The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, XL

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

But once when we were quarreling, the door
Was opened by a Visitor who bore
      Both Rope and Pail; he offered them and said:
“Drink, if you will, but once, and nevermore.”

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