Feb. 14th, is always that one day of the year where ‘love’ takes the leading role on this stage of life. It is a day where flowers, candies, embraces and kisses surround those wonderful people who share their thought of love for each other.
Do you remember Sam Cooke’s oldie but goodie? “Cupid draw back your bow/and let your arrow fly/straight to my lover’s heart for me.”
Hearts beat faster for lovers than a hummingbird’s that lights up a garden of flowers in the springtime.
And Alfred Tennyson spoke affectionately of flowers too; “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.”
Love, a nectar like no other!
Poets take flight too with words that try to express that emotion of love from one person to another.
One of the best ‘Love poems’ I ever read is by Elizabeth Browning, ‘How do I love thee’’; my favorite verse reads:
“I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With all my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.”
That last line, “I shall love thee better after death” reminds me of another favorite ‘love story’ from tranquility.
May I share it with you? It is indeed ‘a teardrop on the cheek of time’.
A very long time ago, there lived an Emperor, Shah Jahan, in India who ruled from 1628 -1658 those lands of modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of Afghanistan.’ He was born on Jan. 5, 1592 and died on Jan. 22, 1666.
One day, or so history records, (The Romantic, Heartbreaking Love Story behind the Taj Mahal ~ by Lucy Sherriff) a young Jahan, in 1607, was out walking in Agra, a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in northern India.
At a local bazaar Jahan met a young maiden (Arjumand Banu Begum) who was selling silk and glass beads. She was the ‘epitome of feminine beauty’. At first sight, Jahan fell deeply and madly in love with her; he was 15 and she was 14; they became betrothed and were married five years later in 1612.
They were an inseparable pair, and she would become his constant companion and confidante.
They lived a very happy life together, and as Jahan became Emperor, his wife became known as ‘Mumtaz Mahal, or ‘jewel of the palace,’ and she was given much authority and many responsibilities of the kingdom.
Together the Shah and Mumtaz would have a large family of 14 children; Mumtaz would even accompany her husband on the battlefield while she was pregnant at times.
History would find out soon exactly how much the Shah loved his Mumtaz; it was a love like no other, and the gift Shah Jahan left behind would forever tell the world of his special and sweetest love for his wife.
Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died on June 17, 1631, during the birth of their 14th child from postpartum hemorrhage, as the child lived.
‘Upon her death, Jahan was inconsolable and plunged the imperial court into mourning for two years. During that time, he began planning the construction of the Taj Mahal, the world’s ultimate testament of love for his special lady.
The Taj Mahal, a mausoleum of lasting tribute to Mumtaz, which is located in Agra, began construction in 1632 as the final resting place for his beloved wife. and was completed in 1653. Jahan’s love memory and construction of this architecture masterpiece would span 22 years.
The estimated cost of the Taj Mahal then was about $32 million and translated into today’s India rupees at a cost of around $827 million U.S. dollars.
This majestic architecture monument is considered one of the seven new wonders of the world.
‘This magnificent building is mirrored in a long reflective pool, fringed by symmetrical cyprus and fruit trees that resemble both life and death.
Rabindranath Tagore, one of India’s most beloved poets, famously called the Taj Mahal “a teardrop on the cheek of time,” and the story behind the structure lives up to its reputation.”
I thought it might make an interesting story too for you ‘lovers’ on this special Valentine’s holiday.
And how will you know when love knocks at your door?
“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams,” says Dr. Seuss.
And Love is a memory, like Emperor Jahan’s, that never vanishes.
Cupid is looking for you!
‘Goodnight sweet Sheila ~ I love you!
