188 – ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṣāliḥ narrated to me; he said: Abū Muʿāwiyah related to us, from al-Aʿmash, from ʿUmārah, from Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Nakhaʿī, who said, “The life of this world was created scant; of that scant portion there now remains only a mere fraction.”

Ahmad ibn Mūsā al-Thaqafī then recited:

A youth to whom the world inclined,
Deceived by the glitter of her flash;
He clung to her, embraced her tight—
Wretched is the bride of whoever loves her.

One day he rode out to his estate
Intent on mending all its works;
When he arrived and the sun was bright,
Shining in all its eastern blaze,
Its streams came out to welcome him,
Bursting through gardens lush and green;
And, as a novel courtesy,
Offered ripe fruit from lofty boughs;
The very best of harvest came,
The sweetest morsel any could taste;
And dishes of every sort were spread,
Differing each in flavor. ⦗91⦘

He gorged himself on soaked-bread stews,
And feasted on cured strips of meat;
Then pure coffee was brought to him,
Poured by the hand that served it,
By the soft hands of a graceful girl
Whose necklaces lay upon her throat.

He whispered to his soul but lies,
False promises and vain desires;
He dreamed of lasting in that bliss,
Blind to the perils hidden there.

By morning he lay lifeless there,
Stretched on the meanest cushion;
Around his bier a knot of men
Bore it upon their shoulders,
Carrying him—alone, forlorn—
To decay’s constricted house.
Be sure, tomorrow every thing
Will show its naked truth.

My father—may Allah have mercy on him—recited:

Leave this world to the groom who weds her,
Who greets the dawn with what he slaughters;
Let no stray fragrance beguile you,
A scent that drifts from her perfumes.
I see the world—though madly loved—
Still pointing out her scandals:
She confirms whoever faults her,
And belies whoever praises. ⦗92⦘

ʿĀmir ibn ʿĀmir al-Hamdānī recited:

This world is but a road that leads
To Paradise or Hell;
The nights are where man barters,
And the days are but a marketplace.

Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd Allāh recited:

If none of my own limbs admonish me
With counsel that brings benefit,
Then nothing else can ever help.

I pin my hopes on worldly ease,
Yet all it yields is a film of poison,
A draught that ushers certain death.

He who feels safe with worldly charms
Is like one grasping water—
The gaps between his fingers fail him;
Or like a dreamer, glad in sleep,
Who tastes a joy that’s nothing more
Than tangled scraps of fading dreams.
When night withdraws, his pleasure dies,
And waves of grief return.

Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Sakan ibn Sulaymān recited:

Your life is shackled fast to care;
You never live a day but with worry.
The pleasures of this world are poisoned;
You never taste honey but with venom.
When any affair appears complete,
Its flaw at once comes into view:
Expect its fall the moment you hear,
“It is finished—perfect and whole.”