Act 1, Scene 1
Night.
The Kapadia’s Kothi in New Delhi. Rahman Murtaza climbs the wall and enters the front garden
Rahman:
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juhi is the sun.
It is my laila, O, it is my jaan!
O, that she knew she were!
Juhi Kapadia appears through the French Window onto the balcony
Juhi:
O Rahman, Rahman! wherefore art thou Rahman?
’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Murtaza.
What’s Murtaza? it is nor haath, nor pehr,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a kamal
By any other name would bloom as fair;…
