إِنَّ التَجارُبَ طَيرٌ تَألَفُ الخَمَرا

إِنَّ التَجارُبَ طَيرٌ تَألَفُ الخَمَرا

يَصيدُها مَن أَفادَ اللُبَّ وَالعُمرا

يَصيدُها مَن أَفادَ اللُبَّ وَالعُمرا

Indeed, experiences are birds that haunt the thickets;

Experience is a bird that gets used to wine

They are caught by whoever has gained understanding and years.

And is caught by one who gains insight and life

كَم جُزتُ شَهراً وَكَم جَرَّمتُ مِن سَنَةٍ

كَم جُزتُ شَهراً وَكَم جَرَّمتُ مِن سَنَةٍ

وَما أَرانِيَ إِلّا جاهِلاً غُمُرا

وَما أَرانِيَ إِلّا جاهِلاً غُمُرا

How many months I have passed through, how many years completed,

How many months have I been rewarded and how many years have I sinned

Yet I see myself as nothing but an ignorant novice.

Yet I still see myself as an ignorant lad

وَالغَيُّ كَالنَجمِ عُرياناً بِلا سُتُرٍ

وَالغَيُّ كَالنَجمِ عُرياناً بِلا سُتُرٍ

وَلِلحُقوقِ وُجوهٌ أُلبِسَت خُمُرا

وَلِلحُقوقِ وُجوهٌ أُلبِسَت خُمُرا

And error is like a star, naked, without covering;

Ignorance is like a naked star without a veil

While truths have faces clothed in veils.

And rights have faces that are veiled

أَلا سَفينَةَ أَو عِبراً أَمُدُّ لَهُ

أَلا سَفينَةَ أَو عِبراً أَمُدُّ لَهُ

كَفّي فَأَنجُوَ مِن شَرٍّ لَها غَمَرا

كَفّي فَأَنجُوَ مِن شَرٍّ لَها غَمَرا

Is there no ship or ferryboat toward which I may stretch

Shall I extend a ship or lesson so he may be saved

My hand, and escape a danger that has engulfed it?

From a peril that has flooded him

فَلا يَغُرَّنكَ مِن قُرّائِنا زُمَرٌ

فَلا يَغُرَّنكَ مِن قُرّائِنا زُمَرٌ

يَتلونَ في الظُلَمِ الفُرقانَ وَالزُمَرا

يَتلونَ في الظُلَمِ الفُرقانَ وَالزُمَرا

So do not let bands of our reciters deceive you,

So let not the groups of our readers deceive you

Who recite, in the darkness, Al-Furqan and Az-Zumar.

Who in the dark recite the Furqan and Gatherings

يُقامِرونَ بِما أوتوهُ مِن حِكَمٍ

يُقامِرونَ بِما أوتوهُ مِن حِكَمٍ

وَصاحِبُ الظُلَمِ مَقمورٌ إِذا قَمَرا

وَصاحِبُ الظُلَمِ مَقمورٌ إِذا قَمَرا

They gamble with the wisdom they have been given,

They gamble with the wisdom they were given

And the man of darkness loses even when he wins.

And the owner of darkness is buried when there is moonlight

يُبدي التَدَيُّنَ مُحتالاً ضَمائِرُهُ

يُبدي التَدَيُّنَ مُحتالاً ضَمائِرُهُ

غَيرُ الجَميلِ إِذا ماجَسمُهُ ضَمَرا

غَيرُ الجَميلِ إِذا ماجَسمُهُ ضَمَرا

He makes a deceitful show of piety; his secret thoughts

Their outward piety conceals their deceitful consciences

Are far from good when his body has grown lean.

Unlike a beautiful body whose insides fester

يَشدو مَزاميرَ داوُدٍ وَيُفَضِّلُهُ

يَشدو مَزاميرَ داوُدٍ وَيُفَضِّلُهُ

في النُسكِ نافِخُ مِزمارٍ لَهُ زُمَرا

في النُسكِ نافِخُ مِزمارٍ لَهُ زُمَرا

He chants David's psalms, yet he is surpassed

They sing the psalms of David and prefer

In devotion by a flute-player who has piped for him.

Over devotion, one who blows a flute and leads gatherings

وَلا تُشيفَن عَلى دارٍ لِتَنظُرَها

وَلا تُشيفَن عَلى دارٍ لِتَنظُرَها

فَمَن أَشافَ عَلى قَومٍ كَمَن دَمَرا

فَمَن أَشافَ عَلى قَومٍ كَمَن دَمَرا

And never peer down into a house to inspect it;

Do not cry over a house just to see it

For whoever peers in on a people is like one who enters unbidden.

For he who cried over a people is like one who destroyed them

يوفي عَلى المِنبَرِ العالي خَطيبُهُمُ

يوفي عَلى المِنبَرِ العالي خَطيبُهُمُ

وَإِنَّما يَعِظُ الآسادَ وَالنُمُرا

وَإِنَّما يَعِظُ الآسادَ وَالنُمُرا

Their preacher stands upon the lofty pulpit,

Their preacher fulfills his duty on the lofty pulpit

Yet he is only preaching to lions and leopards.

Yet he preaches to lions and leopards

هُمُ السِباعُ إِذا عَنَّت فَرائِسُها

هُمُ السِباعُ إِذا عَنَّت فَرائِسُها

وَإِن دَعَوتَ لِخَيرٍ حُوِّلوا حُمُرا

وَإِن دَعَوتَ لِخَيرٍ حُوِّلوا حُمُرا

They are beasts of prey when their quarry appears;

They are beasts when their prey becomes inattentive

But if you call them to goodness, they are turned into donkeys.

