This is the tale of the most stunning girl of her time in historical Greece, who lived inside the temple of the goddess Aphrodite. Her splendor changed into the speak of the land, so much in order that even the prince of the world become captivated through her. One night time, he met her by a riverside, where she gave him a lesson in love he couldn’t skip. Eventually, this lovely girl chose to marry a farmer’s son.
Whether the maidens of the temple of Aphrodite were chaste or not is not the concern here. The truth is that Dardana worshipped Aphrodite with the belief that she was the goddess of chastity. When Dardana stepped out of the temple after renewing her sanctity, people felt as if the world had just been created and the human heart was still untouched by desires that taint the soul.
The era of beauty worship in Greece was a period of decline. Each young man’s heart seemed like a separate temple dedicated to a particular Aphrodite. For them, religion was synonymous with a life composed solely of women, youth, beauty, and love.
Every chamber in Aphrodite’s sanctuary and every corner of the temple’s garden, once devoted to the admiration of nature’s beauty, had now turned into a secluded retreat where chastity was often tarnished and love bordered on madness.
There was no young man in the land who hadn’t spent countless days trying to gain access to that enchanting environment for at least one night. And those who succeeded often claimed they desired no other pleasure in life afterward.
Dardana was a girl from a wealthy family. Her parents, following a divine dream, dedicated her to the temple of Aphrodite. She grew up amidst the poisonous atmosphere of the temple, blossoming into her youth there.
It is true that every maiden of the sanctuary was a stunning embodiment of beauty, but Dardana was something else entirely. She appeared as though nature’s most beautiful dream had taken human form. People used to say, “To be more beautiful than Dardana would mean being divine.” Perhaps it was this belief that prevented anyone from daring to approach her with impure intentions.
Still, who could say how much tumult her veiled beauty had stirred in people’s imaginations over the past two years since she started stepping out, as per custom, with her face covered after reaching the prime of her youth?
Every man in the land, whose blood ran warm, was consumed by his desire for Dardana. But among them, the most prominent was Prince Nerope, not only known for his beauty and intellect but also regarded as the finest young man in Greece.
It changed into a moonlit night. The river below the temple shimmered in silver mild, and the valley changed into wrapped in absolute tranquility. Suddenly, the silence became broken with the aid of the sensitive notes of a lyre mingling with the air. The melody grew more potent, and a woman’s voice started out to sing, weaving itself into the song.
It was Dardana’s habit to occasionally walk alone to the riverside at night and sing with her lyre. Her singing was a form of worship, her music the language of her devotion.
Dressed in a white robe, her unveiled beauty illuminated by the moonlight, she sat on a rock, her dark hair providing a striking contrast to her ethereal form. Her slender fingers danced on the lyre, narrating her tale of devotion.
When the night deepened and the moon was directly overhead, Dardana rose to leave. As she was about to stand, she saw a man draped in a white cloak emerging from the grove. For a moment, she was startled, but her pure heart quickly regained composure.
When the man introduced himself as Nerope, Dardana respectfully stood up and asked what had brought the prince to such a place at such an hour.
Nerope replied, “How can the lady known as the most beautiful in the world not understand why Nerope, for whom no time holds meaning except the moments spent before true beauty, would endure such inconvenience to be here?”
Dardana laughed at his words.
Their conversation unfolded as Nerope tried to express his love, and Dardana spoke of a higher, more profound form of devotion. She recounted a verse she once composed:
“Those who desire my body—how can I tell them that my soul is far more beautiful? Those who long to see my unveiled face—if only they could witness the beauty of my spirit. Alas, many worship my appearance, but few truly love me.”
Nerope was entranced, proclaiming his adoration not only for her physical beauty but for her spirit as well.
Moved, Dardana finally said, “If you truly love me for my spirit and not my form, meet me in this secluded spot the evening after tomorrow, and I shall be yours.”
A Tale of True Love درس محبت
Kahani ki Kahani
Yeh kahani hai Yunan ki ek ladki ki jo apne zamane mein sabse khoobsurat samjhi jati thi. Yeh ladki ma’bad-e-Zehra mein rehti thi aur uske husn ke charche door-door tak mashhoor the. Is husn par ek rajkumar bhi dil haar baitha. Ek raat wo rajkumar is ladki se ek nadi ke kinaare milta hai, magar woh husn-parast rajkumar uske sikhaye huye mohabbat ke dars mein fail ho jata hai. Ladki akhirkar ek kisan ke bete se shaadi kar leti hai.
Ma’bad ki sab kanwaryan ya toh pakbaz hoti thi ya asmat farosh, magar asal baat yeh thi ke Durdana apne husn aur izzat ko ek devi ka darja deti thi. Jab woh ma’bad se nikalti thi, toh aisa lagta tha jaise duniya abhi naye siray se paida hui ho, aur insani dil abhi un jazbat se nawaqif hai jo insaan ke khoon ko garam karte hain aur rooh ko daghdar karte hain.
Durdana ka Husn aur Yunan ke Logon ka Jazba
Yunan ke us daur mein mazhab ka matlab sirf aur sirf husn, shabab aur ishq tha. Ma’bad-e-Zehra ke har kone mein jo pehle fitarati husn ka manzar tha, ab wahan ek anjaan bechaini aur asmat ki galiyon mein khoj thi. Har naujawan Durdana ke husn ka deewana tha, magar sabse zyada shiddat se rajkumar Nirobi iski mohabbat mein giraftar tha.
Nadi ke Kinaare Durdana aur Nirobi ki Mulaqat
Ek chandni raat thi, Durdana apne barbat ke saath gunguna rahi thi jab ek shaks nadi ke kinaare uske kareeb aya. Woh Nirobi tha, jo apne dil ka haal bayaan karne aya tha. Usne kaha ke woh sirf Durdana ke husn ka nahi, uski rooh ka poojari hai. Magar Durdana uski baaton par hansi aur uska imtihaan lene ka irada kiya.
Durdana ka Faisla
Do din baad, jab woh dono phir mile, Durdana ne kaha ke usne ma’bad mein do raat guzaar kar apni roohani dua ki thi ke agar Nirobi sach mein uski rooh se mohabbat karta hai toh woh uske badalte shakal o soorat ko bhi qabool kare. Phir usne apna naqab hata diya.
Nirobi ka Imtihaan
Durdana ka chera pehle jaisa nahi raha tha; woh bepanah dosto ke daag aur becheeni ka manzar tha. Nirobi apni jagah samajh gaya, magar uska dil is naye imtihan mein fail ho gaya. Durdana ne samajh liya ke uske husn ka poojari uski rooh ko nahi samajh saka.
Yeh kahani insani jazbat aur asli mohabbat ke darmein faasle ki tasveer hai, jismein rooh aur jism ke ma’ni samajhne ka dars diya gaya hai.
