The Fountain and the Border

This is a moving love story.

Dedicated to Muslim women

 

By the fountain east of the Turkish border,

My Muslim lover waits for me

I shall be at her side before nightfall

And I shall gently brush her face

 

Something goes wrong with our rendezvous

The rebels abduct me unexpectedly

Somehow, they think I am an informer

 

Here in this dark and damp cave I pray

I recall the nights I spent with my darling

We had good times at the fountain

How I miss the moonlight and my guitar

 

The rebels are holding me in captivity

If I could send her good tidings,

Her heart would not be filled with dismay

 

We used to sit by the fountain,

She would sing while I played my guitar

We would dance on the wall of the fountain,

And we would jump in the water

 

Each morning, she goes back to the fountain

She sits and waits expectantly

And she sings her love songs for me

 

Rajeeyah will never lose hope

Something in her heart tells her that I am alive

She is sad, lonely and afraid,

But my safe return will bring her gladness

 

On this foggy and snowy morning,

I escape from my captors and flee

But I feel a sharp pain in my left side

 

I am only a short distance from the village

And I have to get across the border

I cannot let the pursuers kill me

 

I am cold, and I am getting weak,

But my love for Rajeeyah strengthens me

And I get up each time I fall in the snow

 

Limping and leaning on a long stick,

I manage to cross the border safely

The villagers rescue me and nurse my wounds

 

It is a miracle that I am free

Now I must hurry to the fountain,

My beauty waits for me there

 

I see Rajeeyah from a distance

Although the water is frozen,

She is still hoping that I shall return

 

My darling catches sight of me

And she runs to greet me with open arms

We embrace each other,

And tears roll down our cheeks

 

Rajeeyah and I are together at last!

The fountain gave her faith in me

Our kisses filled the night with love

Nothing can keep me away from my baby

Author's Note

From the author's elite collection of love poems.