The Romantic Gaze: The Romantic Gaze: the phenomenon of the visual in the Majnun and Leyla Painting of Jami’s Haft Awrang, the Mashhad School in Comparison with Poetic Narratives of Jami and Attar

The romantic gaze and perspective of lovers, especially in the tale of Layla and Majnun, is a recurring theme in Persian poetry. This article compares the poetic themes of Attar and Jami with the visual representation in Jami’s “Haft Orang” manuscript. It examines the similarities and differences in their narratives, focusing on the climax of the lovers’ meeting. Attar emphasizes the union and Majnun’s well-being, while Jami provides more details about Layla and Majnun’s eye contact and Majnun’s loss of consciousness. The visual representation captures Majnun’s arrival at Layla’s tent but not their meeting gaze. The research method is descriptive-analytical, using library sources and manuscripts. Findings indicate both poets use the tale according to their poetic styles, with notable differences in form and content. In Attar’s text, the climax is the union of the lovers, focusing on Majnun’s well-being and his loss of consciousness. In contrast, Jami’s narrative includes more details about Layla recognizing Majnun, their eye contact, and Majnun losing consciousness. Attar’s narrative concludes with a sarcastic conversation emphasizing Majnun’s self-sacrifice, while Jami’s narrative describes the lovers’ meeting until dawn and then returns to the metaphor of returning to one’s previous state. The visual representation depicts Layla’s tent in a tranquil space, surrounded by flowers and rocks, with Majnun hidden among the flowers. The painting captures the moment Majnun arrives at Layla’s tent dressed as a shepherd, gazing at Layla, who is caressing a lamb