Lalla-Rookh

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Lalla-Rookh or Lala Rukh (Persian: لالہ رخ) is the title of a poem by Thomas Moore, published in 1817. The title is taken from the name of the heroine of the frame tale, the daughter of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb; engaged to the young king of Bactria, she goes forth to meet him, but her heart is smitten by a poet she meets on the way. The bulk of the poem consists of four interpolated tales supposedly sung by the poet: "The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan," "Paradise and the Peri," "The Fire-Worshippers," and "The Light of the Haram." As Lalla Rookh enters the palace of her bridegroom she swoons away; but reviving at the sound of a familiar voice, she wakes up with rapture to find that the poet of her affection was none other than the prince to whom she was engaged.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.