And those who husbanded the Golden Grain,
And those who flung it to the winds like Rain,
Alike to no such aureate Earth are turned
As, buried once, Men want dug up again.
The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
Turns Ashes–or it prospers; and anon,
Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face,
Lighting a little hour or two–is gone.

In this reflection from the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the poet meditates on the fleeting nature of both ambition and material wealth. He contrasts two types of people: those who carefully guard their resources and those who lavishly disperse them. Despite their opposing approaches, both groups end up indistinguishable in death, as their bodies become part of the earth that no one desires to reclaim. Khayyám underscores the pointlessness of worldly pursuits, comparing them to snow on a desert – a temporary and inconsequential presence that quickly vanishes. This imagery serves as a reminder of life's brevity and the futility of clinging to transient hopes. The poem suggests that the pursuit of pleasure, albeit ephemeral, may be one of the few ways to find some meaning in an otherwise fleeting existence.