وَأشْ ما رُئِي ثمَّ عَارْ

وَأشْ ما رُئِي ثمَّ عَارْ

هُوَ بالققيرِ أجملْ

هُوَ بالققيرِ أجملْ

And whatever is seen there as a disgrace

What beauty unseen then disgraced

is finer on the poor man.

It is finest when tattered

بالخَرْقِ هُمْ مشْغُولِين

بالخَرْقِ هُمْ مشْغُولِين

لاَشْ هِيَ بِلاَ أكْمَامْ

لاَشْ هِيَ بِلاَ أكْمَامْ

They are preoccupied with the rags:

They are busy with patches

“Why is it without sleeves?

No value in sleeveless robes

وَذَا السَّفرْ بالسنينْ

وَذَا السَّفرْ بالسنينْ

إِجلسْ وكُنْ خَدَّامْ

إِجلسْ وكُنْ خَدَّامْ

And this traveling year after year?

As for travels over years

Sit down and be a servant!

Sit you be servants

فَعِنْدَنا الصَّالحين

فَعِنْدَنا الصَّالحين

لسْ يَدجُلوا حَمَّام

لسْ يَدجُلوا حَمَّام

For the righteous among us

For we have the righteous

do not enter a bathhouse.”

They enter no baths

فَقُلْ لَهُمْ ذَا الْمُباح

فَقُلْ لَهُمْ ذَا الْمُباح

غَزْلاً رَقِيقْ يُغْزَل

غَزْلاً رَقِيقْ يُغْزَل

Then tell them: this permissible thing

Say to them this permitted

is fine yarn being spun.

Is subtle flirtation spun

وَعِنْدَكُم هِيَ الكبارْ

وَعِنْدَكُم هِيَ الكبارْ

عنْ ذِكْرَها يُغْفَل

عنْ ذِكْرَها يُغْفَل

Yet among you are graver matters,

While you have the elders

whose mention is neglected.

Whose mention is neglected

أمَّا السَّفرْ فالرَّسول

أمَّا السَّفرْ فالرَّسول

نَدَب إِلى الغُرْبَهْ

نَدَب إِلى الغُرْبَهْ

As for travel, the Messenger

As for travel the Messenger

encouraged living away from home.

Exhorted to estrangement

والكُلُّ مِنَّا يَجُول

والكُلُّ مِنَّا يَجُول

للعِلم عن قُرْبَه

للعِلم عن قُرْبَه

And every one of us roams

And we all wander

for knowledge, out of devotion.

For knowledge of proximity

عِلْم القلوبْ هُوَ الأصول

عِلْم القلوبْ هُوَ الأصول

يُصْطادْ مِنَ الصُّحْبَه

يُصْطادْ مِنَ الصُّحْبَه

Knowledge of hearts is the foundation,

Knowledge of hearts is fundamental

caught through companionship.

Captured through companionship

لابُدَّ لنا مِنْ رَوَاح

لابُدَّ لنا مِنْ رَوَاح

لِنَطْلُبَ الأكْمَلْ

لِنَطْلُبَ الأكْمَلْ

We must set out

We must have rests

to seek the most perfect,

To seek the most perfect

حيثُ الرِّضا والقرارْ

حيثُ الرِّضا والقرارْ

والمنزلُ الأجملْ

والمنزلُ الأجملْ

where contentment and repose abide,

Where contentment and peace

and the fairest dwelling.

And the most beautiful abode

وَذِي الطريقْ في السَّفَر

وَذِي الطريقْ في السَّفَر

نمشيه بالجُبَّهْ

نمشيه بالجُبَّهْ

And this road, on a journey,

The path in travels

we walk it in the robe,

We walk with cloaks

أو بالثِّياب الخُضَر

أو بالثِّياب الخُضَر

لاَ كِيسْ وَلاَ دُرْبَهْ

لاَ كِيسْ وَلاَ دُرْبَهْ

or in green clothes,

Or green garments

with neither purse nor experience.

No purse or luggage

إِمَّا عَرَب أو مطرْ

إِمَّا عَرَب أو مطرْ

وتنقطِعْ قُبَّهْ

وتنقطِعْ قُبَّهْ

Be it Arabs or rain,

Either Arabs or rain

a tent is torn apart.

And loss of caps

وَذِي الرُّقَيْعات سِلاَح

وَذِي الرُّقَيْعات سِلاَح

في السُّنهْ لَسْ تُجْهَل

في السُّنهْ لَسْ تُجْهَل

And these little patches are a weapon,

As for thin clothes a weapon

not unknown in the Sunnah.

In the years not ignored

لِصِنْفِنا هِ شِعارْ

لِصِنْفِنا هِ شِعارْ

قِناعٌ لَيس يُهْمَل

قِناعٌ لَيس يُهْمَل

For our kind they are an emblem,

For our kind it is the motto

a covering that is not neglected.

A mask not dismissed

مِنْ أَيِّ سَمْعٍ في النُّصوص

مِنْ أَيِّ سَمْعٍ في النُّصوص

الرِّزْقُ بالخدمهْ

الرِّزْقُ بالخدمهْ

Where have you heard in the texts

Of what hearing in the texts

that livelihood comes through service?

Sustenance by service

أفكارُكم كم تَغُوص

أفكارُكم كم تَغُوص

عسى تَجِد لُقْمَهْ

عسى تَجِد لُقْمَهْ

How deeply your thoughts dive,

How deep do your thoughts dive

hoping to find a morsel!

