52 – Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Asadī narrated to us; Ḥibbān ibn ʿAlī narrated, from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, from ʿAmr ibn Ḥurayth, who said:

Al-Haytham ibn al-Aswad was once visited, and someone asked him, “How do you find yourself, Abū al-ʿUryān?” He replied, “By Allah, what I would love to keep white in me has turned black, and what I would love to keep black has turned white; what I would like to remain supple has stiffened, and what I would like to stay firm has gone slack. Now let me tell you the signs of old age:

(Metre: rajaz)
Shortened stride and failing sight;
A scant desire for food though the table is spread;
Little sleep when night grows thick and dark;
Much forgetfulness of what should be recalled;
Forsaking the fair maiden though her time be pure;
And people wear away just as trees wear away."