Purity in Manjuns Insanity and Lust in Umars Exploits - Essay Example

Purity in Manjun’s Insanity and Lust in Umar’s Exploits Manjun is a man who becomes insane because his love for Layla but this love is forbidden by Layla’s tribe. After their separation, he lives the rest of his life wandering and suffering such separation but basking in their love for each other. He never stops loving her even after she gets married and dies and until he himself dies. From the details of both Manjun’s story and Umar’s poem, Manjun’s insanity has a pure and noble cause that is based on his true love for Layla and this is a far cry from Umar’s lustful desires for Nu’m. Manjun, or Qays, becomes insane after he becomes forbidden to see Layla because the woman’s tribe denies the man the right to see her. The tribe does this to “to protect her and [the tribe’s] honor” (Coker). The reason for the tribe’s decision to protect Layla and preserve their dignity is one that seems to be beyond any form of opposition and thus it is one thing that should be inevitably accepted by Manjun with bitterness. This is the cause of his insanity and from then on, he “runs away into the wilderness, becoming unkempt, not knowing good from evil,” which means that he loses his sense of discernment (Coker). What happens to Manjun is indeed the same thing that happens to whoever loses his mind. However, what makes the insanity of Manjun pure, noble and dignified is that he avoids meeting another woman his whole life and he finally dies in the end proclaiming his undying love for Layla. In fact, when Manjun learns of Layla’s marriage to another man and of her faithfulness to Manjun despite her marriage, even Manjun’s dying parents cannot convince him that he should return to his people. Manjun has chosen to stay with “wild animals” that loved him (Coker). Such connection with wild animals and with nature itself seems to be a sign of enlightenment and seems to have been shared by Adam and Eve before the biblical Fall of Man (The Fall of Man). Since Manjun seems to share some connection with wild animals, which is something that ordinary human beings have, then there is a possibility that his insanity has somehow been distilled into enlightenment and wisdom. If the reason for Manjun’s insanity were as mundane as hatred, jealousy or resentment, he would lose all connection with all nature and everything. In addition, Manjun becomes prayerful despite the fact that the one and only love of his life, Layla, has got married to another man. Instead of screaming his heart out to God, Manjun “prays to Allah, and he thanks Him for making him the pure soul he now is and asking God’s grace” (Coker). Thanking God despite the pain is indeed great and noble, and besides it is not pain that is in Manjun’s heart but rather purity of soul and enlightenment. His suffering has transformed and purified him into the highest form that he could be. Moreover, after praying to Allah, Manjun dreams of a “miraculous tree” springing from the desert, from which a bird drops a magic jewel onto his head, like a diadem” (Coker). The dream of a miraculous tree foretells of a good omen – “much happiness and wedded bliss” (Dream Dictionary, 2009). This means that somehow Allah has heard of Manjun’s prayer of thanks and has obviously seen his suffering and his resilience in the face of it. The magic jewel from the bird as well as the miraculous tree in Manjun’s dream along with the good omen that they bring may be Allah’s own reward for Manjun for his inner strength and purity, despite his insanity. Besides, Manjun’s insanity may have therefore only been a manifestation of the enlightened and purified mind that he has, and which is something that ordinary human beings would simply label as insanity. Manjun’s insanity is perhaps only his own reaction to the oneness that he experiences, and thus is an experience that draws out their purity. In fact, Manjun is what people would call a man “who knows of sweet perfection found/ Twixt union and separation finds/ No difference for he knows how each is bound/ To each, afar and near the spirit binds” (Fuzuli). The reason why Manjun does not have resentment in his heart despite the fact that Layla gets married to another man somehow stems from Manjun’s belief that “union and separation finds no difference” (Fuzuli). If union and separation from one’s true love were one, then there would be no reason to grieve. What is then required is mere effort to understand the circumstances and to accept things as they are, especially things that cannot be changed. With Manjun’s insanity, he does not see any opposition among things. Another important quality of Manjun and one that defines the nature of his insanity is his true and undying love for Layla. This is because true love is sacred and pure and one should give up everything for its sake: “Thou roamest, still ascetic, still untried…all those who true love dare” (Fuzuli). Anyone who has lost his love and who has heard of her marriage to another man would have already lost all hope and would have simply either become totally insane or would have given up on his love. Nevertheless, Manjun rather keeps his love for he knows that although physical union is temporary, love is eternal. He