Shorter Pieces of Arabian Poetry: On the Vale of Bozaa, by Ahmed Ben Yousef Almenazy

ON THE VALE OF BOZAA. BY AHMED BEN YOUSEF ALMENAZY. THE intertwining boughs for thee Have wove, sweet dell, a verdant vest, And thou in turn shall give to me A verdant couch upon thy breast. To shield me from Day's fervid glare, Thine oaks their fostering arms extend, As, anxious o’er her infant care, I've seen a watchful mother bend. A brighter cup, a sweeter draught, I gather from that rill of thine, Than maddening drunkards ever quaffed, Than all the treasures of the vine. So smooth the pebbles on its shore, That not a maid can thither stray, But counts her strings of jewels o’er, And thinks the pearls have slipped away.