Don't laugh at it When I addressed you in words as cautious as the Individual authors or rights holders retain all other rights. Layla and Majnun was translated from Persian into English in 1788 by Sir William Jones, the philologist who lived in Calcutta and wrote Persian poetry under the pen name Youns Uksfardi. I’ve always known about Layla and Majnun, even though the story is not well known in the United States. Majnun’s incessant poetic expression of Layla’s beauty and his astonishingly … Their upraised hands and faces, torn with emotion, seem to echo their words, as do their bodies, swaying in the aftermath of the sung poetry. What could they have done against it?”. Majnun is presented as a poet who is able to compose dazzling verses in various poetic genres. The translation was made by an English orientalist and translator James Atkinson. The production has several U.S. engagements in March 2018 and then will tour to Australia and London for its final performances. Laila-Majnun ini adalah cerita kisah nyata dari negara jazirah Arab,menceritakan tentang kisah percintaan dua insan yaitu Laila dan Majnun. In Layla and Majnun there is a sense that Qays the poet is a helpless victim of Layla’s intoxicating beauty. Layla and Majnun are reunited only after death, just as the soul is believed in the Sufi tradition to unite with God. Layla and Majnun was translated from Persian into English in 1788 by Sir William Jones, the philologist who lived in Calcutta and wrote Persian poetry under the pen name Youns Uksfardi. In death, the lovers finally unite. Behind them all, a huge abstract painting by the late painter, Howard Hodgkin, jagged lines of electric green and salmon, seems to shift colors as the piece goes on. The lyrics are based on the book by Persian poet Nizami, Layla and Majnun, about a man in love with a woman who cannot have her because her parents object.When they cannot be together, he goes insane. The complete script for Laila and Majnun is available as are Sepanta's other manuscripts. Find out more about that here: http://www.gardenenclosed.com, Your email address will not be published. Nizami slightly modified the plot: Qays goes crazy with love, and that's why Layla's parents reject him. Around them, the musicians conjure a caravan of sound, familiar and exotic at the same time. Characters: Majnun The would-be lovers, Qays and Layla, meet as children in school and fall deeply in love. Tells the story of two young lovers who met in their childhood and grew together to later blossomed into love. The 12th-century poem was based on an Arabian … This story has been told in many different forms, it is the the story of Layla and Majnun. The forbidden love story of Layla and Qays (Majnun). The Azerbaijani language adaptation of the story, Dâstân-ı Leylî vü Mecnûn (داستان ليلى و مجنون; "The Epic of Layla and Majnun") was written in the 16th century by Fuzûlî and Hagiri Tabrizi. The story of Layla and Majnun was known in Persia as early as the 9th century. Knowing of his devotion to his parents, Layla was determined to send Majnun word of their passing. Layla, I’m begging, darling, please. I finally read the story as a teenager, when an elderly Parsi gentleman gave me an English translation on a later visit to India. This story, of would-be lovers doomed to separation and death, has transfixed humanity for millennia, enduring over the centuries as a symbol of overwhelming, ecstatic, crazy, tragic love. The legend continues to be reborn in new forms and expressions. Many years later, Majnun’s father and mother both passed away. And Layla? We all know the ending but, like Majnun, we can’t help but return to the intoxication of love. From there, Layla and Majnun filtered into the edges of European and then American cultural discourse, but often without an understanding of the spiritual dimensions of the story. Majnun’s father takes him on a pilgrimage to Mecca to try to get him back on track, but Majnun prays only for his love to become stronger. Majnūn, which means 'possessed by spirits' or 'crazy', was the name given to the semi-legendary seventh-century Arab poet Qays ibn Mulawwaḥ when he reputedly became mad with love for Laylá, his cousin. I have seen and read many interpretations of, and commentaries on, Layla and Majnun. This piece, by Sophie Ernst, moves into the same ineffable realm as the performance itself: teasing experience on the edge of language, we enter into a world where fire/love hushes all who see it, are drawn into it, and are consumed, smiling, by its flames. I so enjoyed this article, the description of the dances she saw performed as well as