A Gift for Baghdad — Page 115
Reply to the Announcement & Letter 115 O my beloved, we have spared no effort in offering our advice to you, And we have struggled in order that you might heed these important counsels. My advice is sincere, not frivolous; Serious and significant, not corrupted with jest. So, O my beloved, reflect upon my statements; For, verily, reflection is an ornament of piety. My grief for my people exceeds every other grief— Even more than bereaved mothers or lamenting mourners. Come on, O possessor of nobility, come on; But if you desist not, the time of punishment is near. I have great worth in the sight of my Lord; My entreaties are not rejected or refused. When a person like me cries during supplication, A destined grace hastens towards him. And the light of my sun will soon shine forth; And mortals will follow it, except the insolent. And the Day of my Lord will come like lightning; Then, neither the dogs nor their yelps will remain.