Song Of The Devoted Slave

A poem by Violet Nicolson, Lawrence Hope, Adela Florence Cory Nicolson (1865 – 1904)

There is one God: Mahomed his Prophet. Had I his power

I would take the topmost peaks of the snow-clad Himalayas,

And would range them around your dwelling, during the heats of summer,

To cool the airs that fan your serene and delicate presence,

Had I the power.

Your courtyard should ever be filled with the fleetest of camels

Laden with inlaid armour, jewels and trappings for horses,

Ripe dates from Egypt, and spices and musk from Arabia.

And the sacred waters of Zem-Zem well, transported thither,

Should bubble and flow in your chamber, to bathe the delicate

Slender and wayworn feet of my Lord, returning from travel,

Had I the power.

Fine woven silk, from the further East, should conceal your beauty,

Clinging around you in amorous folds; caressive, silken,

Beautiful long-lashed, sweet-voiced Persian boys should, kneeling, serve you,

And the floor beneath your sandalled feet should be smooth and golden,

Had I the power.

And if ever your clear and stately thoughts should turn to women,

Kings’ daughters, maidens, should be appointed to your caresses,

That the youth and the strength of my Lord might never be wasted

In light or sterile love; but enrich the world with his children.

Had I the power.

Whilst I should sit in the outer court of the Water Palace

To await the time when you went forth, for Pleasure or Warfare,

Descending the stairs rose crowned, or armed and arrayed in purple,–

To mark the place where your steps have fallen, and kiss the footprints,

Had I the power.

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Poems in English 

• Conviction (iii) by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• Conviction (ii) by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• Conviction (i) by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• Bag-Snatching In Dublin by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• Away, Melancholy by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• Autumn by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• Alone In The Woods by Stevie Smith by Stevie (Florence Margaret) Smith
• The Triangle by Subhash Misra by Poetry In English
• The Last Summer by Subhash Misra by Poetry In English
• The Grammar Lesson by Steve Kowit by Poetry In English
• The dawn by Sukumaran Devarajan by Poetry In English
• Some Clouds by Steve Kowit by Poetry In English
• Scribbles by Suchi Gaur by Poetry In English
• Rainbow Hues by Suchi Gaur by Poetry In English
• Purple Heart Liz (My Girl At Woodstock) by Steve Sant by Poetry In English
• Notice by Steve Kowit by Poetry In English
• Must Work by Steve Downes by Poetry In English
• Lifetime Of Death by Steve Sant by Poetry In English
• In The Chapel Of Rest by Steve Sant by Poetry In English
• I Had To Leave by Subhash Misra by Poetry In English

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