The Luzumiyat of Abu'l-Ala, XCVIII

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

And in the palaces of wealth I found
Some beads of wisdom scattered on the ground, 
   Around the throne of Power, beneath the feet
Of fair-faced slaves with flowers of folly crowned. 

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.