Majnun in the Wilderness

Centuries before Romeo & Juliet, there were the star-crossed lovers of ancient Persian legend: Layla & Majnun. The young poet Majnun, forbidden from marrying Layla, retreated into the wilderness, where he descended into madness pining for his beloved and ultimately perished.

This piece depicts Majnun’s emotions at his most desolate moment, alone in the wilderness and mad with longing. There are five sections, each capturing a different stage of Majnun’s grief.

1. He lamented.
2. He prayed.
3. He wailed.
4. He fantasized.
5. Degh kard.

(The final section could only be captured by using the Persian word degh, which means “to die of grief.”)

Throughout the piece, there is a struggle between the despair motif (three descending notes with a repeated middle note) and the hope motif (three ascending notes with a shorter middle note), representing the competing emotions that are the source of Majnun’s anguish.