🌟 Paradise [4]: Colors So Bright They Would Literally Burn - As-Sanubari's Verse & The Heavenly Drinks
Read It Aloud & Bask in The Beauty; Takhayyalahu...
Takhayyalahū sāṭiʿan wahjuhū
Fa-taʾbā ad-dunuwwa ilā wahjihi
“ It would seem to blaze with fire so high / It would scorch the man that came too nigh ”
The Paradise; Such vessels are here by the River made of Chrysolite 🔮 & Ruby ♦️ — Yellow ☀️, Red & Blue — As - Sanobari الصَّنوبَري spoke of them; so bright that one would think that their touch would burn.
“ Oh Paradise! Ibn Qarih, It’s with marvelous vessels shaped like birds—some like graceful waterfowl, others like land-birds who shunned the water. Elegant cranes & other birds of Paradise; peacocks, and ducks, all formed from divine craft. Some gently on the stream, while others perching on the banks. Us, pouring forth the purest drinking water from their delicate beaks—so fine, it seems to shimmer like a mirage.
Had Abu Nuwas1, famed for his love of wine and beauty, tasted even a single drop, he would have sworn tis' was the true desire of his heart.
No poet of wine—ancient or modern—could compare their earthly verses to this divine elixir. For if that tiny drop were a queen, no soul in the world would be worthy to drink of her, such is its unmatched purity.
And Here, where the rivers of Paradise meet, flows rivers of wine—crossing paths with streams of pure honey. Honey not from flowers by bees, nor stored in hidden combs, but brought into being by a single word from Allah—"Be".
Oh, to taste that honey! The fortunate drinker would never fear fever, nor wear the garments of the ill. One could feast upon it for eternity without ailment or weariness!
All this has been told Ibn Qarih; in the verse of The The Qura’an (Surah Muhammad - Verse 15).”
“Like the Paradise promised to the true believers, where rivers of water never stagnate, rivers of milk that never sour, rivers of wine that bring only joy, and rivers of purified honey—each fruit and delight made ready for their use.”"
(story continued at end)
🟢 Understanding The Arabic Words in Context:
تَخَيَّلُهُ ساطِعًا وَهْجُهُ
فَتَأْبَى الدُّنُوَّ إلى وَهْجِهِ
تَخَيَّلُهُ2 – You imagine it (2nd person or general subject, envisioning something not present, with intensity).
ساطِعًا – Shining, radiant, blazing. Often used for sunlight or something manifest and unmistakable in its brilliance.
وَهْجُهُ – Its heat or radiance, especially the intense glare or thermal emission from fire or sun.
فَتَأْبَى – Then refuses, strongly rejects or denies access (from ʾabā, to refuse or be unwilling).
الدُّنُوَّ – Drawing near, proximity. Denotes closeness in space, status, or spiritual affinity.
إلى وَهْجِهِ – To its glare; the destination or goal that is unreachable due to overpowering force.
🔵 Intricacies of the Verse:
Elegance in its Simplicity: Repetition of "wahj" emphasizes both allure and barrier.
Imagery: The poem plays with the concept of radiance as both invitation and rejection. You see it, it dazzles, but when you try to approach, the intensity repels. This feeling drawn is so intimately personal, of the touch actually emblemishing the prized possession of beauty.
Emotional Layer: There is to be found here a tension between desire and danger; a classical theme in love, mysticism, & sublime experiences.
Possible Symbolisms: Though the couplet said by As Sanubari was quoted by Ma’ari in context of the wine; other potential symbolisms can be alluded to. Perhaps, references to
Divine light (nūr) or elevated truth.
A beloved so brilliant, yet inaccessible.
The truth or clarity that blinds rather than clarifies.
🔘 Root Analysis and Their Classical Usages:
🟡 Identifying the Meter (البحر الشعري):
تَخَيَّلُهُ ساطِعًا وَهْجُهُ
ta-khay-ya-la-hū sā-ṭi-ʿan wah-ju-hū
→ ⏑ – – | ⏑ – – | ⏑ – –
فَتَأْبَى الدُّنُوَّ إلى وَهْجِهِ
fa-taʾ-bā ad-du-nuwwa i-lā wah-ji-hī
→ ⏑ – – | ⏑ – – | ⏑ – –
Poetic Morphing of the Extra Syllable:
As you might have noticed;
"الدُّنُوَّ" (ad-dunūwa) has a double wāw — due to the shadda on wāw from dunuwّ. however whilst reciting in Kamil, this double is smoothened onto as if one syllable rather than 2 distinct ones. This is what known as Taṣrīf As - Shiʿrī.
The meter is hence preserved here :D.
🌟 Forthcoming:
“How can I feel about An Namr Ibn Tawlab al Uqli? (النمر بن تولب بن زهير العُكلي) would he be fortunate enough to taste that honey? & learn that honey of the transient world compared with this is but bitter camel-thorn?”
We will look at the lines of Al Uqli where he describes his lady love speaking of bread & butter & purified honey.
Abu Nuwas; Famous Persian & Arabic Poet remembered for his candid exploration of themes such as pleasure, sexuality, and religion. He was known for his wine poetry (khamriyyat), love poems, and satire which people thought were allegories of Wisdom.
He even appears in several tales within "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights," reflecting his lasting impact on Arabic literature and folklore.
The same تَخَيَّلُهُ as used in Urdu / Persian; Khayaal. Used for thoughts and Imaginations; Use in this form prompted me instantly to think of the verse of Akbar Ilahbaadi my Grandad recited to me once
