423.
With going to and fro in this sad vale
Thou art grown double, and thy credit stale,
Thy nails are thickened like a horse's hoof,
Thy beard is ragged as an ass's tail.
424.
O unenlightened race of humankind,
Ye are a nothing, built on empty wind!
Yea, a mere nothing, hovering in the abyss,
A void before you, and a void behind!
425.
Each morn I say, "To-night I will repent
Of wine, and tavern haunts no more frequent;"
But while 'tis spring, and roses are in bloom,
To loose me from my promise, O consent!
423. C. L. A. I. J. A description of old age.
424. C. L. A. I. J. The technical name for existence between two non-existences is Takwín. Bl. Ain i Akbari, p. 198. Compare the term "nunc slans," applied to Time by the Schoolmen.
