Through my life I have gone with two glasses,
And depended on them at all passes;
The one glass was filled up with ink,
The other was filled with wine pink:
By the one, my wisdom I proved;
By the other, my heart’s pains I subdued.
Ibn al-Tilmidh (1074-1165) was a Christian Arab physician and poet. In translating this poem I adhered as closely as possible to the original rhyme scheme.
Notes in the Margins of the Days 