The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, XXI

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

And still we weave, and still we are content
In slaving for the sovereigns who have spent
       The savings of the toiling of the mind
Upon the glory of Dismemberment.

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.