（Quoth Abou Suweid）I entered a garden one dayI and a company of my friendsto buy somewhat of fruit；and we sawin a corner of the placean old womanwho was bright of face，but her hair was whiteand she was combing it with a comb of ivory. We stopped before herbut she paid no heed to us neither veiled her face So I said to her'O old womanwert thou to dye thy hair blackthou wouldst be handsomer than a girl. What hinders thee from this？'She raised her head and looking at me with great eyesrecited the following verses：
That which the years had dyedI dyed erewhen butsooth to tellMy dye endureth notwhilst that of Time's perdurable Clad in the raiment of my youth and beautyof old days，Proudly I walkedand back and frontmen had with me to mell'By Allah，'cried I'bravo to thee for an old woman！ How sincere art thou in thy yearning remembrance of sin and how false in thy presence of repentance from for bidden things！'
