The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, XXVIII

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

Seek not the Tavern of Belief, my friend,
Until the Sakis there their morals mend;
      A lie imbibed a thousand lies will breed,
And thou’lt become a Saki in the end.

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