89 – Abū Saʿīd al-Kindī narrated to us; Saʿīd ibn Khuthaym al-Hilālī narrated to us; Abū ⦗80⦘ al-Muʿtamir al-Baṣrī said: “The son of al-Aʿmash came to me and reported: ‘There was in Basra an elderly shaykh who had lived to a great age. Whenever he was asked, “How did you wake this morning? How are you this evening?” he would reply:

[al-Baḥr al-Kāmil]
If you truly knew my state with certainty,
You would be sure that I have already passed away.

Someone responded to him:

[al-Baḥr al-Wāfir]
If indeed you have vanished, it is only after a folk
Of long-lived people disappeared—yet you remain.
So guard the extra share of life still left to you; do not squander it,
As though you had returned safely to your household.
For soon you will be carried off to a tomb,
And among the dead before you, you will be forgotten.
Near at hand, alone, solitary,
You will have drunk the cup that others drank before you.
Every youth revisited by the circling nights—
Time will wear him down just as it wore you out.
How many will weep for you in grief,
While others rejoice at what has come upon you.’”