On Justice and Governing (III) - Saadi Shirazi

There lived a king, I’ve heard, for justice famed,
Who wore a dress of coarse material framed;
“Illustrious king! this robe (a courtier said)
Doth not beseem thee, wear a rich brocade”;
Answered the king, (his words so wise and true.
Contain good counsel both for me and you);
“This coat for use and ease sufficeth me,
A costlier but for ornament would be.
Why should my subjects ’neath their taxes groan
That I may ornament myself my throne;
Jewelled and scented like a wanton gay,
How drive the enemy, like chaff, away;
If greed increased in me a hundred fold
Still not my own would I my treasure hold
Our money on our army should be spent,
Not on our pleasure and our ornament;
Our soldiers discontented with their lot,
Will not protect the country as they ought;
Why should the king both tax and tithe consume
And not protect the farmer in his home?
The king devotes to pomp and state the tax,
The spoiler wrecks the farm, the hoard exacts.
The wretched farmer injured on each side, —
Beneath such rule can happiness abide?
Ungenerous ’tis t’opress a fallen man,
The mean cock snatches from the ant the grain
A cherished subject is a fruitful tree,
Eat of its fruit and really happy
Hurt not its root or branch with unkind blow,
Only a fool himself would injure so,
Who bear not heavily upon the poor
The fruits of youth and fortune will secure
When the unhappy into trouble fall,
Beware, for God’s sake; listen to their call
Invasion's wicked tide when backward hurled,
In thy foe’s country be thy flag unfurled;
Insure a peace both dignified and long
Annex a part; the people do not wrong,
Be ever merciful as thou art strong;
For if with guiltless blood the earth is stained,
The lordship of the world is dearly gained.”

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Saadi Shirazi [Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī] (1210 - 1292) Iran
Translated by W.C. Mackinnon
Source: A Few Flowers from the Garden of Sheikh Saadi Shirazi, Translated by W.C. Mackinnon, Thacker, Spink & Co., 1877