Arts & Sciences
The Four Favours
Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring (1853) · From West-Eastern Divan
THAT Arabs through the realms of space
May wander on, light-hearted,
Great Allah hath, to all their race,
Four favours meet imparted.
The turban first--that ornament
All regal crowns excelling;
A light and ever-shifting tent,
Wherein to make our dwelling;
A sword, which, more than rocks and walls
Doth shield us, brightly glistening;
A song that profits and enthrall,
For which the maids are list'ning!
Cite this poem
MLA
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “The Four Favours.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/323/.
Chicago
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “The Four Favours.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/323/.
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