Laila and Majnun
The story of Laila and Majnun has been told in the East for
thousands of years and has always exerted a great fascination, for it is not
only a love-story, but a lesson in love. Not love as it is generally understood
by man, but the love that rises above the earth and heavens.
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A lad called Majnun from childhood had shown love in his nature,
revealing to the eye of the seers the tragedy of his life. When Majnun was at
school he became fond of Laila. In time the spark grew into a flame, and Majnun
did not feel at rest if Laila was a little late in coming to school. With his
book in his hand, he fixed his eyes on the entrance, which amused the scoffers
and disturbed everybody there. The flame in time rose into a blaze and then
Laila's heart became kindled by Majnun's love. Each looked at the other. She
did not see anyone in the class but Majnun, nor did he see anyone save Laila.
In reading from the book Majnun would read the name of Laila, in writing from
dictation Laila would cover her slate with the name of Majnun. 'All else
disappears when the thought of the beloved occupies the mind of the lover.'
Everyone in the school whispered to each other, pointing them out.
The teachers were worried and wrote to the parents of both that the children
were crazy and intensely fond of one another, and that there seemed no way to
divert their attention from their love-affair which had stopped every
possibility of their progress in study.
Laila's parents removed her at once, and kept a careful watch over
her. In this way they took her away from Majnun, but who could take Majnun away
from her heart? She had no thought but of Majnun. Majnun, without her, in his
heart's unrest and grief, kept the whole school in a turmoil, until his parents
were compelled to take him home, as there seemed to be nothing left for him in
the school. Majnun's parents called physicians, soothsayers, healers,
magicians, and poured money at their feet, asking them for some remedy to take
away from the heart of Majnun the thought of Laila. But how could it be done?
'Even Luqman the great physician of the ancients, had no cure for the
lovesick.'
No one has ever healed a patient of love. Friends came, relations
came, well-wishers came, wise counselors came, and all tried their best to
efface from his mind the thought of Laila, but all was in vain. Someone said to
him, 'O Majnun, why do you sorrow at the separation from Laila? She is not
beautiful. I can show you a thousand fairer and more charming maidens, and can
let you choose your mate from among them.' Majnun answered, 'O, to see the
beauty of Laila the eyes of Majnun are needed.'
When no remedy had been left untried, the parents of Majnun
resolved to seek the refuge of the Kaba as their last resort. They took Majnun
on the pilgrimage to Kabatullah.
When they drew near to the Kaba a great crowd gathered to see them.
The parents, each in turn, went and prayed to God, saying, 'O Lord, Thou art
most merciful and compassionate, grant Thy favor to our only son, that the
heart of Majnun may be released from the pain of the love of Laila.' Everybody
there listened to this intently, and wonderingly awaited what Majnun had to
say. Then Majnun was asked by his parents, 'Child, go and pray that the love of
Laila may be taken away from your heart.' Majnun replied, 'Shall I meet my
Laila if I pray?' They, with the greatest disappointment, said, 'Pray, child,
whatever you like to pray.' He went there and said, 'I want my Laila,' and
everyone present said, 'Amen.' 'The world echoes to the lover's call.'
When the parents had sought in every way to cure Majnun of his
craze for Laila, in the end they thought the best way was to approach the
parents of Laila, for this was the last hope of saving Majnun's life. They sent
a message to Laila's parents, who were of another faith, saying, 'We have done
all we can to take away from Majnun the thought of Laila, but so far we have
not succeeded, nor is there any hope of success lift to us except one, that is
your consent to their marriage.' They, in answer, said, 'Although it exposes us
to the scorn of our people, still Laila seems never to forget the thought of
Majnun for one single moment, and since we have taken her away from school she
pines away every day. Therefore we should not mind giving Laila in marriage to
Majnun, if only we were convinced that he is sane.'
On hearing this the parents of Majnun were much pleased and
advised Majnun to behave sensibly, so that Laila's parents might have no cause
to suspect him of being out of his mind. Majnun agreed to do everything his
parents desired, if he could only meet his Laila. They went, according to the
custom of the East, in procession to the house of the bride, where a special
seat was made for the bridegroom, who was covered with garlands of flowers. But
as they say in the East that the gods are against lovers, so destiny did not
grant these perfect lovers the happiness of being together. The dog that used
to accompany Laila to school happened to come into the room where they were
sitting. As soon as Majnun's eyes fell on this dog his emotion broke out. He
could not sit in the high seat and look at the dog. He ran to the dog and
kissed its paws and put all the garlands of flowers on the neck of the dog.
There was no sign of reverence or worship that Majnun did not show to this dog.
'The dust of the beloved's dwelling is the earth of Kabato the lover.' This conduct
plainly proved him insane. As love's language is gibberish to the loveless, so
the action of Majnun was held by those present to be mere folly. They were all
greatly disappointed, and Majnun was taken back home and Laila's parents
refused their consent to the marriage.
