The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, CVI

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

Ay, thus thy children, though they sovereigns be,
When truth upon them dawns, will turn on thee,
       Who cast them into life’s dark labyrinth
Where even old Izrail can not see.

Credit

The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala (James T. White & Co., 1920) by Abū al-‘Alā’ al-Ma‘arrī. Translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani. Copyright © 1920 by Ameen Rihani. This poem is in the public domain.