already disappeared; and when I die, in turn,
the other half will vanish also."

Remember that princes have the caprices of
children and the claws of lions.

She sent word to me, "You sleep, and we are
separated." I replied, "Yes; but it is to rest
my eyes after the tears they have shed."

He who greedily seeks honours and riches,
may be compared to a man suffering from thirst
which he tries to quench with the water of the
sea. The more he drinks, the more he wants to
drink, until at last he dies of drinking it.

Never despise counsels, from whatever quarter
they reach you. Remember that the pearl is
keenly sought for, in spite of the coarse shell
which envelops it.

The vizier may be compared to a man mounted
on a lion's back. People tremble as they see
him pass; and he, more than any of them, is in
terror of the creature he is riding.

When Allah has a mind to ruin the ant, he
gives him wings. The insect, filled with joy
and pride, takes his flight. A little bird passes,
sees him, and snaps him up.

To kill, or to be killed, is the lot of men;

The lot of women is, to drag the lengthy folds
of their garments along the ground.

An Arab woman was asked, What do you
think of a young man of twenty?
He is, she said, a bouquet of jasmine.
And of a man of thirty?
That one is a ripe and well-flavoured fruit.
And of a man of forty years?
He is a father of boys and girls.
And of a man of fifty?
He may pass into the category of preachers.
And of a man of sixty years?
He is good for nothing but to cough and groan.
Her eyes are the eyes of a frightened antelope,
She breathes the pure air of the desert;
She lives entirely on laitage (milk-diet) and game,
And her complexion is darkened by the sun.
When I die, may my body be washed in her tears,
And may I be buried in her hair.

The well-born woman supports her husband
in the trials of life, encourages him, and inspires
his children with noble and generous sentiments.

The intelligent woman assists her husband,
keeps a watch over his interests, and allows him
to devote all his time to important affairs.

The pure woman obtains her husband's love,
and acquires his intimate friendship. Nature
leads us to prefer the person who has been loved
by us before by anyone else.

Finally, the pious woman is strictly faithful
to her husband, and maintains religious
sentiments in her family:

    Remember that an ounce of honour
    Is better than a quintal of gold;
    And the country where your dignity suffers,
    Quit it, were its walls even built with rubies.

He who has never hunted, nor loved, nor
trembled at the sound of music, nor sought
after the perfume of flowers—do not say that
he is a man. Say that he is an ass.

    The best of wives is she who bears a son yet unborn,
    Who leads another by the hand,
    And whose steps are followed by a third.

I am vanquished by love; but she is so
beautiful that my defeat is no humiliation.

The human heart instinctively loves everything
that is beautiful; but in this world how
many brilliant flowers do we find, which please
our eye, and nevertheless are utterly destitute
of any sweet or agreeable perfume?

By Allah, I would not espouse a widow, were
her eyes the eyes of a gazelle. All her affection
is for her late husband; all her thoughts are
with the dead.

Do not attach yourself to a cruel man;
sooner or later you will find him as pitiless for
you as he is for others.

Do not speak of anything which you would
not like to have repeated to-morrow.

Never remain alone with a pretty woman,
even if you are obliged to occupy your time in
reading the Koran.

Generosity is a tree planted in heaven by
Allah, the master of the world, and its branches
droop down to the earth. By them will climb
to paradise he who treats well his guests, who
fills the stomachs of the poor, and never keeps
his hand closed.

When a young man marries, the Demon
utters a fearful cry. His fellows immediately
crowd round him, and inquire the subject of
his grief. "Another son of Adam," he answers,
"has just escaped out of my clutches."

        The hand always open,
        The sabre ready to start from its scabbard,
         And one sole word. [Marks of nobility.]

        To teach early, is to engrave on marble;
        To teach late, is to write on sand.

Repentance for a day, is to start on a journey,
without knowing where to find shelter for the
night.

Repentance for a year, is to sow seed in your
fields out of season.

Repentance for a whole lifetime, is to marry
a woman without being properly edified respecting
her family, her temper, and her beauty.

Somebody said to a cock, "Thou art nothing
but an ingrate and a bad-hearted creature.
Thou art well fed, and supplied with all the
enjoyments of life; thou art vaunted, admired:
and nevertheless, if we wish to caress thee,
thou takest thy departure precipitately. Behold
the bird of lofty lineage (thair el hoorr—the
falcon); his whole life has been spent in the
wilderness. And yet, if he become captive, he
resigns himself immediately, quickly gets
accustomed to his master, refusing to leave him,
and showing his gratitude for every kindness of
which he is the object."

"True," replied the cock. "But if he had
seen as many of his fellows bled and roasted as
I have seen brethren of mine on the spit, his
conduct would not be different to my own."