therefore loves truly for only true love, according to Fuzuli, can cause asceticism in someone and the tendency to roam like a madman. Even in his lover’s death, Manjun remains noble and pure. In fact, when Manjun hears of Layla’s death, he momentarily becomes “mad with grief, repeatedly visits her tomb [until] he dies and is buried beside his beloved” (Coker). It is true that some people may not give up on their love even after their lover has got married already. However, there are people like Manjun, whose purity of love allows them to keep loving someone even in death. There is absolutely no more hope of resurrection when someone dies, yet Manjun never gives up on his love for Layla even after he himself dies. Umar is a far cry from this. In contrast with the pure and noble nature of Manjun’s love for Layla, Umar’s is purely physical lust. Umar is what Fuzuli refers to as a “man who seeks a sweet communion/ With beauty, but with flesh needs union.” This statement describes a man who actually longs only for physical union with his lover. When he arrives in her tent secretly in the latter part of the poem, he says, “So I stayed there, blissfully, my need fulfilled/ freely kissing her mouth, so much as I wished” (Umar). Where is the love here? For Umar, kissing Nu’m is just the same as “[his] need fulfilled” and kissing her is what “[he] wished,” for this is all that he needs from her (Umar). Umar’s relationship with Nu’m is also a far cry from that of Manjun and Layla because of Umar’s seeming lack of courage, although they are similar in the sense that it is forbidden: “When I visit Nu’m her relative does not quit/ glowering so long as I am with her/ He cannot bear that I should alight at her tent/ he harbors malice towards me, and shows scorn” (Umar). Seeing Nu’m is forbidden by her relative and that the consequences of seeing her would be malice and scorn towards Umar. Yet, these are not as serious as the death threats that could have been imposed by Layla’s tribe on Manjun. Umar could have easily convinced Nu’m’s relative of his pure intentions for her. Nevertheless, these intentions may not be as pure as Manjun’s anyway. Umar suffers from this prohibition to see Nu’m, just like Manjun, but it is not exactly stated in the poem whether Umar’s wanderings are indeed because of his longing for Nu’m’s love. Although Nu’m says, “Indeed, no doubt, his color has changed/ from his hard-driving travel by night and in the heat of day,” Umar’s color may have changed due to his constant travels but not necessarily because he seeks Nu’m (Umar). Somehow, Nu’m herself also has doubts about Umar’s love for her. One reason is that while Umar “wanders the earth, flung/ from desert to desert, matted with dust and disheveled,” she “enjoyed of her life the shade of an apartment/ and the verdure of lush, luxuriant gardens” (Umar). This means that, unlike what Layla has done for Manjun, Nu’m does not actually empathize with Umar, if indeed he is suffering for her. Perhaps, it is so because she does not believe in his love for her. Another reason why Nu’m does not seem to trust Umar is when she reacts angrily the next time that he comes to her secretly: “You’ve disgraced me/ You are a man whose best behavior is troublesome” (Umar). She must have a reason for saying that Umar “disgraced’ her and that he is a “troublesome” man. Layla would not have said the same thing to Manjun. Moreover, she could have said this because she actually believes that Umar is not sincere in his love for her. Lastly, Umar does not seem to show any sign of remorse or sadness when it is time to leave Nu’m, perhaps because he has already fulfilled his physical and sexual desires with her. When he leaves her, he does not break down unlike Manjun nor does he show any strong emotion except the words “O Nu’m…Felicitation to the people of the Amiri maiden in her/ delicious fragrance I well remember” (Umar). It is therefore not love but rather mere physical sensations that Umar remembers of Nu’m and it is clear that Nu’m herself has realized this earlier on in their relationship. That is why she does not show any remorse either when Umar has to leave the tent. She merely entrusts him to her sisters. There is clearly nothing noble in Umar’s love for Nu’m for it is merely based on physical lust and on the sensations that he feels whenever he makes love to her. Unlike Manjun who terribly grieves when he is separated from Layla, and unlike his undying love for her although she marries another man and even though she dies, it does not say in Umar’s poem that Umar has done the same things for Nu’m. Moreover, unlike Layla who firmly believes that Manjun truly loves her, Nu’m does not care much about what Umar feels towards her for she may probably know that he only longs for her physical love. Top of Form Bottom of Form Works Cited Coker, J. T. “Follow Your Heart: The Story of Layla and Manjun.” 2012. Theosophic Perspectives. 9 Feb 2013. Dream Dictionary.” 2009. Oocities. 9 Feb 2013. Fuzuli, Muhammad. “Poem: Layla and Manjun.” 2012. Yilmaz Alimoglu. 8 Feb 2013. Fuzuli, Muhammad. “Poem: Layla and Manjun.” 2012. Yilmaz Alimoglu. 8 Feb 2013. The Fall of Man.” 2013. Bible Truth. 8 Feb 2013. Umar b. Abi Rabi’a – Narrative Love Poem.” 2013. Print. Read More

