more basic instincts....
Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on January 21, 2000 at 19:54:20:
In Reply to: YUSUF AND ZULAIKHA posted by Michelle on January 21, 2000 at 13:40:25:
There are some great medieval illustrations of this poem (originally
by Jami, Timurid period, Persia) ... I have one here, a manuscipt
painting from 1488 of Zulaykha and Yusuf by Bihzad ..... one of my
favorites! .... (this story supposed to be a riff on Joseph and
Potifar's wife from the Bible.....) The miniature shows Zulayka trying
to pull his robe off and drag him into bed, in a marvelous palace with
7 doors. Zulaykha seems to have tattooing or a little henna on the
backs of her hands, she does have a harquus or tattoo mark on her
forehead, but no palms or fingers are showing.
Zulaykha built a palace with seven splendid rooms of erotic paintings
of herself with Yusuf .(!). and she led him from one room to the
next locking the doors behind them. Then at the innermost room, she
tried to jump his bones, but he miraculously fled. (who's "letters to
Penthouse" fantasy was that?) The notion is that since there would
have been no witnesses, he could have capitulated, but he felt God was
watching, and when he decided to run for it, God opened all the doors.
No pet rabbit subsequently showed up in his stewpot.