Persiana I like this

Persiana is a 32 year old married woman from Shiraz, Iran.

I'll be posting links and photos of Iran's archaeological and historic treasures. I think they are fascinating and belong to all humanity. Viewing them teaches one a great deal about the history, beliefs, arts and ways of living of ancient people. 11 12 15 17 19 22 25 27 30..33

Feb 20, 2007 1:41pm: The Gardener and Death

A Persian Nobleman tells
This morning, pale as a sheet, my gardener
Enters my house. 'Lord, Lord, one moment please!.

Yonder in the rosegarden, I trimmed stem after stem,
When I looked behind me, there stood Death.

I was scared and hurried along the otherside
But just saw the threat of his hand.

Master, your horse and let me go without delay
Before the evening I will reach Ispahan

This afternoon (long gone he was since)
I met Death in the Ceder-park

'Why,' I asked, because he waited in silence,
'Did you threaten my servant this morning?'

Smiling he answers: 't'was no threat
From which your gardener fled, I was surprised,

When I noticed here still working in the morning
Him, who I am supposed to collect in the evening at Ispahan

-- P. N. van Eyck (1887-1954) Dutch poet

(Ispahan = Isfahan city)

Thank you to a Dutch visitor to my page, for sharing this story with me. An Iranian friend of mine tells me the Dutch poem is based on an Islamic account of a narrative between a prophet of God and Azrael (the Angel of Death.) Obviously Isfahan has been an intriguing subject for novels and other literary works of European writers for a few centuries.

StumbleUpon

Great! Stumble now and meet more stumblers like Persiana.

Persiana I like this

How Similar Are You?

“Too early to tell.”

Persiana's friends

Stats