Thanking God despite the pain is indeed great and noble, and besides it is not pain that is in Manjun’s heart but rather purity of soul and enlightenment. His suffering has transformed and purified him into the highest form that he could be. Moreover, after praying to Allah, Manjun dreams of a “miraculous tree” springing from the desert, from which a bird drops a magic jewel onto his head, like a diadem” (Coker). The dream of a miraculous tree foretells of a good omen – “much happiness and wedded bliss” (Dream Dictionary, 2009).

This means that somehow Allah has heard of Manjun’s prayer of thanks and has obviously seen his suffering and his resilience in the face of it. The magic jewel from the bird as well as the miraculous tree in Manjun’s dream along with the good omen that they bring may be Allah’s own reward for Manjun for his inner strength and purity, despite his insanity. Besides, Manjun’s insanity may have therefore only been a manifestation of the enlightened and purified mind that he has, and which is something that ordinary human beings would simply label as insanity.

Manjun’s insanity is perhaps only his own reaction to the oneness that he experiences, and thus is an experience that draws out their purity. In fact, Manjun is what people would call a man “who knows of sweet perfection found/ Twixt union and separation finds/ No difference for he knows how each is bound/ To each, afar and near the spirit binds” (Fuzuli). The reason why Manjun does not have resentment in his heart despite the fact that Layla gets married to another man somehow stems from Manjun’s belief that “union and separation finds no difference” (Fuzuli).

If union and separation from one’s true love were one, then there would be no reason to grieve. What is then required is mere effort to understand the circumstances and to accept things as they are, especially things that cannot be changed. With Manjun’s insanity, he does not see any opposition among things. Another important quality of Manjun and one that defines the nature of his insanity is his true and undying love for Layla. This is because true love is sacred and pure and one should give up everything for its sake: “Thou roamest, still ascetic, still untried…all those who true love dare” (Fuzuli).

Anyone who has lost his love and who has heard of her marriage to another man would have already lost all hope and would have simply either become totally insane or would have given up on his love. Nevertheless, Manjun rather keeps his love for he knows that although physical union is temporary, love is eternal. He therefore loves truly for only true love, according to Fuzuli, can cause asceticism in someone and the tendency to roam like a madman. Even in his lover’s death, Manjun remains noble and pure.

In fact, when Manjun hears of Layla’s death, he momentarily becomes “mad with grief, repeatedly visits her tomb [until] he dies and is buried beside his beloved” (Coker). It is true that some people may not give up on their love even after their lover has got married already. However, there are people like Manjun, whose purity of love allows them to keep loving someone even in death. There is absolutely no more hope of resurrection when someone dies, yet Manjun never gives up on his love for Layla even after he himself dies.

Umar is a far cry from this. In contrast with the pure and noble nature of Manjun’s love for Layla, Umar’s is purely physical lust. Umar is what Fuzuli refers to as a “man who seeks a sweet communion/ With beauty, but with flesh needs union.” This statement describes a man who actually longs only for physical union with his lover. When he arrives in her tent secretly in the latter part of the poem, he says, “So I stayed there, blissfully, my need fulfilled/ freely kissing her mouth, so much as I wished” (Umar).

Where is the love here? For Umar, kissing Nu’m is just the same as “[his] need fulfilled” and kissing her is what “[he] wished,” for this is all that he needs from her (Umar).

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