Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE SULTAN AND THE OWLS; AN ARABIAN TALE, by JOHN GODFREY SAXE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE SULTAN AND THE OWLS; AN ARABIAN TALE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: The sultan, mahmoud, in his early reign
Last Line: That not an owl could find a ruined village.
Subject(s): Birds; Owls


I.

THE Sultan, Mahmoud, in his early reign,
By bootless foreign wars reduced the nation,
Till half his faithful followers were slain,
And all the land was filled with desolation.

II.

The Sultan's Vizier, saddened at the heart
To see at every turn some new disaster,
Essayed in vain, by counsel and by art,
To stay the folly of his royal master.

III.

The Vizier, deeply versed in legal lore,
In state affairs the Sultan's chief reliance,
Had found, besides, some leisure to explore
In learned books the mysteries of science.

IV.

With other matters of the graver sort,
He knew to judge men's fancies by their features;
And understood, according to report,
The hidden language of the feathered creatures.

V.

One pleasant evening, on an aged tree,
The while within a wood the twain were walking,
The Sultan and the Vizier chanced to see
A pair of solemn owls engaged in talking.

VI.

The Sultan asked: "What is it that they say?"
And fain would know what the debate portended;
The Vizier answered: "Sire, excuse me, pray,
I fear your Highness would be much offended."

VII.

"Nay," said the Sultan, "whatsoe'er it be
These heralds of Minerva may be saying,
Repeat it, Vizier, faithfully to me;
There's no offence, except in not obeying."

VIII.

"Well," said the other, "these sagacious fowls
Have met, 't would seem, at the appointed hour,
To fix their children's wedding; and the owls
Are at this moment talking of the dower.

IX.

"The father of the daughter, speaking free,
Says: 'What are your conditions? please
to state 'em!'
'Well, twenty ruined villages,' quoth he
(The father of the son); 'and that's my ultimatum!'

X.

"'Done!' says the other, 'only understand
I'd say two hundred quite as soon as twenty;
Thanks to good Mahmoud! while he rules the land
We shall have ruined villages in plenty!'"

XI.

'T is said the Sultan, stricken with remorse,
Restored the land reduced by war and pillage,
And ruled so wisely in his future course
That not an owl could find a ruined village.





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