the very detailed history about these various themes and interpretations. The story is believed to have originated in the Bedouin storytelling traditions of seventh-century Arabia. [4][10], The poem was published in various countries in different versions of the text. Morris has made an unusual decision to parcel out the roles of Layla and Majnun to four pairs of dancers, thereby universalizing the experience of the lovers. The story of Layla and Majnun, written one thousand years before Romeo and Juliet, has been repeatedly compared to William Shakespeare’s play because of the tragic love … [18] A year later, the eponymous film based on the poem was shot at the film studio "Azerbaijanfilm" (the role of Majnun was performed by Nedar Shashik-ogly). Many years later, Majnun’s father and mother both passed away. A young man named Qais ibn Al-Mulawah (known as Qays) fell in love with a young lady named Layla: deeply, irrevocably, hopelessly in love. Majnun, who spent his entire life searching and longing for his love, but would only unite with her in death, is the ultimate depiction of love and desire for God – and Layla, the reflection of the beloved divine one.”. Th The story of Layla and Majnun invokes a love that transcends the lovers’ experience of themselves, representing the potential of a spiritual love beyond human expression. His father tries to intervene and arrange a marriage with Layla’s tribe, but her family has heard too much about Majnun’s erratic behavior. The Bedouin camps of the original Arabic oral poems became embellished with Persian gardens by poets writing in Persian; Majnun’s poetry, scattered to the winds, found later expression as Hindi film songs. Cukup sampai 30 halaman sajalah saya mengikuti kisah Layla dan Qays. Based on the classical poet Nizami Ganjavi’s 12th-century poem, The Story of Layla and Majnun, Ganjavi wrote of a young man who fell desperately in love with a beautiful woman, but she was unavailable. In the past, Layla has been depicted as a … It still knocks me out when I play it. By Nizami Ganjavi (1192) also called Layla and Magnun or Leili o Majun is an epic love poem composed in 584 / 1188 by the great Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi. Trivia About Layla and Majnun. But even though Layla did not love her husband, she was a loyal daughter and so remained a faithful wife. The temptation is too great, the desire too strong, the outcome always inevitable. Its contrasting movements were reportedly composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. . LAYLA AND MAJNUN Poem by Michael Roes.My folly bakes stones. Layla is forced into a marriage with a wealthy man but refuses to consummate the marriage. A fire had been lit in both—and each reflected the other. ), South Writ Large | Issue: Winter 2018 | Layla and Majnun: The Love Story That Inspired Eric Clapton, Yo-Yo Ma, and Mark Morris. The Mark Morris Dance Group’s production contextualizes Layla and Majnun through its link with the Azerbaijani opera and mugham singing, placing it within a cultural context that contains the full spectrum of interpretations. This article should be included in forthcoming performance programs. [6] The couple united only after death. The ostensibly tragic end then becomes an allegory of the longing of the soul to be reunited with the beloved (God). The women wear long dresses of coral flecked with white, the men tunics of marbled cobalt blue over white trousers. [4], Miniatures depicting the heroes of the poem "Layla and Majnun" were created by miniature artists from different cities, such as Tabriz, Herat. Rustam Aliyev carried out a complete philological prosaic translation of the work from Persian into Russian. When his father forbade the marriage, Qays went mad and began to wander the desert (Majnun is Arabic for 'madman'). [4], As in Arabic sources, Nizami refers to the poetic genius of Majnun at least 30 times. Some years ago, Qasimov proposed a shorter, more universally accessible version to Yo-Yo Ma of the Silk Road Ensemble, which resulted in a 45-minute chamber music version that toured the world in 2008 and 2009. The story has proved remarkably durable over the centuries as different cultures have found novel ways of reimagining and adapting it as their own. It was about a young couple named Qays and Layla who fell in love with each other but whose relationship was forbidden by … The poem is dedicated to Shirvanshah Ahsitan I, and was written on his order. Its contrasting movements were reportedly composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. The Story of Layla and Majnun passed into Azerbaijani