If I Were The King Poem by Muhammad Shanazar

If I were the king,
I would do nothing unusual,
Repeating the same old practice;
I would discard, set aside all bodies,
Even remotely linked to the name of law.
I would not allow anyone to share my office,
My powers and my authorities.

I would ride on the back of my nation,
For the long time against her consent,
Like a child as it rides the wooden horse,
And on finding it static drags the structure.

I would prod my fingers into the porches of my ears,
Lest any cry, shriek or sound should intervene,
My lascivious activities.

I would distribute all prominent high places,
Among my dear ones and hired villains of the state,
I would summon all beauteous pieces in the court,
And set my knavish lusty dogs upon them,
To scratch their delicate skin.

To crush the heads of my opponents,
I would bring back my soldiers from the border,
And let them loose with all liberties,
And they would do whatever they wish,
To surfeit their unbridled desires.

On seeing my fearful contestant,
I would grin my teeth like a timorous dog,
And turning tail inward between the legs,
Twirl my face to embrace the enemies.

I would have a secret hand to receive my commissions,
On each domestic and foreign bargain,
I also would receive my share on transfers of lands,
And would offer all producing units for the open sale,
So that grandsons of my grandsons might rule too,
And adversity be the fate of others.

Oh! When I sit engrossed in frivolous thoughts,
My conscience curses my kingship and me,
Thousands of times and I find myself,
The most detestable being in the world.