Pledge Of Love Poem by Sadiqullah Khan

Under a heavy stone
Hand stuck for the pledge of love
Living with the sweat on my forehead
What a difficulty my heart thou art in
The freshness of the spring and the lament sweet
The melody of love in the city of love
In the distant garden that thou seest as paradise
The pledge of love with hand in hand

In sweetness thou give in
The “Kohkan’s*” pledge
For the stream of honey and milk
Aware not of the doubts as the old lady
Or the “Majnun*” with no pldge but all love
Breaks his head the former when in toils
Labour and skill and youth flamboyant
Mixes his blood with honey and milk
The tool he has brings the angel of death

The later with idea and in love with the idea
The idea of the beauty with no skill but the desert
The eyes of “Laila” doth speak at the nights
In separation and torn between the body and the soul
Breaks the mundane for the love he sees inside
Beauty is to him but the glory of love

The pledge of love though I make
Like “Majnun’ in the desert and unlike “Farhad”
Freedom shall I gain the moment I pledge
Freedom that I be unto myself
Pledge me not into captivity my love
Freedom I cherish and Majnun am I

*Farhad who built stream of honey and milk for his beloved Shirin
*Majnun who was a free wandering man and was in love with Laila
2/11/2008