"Auspicious stars had risen on this night When drunkard assaulted drunkard We passed the time kowtowing to the Devil, Until the monks sounded the bells at dawn And [a young adolescent] left, dragging delightful robes Which I had stained with my iniquitous behavior, Saying, "O woe!" as tears overcame him, "You have torn away the [dignity] I had preserved." I replied, "A lion saw a gazelle and lunged at it; Such is the variety of Fate’s vicissitudes!""
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As quoted in Abu Nuwas: A Genius of Poetry (2005) by Philip F. Kennedy, cited as: D. iii, 323–5
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abu_Nuwas
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Abu Nuwas
Abu Nuwas (756–814) was an Arabic poet who lived in Baghdad during the Abbasid era. He is known for composing poetry about love, sex and wine.
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