Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE JIM-JAM KING OF THE JOU-JOUS; AN ARABIAN LEGEND, by ANONYMOUS First Line: Far off in the waste of desert sand Last Line: Allah il allah! Oo-aye! Amen! Subject(s): Courts & Courtiers;legends;nonsense;translating & Interpreting | ||||||||
FAR off in the waste of desert sand, The Jim-jam rules in the Jou-jou land: He sits on a throne of red-hot rocks, And moccasin snakes are his curling locks; And the Jou-jous have the conniption fits In the far-off land where the Jim-jam sits -- If things are now as things were then. Allah il Allah! Oo-aye! Amen! The country's so dry in Jou-jou land You could wet it down with Sahara sand, And over its boundaries the air Is hotter than 'tis -- no matter where: A camel drops down completely tanned When he crosses the line in Jou-jou land -- If things are now as things were then. Allah il Allah! Oo-aye! Amen! A traveller once got stuck in the sand On the fiery edge of Jou-jou land; The Jou-jous they confiscated him, And the Jim-jam tore him limb from limb; But, dying, he said: "If eaten I am, I'll disagree with this Dam-jim-jam! He'll think his stomach's a Hoodoo's den!" Allah il Allah! Oo-aye! Amen! Then the Jim-jam felt so bad inside, It just about humbled his royal pride. He decided to physic himself with sand, And throw up his job in the Jou-jou land. He descended his throne of red-hot rocks, And hired a barber to cut his locks: The barber died of the got-'em-again. Allah il Allah! Oo-aye! Amen! And now let every good Mussulman Get all the good from this tale he can. If you wander off on a Jamboree, Across the stretch of the desert sea, Look out that right at the height of your booze You don't get caught by the Jou-jou-jous! You may, for the Jim-jam's at it again. Allah il Allah! Oo-aye! Amen! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ANOTHER TRANSLATOR by RICHARD HOWARD VERSE TRANSLATOR by JOHN FREDERICK NIMS READING THE RUSSIANS by RUTH STONE HAG OF BEARE (CAILLECH BERRI) by ANNE WALDMAN ALICE CORBIN IS GONE by CARL SANDBURG TO HIS WORTHY FRIEND, DOCTOR WITTY by ANDREW MARVELL TO MY HONOURED FRIEND DR.WITTY, CONCERNING HIS TRANSLATION by ANDREW MARVELL THE TRANSLATOR by NOVELLA MATVEYEVA TO MRS. --, ON HER BEAUTIFUL TRANSLATION OF VOITURE'S KISS by THOMAS MOORE TIS A LITTLE JOURNEY by ANONYMOUS |
|