[Music plays.]
[On a black screen the following text appears:
A book of verses underneath the bough,
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread – and thou,
Beside me singing in the wilderness –
Oh, wilderness were Paradise enow!]
[A man recites poetry.]
[Over an image of a double page manuscript of Persian script and English translation on a light background, with shafts of light shining across it, the following text appears: 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’.
A detailed and multi-coloured manuscript illustration of Hafiz’ Divan appears, showing a prince and princess feasting, with young couples sitting on an outdoor terrace while musicians play and servants bring refreshments, all within a decorative border.
An image of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat appears, showing blue floral detail at the top and Persian script underneath on a light background with gold markings.
An image appears of a woman and man sitting under a tree in blossom, next to a stream with a book between them.]
[Music plays.]
[On a black screen the following text appears:
I shall not die, these seeds I’ve sown will save
My name and reputation from the grave,
And men of sense and wisdom will proclaim,
When I have gone, my praises and my fame.]
[An image of a page from Firdausi’s Shahnama shows the poet Firdausi and three men (the poets of Ghazna) sitting in a garden setting, with Persian text surrounding this image.
A blue and gold illuminated manuscript page from Firdausi’s Shahnama shows two central columns of elegant script, framed by flowing arabesques, cartouches and floral borders. Over this image the text Shahnama of Firdausi appears.]
[A group of male poets wearing white turbans and colourful robes sit on a carpet in a garden. The image recedes into a black background with spirals of smoke showing and then fades to black, with curls of smoke.]
[Drums play.]
[A manuscript image shows a group of men standing and sitting in an outdoor pavilion setting, framed by floral illustrations brushed in gold.]
[An image of court life shows people with musical instruments and food on a green floor next to candelabra in a pavilion. A man looks in through a window. A man (Bahram Gur) and princess sit in the background on a luxurious carpet with decorative walls behind them. A decorated gold border can be seen on the left.]
[A group of musicians sit against a floral, garden-like background, some on carpets.]
[A man on a black horse is shooting a bow and arrow in a forest setting with small animals. A decorative border can be seen on the left and right.]
[A man is on a white horse with arrows on his back in a forest setting with small animals. A decorative border can be seen on the left, right and underneath.]
[The camera pans over an image of a man carrying firewood, a red canopy, a man leading a horse, men sitting outdoors and a group of men tending a fire and cooking. A border decorated in gold can be seen around the edges.]
[Persian music]
[A close-up of a hand plucking a musical instrument expands to show more of the seated musician and the instrument. Over this image the text ‘Shahnama of Firdausi’ appears.]
[This image fades and the head and shoulders of a long-haired woman appears. She begins singing.]
[Over an image of a black-skinned man holding a fire stick and a woman (Tamineh) in an orange robe with green turban standing before a blue decorative background, the text ‘My name is Tahmineh’ appears.]
[Over an image of a bearded man (the warrior knight Rustam) covered by a red blanket and lounging on a purple bed, appears the text ‘Longing has torn my wretched life in two,’.]
[The image pans out to show both previous images as part of the one manuscript. A brief image shows the musician playing his instrument.]
[The music and singing continues.]
[Over an image of a fountain and colourful tiled floor, which expands to show a man with a crown sitting on a throne surrounded by people in a palatial setting, appears the text ‘Though I was born the daughter of the king of Samangan,’.]
[This image slowly fades out and the singer reappears; the text ‘And am descended from a warrior clan.’ appears over the image.]
[Brief footage of the musician appears.]
[The text of the poem being sung appears over the image of the sultan holding court: ‘But like a legend I have heard the story’]
[The singer reappears, and, briefly, the musician, and in the background flames appear.]
[Over an image of a battle scene showing a helmeted man holding a sword over a man lying on the ground appear the words ‘Of your heroic battles and your glory,’.]
[Footage of the musicians and singer appears. The camera pans to a man playing a percussive instrument.]
[Percussion can be heard.]
[Music and singing can be heard.]
[Over footage of the singer appear the words ‘Of how you have no fear, and face alone’]
[Over footage of the musicians appear the words ‘Dragons and demons and the dark unknown,’. An image of an orange and a blue demon in a tree appears.]
[Footage of the singer and musicians appears, with the text: ‘Of how you sneak into Turan at night’,
‘And prowl the borders to provoke a fight,’]
[Music plays.]
[An image of a man fighting a demon appears, with the previous demon images appearing around the border. Fast-moving flames can be seen superimposed on the image.]
[Singing, then also reed and percussion music can be heard.]
