The Luzumiyat of Abu’l-Ala, XXXVI

translated from the Arabic by Ameen Rihani

And round the Well how oft my Soul doth grope
Athirst; but lo! my Bucket hath no Rope:
      I cry for water, and the deep, dark Well
Echoes my wailing cry, but not my hope.

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