The Fountain of Bakhchisaray

The Fountain of Bakhchisaray (Russian: Бахчисарайский фонтан, Bakhchisaraiskiy fontan) is a narrative poem by Alexander Pushkin, written from 1821 to 1823.

Pushkin began writing The Fountain of Bakhchisaray in the spring of 1821, after having visited The Fountain of Tears at the Bakhchysarai Palace in 1820. The bulk of the poem was written during 1822. In spring 1823, the entry draft was completed. During the autumn of 1823, Pushkin made his final changes to the poem and prepared it for printing. The first edition of The Fountain of Bakhchisaray was published on 10 March 1824.

The poem has inspired multiple works. In 1899, composer Anton Arensky wrote a five-part cantata, including an aria for Zarema. In 1909–1910, a short film based on the poem was created by Yakov Protazanov. In 1934, Boris Asafyev composed a ballet of the same name, also inspired by Pushkin's work, and Alexander Ilyinsky composed an opera in 1911 based on the poem. Alexander von Zemlinsky's 1897 opera Sarema is based on the poem and takes its name from one of its characters. In the 1840s, artist Karl Briullov painted a painting on the subject.