[Over footage of the singer appear the words ‘Of how, when warriors see your mace, they quail’.]
[The image moves to one of helmeted men on horseback on a floral background. The words change to ‘And feel their lion hearts within them fail.’]
[Footage of the singer and musicians reappears, with the words ‘I bit my lip to hear such talk, and knew’, ‘I longed to see you, to catch sight of you.’]
[The screen fades to black.]
[Music plays.]
[An image of a turning pink rose appears with the words ‘The Conference of the Birds of ‘Attar’. The rose opens out its petals.]
[A man recites poetry.]
[Over an image of a blue background with a bird on a blossoming tree appear the words ‘My love is for the rose; I bow to her;’. The image pans out to show a blue-and-green decorated pavilion with a young man behind open window shutters and a young woman seated in front, and the words ‘From her dear presence I could never stir.’]
[On a gold floral background with colourful birds appear the words ‘If she should disappear the nightingale’, ‘Would lose his reason and his song would fail,’ and ‘And though my grief is one that no bird knows,’]
[Music plays.]
[Over an image of a rose garden and two lovers seated in a draped pavilion appear the words ‘One being understands my heart – the rose. Persian script appears at the top and bottom of the image.]
[The screen fades to black.]
[Music plays.]
[Footage of a bird in a cage appears.]
[Text appears on a black screen:
Another bird spoke up: 'I live for love,
For Him and for the glorious world above –
For Him I’ve cut myself from everything;
My life’s one song of love to our great king.']
[A manuscript image of a large flock of brightly plumed birds on a green background, with a decorative border around it appears. The camera pans over the image showing the detail.]
[Footage of a bird in a cage appears.]
[A man recites poetry. Music plays.]
[Close-up details of the image of the birds shows. Another image of birds, illustrated in gold on a light background appears, followed by other colour images of birds on a gold background.]
[Close-up footage of a man playing a reed flute appears.]
[Music plays.]
[The camera pans back from the detail of an intricate, circular blue and gold decoration on a light manuscript background. The words ‘Masnavi of Rumi’ appear over the top of the image.]
[Close-up footage of a man playing a reed flute appears.]
[A gloriously colourful manuscript image appears showing a woman sitting on a carpet holding hands with a man who has a flaming aureole around his head; they are in a pavilion within a garden setting.]
[Close-up footage of a man playing a reed flute appears.]
[The camera pans to show the detail in an image of whirling dervishes performing their movements and musicians playing.]
[Close up footage of the reed player and a male singer.]
[A male voice sings. A string instrument plays.]
[The following words appear: ‘Listen to the reed how it tells a tale,’]
[A manuscript in blue and gold, with Persian script and a decorative border appears with the words ‘a tale complaining of separations -’]
[Footage of the singer and musicians appears.]
[Over a manuscript image of a prince on a black background with floral decoration, and a prince on a purple background with floral decoration appear the words ‘Saying, 'Ever since I was parted from the reed-bed,’]
[Over footage of the singer appear the words ‘my lament hath caused man and woman to moan.’ Imagery of a blue and gold decorated manuscript appears.]
[Over footage of the singer and reed player appear the words ‘This noise of the reed is fire, it is not wind:’. An image of brightly dressed figures in a palace setting, along with Persian script, appears.]
[Over footage of the singer and musician appear the words ‘who so hath not this fire, may he be naught!’ and ‘In every company, I uttered my wailful notes,’.]
[Persian script and an image of musicians playing for a seated figure appear.]
[Over footage of the singer and musicians appear the words ‘I consorted with the unhappy’.]
[Over an indoor scene showing figures attending a seated figure in a colourfully decorated room appear the words ‘and with them that rejoice.’]
[Footage of the singer and musician appears.]
[Music plays.]
[An image shows a manuscript open at an image of colourfully dressed people in a garden setting, with a right-hand-side panel in gold with a blue decorative element. The words ‘Masnavi of Rumi’ appear over the top of the image as the camera zooms in closer.]
[A man recites poetry.]
[Over the same image the text ‘In the verdant garden of Love, which is without end,’ appears.
Superimposed over a palace scene are the words ‘There are many fruits besides sorrow and joy.’]
[A woman sings.]
[A manuscript image appears showing people on a balcony looking out onto a garden scene.]
[Another scene appears showing a man on horseback with others in a garden, looking up to a woman on a balcony.]
[A man recites poetry.]
[Superimposed over the image appear the words ‘Beauty radiated in eternity, With its light;’]
[A woman sings.]
