1. An old Bedouin told me,
Whom I know for his truthfulness in speech,

2. He said, "I went out scouting for my tribe,
And that year was a year of drought.

3. I traveled half a mile from Yabrīn,
Then I lost my way on the road.

4. And I was back then an impetuous young man,
But all my strength was gathered.

5. My heart was all present and my wits were ready,
A bold adventurer overcoming horror.

6. So when I was sure that I had lost
My intended destination, I acted as if lost.

7. I asked for directions from the winds and stars,
But clouds had hidden them from me.

8. A person appeared near me,
So I was wary of him and mistrusted him.

9. And I suspected he was a demon, so my soul raged,
For it was not human land.

10. Until, when my fear of him intensified,
I hung my sword and drew my blade.

11. So it became clear to me when the sword shone
And dispelled the darkness with its brightness.

12. It was Wāthil, so I went towards him
And said I would spend the night with him.

13. Until when I came to him I found him
Yearning for a meadow as I had wanted.

14. Springs of water and lush meadows,
Where you can hear the birds chirping.

15. So I said this is an elegant abode,
And it suits my rest well.

16. Then I tethered my she-camel to a tree,
And picked some dates from a palm tree.

17. Then I climbed a date palm safely
To sleep at its top, safe from harm.

18. And the clouds uncovered the face of the moon,
Revealing what had been hidden before.

19. So came the wild cows, gazelles and leopards,
And all the wild beasts and birds rushing forward.

20. And the cattle came, and the animals,
And the ostriches, birds and insects,

21. All of them, in their intricate and wondrous creation,
Fascinated by their nature and form.

22. And the ostrich rose above the sand dunes,
For he is the king of birds desiring to speak.

23. He said, "Praising God is the best speech,
And thanking Him is an evident duty."

24. "Praise be to God for what He has given me
Of the beautiful and good creation.

25. He singled me out by His subtlety and wisdom
With a form that bears witness to His power.

26. Until the tyrants even denied me
And people doubted my existence.

27. Because they were limited by weakness and smallness,
So they thought all forms were like theirs.

28. And they denied what broke the norms,
So they called the narrators liars.

29. And if their religion is to deny me,
Then this is no wonder from them.

30. For they have already denied the Maker
And rejected the Day of Gathering.

31. Due to their ignorance, and ignorance is despicable,
Having come to people from the womb.

32. Likewise their denial due to their ignorance,
Wickedness, inadequacy and stinginess,

33. Of what they see of my generosity and truthful self
And my distinguished accomplished soul.

34. For they had not witnessed the like of it among humans,
Reports of which had certainly spread.

35. Yet they are slaves of the senses and tangible things,
And adversaries of reason and proof.

36. They accept no witness but sight,
And do not obey minds and thought.

37. And among them are those who deny the angels,
And also the jinn and intricate matters.

38. Likewise, had they not seen the sky,
They would have denied the stars and weather.

39. A lofty ceiling above them without pillars,
Having no tent pegs or ropes.

40. And a canopy that rhetoric falls short
Of describing its attributes.

41. And a planet that looks upon every land
As if it peers at each person.

42. Had they contemplated that celestial body
Until it is seen in the east and west,

43. In one state, as if above you
Or upon you with its weight.

44. And the earth contains lessons for those who reflect,
Telling of the work of a capable King.

45. Its trees are watered with one water,
And its plains have a single source.

46. Yet the sun and air do not differ,
While its fruits are of differing kinds that do not blend.

47. Had this been the work of innate natures
Or the making of something other than a Maker,

48. It would not have differed but been one thing,
Do children resemble any but the father?

49. If a cook cooked a thousand pots
With water, meat and wheat,

50. None would come out for him soupy
Or sautéed or stew.

51. Rather, all would be mush since their origin
Is the same, their food did not vary.

52. O you who deny, the sun and air
And water and soil are one thing!

53. What then necessitated this excellence,
Other than a Wise, Able, Creator and Originator?

54. And some of them kill others unjustly
Without fearing sin or guilt.

55. You see them under warm blankets
Like prowling ravenous wolves.

56. They seek gossip and tale-bearing
And create great tribulations,

57. Greedy for the world that does not last,
And God, none among the creation are more miserable than them.

58. And they claim to be the best of nations,
And that they possess minds and wisdom.

59. And that they are specially close to God together,
Above others, so wrong is the one who claimed it!

60. Far removed! How undeserving they are in the sight of their Lord
That He should turn them away from His door and veil them!

61. For they do not do what He made obligatory,
Nor are they content with all that He ordained.

62. They oppose His rule and command,
And feel safe from His plot and scheme.

63. He guaranteed provision for them and said,
"Suffice yourselves," so perform good deeds!

64. Yet they sought from other than Him what He guaranteed
And wasted it without doing good with it.

65. If they were given abundant wealth, they squandered wastefully,
Or if deprived, they resented and transgressed!

66. They hoard wealth, and wretched is the hoarder!
None among them has insight to reflect

67. Upon those who passed before them from the nations,
How they passed away leaving behind these bounties.

68. Would that I had seen among them a man
Learned, tenacious in debate and argument,

69. Relying on fairness in disputation,
Not intending stubbornness and altercation.

70. For one whose aim is stubbornness,
Is like an obstinate camel that cannot be led.

71. And if he saw every sign for the opponent,
That would only increase his misguidance.

72. For they have witnessed the clear signs
Of the messengers of the Merciful, miracles,

73. But that only increased them in disbelief
And blindness to guidance, so they lost.

74. Since they had no intention of believing,
They knew of their disbelief and were certain.

75. I ask them but they cannot say to me,
With what were they favored over us?

76. While we do not associate others with God, nor
Despair of His mercy when we are tried.

77. I mention of their faults what I mention,
And I seek forgiveness for mentioning them."

78. The birds said similar to his words,
And the beasts around him roared with it.

79. The cattle and predators said,
"The obeyed King has spoken true."

80. So the old man said to me, "My nature moved me,
And stirred me,

81. And I disliked his words, and it irritated me,
And shook me to respond and took me lightly.

82. Then I considered responding in defense
Of my kind, for he had criticized us.

83. But then I remembered I was alone
Among them, while they are many.

84. So I said, preserving oneself is the first aim,
And after that one may strive for pride.

85. For if I squander my zeal, I will not preserve
My honor, so how can I awaken after it?

86. I would be like one who loses money
Seeking profit, so loses both."