--- title: Omar’s Plan of Life. — Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth · full text with trees description: Omar’s Plan of Life., «Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth» by Anonymous: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Omar, the son of Hassan, had passed seventy-five years in honour and prosperity. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/10/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Oriental tales, for the entertainment…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/) / Omar’s Plan of Life. # Omar’s Plan of Life. Omar’s Plan of Life. of «Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth» by Anonymous: the whole text, 36 sentences and 941 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. Omar, the son of Hassan, had passed seventy-five years in honour and prosperity.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") The favour of three successive califs had filled his house with gold and silver; and whenever he appeared, the benedictions of the people proclaimed his passage.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Terrestrial happiness is of short continuance.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") The brightness of the flame is wasting its fuel; the fragrant flower is passing away in its own odours.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") The vigour of Omar began to fail, the curls of beauty fell from his head, strength departed from his hands, and agility from his feet.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") He gave back to the calif the keys of trust, and the seals of secrecy; and sought no other pleasure for the remains of life than the converse of the wise, and the gratitude of the good.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") The powers of his mind were yet unimpaired.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") His chamber was filled by visitants, eager to catch the dictates of experience, and officious to pay the tribute of admiration.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Caled, the son of the viceroy of Egypt, entered every day early, and retired late.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") He was beautiful and eloquent; Omar admired his wit and loved his docility.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Tell me, said Caled, thou to whose voice nations have listened, and whose wisdom is known to the extremities of Asia, tell me how I may resemble Omar the prudent.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") The arts by which you have gained power and preserved it, are to you no longer necessary or useful; impart to me the secret of your conduct, and teach me the plan upon which your wisdom has built your fortune.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") Young man, said Omar, it is of little use to form plans of life.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") When I took my first survey of the world, in my twentieth year, having considered the various conditions of mankind, in the hour of solicitude, I said thus to myself, leaning against a cedar which spread its branches over my head: Seventy years are allowed to man; I have yet fifty remaining: ten years I will allot to the attainment of knowledge, and ten I will pass in foreign countries; I shall be learned, and therefore shall be honoured; every city will shout at my arrival, and every student will solicit my friendship.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") Twenty years thus passed will store my mind with images which I shall be busy through the rest of my life in combining and comparing.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") I shall revel in inexhaustible accumulations of intellectual riches; I shall find new pleasures for every moment, and shall never more be weary of myself.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") I will, however, not deviate too far from the beaten track of life, but will try what can be found in female delicacy.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") I will marry a wife beautiful as the Houries, and wise as Zobeide; with her I will live twenty years within the suburbs of Bagdat, in every pleasure that wealth can purchase, and fancy can invent.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") I will then retire to a rural dwelling, pass my last days in obscurity and contemplation, and lie silently down on the bed of death.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") Through my life it shall be my settled resolution, that I will never depend upon the smile of princes; that I will never stand exposed to the artifices of courts: I will never pant for public honours, nor disturb my quiet with affairs of state.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Such was my scheme of life, which I impressed indelibly upon my memory.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") The first part of my ensuing time was to be spent in search of knowledge; and I know not how I was diverted from my design.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") I had no visible impediments without, nor any ungovernable passions within.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") I regarded knowledge as the highest honour and the most engaging pleasure; yet day stole upon day, and month glided after month, till I found that seven years of the first ten had vanished, and left nothing behind them.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") I now postponed my purpose of travelling; for why should I go abroad while so much remained to be learned at home?[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") I immured myself for four years, and studied the laws of the empire.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") The fame of my skill reached the judges; I was found able to speak upon doubtful questions, and was commanded to stand at the footstool of the calif.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") I was heard with attention, I was consulted with confidence, and the love of praise fastened on my heart.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") I still wished to see distant countries, listened with rapture to the relations of travellers, and resolved some time to ask my dismission, that I might feast my soul with novelty; but my presence was always necessary, and the stream of business hurried me along.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Sometimes I was afraid lest I should be charged with ingratitude; but I still proposed to travel, and therefore would not confine myself by marriage.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") In my fiftieth year I began to suspect that the time of travelling was past, and thought it best to lay hold on the felicity yet in my power, and indulge myself in domestic pleasures.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") But at fifty no man easily finds a woman beautiful as the Houries, and wise as Zobeide.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") I inquired and rejected, consulted and deliberated, till the sixty-second year made me ashamed of gazing upon girls.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") I had now nothing left but retirement, and for retirement I never found a time, till disease forced me from public employment.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") Such was my scheme, and such has been its consequence.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, I trifled away the years of improvement; with a restless desire of seeing different countries, I have always resided in the same city; with the highest expectation of connubial felicity, I have lived unmarried; and with unalterable resolutions of contemplative retirement, I am going to die within the walls of Bagdat.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [Story of a Dervise.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/9/) - next →: [The Basket Maker.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/11/) - ↑ back to [Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/)