المعلقات السبع (The Seven Suspended Odes — Arabic text with English)

number of lines preaching social morals of high value in worldly life,—a peculiar feature, which distinguishes the poem and places it conspicuously beyond the rivalry of any other poem.

This poem is philosophical throughout in accordance with the occasion. The poet is a sedate man of great experience, a moral preceptor of good parts, and a grave preacher of the morality he has learnt from his long experience of the world. A dependent of the chiefs of the tribe, he praises them for their good offices to the people in the restoration of peace, and inculcates on them the recognition of the high value of their services and their strong claims on the obedience and allegiance of their subjects. Accordingly, he uses a language very grave, sublime, exhortive and impressive, and a diction flowing, soft, gentle and embellished with figures of rhetoric.

POEM IV.

The poet introduces the poem with a short description of the complete changes, brought about by time on the abodes of his old friends which have long been deserted by human beings and occupied by wild beasts. He then recalls to mind how his lady-love departed with her party from the place, and how, after removing to distant countries, she faithlessly cut off all communication with him. Despairing now of the re-quital of his love on her part, he seeks relief from his griefs by travelling on a good and strong she-camel, whose speed is compared firstly to that of a she-ass, urged by her jealous mate to a watering place in the hottest part of the year; and secondly to that of a wild cow, who, on missing her young, which has been devoured by wolves during her absence, passes a restless night in the midst of a heavy rain in a sandy desert, only to be surprised early in the morning by hounds, many of which she kills when turning to bay during her precipitous flight. The poet then gives a lively description of his enjoyment of the