The Luzumiyat · Chapter
IV explained
The chapter contrasts the quiet contemplation of the night with the bustling cries of market-men, suggesting a dismissal of worldly distractions.
What happens
The chapter contrasts the quiet contemplation of the night with the bustling cries of market-men, suggesting a dismissal of worldly distractions.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Themes in this chapter
- Illusion and Reality
The market cries represent the illusory distractions of daily life, contrasted with a deeper, perhaps more real, contemplation.
Key passages
“And hear the others who with cymbals try To stay the feet of every passer-by: The market-men along the darkling lane Are crying up their wares.—Oh! let them cry.”
Listen to those who try to stop everyone with their noise; the merchants in the dim street are shouting about their goods—let them shout.
The speaker dismisses the worldly clamor, urging indifference to commercial and social distractions.