The poetical works of Bayard Taylor Household Edition : with illustrations |
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 | The poetical works of Bayard Taylor |  |
XII
“The tale, O Poet! which thy lips have told,”
I said, “is words of rubies set in gold.
Precious the wisdom which from evil draws
Strength to fulfil the good, of Allah's laws.
But lift thy head, O Hassan! Thine own words
Shall best console thee, for my tongue affords
No phrase but thanks for what thou hast bestowed;
And yet I fain would have thee shake the load
Of shame from off thy shoulders, seeing still
That by this fall thou hast increased thy will
To do the work which makes thee truly blest.”
Hassan Ben Khaled wept and smote his breast:
“Hold! hold, O Man!” he cried: “why make me feel
A deeper shame? Why force me to reveal
That Sin is as the leprous taint no art
Can cleanse the blood from? In my secret heart
I do believe I hold at dearer cost
The vanished Pleasure, than the Virtue lost.”
I said, “is words of rubies set in gold.
Precious the wisdom which from evil draws
Strength to fulfil the good, of Allah's laws.
But lift thy head, O Hassan! Thine own words
Shall best console thee, for my tongue affords
No phrase but thanks for what thou hast bestowed;
And yet I fain would have thee shake the load
Of shame from off thy shoulders, seeing still
That by this fall thou hast increased thy will
To do the work which makes thee truly blest.”
Hassan Ben Khaled wept and smote his breast:
“Hold! hold, O Man!” he cried: “why make me feel
A deeper shame? Why force me to reveal
That Sin is as the leprous taint no art
Can cleanse the blood from? In my secret heart
I do believe I hold at dearer cost
The vanished Pleasure, than the Virtue lost.”
So saying, he arose and went his way;
And Allah grant he go no more astray.
And Allah grant he go no more astray.
| The poetical works of Bayard Taylor | |