'There is no law to say such things As may disgust the ear of kings : ' Thus, snorting with his choler, said The Moorish King, and doomed him dead. Woe is me, Alhama !
Moor Alfaqui ! Moor Alfaqui ! Though thy beard so hoary be, The King hath sent to have thee seized, For Alhama' s loss displeased.
Woe is me, Alhama !
And to fix thy head upon High Alhambra's loftiest stone; That this for thee should be the law, And others tremble when they saw.
Woe is me, Alhama !
'Cavalier, and man of worth! Let these words of mine go forth ! Let the Moorish Monarch know, That to him I nothing owe.
Woe is me, Alhama !
But on my soul Alhama weighs, And on my inmost spirit preys; And if the King his land hath lost, Yet others may have lost the most.
Woe is me, Alhama !
Sires have lost their children, wives Their lords, and valiant men their lives!
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