[An image of an open book showing colourfully dressed people in a garden setting, with a blue and gold decorative border appears.]
[A man recites poetry over background music, and a woman sings.]
[The text Divan of Hafiz appears. As the camera zooms and pans across the detail of the image, text appears:
‘Love was born,
And set the worlds alight.
It revealed itself to angels,
Who knew not how to love;
It turned shyly towards man,
And set fire to his heart.]
[The screen fades to black and curls of smoke appear.]
[Music plays.]
[Credits appear on the black screen:
Audio Visual from the exhibition Love and devotion: from Persia and beyond, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, 9 March to 1 July 2012.
Curated by Clare Williamson and Susan Scollay]
[Moving text appears onscreen:
Produced for The State Library of Victoria and the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford by Stella Motion Pictures Ltd
Producer/director: Philippe Charluet, Persian poetry reading: Mehdi Mirzaei
Music & songs: Nefes Ensemble: Rachel Atkinson – cello solo; Mehr Ensemble: Samira Karimi – singer, Mehdi Mirzaei – singer, Pooya Mehmanpazir – setar/tar, Toofan Toghyani – ney/daf
Persian text advisor: Dr Zahra Taheri, Australian National University
English translations:
- Edward FitzGerald, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, London, Bernard Quaritch, 1872
- 'The tale of Sohrab' and 'The reign of Yazdegerd' from Shahnameh: the Persian book of Kings, by Abolqasem Ferdowsi, foreword by Azar Nafisi, translated by Dick Davis. Copyright 1997, 2000, 2004 by Mage Publishers, Inc. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
- The conference of the birds by Farid ud-Din ʿAttar, translated with an introduction by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis, (Penguin Classics, 1984). Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
- The Mathnawi of Jalalu’ddin Rumi, translated by Reynold A Nicholson. London, Luzac and Co, 1926
- Islamic mystical poetry: Sufi verse from the early mystics to Rumi, edited by Mahmood Jamal (Penguin Classics, 2009). Selection and introduction copyright © Mahmood Jamal, 2009. Translations copyright © Mahmood Jamal, 2009. Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
Manuscript images: All manuscripts are courtesy of the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford.
- Edward FitzGerald, Transcription of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and notes, c 1856, MS Whinfield 33
- Hafiz, Divan, before 1717, MS Pers e 53
- Omar Khayyam, Rubaiyat, 1460, MS Ouseley 140
- Work attributed to Gazurgahi, Majalis al-‘Ushshaq, 1552, MS Ouseley Add 24
- Firdausi, Shahnama, c 1430, MS Ouseley Add 176
- Nava’i, Sadd-i Iskandar, 1485–86, MS Elliott 339
- ʿAttar, Intikhab-i Hadiqa, c 1575, MS Canonici Or 122
- Nava’i, Sab‘a Sayyara, 1553, MS Elliott 318
- Collection of verse in ghazal form, c late 15th century, MS Elliott 329
- ʿAbd al-Vasiʿ al-Jabali, Divan, c 1600–05, MS Ouseley Add 19
- Firdausi, Shahnama, 1601–02, MS Ouseley 344
- Nava’i, Sadd-i Iskandar, 1485–86, MS Elliott 339
- Jami, Yusuf u Zulaykha, 1569, MS Greaves 1
- Badiʿ al-Din Manuchir al-Tajiri al-Tabrizi, Dilsuznama,1455–56, MS Ouseley 133
- ʿAttar, Mantiq al-Tayr, 1493–94, MS Elliott 246
- ʿAssar Tabrizi, Mihr u Mushtari, c 1550, MS Ouseley Add 21
- ʿAttar, Intikhab-i Hadiqa, c 1575, MS Canonici Or 122
- Rumi, Masnavi, before 1465, MS Elliott 251
- Jami, Yusuf u Zulaykha, 1595, MS Elliott 418
- Mughal album, c 1640–50, MS Douce Or a 1
- Rumi, Masnavi, 1652–53, MS Elliott 264
- Jami, Baharistan, 1575, MS Elliott 254
- Nizami, Khamsa, 1501, MS Elliott 192
- Hafiz, Divan, 1538, MS Ouseley Add 26
For Stella Motion Pictures: Camera/editing/sound mix: Philippe Charluet, Gaffer: Peter Ryan, Music recording: Chris Izzard, Rose time-lapse, Neil Bromhall (www.rightplants4me.co.uk)]
[On the next screen, the words www.love-and-devotion.com appear above the logos for State Library of Victoria, State Government of Victoria and Bodleian Libraries University of Oxford.]
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