Come Away Poem by Shruti Goswami

O Princess, Princess,
Make haste, make haste!
For He whom thou sought to see,
Has come, though after several entreats.
Thus spoke, the youthful maids,
The Princess, so lost in thought,
Forgot her unbraided hair,
Now flowing down her pretty little head,
Like cascades of water.
Her dress, Oh! The peacock blue,
The gown trailing, caught in grass,
Eyebrows arched, with a hint of question,
But a vanishing smile,
At the corner of her lips,
And a pretty dimple on her cheek.
The maids hurried behind the blue Swan,
Calling her name in vain,
The pretty lass she glided in the lawn,
Of the magnificent garden,
At the break of dawn.
She halted, at the sight,
Of a handsome warrior,
The prince, surprised, amused,
Alighted from his horse.
Beheld a regal sight,
Of the prettiest girl on earth,
Or a woman, for childhood seemed to reign still,
And yet, had beauty touched her form.
'At last, you've come', said She,
'At your service', said He.
'But why this haste? I do not know,
Although I wish to let this know,
Love, companionship, I do not seek,
Though you are beauty at its peak,
I covet ardently peace of mind,
And committed am I,
To the honour of my kingdom and people,
I cannot be part of your life,
You cannot be my equal.'
Thus said the prince, pained but firm to speak,
Her eyelashes fluttered,
Sweeping down her cheek,
Like a caged bird,
To release a dropp of tear.
Somewhere, a dropp of blood,
Shed silently.
'Tell me prince', said She,
If I could not be your equal,
Could I not be your better half?
Why should you be a part of my life,
When I believe you to be the only life I know?
Could you win a war,
If you/re at war with yourself? '
The prince turned back,
Alighted the horse,
The galloping she heard;
Long after he was gone.
Twas a strange feeling,
Within the heart,
Like someone wrenching it,
And tearing apart.
A week passed by, and then a month,
Many battles fought, but none was won.
On a gloomy morn, the sky overcast,
Twas so dark,
Like never in the past.
There came a message, a line from Him,
And glanced at it, with a heavy heart did She,
And in it twas written, it seemed like a plea,
'Come away, oh come away with me.'