The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, LVII

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

I wheedle, too, even like my slave Zeidun,
Who robs at dawn his brother, and at noon
      Prostrates himself in prayer—ah, let us pray
That Night might blot us and our sins, and soon.

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.

Translators
Ameen Rihani
1876 –
1940