with a thousand beauties bright,
kindled the gem of vision’s light.
An image in the midst therewith–
The others rind, this one the pith–
A belt of pearls circled his waist
And musky down his moon-like face...
And over his head, in skillful script,
The name of‘Bahram Gur’was writ:
“Such is the seven stars’decree,
that such a conqueror come to be.
Seven princesses from seven realms
Shall he embrace, like single pearls...”
Sometimes on a drunken whim, the king
Approached that chamber, key in hand,
And, entering into Paradise,
On those angelic forms would gaze;
And like one who, near water, thirsts,
would sleep, still moved by his desire.
Abroad, he but the hunt pursued;
At home, that room his sorrow soothed.^73
Like Khosrau, Bahram Gur learns of his future betrothal through prog-
nosticating images. The palace seduces him like Shirin beholding
Khosrau’s portrait. Yet it also sedatively shields him from excessive passion
like that of Farhad.
Depicted in a manuscript dedicated to the Timurid sultan Iskandar
(r.1384–1415), the scene reflects layers of transmedial representation(^73) Nizami, 1995 :51–53.
212 The Transcendent Image