THE IMPARTIAL JUDGE; A PERSIAN TALE by JOHN GODFREY SAXE

To good Ben Asher -- of immortal fame --
In eager haste a worthy subject came,
And, bowing low before the Sultan, cried,
"Prince of Believers! who has ne'er denied
Impartial justice to the meanest slave,
Some fitting punishment I humbly crave
On one who in my house has wrought a shame;
A deed of violence I need not name
In further speech; for, Sire! the fearful fact
Was seen by those who seized him in the act!"
"Go, bring him here!" the Sultan said; "but first
Put out the lights. The villain's face accurst
I would not see." Now, when all this was done,
The Sultan, standing by, commanded one
To seize and stab the culprit to the heart!
"Now light the lamps!" The Sultan then (apart
To his Vizier, the while his hands he raised
Devoutly heavenward) said, "God be praised
For this that I behold!" The Vizier asked,
What favor Heaven had done in this, that tasked
The Sultan's gratitude? "I feared my son,"
Ben Asher said, "this dreadful deed had done;
And, meaning still that justice should prevail,
And fearing lest my doting heart should fail,
I durst not see the man till he was dead;
Judge, then, my joy," the trembling Sultan said,
"That, looking on the wretch so justly slain,
I find, thank Heaven! my terror was in vain!"

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...