Arabian Poetry: Shorter Pieces of Arabian Poetry: To Cassim Obid Allah, On the Death of One of His Sons, by Ali Ben Ahmed Ben Mansour

POOR Cassim! thou art doomed to mourn,
By Destiny's decree;
Whatever happen, it must turn
To misery for thee.

Two sons hadst thou, the one thy pride,
The other was thy pest;
Ah, why did cruel Death decide
To snatch away the best?

No wonder thou shouldst droop with woe,
Of such a child bereft:
But now thy tears must doubly flow,
For ah,—the other's left!