The Luzumiyat · Chapter
CXVIII explained
A brief quatrain urging vigilance against the whims of fate, emphasizing the fleeting nature of the present moment and the inevitable erasure of past and future.
What happens
A brief quatrain urging vigilance against the whims of fate, emphasizing the fleeting nature of the present moment and the inevitable erasure of past and future.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Destiny
The 'Cage of chance' and the warning to 'Spy on the moment' reflect a preoccupation with fate's capricious control over human life.
Mortality and Transience
Tomorrow and yesterday are described as 'obliterated page[s],' underscoring the ephemeral nature of time and existence.
Key passages
“For this I say, Be watchful of the Cage Of chance; it opes alike to fool and sage; Spy on the moment, for to-morrow’ll be, Like yesterday, an obliterated page.”
Therefore I advise: be wary of fate's trap, which catches both the wise and the foolish. Seize the present, because the future will be as forgotten as the past.
The quatrain counsels mindfulness of fate's impartiality and the importance of living in the now.