At Tauba’s death I swore
I would not cry
I swore by Him who turns the spheres.
If a man has not lived shamefully,
there is no shame in dying.
No person, however safe in life, escapes
the tomb.
Only time is immortal.
No life is favored,
nor corpse reborn.
Every youth passes through destruction
to Allah.
All my dear friends, though eager to live long
depart in disorder
while spheres spin around them.
I swear I won’t stop crying for you
while one dove on a branch mourns
or birds fly.
By: Laila Akhyaliyya (646-704)