As a fairly recent new mother (since Aug. 2016), I am still navigating the exhilarating ups and downs of life with a young child. So when the opening of this poem appeared in a recent translation project, I snatched it to share here:

Life is fleeting, so use it to honor your parents


First and foremost, your mother ## The pressures of pregnancy and breastfeeding
Sustain the welfare of all human beings ## Even kings must respect and heed them:
Earthly kings are merely sparkling rain

– The first three lines of a six-line poem by Abu ‘Ala’ al-Ma‘arri, 973-1057,

Translated by Melanie Magidow

 Image result for mother child walking silhouette

Arabic source

Mother-child image source