“Hold tight to what is most yourself,Don't squander it, don't let your lifeBe governed by what disturbs you.”
Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri“You're given the fruit of one palm tree:Bear it a basin of clear water.Don't trouble with the plight of other palms.”
Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster: Three Abbasid Poets“Some people are like an open grave:You give it the thing you love mostAnd then get nothing in return.”
Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster: Three Abbasid Poets“Good men's actions are naturalWhile a scoundrel's charityIs carefully planned to please.”
Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster: Three Abbasid Poets“Hold tight to what is most yourself,Don't squander it, don't let your lifeBe governed by what disturbs you.”
Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster: Three Abbasid Poets“When men shake hands with time, time crushesThem like tumblers; little pieces of glass.”
Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster: Three Abbasid Poets