A Plaint, Upon a Lack of Reaction
By Mālik ibn Qārin ibn al-Māridī ibn Jinnī al-ʻAbdārī al-Shaybānī
In silence I am made to stand, unspoken of
By folk in fora or field. I fear
That behind my back the bray of laughter
Is all I'm given. Am I considered an ass?
Or is the laughter asslike that greets every line?
Direct to me all discourse is mum
So nothing I know. What name am I given ---
Vitriolic or vindictive; or adverse
To mention me are all? No admiring
Is there that I hear of. Total is the quiet.
Nor counsel kind or sharp comes to my ears
Such is how things stand. Silence is all
That is granted to me. Grumblingly shall I regard
All my work as wasted? No, I shall still with words play
All the more as time marches. Timorousness I'll have none of.
I'll make poems at my pleasure. Let others write plaints!
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