07 Feb 04
O Thou, whose cynic sneers express
The censure of our favourite chess,
Know that its skill is science' self,
Its play distraction from distress,
It soothes the anxious lover's care,
It weans the drunkard from excess;
It counsels warriors in their art,
When dangers threat and perils press;
And yields us, when we need them most,
Companions in our loneliness.
Ibn Al-Mutazz, circa 1038