This utter disappointment made Majnun's parents altogether
hopeless, and they no longer kept watch over him, seeing that life and death to
him were both the same, and this gave Majnun freedom to wander about the town
in search of Laila, inquiring of everyone he met about Laila. By chance he met
a letter-carrier who was carrying mail on the back of a camel, and when Majnun
asked this man Laila's whereabouts, he said, 'Her parents have left this
country and have gone to live a hundred miles from here.' Majnun begged him to
give his message to Laila. He said, 'With pleasure.' But when Majnun began to
tell the message the telling continued for a long, long time. 'The message of
love has no end.'
The letter-carrier was partly amused and partly he sympathized
with his earnestness. Although Majnun, walking with his camel, was company for
him on his long journey, still, out of pity, he said, 'Now you have walked ten
miles giving me your message, how long will it take me to deliver it to Laila?
Now go your way, I will see to it.' Then Majnun turned back, but he had not
gone a hundred yards before he returned to say, 'O kind friend, I have
forgotten to tell you a few things that you might tell my Laila.' When he
continued his message it carried him another ten miles on the way. The carrier
said, 'For mercy's sake, go back. You have walked a long way. How shall I be
able to remember all the message you have given me? Still, I will do my best.
Now go back, you are far from home.' Majnun again went back a few yards and
again remembered something to tell the message-bearer and went after him. In
this way the whole journey was accomplished, and he himself arrived at the
place to which he was sending the message.
The letter-carrier was astonished at this earnest love, and said
to him, 'You have already arrived in the land where your Laila lives. Now stay
in this ruined mosque. This is outside the town. If you go with me into the
town they will torment you before you can reach Laila. The best thing is for
you to rest here now, as you have walked so very far, and I will convey your
message to Laila as soon as I can reach her.' 'Love's intoxication sees no time
or space.'
Majnun listened to his advice and stayed there, and felt inclined
to rest, but the idea that he was in the town where Laila dwelt made him wonder
in which direction he should stretch out his legs. He thought of the north,
south, east, and west, and thought to himself, 'If Laila were on this side it would
be insolence on my part to stretch out my feet towards her. The best thing,
then, would be to hang my feet by a rope from above, for surely she will not be
there.' 'The lover's Kaba is the dwelling-place of the beloved.'
He was thirsty, and could find no water except some rainwater that had
collected in a disused tank.
When the letter-carrier entered the house of Laila's parents he
saw Laila and said to her, 'I had to make a great effort to speak with you.
Your lover Majnun, who is a lover without compare in all the world, gave me a
message for you, and he continued to speak with me throughout the journey and
has walked as far as this town with the camel.' She said, 'For heavens sake!
Poor Majnun! I wonder what will become of him.' She asked her old nurse, 'What
becomes of a person who has walked a hundred miles without a break?' The nurse
said rashly, 'Such a person must die.' Laila said, 'Is there any remedy?' She
said, 'He must drink some rainwater collected for a year past and from that
water a snake must drink, and then his feet must be tied and he must be hung up
in the air with his head down for a very long time. That might save his life.'
Laila said, 'Oh, but how difficult it is to obtain!' God, who Himself is love,
was the guide of Majnun, therefore everything came to Majnun as was best for
him. 'Verily love is the healer of its own wounds.'
The next morning Laila put her food aside, and sent it secretly,
by a maid whom she took into her confidence, with a message to tell Majnun that
she longed to see him as much as he to see her, the difference being only of
chains. As soon as she had and opportunity, she said, she would come at once.
The maid went to the ruined mosque, and saw two people sitting
there, one who seemed self-absorbed, unaware of his surroundings, and the other
a fat, robust man. She thought that Laila could not possibly love a person like
this dreamy one whom she herself would not have cared to love. But in order to
make sure, she asked which of them was named Majnun. The mind of Majnun was
deeply sunk in his thought and far away from her words, but this man, who was
out of work, was rather glad to see the dinner-basket in her hand, and said,
'For whom are you looking?' She said, 'I am asked to give this to Majnun. Are
you Majnun?' He readily stretched out his hands to take the basket, and said,
'I am the one for whom you have brought it,' and spoke a word or two with her
in jest, and she was delighted.
On the maid's return Laila asked, 'Did you give it to him?' She
said, 'Yes, I did.' Laila then sent to Majnun every day the larger part of her
meals, which was received every day by this man, who was very glad to have it
while out of work. Laila one day asked her maid, 'You never tell me what he
says and how he eats.' She said, 'He says that he sends very many thanks to you
and he appreciates it very much, and he is a pleasant-spoken man. You must not
worry for one moment. He is getting fatter every day.' Laila said, 'But my
Majnun has never been fat, and has never had a tendency to become fat, and he
is too deep in his thought to say pleasant things to anyone. He is too sad to
speak.' Laila at once suspected that the dinner might have been handed to the
wrong person. She said, 'Is anybody else there?' The maid said, 'Yes, there is
another person sitting there also, but he seems to be beside himself. He never
notices who comes or who goes, nor does he hear a word said by anybody there.
He cannot possibly be the man that you love.' Laila said, 'I think he must be
the man. Alas, if you have all this time given the food to the wrong person!
Well, to make sure, today take on the plate a knife instead of food and say to
that one whom you gave the food, 'For Laila a few drops of your blood are
needed, to cure her of an illness.''