And if you call them to good, they turn red

قَد صَدَقَّ الناسُ ما الأَلبابُ تُبطِلُهُ

قَد صَدَقَّ الناسُ ما الأَلبابُ تُبطِلُهُ

حَتّى لَظَنّوا عَجوزاً تَحلُبُ القَمَرا

حَتّى لَظَنّوا عَجوزاً تَحلُبُ القَمَرا

Indeed, people have believed what reason refutes,

The people have believed what the wise would nullify

So far as to imagine an old woman milking the moon.

To the point they thought an old woman was milking the moon

أَناقَةٌ هُوَ أَم شاةٌ فَيَمنَحَها

أَناقَةٌ هُوَ أَم شاةٌ فَيَمنَحَها

عُسّاً تَغيثُ بِهِ الأَضيافَ أَو غُمَرا

عُسّاً تَغيثُ بِهِ الأَضيافَ أَو غُمَرا

Is it a she-camel or a ewe, that it should grant her

Is it a she-camel or ewe that he gifts

A large bowl to sustain the guests with, or a little cup?

A staff with which to serve guests or flooding

وَحَدَّثَتكَ رِجالٌ عَن أَوائِلِها

وَحَدَّثَتكَ رِجالٌ عَن أَوائِلِها

فَاِسمَع أَحاديثَ مَينٍ تُشبِهُ السَمَرا

فَاِسمَع أَحاديثَ مَينٍ تُشبِهُ السَمَرا

And men have told you of their forebears;

And men told you about their beginnings

So hear tales of falsehood, like stories told at night.

So listen to the tales of Mayn that resemble nocturnal conversation

رَجَوتُ أَغصانَ سِدرٍ أَن تُظَلِّلَني

رَجَوتُ أَغصانَ سِدرٍ أَن تُظَلِّلَني

وَقَد تَقَلَّصَ مِنها الظِلُّ وَاِنشَمَرا

وَقَد تَقَلَّصَ مِنها الظِلُّ وَاِنشَمَرا

I hoped the branches of lote trees would shade me,

I hoped the branches of a jujube tree would shade me

Yet their shade had already shrunk and drawn away.

But its shade has narrowed and folded up

يُخالِفُ الطَبعَ مَعقولٌ خُصِصتَ بِهِ

يُخالِفُ الطَبعَ مَعقولٌ خُصِصتَ بِهِ

فَاِقبَل إِذا ما نَهاكَ العَقلُ أَو أَمَرا

فَاِقبَل إِذا ما نَهاكَ العَقلُ أَو أَمَرا

Reason, with which you are specially endowed, opposes instinct;

Reason opposes disposition if you possess it

So heed it when reason forbids you or commands.

So accept if the mind prohibits or commands

وَالدارُ تَدمُرُ مِن كُلٍّ وَما غَرَضي

وَالدارُ تَدمُرُ مِن كُلٍّ وَما غَرَضي

كَونٌ بِتَدمُرَ لَكِن مَنزِلٌ دَمَرا

كَونٌ بِتَدمُرَ لَكِن مَنزِلٌ دَمَرا

And the dwelling falls to ruin on every side; I do not mean

The house decays from everything yet my goal

Residence in Tadmur, but a dwelling laid waste.

Is not decay though a decayed dwelling

وَالإِنسُ أَشجارُ ناسٍ أَثمَرَت مَقِراً

وَالإِنسُ أَشجارُ ناسٍ أَثمَرَت مَقِراً

وَأَكثَرُ القَومِ شاكٍ يَفقِدُ الثَمَرا

وَأَكثَرُ القَومِ شاكٍ يَفقِدُ الثَمَرا

And humankind are nās-trees that have borne bitter aloe;

People are trees that produced a homestead for someone

And most of the people are thorny, lacking fruit.

And most of the folk doubt and miss the fruits

وَما التَقِيُّ بِأَهلٍ أَن تُسَمِّيَهُ

وَما التَقِيُّ بِأَهلٍ أَن تُسَمِّيَهُ

بَرّاً وَلَو حَجَّ بَيتَ اللَهِ وَاِعتَمَرا

بَرّاً وَلَو حَجَّ بَيتَ اللَهِ وَاِعتَمَرا

Nor is the devout man worthy of being called

Nor is the pious one a people even if he performed Hajj and Umrah

Righteous, even if he has made pilgrimage to God's House and performed umrah.

The heart is tempted by what the winds blow to it

وَالقَلبُ يَغرى بِما تُهدي الرِياحُ لَهُ

وَالقَلبُ يَغرى بِما تُهدي الرِياحُ لَهُ

كَحَملِها الريحَ مِن زَيدٍ إِلى عُمَرا

كَحَملِها الريحَ مِن زَيدٍ إِلى عُمَرا

And the heart is drawn to what the winds offer it,

Like their blowing from Zayd to Umar

As when they carry a scent from Zayd to Umar.

Be steadfast with grit when you cannot hunt prey

ثِب مِن طِمارٍ إِذا لَم تَستَطِع سَرَباً

ثِب مِن طِمارٍ إِذا لَم تَستَطِع سَرَباً

وَثِب شَبيهَ التَميمِيِّ الَّذي طَمَرا

وَثِب شَبيهَ التَميمِيِّ الَّذي طَمَرا

Leap from a height if you cannot find an underground passage,

And be like Tamimi who was steadfast and buried

And leap like the Tamimi who leapt.