Aomed Poem by Gert Strydom

(in answer to C. Louis Leipoldt)

The Muezzin on the minaret do proclaim,
call people to their prayers in Allah's name.

Towards Mecca the Mullah looks with the rising sun
kneels on his prayer mat and in his mind Allah is the only one.

In his beautiful palace the Sultan ponders over the affairs of state
but first he must pray and all of the other things can wait,

converted from Hinduism to Islam sombre very sincere Aomed
looks at the red rising sun that seems as if had bled;
lives chaste from any perversity
do control the things he do, the things that he does look at and see
even that which he does eat
and reclusively avoid new people to meet
and overly bold he only has contact with men
do avoid being near any women
but strangely to him do appear the treacherous jinn
and with a simple kind friendly virtuous female draws him in.

His mind does wonder if he was wrong
and he greets her courteously and helps her when she does come along
while time does move swiftly on and friends they do become
and his heart is full of joy and his feelings for her become strong
while Aomed struggles his own inner desires to control
and it's as if a new fire is burning in the depths of his soul
but where he had sworn to his own chastity
one later afternoon at the sea from all clothes she is free

and deeper she do wade in out to a nearby shoal
where down she do sit and wash off everything foal
and rising in the twilight with her back to the setting sun
she walks out slowly wading and she is not aware of anyone,
for a moment in contemplation she stops, the sun catches her body,
with her breasts mysterious and yet firm and it's a glorious sight to see
with shadows enhancing and diminishing her in utter loveliness
with her black maidenhair chaste but yet explicitly a sight of sheer bliss

while closing his eyes from the delightful beauty that he saw
perplexed Aomed is in the deepest awe
mutters to himself: "Allah is one. But godly, lovely and slowly
out of the heart of the sea comes Shiva auspiciously to me."

[Reference: "Aomed" by C. Louis Leipoldt.]

© Gert Strydom