Men fix their eyes on what is dust and ashes, death; Refuse belief in what is life and healthful breath. 190 Exert thyself. Reduce thy doubts from ten to nine. Employ the night. Thou sleepest. Night’s not so supine. Employ the night to seek the everlasting day, Increase in knowledge. Wisdom ’tis shall light thy way. Though night be dark, and darkness be of woe the doom, Much good is in it. Fount of Life’s in land of gloom.[404] How can a mortal hope to raise his head from sleep, When seeds of slothfulness are all he cares to reap? The dead man’s sleep’s the body-snatcher’s open door. Householders slumber, robbers rifle every floor. 195 Thou knowest not who are thy foes around thee placed. The imps of hell are enemies to man high graced. The fire’s the foe of water and of water’s brood; As water’s foe to fire, and drowns it in a flood. To water, and its cousins all, the fire swears death; To fire shall water never quarter give, or breath. ’Tis water puts the fire out; and the reason’s plain; The fire has mission to destroy the water’s strain. And then, the fire’s the heat of passion’s baneful lusts. And lust, the root of frailty, sin, misdeeds, mistrusts. 200 Material, outer fire, ’s by water soon put out; The fire of lust may carry man to hell, no doubt. No water can avail to quench the flames of lust; For lust is hell-born. Torments end not; last they must. Religion’s light, alone, can quench lust’s fiercest flame,— The light that can put out the Syntheist’s wicked game.[405] What can extinguish fire of sin, save light of God? My master, see that Abr’am’s light be ne’er downtrod; That from the fire of lust, by inner Nimrod fanned,[406] Thy body may escape; not be, as firewood, banned. 205 The lust of man’s desires cannot be driven forth; But may resisted be, reduced to what it’s worth. So long as thou shalt fuel pile upon that flame, Canst thou expect the fire will die away and tame? So soon as fuel is withheld, a fire goes out; Through piety is lust brought down, and put to rout. Shall that sweet face e’er blacken through sin’s dismal smoke, That’s brightened by such sheen as virtue must invoke? A conflagration raged in days of great ‘Umer, Stones were devoured therein, as firewood in the air.[407] 210 The buildings it consumed, and left whole households waste; The nests and nestlings were destroyed;--last trump’s foretaste. One half Medīna fell a prey to ruthless flame, Whereat th’ aqueous element might well feel shame. Whole cisterns were exhausted in the combat wild; And vinegar was added. Hope was thus beguiled. The fire grew fiercer under stimulus of strife; Extension gave it wings, success infused new life.