قصائد زهير بن أبي سلمى

Twenty-three poems by the poet Zuhair bin Abi Salma Al-Muzani, one of the three who preceded all other poets and the wisest of poets in pre-Islamic times.

It was said about the poet

He would compose a poem in a month, and refine it in a year, so his poems were called annals.

It was also said that Zuhair was the author of “the most praiseworthy verse, the most truthful verse, and the most eloquent verse.”

The most praiseworthy is his saying:

You will see it when you come to him rejoicing, as if you are giving him what you are asking for.

What is more truthful is his saying:

No matter how much a person has of creation, even if he thinks it is hidden from people, it will be known.

As for what is clearer, his saying delineates the limits of truth:

Truth is divided into three parts: an oath, an outburst, or a retreat