Chinese and Arabian Literature - E. Wilson - The Search For Mecca

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SELECTIONS FROM ARABIAN POETRY
RAKEEK TO HIS FEMALE COMPANIONS
Tho' the peevish tongues upbraid,
Tho' the brows of wisdom scowl.
Fair ones here on roses laid,
Careless will we quaflf the bowl.
Let the cup, with nectar crown'd.
Thro' the grove its beams display.
It can shed a lustre round,
Brighter than the torch of day.
Let it pass from hand to hand,
Circling still with ceaseless flight.
Till the streaks of gray expand
O'er the fleeting robe of night.
As night flits, she does but cry,
" Seize the moments that remain '*—
Thus our joys with yours shall vie,
Tenants of yon hallow'd fane!
DIALOGUE BY RAIS
Rais
Maid of sorrow, tell us why
Sad and drooping hangs thy head?
Is it grief that bids thee sigh?
Is it sleep that flies thy bed?
Lady
Ah! I mourn no fancied wound.
Pangs too true this heart have wrung.
Since the snakes which curl around
Selim's brows my bosom stung.