The Merry Bard

  ZULEIKAH!  The young Agas in the bazaar are slim-wasted and wear
  yellow slippers.  I am old and hideous.  One of my eyes is out, and
  the hairs of my beard are mostly gray.  Praise be to Allah!  I am a
  merry bard.

  There is a bird upon the terrace of the Emir's chief wife.  Praise
  be to Allah!  He has emeralds on his neck, and a ruby tail.  I am a
  merry bard.  He deafens me with his diabolical screaming.

  There is a little brown bird in the basket-maker's cage.  Praise be
  to Allah!  He ravishes my soul in the moonlight.  I am a merry bard.

  The peacock is an Aga, but the little bird is a Bulbul.

  I am a little brown Bulbul.  Come and listen in the moonlight.
  Praise be to Allah!  I am a merry bard.

Credit

This poem is in the public domain.

About this Poem

From Ballads and Songs (London: Cassell and Company, 1896).

Author

William Makepeace Thackeray

William Makepeace Thackeray, born July 18, 1811, was an English writer best known for his novels, particularly The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. (The Mershon Company Publishers, 1852) and Vanity Fair (Bradbury and Evans, 1848). While in school, Thackeray began writing poems, which he published in a number of magazines, chiefly Fraser and Punch. He died on December 24, 1863.

Date Published

07/11/2018