The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, LXIV

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

The tavern and the temple also shun,
For sheikh and libertine in sooth are one;
      And when the pious knave begins to pule,
The knave in purple breaks his vow anon.

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