Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WHEN VIZIERS SPEAK, by HARRY SINCLAIR LEWIS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WHEN VIZIERS SPEAK, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Along the streets of rich bagdad
Last Line: "hear my own thoughts; you talk too much!"
Alternate Author Name(s): Lewis, Sinclair
Subject(s): Yale University


ALONG the streets of rich Bagdad,
In gold-embroidered silks yclad,
With glittering cavalcade doth ride
The caliph Haroun Alraschide
(Alrashid's good, but Alraschide
Is just as good, and rhymes, beside.)
The grand vizier beside him paces.
The caliph speaks of well-known faces
And things which greet him everywhere.
"That beggar woman over there,
I've seen when out in some disguise,
For ten years, anyway. She cries,
'For Allah's sake an alms, kind one.
At home there starves my new-born son.'
'Twill take a long while, at this rate,
To grow as old as we, and great."
The vizier smiled and bowed his head.
"You jest, milord," was all he said.
As they were passing by a harem,
"I'd like to peek in there, and scare 'em,"
The caliph said. The vizier titters,
"He, he, ha, ha," in sparrow-twitters.
On steeds with dainty trappings scented,
On warriors old, Haroun commented;
On frying pans and porticoes,
On donkeys' ears, and slave girls' toes.
And ever the vizier, bowing low,
Quoth in mild tones, "Yea, sire, 'tis so."
The caliph cleverly proposes
A dict to cut off Christians' noses.
Old questions argues, like a Guelph,
And often contradicts himself.
The silent vizier by his side
Looks most exceeding edified.
At last he ventures to suggest
Which kind of scimiter is best.
The caliph spoke on building jails,
And on the pseudo Sunna tales.
A half an hour passed by, and then
The vizier dared to speak again.
The caliph's face in anger flamed,
"Thou dog," he wrathfully exclaimed,
"Scarce can I, when within your clutch,
Hear my own thoughts; you talk too much!"





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