Versos English Abu al-Ala al-Maarri Xiv

English poem

Xiv

by (973–1057)

Listen in the reader

The same idea is expressed by Omar Khayyam. Here are the first three lines of the 122nd quatrain of Heron-Allen's literal translation:

"To him who understands the mysteries of the world The joy and sorrow of the world is all the same, Since the good and the bad of the world all come to an end."

"Howdaj," a sort of palanquin borne by camels; hence, a wedding or a triumphal procession.