literature. In brief, Qays ibn al-Mulawwah of the Banu ‘Amir tribe falls in love with his classmate Layla bint Sa‘d. This poem is considered as the first literary processing of the legend. Situation: Majnun asks Layla’s father if he can marry her. In the early sections, each pair, identified by their scarves, represents the lovers at a different stage—as children innocently in love, youths trying to elude their disapproving families, adults lost in the wilderness of their impossible love, and finally in a dramatic tableau at Layla’s unwanted wedding. Nizami drew upon various oral anecdotes reported in earlier Arabic sources to develop a multi-layered story which he wrote in a rhyming couplet masnawi form. She fared no better. The story of Layla and Majnun is the classic Islamic story of doomed love. The plot of the poems of this genre is simple and revolves around unrequited love. [5], The poet Qays[1] fell in love with his cousin Layla, but Layla had to marry another man: Qays went insane and retired to the desert, where he composed poems dedicated to the beloved Layla. He had already given his heart to Layla before he understood what he was giving away. Im incredibly proud of that song. It is based on the story of the ancient Arabic legend "Layla and Majnun" about the unhappy love[3] of the young man Qays, nicknamed "Majnun" ("The Madman"), towards beautiful Layla. Layla remained devoted to Majnun … The young Bedouin poet Qays fell in love with Layla, a woman of his own tribe, and wrote her many celebrated love poems. The earliest versions were loosely connected anecdotes characteristic of the Udri genre of Arabic poetry, which focuses on stories of unrequited, platonic love. Translated Dr. Rudolf. Layla and Majnun are even believed to be buried in Rajasthan, contrary to historical probability and the narrative consensus of centuries; their purported tombs draw thousands of newlyweds each June for an annual pilgrimage. [4], The Arab-Bedouin legend was modified by Nizami. It was based on a full-scale dramatic poem by Nizami and was Sepanta's fifth produced film that had sound. The dance is a marvel of choreography that evokes emotion through execution and timing. Palmer started researching the play’s history, and learned that one of the most famous plays in Western literature was actually based on a 12 th century epic poem by one of the most famous Muslim writers in history. The poem is based on a semi historical and mystical Arabian love story about 7th century Nejdi Bedouin poet Qays ibn Al-Mulawwah and the woman he loves Layla bint Mahdi (also known as Layla al-Aamariya.) The travellers said that Majnun spent his days reciting poetry to himself and writing in the sand with a long stick; they said that he truly was driven to madness by a broken heart. Who was Layla, and what is the story behind the song? The album’s mega-hit single, Layla, was said to have been written for Boyd. [8] It was published in 1836. The result was a 70-minute dance drama that premiered in 2016 in Berkeley, California, toured to several U.S. cities in 2016 and 2017, and had its New York premiere at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival last fall. Leyla. Two well known Persian poets, Rudaki and Baba Taher, both mention the lovers. In the nineteenth-century Lord Byron called it “the Romeo and Juliet of the East” despite the fact that the legend predates Shakespeare’s tragic lovers by nearly a thousand years. [1][2] This poem is included in "Khamsa" and was written in 1188 in Persian. [17], In 1960, the first Tajik ballet film called “Layla and Majnun” was shot based on the poem at the Tajikfilm studio. "Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). This time Majnun must question the father’s reasoning and show the strength of his emotion. I remember being surprised by my response as I read—like everyone else, I knew the inevitable outcome. THE STORY OF LAYLA AND MAJNUN. . Majnun reads love poems and elegies, which can be considered as psychological self-analysis, showing his disappointments and the reasons for his actions. When Majnun heard of her death, he became mad with grief. Since its debut, Hajibeyli’s opera has opened each season of the Theater of Opera and Ballet in Baku and was led for two decades by the revered singer Alim Qasimov, considered a Living National Treasure of Azerbaijan for his preservation of the art of mugham vocal tradition. It resulted in his song Layla. However, the Iranian scientist Vahid Dastgerdi published a critical edition of the poem in 1934, compiling a text from 66 chapters and 3657 stanzas, dropping 1007 verses, defining them