Love's throws

Poetic verses in Persian written diagonally, horizontally, and vertically written by Muhyi in Nasta'liq script Safavid Iran. Dimensions of Written Surface: 12.5 (w) x 21 (h) cm Drawing on the symbolic potential of the Arabic expression for proclaiming the unity of God ("He is Alone and Has no Partner"), the poem describes the divine beauty of the beloved. In the lower left gold thumb piece of the main text panel appears the signature of a certain Muhyi, who states that he wrote the text (katabahu) and asks forgiveness for his sins. Muhyi may be identified either as Muhyi al-Din al-Khurasani (Qadi Ahmad 1959, 220) or Mawlana Muhyi (Huart 1972, 75) active ca. 1550-1600. This fragment, therefore, probably belonged to an album (muraqqa') of calligraphies produced during the Safavid period in Iran. In the main text panel, a quatrain (ruba'i) written diagonally in large black nasta'liq script describes the humiliation of love's untamed passion: Savar-i amadi u sayd-i khud kardi dil u tan ham / Kamand-i 'aql bugsasti lajam-i nafs-i tu san ham / Bi-daman minahuftam gariya nagah mast biguzashti / Shudam rusva man-i tar daman u sad pak daman ham Tan-i pakat ka zir-i pirahan ast / Vahdahu la sharik lah (lahu), cha tan ast! This calligraphic fragment includes a number of poetical verses written diagonally, horizontally, and vertically in separate panels of beige and gold paper. Two gold horizontal panels at the top and bottom include the following bayts (verses): You came riding and you hunted my heart and body for yourself / You cut the rope of reason and leashed in the horse's passion / I was hiding my crying in my robe, (and) suddenly you passed by intoxicated (with love) / I became disgraced, I with a wet robe and one hundred others with clean robe(s). Your body that is under (your) shirt, / "It is alone, it has no equal," what a body it is! Script: nasta'liq 1-85-154.64