# CXVIII explained — The Luzumiyat

> Chapter companion for The Luzumiyat by Abu al-ʻAlaʼ al-Maʻarri.

## 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/cxviii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luzumiyat_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters