The intertwining boughs for thee
Have wove, sweet dell, a verdant vest,
And thou in turn shalt 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 quaff'd,
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 slipp'd away.
_Ahmed Ben Yousef Almenazy_.
[30] Ben Yousef for many years acted as vizir to Abou Nasser, Sultan
of Diarbeker. His political talents are much praised, and he is
particularly celebrated for the address he displayed while upon
an embassy to the Greek Emperor at Constantinople. Yousef's
poetry must be looked upon merely as a jeu d'esprit suggested
by the beauties of the vale of Bozâa, as he passed through it.