Alexander’s burnished throne

Alexander’s burnished throne
Is naught to the pious eye,
A throne that begs for alms,
Is not worth a groat.

Nature has bestowed
Wealth and power on those,
Who know not how to use
Their wealth and power for the needy.

It is the glance alone
That captivates the heart,
What is seductive beauty
Without a seductive glance?

The wrath of potentates
Has fallen on me like thunder,
Because I know the disaster
Awaiting the potentates.

Desire for glory
Is natural for all,
But glory with Selfhood’s death
Is no glory at all.