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There lived in the ancient city Ankara,
A potter by the name of Tulla,
A master craftsman he was for sure, renowned till the far ends of the east,
The traders loved his tenacity and diligence,
For this simpleton's intricate designs, fetched them great riches,
One such trader from Istanbul, Izzat Beg was his name,
Happened to get wind of Tullas's fame,
He took it to see for himself what his expertise had to offer,
Stunned was he when his eyes laid on Tulla's creations,
So he bought the most extravagant claims,
And therein his gaze settled on the most beautiful dame,
Seated in a far corner, busy painting as a potter,
This paragon of beauty was none other than Tulla's daughter,
Sohni, was her lovely name,
And her charms were that of no worthy praise,
At that particular juncture, the mischievous cupid struck both,
And thereon started an intense love episode.
So enchanting was the refreshing liveliness of Sohni
That early next morning he trudged towards the potter's house.
There he was greeted by his lover's beautiful eyes,
That were neither black nor blue,
But of all the different colors of the rainbow did they reflect the hue.
No longer in command of his senses was he
That he fell into a frenzy of buying to please
He hung around Tulla's workshop to get some glimpses
Of this beautiful maiden who had thus enslaved his senses.
By and by he squandered all his money
And soon he had none left to return to his country
He was left penniless and his business failed
His fellowmen said good bye and gave word to send aid
So Beg took homage with the compassionate Tulla,
Who had no idea what brewed with him and his daughter,
Meanwhile, love between Sohni and Beg blossomed,
It reached dizzy heights of obsession.
Their love story was becoming the highlight of the monger's gossips,
And soon Tulla got wind of his daughter's indulgences,
But dare he not agree to matrimony to this frugal from a strange land,
For he feared what the judgements the society might brand.
So he hurriedly found a suitable match for Sohni,
And fixed the wedding date, one that was comely,
Sohni begged and pleaded not to force on her such injustice,
That was so insufferable and despicable that the gods deemed it a septic,
But a man of strong conviction, he did not deter,
And stuck with his decision even though the bride did not concur.
Accordingly, all things being prepared, and despite her objection,
The royal maid took her place in the procession,
Which, for her, more resembled a funeral than a grandiose celebration,
Beg was unable to bear his beloved's separation,
And soon grew gaunt and frail unable to forget his only love.
Sohni resumed a new life on the island of Ether,
Though her heart still longed for the other,
She spent all her days lamenting the loss of her lover,
Her husband tried hard to make her love him like he did,
He smothered her in love and joy and riches that were splendid,
But he soon realized his efforts were in vain,
For though he loved this ethereal beauty truly and completely
She was never to bestow him with the same sensibilities,
Pained, he left home for a long business ordeal,
Hoping that somehow Sohni might change her zeal.
Many years passed and Beg found his way back to Istanbul,
He sold all the pots that he had bought from Tulla,
And with a stroke of luck, gained more wealth than was thought to exist,
A prosperous merchant, he embarked on yet another business trip
To an island famous for its weavers, a beautiful island called Ether.
One day as he walked a scenic route by the river,
The island's surpassed beauty made his heart brim with pleasure,
His wandering eyes set themselves upon a lovely damsel,
Who occupied herself with making garlands under a parasol,
By and by he approached her, to learn more of her,
"Why pretty lady, do you weave such a grand net of flowers?"
And when she turned around to answer the charming voice,
Stumped were they both, unbelieving of each other's sight,
It seemed as if the Gods had divinely intervened,
For to his great joy the pretty damsel was his very own Sonhi.
Thus overjoyed were they to saw each other,
And on the outskirts of the village,
The two spent many cherishing moments together,
Thereafter each night Beg would swim across the river,
And under the cover of darkness the two had their clandestine rendezvous.
But on an unfavorable night, Fate turned her sails again,
And Izzat Beg injured himself trying to swim across high waves,
Unable to swim himself, he begged Sohni to find a way to continue their meetings,
Undoubtedly Sohni was a swift swimmer,
But the wildness of the Janjan river could not be harnessed,
But tactic as she was, she learnt the art of selecting the best pitcher,
To keep her buoyant with the flow of the water,
And help her reach the other side of the bank,
And thus blossomed once more the love of these ill-fated lovers,
These secretive expeditions continued for a long time,
But once at the height of the rainy season,
Sohni's sister - in - law came to visit her brother's stately estate,
Soon she unearthed the well-kept secret,
And how the forbidden lovers met at night.
She felt great jealousy rile up in her bosom,
And reported the affair to her mother,
But instead of accusing her openly for defaming the family,
She decided it best that Sohni quietly be done away with,
For her son was too blind in his love for her to believe these accusations,
So on the ninth night of the night month,
Sohni's sister-in-law husband's sister replaced the sturdy pitcher ,
With a sun dried, unbaked one,
When the last rays of the sun drowned in the river,
Sohni possessed the pitcher,
And there itself realized the fragility of the vessel,
She knew that crossing the river on an unbaked pitcher meant certain death,
But so strong was her desire to be with her loved one,
That all her fears were vanquished within a second,
With sweet memories of Izzat Beg,
Sohni plunged into the river praying to the Gods for Beg's blessedness,
As she crossed the river, the pot began to dissolve,
Even before she could reach the other side of the river she was drowned,
Beg jumped into the river to save her life,
But his efforts remained in vain,
They were found the next day, side-by-side washed up on the shores -- lifeless.
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