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CAIS
NEWS © Latest
Archaeological and Cultural News of Iran and the Iranian World
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Jug
Inscribed with a Persian Love Poem Discovered in Old Jerusalem
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10 March 2009 |
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The jug inscribed with a Persian love poem. Photo: Clara Amit (Click to enlarge)
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LONDON,
(CAIS) -- A fragment of a pottery vessel of Persian
provenance that dates to the Middle Ages (12th-13th centuries CE) was discovered
in an archaeological excavation directed by Dr. Rina Avner, on behalf of the
Israel Antiquities Authority, in the Old City of Jerusalem, prior to
construction by a private contractor.
The fragment is treated with a turquoise
glaze and is adorned with floral patterns and a black inscription. While
studying the artifact prior to publication, Rivka Cohen-Amin of the Israel
Antiquities Authority discerned that the inscription on the neck of the vessel
is written in Persian. The inscription consists of a line that was taken from a
quatrain. The inscription, which was translated by Dr. Julia Rabanovich of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reads: “Was once the embrace of a lover that
entreat”.
The inscription will be published by Dr.
Nitsan Amitai-Preiss of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, within the
framework of the final excavation report.
According to Rivka Cohen-Amin the words
are from the Rubaiyat, by the poet Omar Khayyam. Omar Khayyam was an astronomer,
mathematician and one of the most famous Persian poets of the Middle Ages
(11th-12th centuries CE).
The following is the complete translation
of the poem:
Rubaiyat, by Omar Khayyam
این
کوزه چو من عاشق زاری بوده است
This clay pot like a lover once in heat
در
بند سر زلف نگاری بودهست
A lock of hair his senses did defeat
ایندسته
که بر گردن او میبینی
The handle that has made the bottleneck
its own seat
دستیست
که برگردن یاری بودهست
Was once the embrace of a lover that
entreat
The phenomenon of a Persian pottery vessel
inscribed with a poem is known elsewhere in the world; however, this is the
first occurrence of such a vessel in Israel.
The question of how the vessel came to be in Jerusalem is a mystery – was it brought here by merchants or could it possibly have been a gift someone presented to his Jerusalemite lover?
Some information for this report was extracted from: ArtDaily.com [*]
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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