WM
5th July 2007, 05:40 PM
I wrote this in refutation of an anyonymous brother, and his claims about history. It's about the life of Ottoman Sultan Selim II, aka Selim the Sot (i.e. drunkard).
Selim the Sot
God deliver us from pressed and flowing wine,
And orgies, incompetence and misrule,
And conquest for the sake of that accursed vine*;
Verily, Selim was a drunken fool;
A reckless, sottish libertine,
A heedless, tyrannical man amongst men,
Who left much power to a queen,
When such is not the woman's realm;
He shuffled off his mortal coil,
In a very fitting way;
Not by war or warlike toil,
But by drink**, and as he lay
Upon the bed of death we hope
He repented unto his Lord,
For the ravings of a misanthrope***,
Can never redeem a man much flawed
We do not arrogate God's judgement seat,
We are but men of lust and fear,
And all else would not be meet,
For those whose domain is one of air.
From potter's clay was our father made,
And to dust shall we all return,
Resurrected, we will seek the aid
Of others' rewards we did not earn.
And that is why, my noble brother,
I ask you to show clemency****,
To one, though not of the same mother,
Bonded by fraternity.
--------------------
* Selim II allegedly prosecuted war against Cyprus, as his favourite wine was pressed there.
** He died of a fever resulting from injuries sustained while drunk.
*** Here I refer to the anonymous brother.
**** Here I ask the brother to be patient, and give me time to research Ottoman historiography.
Selim the Sot
God deliver us from pressed and flowing wine,
And orgies, incompetence and misrule,
And conquest for the sake of that accursed vine*;
Verily, Selim was a drunken fool;
A reckless, sottish libertine,
A heedless, tyrannical man amongst men,
Who left much power to a queen,
When such is not the woman's realm;
He shuffled off his mortal coil,
In a very fitting way;
Not by war or warlike toil,
But by drink**, and as he lay
Upon the bed of death we hope
He repented unto his Lord,
For the ravings of a misanthrope***,
Can never redeem a man much flawed
We do not arrogate God's judgement seat,
We are but men of lust and fear,
And all else would not be meet,
For those whose domain is one of air.
From potter's clay was our father made,
And to dust shall we all return,
Resurrected, we will seek the aid
Of others' rewards we did not earn.
And that is why, my noble brother,
I ask you to show clemency****,
To one, though not of the same mother,
Bonded by fraternity.
--------------------
* Selim II allegedly prosecuted war against Cyprus, as his favourite wine was pressed there.
** He died of a fever resulting from injuries sustained while drunk.
*** Here I refer to the anonymous brother.
**** Here I ask the brother to be patient, and give me time to research Ottoman historiography.