as later interpolations (distortions added to the text), although he admitted that some of them could have been added by Nizami himself. Onstage the dancers swirl in and out of complex formations on a multilevel set, filing around the musicians, who are grouped in the center of the stage. Most people can relate to the feeling of madness and obsession that love can inspire, even if their own lives are more prosaic. In the late 19th century, Ahmed Shawqi wrote a lyrical play based on Fuzuli’s poetry, now considered one of the best in modern Arab poetry. Original question: Who wrote the song Layla? Knowing of his devotion to his parents, Layla was determined to send Majnun word of their passing. Last edited on 14 December 2020, at 01:30, "The Legend of Leyli and Majnun - Welcome to Iran", "Poem: From the Tale of "Laili and Majnun" by James Atkinson", "Translations of Layla and Majnun into Russian", "Photo report: The Persian artist Aga Mirek : theological portal Bogoslov.Ru", "The First Eastern Opera "Leyli and Majnun, "Opera "Layla and Majnun" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov", "The Virginal Love of Layla Majnun – Good Times", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Layla_and_Majnun_(Nizami_Ganjavi_poem)&oldid=994086850, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. In the prologue and epilogue, Nizami gives advice to the reader about various topics such as the transience of life, death, humility, etc. Layla and Majnun or Leyli va Majnun (aka Leili-o-Majnun or Laili-o-Majnoon) is a 1937 Iranian romance film produced in 1937 by Abdolhossein Sepanta by the East India Film Studios.. This bas-relief is a part of Hermitage museum collection in Saint Petersburg. The voices of the singers, Alim Qasimov, the renowned master of mugham singing from Azerbaijan, and his daughter and protege, Fargana Qasimova, rise above the dance, pure and clear as cold water, wrenching as a knife to the heart. He was named Kais, and as he matured it became obvious to all that he would one day become a source of great pride to his family and tribe. In his commentary on Majnun's speech, the narrator always takes his side, which affects the reader's interpretation. by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon Based on Nizami's 12th century epic poem, "Leyli and Majnun" To have ownership of something that powerful is something Ill never be able to get used to, Eric Clapton said of Layla in 1988. They could be any of us, lovestruck and shunned from our community, longing for union with the beloved. Eventually, Layla dies of a broken heart, and Majnun rushes to her grave and dies. This poem is included in "Khamsa" and was written in 1188 in Persian. Heroes are semi-imaginary-semi-historical characters and their actions are similar to the actions of the characters of other romantic poems of this genre. There is some evidence that Majnun may have been based on a real person, Qays Ibn al-Mulawwah of the Banu Amir tribe, but whether the legend reflects real events may never be known. Eric Clapton read this poem and thought of his unrequited, doomed love for Patty Boyd, the wife of George Harrison. The story of Layla and Majnun is an old Arabic tale of ill-fated lovers, loosely connected with the life of a 7th century poet, Qays ibn Mulawwah.It has been told and retold many times over, and like all tales told and retold, the original story has acquired twists and permutations. Majnun retreats to the wilderness, surrounded by wild animals, as his love poetry becomes known far and wide. "Layla and Majnun" (Persian لیلی و مجنون) is the third poem of the classic of Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209, Ganja). Various versions exist, but at the core of each is a love that cannot be. [16], There is a bas-relief depicting the heroes of the poem - Layla and Majnun, as a schoolgirl and a schoolboy performed on the pedestal of Nizami Ganjavi monument in Baku, which was established in 1949, by sculptor A. Khryunov and which was based on the sketches of the artist Gazanfar Halykov. [4], In picturesque images, Majnun is portrayed as an emaciated ascetic. I don’t remember an exact moment when I became aware of the story; Laila-Majnu was soaked into cultural references, and I absorbed it by osmosis. For instance, Aga Mirek,[13] Mir Seid Ali, Muzaffar Ali created such miniatures. He knew he wanted to produce it. Indeed, the story of Layla and Majnun can be interpreted entirely as a metaphor for spiritual love in the Sufi tradition. Later, this translation was reissued several times (1894, 1915). 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