Sean Connery famously said – “Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile.” In memory of this profound observation, here are some of the best love stories from around the world that you may or may not have heard of.
Rome and Egypt – Entwined Hearts That Spanned Across The Ocean
Of all love stories that are known to human history, the love story of Antony and Cleopatra has been for nineteen centuries the most remarkable. The sweeping sands of Egypt have witnessed one of the greatest love stories of the world, that of a man who left his empire for a Queen whom the world desired. This was an affair that outraged the Roman world and threw Egypt in a whirlpool of political chaos. Said to be the last Pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra came to reign at the age of 17. Her political campaign led her into the arms of the Roman triumvir Mark Antony, who later put her name and face on a Roman coin, the silver denarii, which was widely circulated throughout the Mediterranean. Their relationship came to a tragic end when Antony fell on his own sword and took his life upon hearing the false news of his lover’s death. Once the news reached Cleopatra, she killed herself by allowing a poisonous asp to bite her. This tale of star-crossed lovers bears the mark of great sacrifices that must accompany great love.
To Lahore, With Love
The story of the Mughal prince who fell in love with a courtesan is one that is repeatedly told in India. Nadeera, or Anarkali as she came to be called, was an exceptionally beautiful whom Prince Salim saw for the first time at a mujra organised in his honour in Lahore (Punjab), now in Pakistan. But her common origins doomed this romance from the start. Emperor Akbar ordered her arrest, leading to Salim raising an army against his father. Even after being defeated, Salim chose the death penalty and refused to give up on his love. But Anarkali asked for his life to be spared and took the death penalty upon herself instead. After one last night with Salim, she was taken to what is now called the Anarkali BazAar in Lahore and walled up inside a ditch. Another version of the tale says that Akbar allowed her to escape through tunnels with the promise that she would never return. A tomb, thought to be that of Anarkali, is situated on the premises of the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Lahore, Pakistan engraved upon which is this couplet –
“I would give thanks unto my God unto the day of resurrection
Ah! could I behold the face of my beloved once more”
The heartbroken Salim lived on to become Emperor Jahangir. It is said however, that he could never forget his one true love Anarkali, in his lifetime. When he died, her name was on his lips.
From Greece to Turkey to..well, Back to Greece!
If continents and class could not stop love from pervading, what’s in marriage? At least that’s how Paris must’ve explained his affair with Helen to his mother! Prince Paris of Troy fell in love with Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman on earth. Unable to get her out of his mind, he kidnapped her away from Greece and took her to his home in Troy(now in Turkey). The Trojans, could only marvel at the divine beauty who stepped off the ship. A wedding ceremony took place, and it was as though Helen was marrying Troy, since her destiny became at that moment interlocked with the destiny of the city. Her husband, King Menelaus, sent his army and 1000 ships, headed by his brother Agamemnon, to conquer Troy and bring his wife home. This supposedly began a war between the two countries that raged for nearly 10 years. Later Paris was killed in the Trojan War after which Menelaus with the intention of killing his faithless wife raised his sword. But the very sight of her flawless beauty made him drop his sword and to lead her safely to the Greek ships. Thus came to an end the tale of an irrational, impulsive love between a demi-goddess and a reckless prince. The ruins of Troy were found in in 1822 and excavated from 1870-1890.
An Amorous Tryst in France
One of the most stormy affairs in history is that of Napoleon Bonaparte with Josephine de Beauharnais. Known as a man of politics and action, Naopleon was to find the greatest love of his life in Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie who grew up in the Caribbean, and went on to the become the French Empress. He chose to call her Josephine instead of Rose, and that is how she is known in history. It is widely believed that Napoleon was more in love with her than she with him. His ardent letters to her and her reciprocative dishonesty are proof of that. Nothing about their subsequent wedding was normal. Josephine lied about her age on the marriage certificate, claiming to be 4 years younger, and Napoleon added 18 months to his age. The end result was that they appeared to be roughly the same age. Engrossed in his maps and campaigns, Napoleon arrived shamefully late for the ceremony. Though the affair came to an end eventually, the amusing instances pertaining to it live on even now. Josephine must have remained in Napoleon’s heart long after, because it is reported that his final words were, “France, the Army, the head of the Army, Josephine”.
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Meghna
