What is the most famous monument ever built in honor of love? Some would say it is the incomparable Taj Mahal--a shimmering, white jewel that seems to float over the hot Indian plain. It is a tomb, and it tells one of the greatest love stories of all time.

A great shah, when he was only nineteen, fell in love with a highborn beauty and married her. She gave the shah many children. She ruled at his side as an equal. He adored her and brought her diamonds and flowers. In the tenth year of their marriage, once again she was with child, but this time, something strange occurred. She confided that shortly before the baby was born, she heard it cry in her womb--an ill omen.

A healthy baby girl was born, but the queen did not recover. As she lay dying, she whispered a final wish to her grief-stri…