Prime source are they of all the ills that fall upon mankind,
Both in the fortunes of this world and matters of the faith.
'We desire of thee nought but this,' continued Amjed, 'except
that thou have patience with us, whilst I repeat other two lines
to my brother.' Then he wept sore and recited the following
verses:
Examples many, thou and I, We have in kings of days gone by,
How many, alack, have trod this road, Of great and small and low
and high!
At this the treasurer wept, till his beard was wet, whilst
Asaad's eyes filled with tears and he in turn repeated these
verses:
Fate, when the thing itself is past, afflicteth with the trace,
And weeping is not, of a truth, for body or form or
face.[FN#60]
What ails the nights?[FN#61] May God blot out our error from the
nights And may the hand of change bewray and bring them to
disgrace!
They wreaked their malice to the full on Ibn ez Zubeir[FN#62]
erst, And on the House and Sacred Stone[FN#63] his safeguard
did embrace.
Would God, since Kharijeh[FN#64] they took for Amrou's sacrifice,
They'd ransomed Ali with whome'er they would of all our
race!
Then, with cheeks stained with thick-coming tears, he recited
these also:
The days and nights are fashioned for treachery and despite; Yea,
they are full of perfidy and knavish craft and sleight.
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