My Hero, My Police Officer-Your Soul Beckons You

 

“Here is courage, mankind’s finest possession, here is the noblest prize that a young man can endeavor to win.” (Spartan poet Tyrtaeus)

Oh my hero,

my police officer,

As you set off to your calling,

Your soul is,

in a dilemma

by unendurable forewarning,


It beckons you to

Arise,

guard yourself from your adversaries,


Outwit them

proceeding with vigilance


amidst their ensnarements.


But not to revel

when you triumph,


nor lay down lamenting

when you writhe,

in agonizing defeat,

Nor get over-ecstatic

in your ecstasies

or over-awed

in your grieves,


for to reach the limits of virtue

just learn,

what rhythm regulates

human affairs.

 

© Samina Iqbal. 2019