Though you be penitent, what profit to your hand can come
When you have dissipated your whole life’s capital?”^30
Later in theBustan,Sa’di further elaborates the trope of the idol through
reference to that of Somnath (SeeChapter 1.2). Rather than condemning
idolatry, however, Sa’di compares the idol to the beloved, reflects sym-
pathetically on the experiences of Hindus, and associates the idol with the
human condition as a puppet in God’s hand.^31
Whereas in Nizami the physical and imaginary image are often
narratively interchangeable, here emphasis on the idolatrous relation-
ship with an object becomes a dual metaphor for forbidden sexual
attraction and for unrestrained love of divinity. In contrast to
Nizami’siconsinShirin and Khosrau and The Seven Icons (see
Chapter 7.4b), this icon is a true idol, falsely endowed with divine
powers. Rather than serving as a transitional object for the instigation
of passion, recognition of the idol as sacrilegious brings Joseph to his
monotheistic senses. Sa’di’s inclusion of the idol would become cen-
tral not only for Jami, but also in the popular Ottoman retelling by
Hamdi (d. 1509).^32
Jami’s most radical narrative alteration transforms Zuleikha into the
protagonist. He introduces her as a beautiful young princess with numer-
ous royal suitors. Able to make her own decisions despite her father’s desire
that she marry, she rejects her suitors, for she has fallen in love with a man
she encountered in a dream.
The eyes that see the form of things were closed in sleep; but those other eyes, the
eyes of her heart, were wide open: and with them she suddenly saw a youth; or
rather a pure spirit, a radiant apparition from the realm of light, eclipsing the
houris in the gardens of eternity.
His form was erect like a slender tree; his nobility of bearing put even the proud
cypress to shame. His hair, hanging down in chain-like ringlets, was enough to
fetter the reason of the wisest mortal.^33
The dream enacts the mechanism of love as described by the Brethren of
Purity, who say:“The image of the beloved is depicted in the soul of the
lover, and representations of his form are inscribed upon his heart, and that
is his recompense.”^34 Zuleikha confides her vision to her nurse, who, like
Shirin’s handmaidens, initially believes it to be demonic. Yet Zuleikha
(^30) Wickens,1974: 236. (^31) Homerin,1983:40–42. (^32) Gibb,1965: 141. (^33) Jami,1980: 14.
(^34) Wright,2004: 174.
From Theology to Poetry 233