Travel: you will find others in place of those you…

Departure creates room for new encounters, and effort gives life its savour. The verse consoles someone leaving familiar surroundings and encourages continued activity rather than expecting happiness without exertion.

This is the second verse of a travel poem traditionally attributed to al-Shafi‘i. As with other poems in the collection, the later attribution does not establish authorship with certainty.

The following verses contrast still water with running water and metal left in its deposit with material gaining value elsewhere. These examples explain movement: something leaving its place may meet a new possibility. The poem’s praise of travel rests on that process of transformation.

ما في المقام لذي عقل وذي أدب, البيت الثاني من القصيدة

The text appears in the indicated source. A traditional attribution remains distinct from proof of authorship: see the context.

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