
Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)

Khīnc kar ānkhon men apnī surmah-’i dunbālahdār
Karte paidā siḥr se nargis men sosan āp hain
Drawing wing tip eyeliner around your eyes
You are magically producing irises out of narcissi
Bahādur Shāh ‘Ẓafar’ (1775-1862)
Paintings
from Public Collections



































Agar us khush-dahan ke lab peh dekho rang missī kā
To phir zinhār barg-i ghuncah-i sosan nah dekhoge
If you see the color of missi on the lips
of that pretty mouth,
Beware, you will never notice the petal
of the iris bud again.
Sirāj Aurangābādī (1712-1764)




Kahā bulbul ne jab toṛā gul-i sosan ko gulcīn ne
Ilāhī khair kījo nīl-i rukhsār-i caman bigṛā
Said the nightingale when the flower picker plucked
the iris flower,
“Oh Lord! All right, go ahead and ruin the blue countenance
of the parterre.”
Haider ‘Alī ‘Ātish’ (1778-1847)



‘Arq-i bahār-i sharāb hai voh hī āj chiṛkenge āp par
Nah to bed-i mushk hai is ghaṛī nah to ke’oṛā nah gulāb hai
There is orange blossom water, that alone will they sprinkle on you today,
There is no musk willow at this time, no kewra, no rosewater is available.
Inshā’Allāh Khān ‘Inshā’ (1753-1817)









Agar us khush-dahan ke lab peh dekho rang missī kā
To phir zinhār barg-i ghuncah-i sosan nah dekhoge
If you see the color of missi on the lips
of that pretty mouth,
Beware, you will never notice the petal
of the iris bud again.
Sirāj Aurangābādī (1712-1764)




Kahā bulbul ne jab toṛā gul-i sosan ko gulcīn ne
Ilāhī khair kījo nīl-i rukhsār-i caman bigṛā
Said the nightingale when the flower picker plucked
the iris flower,
“Oh Lord! All right, go ahead and ruin the blue countenance
of the parterre.”
Haider ‘Alī ‘Ātish’ (1778-1847)



‘Arq-i bahār-i sharāb hai voh hī āj chiṛkenge āp par
Nah to bed-i mushk hai is ghaṛī nah to ke’oṛā nah gulāb hai
There is orange blossom water, that alone will they sprinkle on you today,
There is no musk willow at this time, no kewra, no rosewater is available.
Inshā’Allāh Khān ‘Inshā’ (1753-1817)




Plants & Gardens
Living History
Objects
from Public & Private Collections

























Synesthesia
Perfume & Flavour Translations
The Process
Notes between the perfumer & historian June - August 2021
Perfumer's note:
Nicolas and I had some back and forth on painting no. 4: 'Garden Scene' as the flowers were not obvious to me. Nicolas pointed out the red and pink poppies in the furthest register of the image and some purple-hued irises among the greenery in the forefront. The fragrance-palette