When the maid next went to the mosque the man as usual came most
eagerly to take his meal, and seeing the knife was surprised. The maid told him
that a few drops of his blood were needed to cure Laila. He said, 'No,
certainly I am not Majnun. There is Majnun. Ask him for it.' The maid foolishly
went to him and said to him aloud, 'Laila wants a few drops of your blood to
cure her.' Majnun most readily took the knife in his hand and said, 'How
fortunate am I that my blood may be of some use to my Laila. This is nothing,
even if my life were to become a sacrifice for her cure, I would consider
myself most fortunate to give it.' 'Whatever the lover did for the beloved, it
could never be too much.' He gashed his arm in several places, but the
starvation of months had left no blood, nothing but skin and bone. When a great
many places had been cut hardly one drop of blood came out. He said, 'That is
what is left. You may take that.' 'Love means pain, but the lover alone is
above all pain.'
Majnun's coming to the town soon became known, and when Laila's
parents knew of it they thought, 'Surly Laila will go out of her mind if she
ever sees Majnun.' Therefore they resolved to leave the town for some time,
thinking that Majnun would make his way home when he found that Laila was not
there. Before leaving the place Laila sent a message to Majnun to say, 'We are
leaving this town for a while, and I am most unhappy that I have not been able
to meet you. The only chance of our meeting is that we should meet on the way,
if you will go on before and wait for me in the Sahara.'
Majnun started most happily to go to the Sahara, with great hope
of once more seeing his Laila. When the caravan arrived in the desert and
halted there for a while, the mind of Laila's parents became a little relieved,
and they saw Laila also a little happier for the change, as they thought, not
knowing the true reason.
Laila went for a walk in the Sahara with her maid, and suddenly
came upon Majnun, whose eyes had been fixed for long, long time on the way by
which she was to come. She came and said, 'Majnun, I am here.' There remained
no power in the tongue of Majnun to express his joy. He held her hands and
pressed them to his breast, and said, 'Laila, you will not leave me any more?'
She said, 'Majnun, I have been able to come for one moment. If I stay any
longer my people will seek for me and your life will not be safe.' Majnun said,
'I do not care for life. You are my life, O stay, do not leave me any more.'
Laila said, 'Majnun, be sensible and believe me. I will surely come back.'
Majnun let go her hands and said, 'Surely I believe you.' So Laila left Majnun,
with heavy heart, and Majnun, who had so long lived on his own flesh and blood,
could no more stand erect, but fell backward against the trunk of a tree, which
propped him up, and he remained there, living only on hope.
Years passed and this half-dead body of Majnun was exposed to all
things, cold and heat and rain, frost and storm. The hands that were holding
the branches became branches themselves, his body became a part of the tree.
Laila was as unhappy as before on her travels, and the parents lost hope of her
life. She was living only in one hope, that she might once fulfill her promise
given to Majnun at the moment of parting, saying, 'I will come back.' She wondered
if he were alive or dead, or had gone away or whether the animals in the Sahara
had carried him off.
When they returned their caravan halted in the same place, and
Laila's heart became full of joy and sorrow, of cheerfulness and gloom, of hope
and fear. As she was looking for the place where she had left Majnun she met a
woodcutter, who said to her, 'Oh, don't go that way. There is some ghost
there.' Laila said, 'What is it like?' He said, 'It is a tree and at the same
time man, and as I struck a branch of this tree with my hatchet I heard him say
in a deep sigh, 'O Laila.' '
Hearing this moved Laila beyond description. She said she would
go, and drawing near the tree she saw Majnun turned almost into the tree. Flesh
and blood had already wasted, and the skin and bone that remained, by contact
with the tree, had become like its branches. Laila called him aloud, 'Majnun!'
He answered, 'Laila!' She said, 'I am here as I promised, O Majnun.' He
answered, 'I am Laila.' She said, 'Majnun, come to your senses. I am Laila.
Look at me.' Majnun said, 'Are you Laila? Then I am not,' and he was dead.
Laila, seeing this perfection in love, could not live a single moment more. She
at the same time cried the name of Majnun and fell down and died.
The beloved is all in all, the lover only veils him.
The beloved is all that lives, the lover a dead thing.
The beloved is all that lives, the lover a dead thing.
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Images
The Movie named ''
Laila Majnu (1979)
Initial Realease: September 27, 1979
Story By: Anjana Rawail
Screenplay: H. S. Rawail, Abrar Alvi, Mohafiz Hyder
Laila Majnu (1979)
Initial Realease: September 27, 1979
Story By: Anjana Rawail
Screenplay: H. S. Rawail, Abrar Alvi, Mohafiz Hyder
Director:
Harnam Singh Rawail (as H.S. Rawail)Writers:
Abrar Alvi (dialogue), Mohafiz Hyder (dialogue assistant)Stars:
Rishi Kapoor, Ranjeeta Kaur, Danny Denzongpa
( Layla and Majnun is a love story that originated as poem in ancient Persia, later was adopted by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi who also wrote "Khosrow and Shirin". It is the third of his five long narrative poems, Khamsa. )
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