The Luzumiyat · Chapter
LXXXVII explained
The speaker reflects on their intimate knowledge of Destiny's subtle and capricious nature, describing life as a game where misfortune is experienced directly while joy remains an elusive promise.
What happens
The speaker reflects on their intimate knowledge of Destiny's subtle and capricious nature, describing life as a game where misfortune is experienced directly while joy remains an elusive promise.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Themes in this chapter
- Fate and Destiny
The chapter centers on the speaker's claimed understanding of Destiny's subtle methods, portraying life as a game of exchange where misfortune is tangible and joy is deferred.
Characters to notice
- Fate
Destiny is personified as a player in a game of 'Give and Go,' manipulating the speaker's fortunes.
Key passages
“The subtle ways of Destiny I know; In me she plays her game of 'Give and Go.'”
I am familiar with Destiny's cunning methods; she uses me as a pawn in her back-and-forth game.
The speaker asserts a deep, personal understanding of how fate operates, likening it to a game of exchange.
“Misfortune I receive in cash, but joy, In drafts on Heaven or on the winds that blow.”
I experience misfortune directly and immediately, while happiness comes only as a promise or an intangible hope.
Contrasts the tangible reality of suffering with the elusive, deferred nature of joy.
