# XVI explained — The Luzumiyat

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

## What happens

The chapter reflects on the inevitability of death and the return of all things to their cosmic origins, contemplating the fate that awaits all beings.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Destiny

The chapter directly addresses the theme of fate, contemplating the inevitable return to the night eternal or the noon.

### Mortality and Transience

The opening line 'Alas! and we shall follow soon' underscores the transient nature of life and the certainty of death.

## Key lines

> Of Fate. Alas! and we shall follow soon Into the night eternal or the noon; The wayward daughters of the spheres return Unto the bosom of their sun or moon.

Concerning destiny: sadly, we too will soon pass into either everlasting darkness or light; the wandering celestial bodies go back to the source of their sun or moon.

_The stanza meditates on the universal return to origins, whether dark or bright, as a metaphor for death._

## Links

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