Maybe you'll find a morsel

هذَا اعتقادُ اللُّصُوص

هذَا اعتقادُ اللُّصُوص

وفننهْ في الأمَّهْ

وفننهْ في الأمَّهْ

This is the thieves’ creed,

This is the belief of bandits

and discord within the community.

And their crafts in the populace

تَزَيُّنَا لِلْشِحاح

تَزَيُّنَا لِلْشِحاح

وكُلِّ مِنْ يَبْخَل

وكُلِّ مِنْ يَبْخَل

Dressing ourselves up for the tight-fisted

Adorning for the stingy

and everyone who is miserly;

And all who are miserly

الرَّغْبَه والادِّخَار

الرَّغْبَه والادِّخَار

فِي فِقْهِ ذَا يَحْتال

فِي فِقْهِ ذَا يَحْتال

desire and hoarding—

Greed and hoarding

he devises legal tricks for these.

In the cunning of this plotter

وقلتُم الصَّالح

وقلتُم الصَّالح

في الشعْبِ هُ رَاتِب

في الشعْبِ هُ رَاتِب

And you said: “The righteous man

And you said the righteous

is settled in the mountain ravine.”

In the folk are on wages

إِبْلِيسْ لِذَاكْ رَايِحْ

إِبْلِيسْ لِذَاكْ رَايِحْ

يَطْلُبْهُ عَن صاحِبْ

يَطْلُبْهُ عَن صاحِبْ

Iblis is heading for that man,

The devil for that breezes

seeking him as a companion.

Seeking him from his lord

المُؤمِنُ الناصِحْ

المُؤمِنُ الناصِحْ

مألوفْ ألُوف طالب

مألوفْ ألُوف طالب

The sincere believer

The faithful adviser

is loved, sociable, a seeker.

Familiar, loving students

مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ راحْ

مَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ راحْ

للغَيْرِ هُوَ أكْمَل

للغَيْرِ هُوَ أكْمَل

Whoever has knowledge goes forth

Who have peaceful knowledge

to others; he is more complete.

For others he is most perfect

خَلِّ الجبالْ والحِجارْ

خَلِّ الجبالْ والحِجارْ

المؤمنون أفضل

المؤمنون أفضل

Leave the mountains and stones;

Empty the mountains and rocks

the believers are better.

The faithful are superior

فلا تَزِدْ زَايد

فلا تَزِدْ زَايد

وقُل لِمَن قالْ أينْ

وقُل لِمَن قالْ أينْ

So add nothing more,

So do not outbid

and say to whoever asked, “Where?”

And say to who said where is

شيطانُ جا فِي الواحدْ

شيطانُ جا فِي الواحدْ

نَعَمْ وَفِي الاثْنينْ

نَعَمْ وَفِي الاثْنينْ

Satan has come to the solitary one—

The devil came in the one

yes, and to the two.

Yes and in the two

الصَّالِحُ العابِد

الصَّالِحُ العابِد

تُرِيدُ تَراه بالعَينْ

تُرِيدُ تَراه بالعَينْ

The righteous worshipper—

The righteous devout

do you wish to see him with your own eyes?

You want to see with the eye

فقلّوا لِمَن استراحْ

فقلّوا لِمَن استراحْ

عَن كُلِّ ما أمَّل

عَن كُلِّ ما أمَّل

Then speak to one who has found rest

So say to who found comfort

from all that he had hoped for.

From all he wished

وقد تَراهُ لِلتُّجارْ

وقد تَراهُ لِلتُّجارْ

يَخْدُمْ بِسُوق يَحْمِل

يَخْدُمْ بِسُوق يَحْمِل

And you may see him in merchants’ employ,

And you may see him for the merchants

working in a market, carrying loads.

Serving in a market he carries

لَسْ هِي بالطَّيْلَسان

لَسْ هِي بالطَّيْلَسان

فَحَلِّ عَنْكَ التَّعب

فَحَلِّ عَنْكَ التَّعب

It is not through the taylasan shawl,

It is not with deception

so cast off your toil,

So remove your fatigue

وَلاَ بِنامُوسْ يُصان

وَلاَ بِنامُوسْ يُصان

ولاَ بِكَثْرهْ طَلَبْ

ولاَ بِكَثْرهْ طَلَبْ

nor through a guarded reputation,

Nor protected with law

nor through much seeking,

Nor in much seeking

إِلاَّ لمن وَسْطَ حانْ

إِلاَّ لمن وَسْطَ حانْ

يُغْنِّي زَجَلْ في طَرَب

يُغْنِّي زَجَلْ في طَرَب

except for one in the midst of a tavern,

Except for one of middle stature

singing zajal in rapture:

Who satisfies odes in rapture

عَلاشْ يا مَوْلَى الْمِلاَح

عَلاشْ يا مَوْلَى الْمِلاَح

تَحْكُم ولا تَعْدِل

تَحْكُم ولا تَعْدِل

“Why, O lord of the fair,

Why o lord of sailors

do you rule without justice?

You judge but do not act justly

غَداً يَهُبُّ العِذُارْ

غَداً يَهُبُّ العِذُارْ

ونُبْصِرَكْ تَغْزِل

ونُبْصِرَكْ تَغْزِل

Tomorrow the cheek-down will sprout,

Tomorrow excuses will flutter

and we shall see you spinning.”

And we will see you spin