بَكَرَ العَواذِلُ بِالسَوادِ يَلُمنَني

بَكَرَ العَواذِلُ بِالسَوادِ يَلُمنَني

جَهلاً يَقُلنَ أَلا تَرى ما تَصنَعُ

جَهلاً يَقُلنَ أَلا تَرى ما تَصنَعُ

The reproaching women came early in the dark, blaming me,

The young girls blamed me in black attire,

Ignorantly saying, “Do you not see what you are doing?

Ignorantly saying, "Do you not see what you do?

أَفنَيتَ مالَكَ في السَفاهِ وَإِنَّما

أَفنَيتَ مالَكَ في السَفاهِ وَإِنَّما

أَمرُ السَفاهَةِ ما أَمَرنَكَ أَجمَعُ

أَمرُ السَفاهَةِ ما أَمَرنَكَ أَجمَعُ

You have exhausted your wealth in folly!”—yet

You have wasted your wealth in frivolity, yet

Folly is all that they have urged you to do.

The matter of frivolity is what has wholly led you astray."

وَقُتودِ ناجِيَةٍ وَضَعتُ بِقَفرَةٍ

وَقُتودِ ناجِيَةٍ وَضَعتُ بِقَفرَةٍ

وَالطَيرُ غاشِيَةُ العَوافي وَقَّعُ

وَالطَيرُ غاشِيَةُ العَوافي وَقَّعُ

And many a swift she-camel’s saddle I laid down in a wasteland,

I set up a howdah on a barren hill,

While birds, a throng of food-seekers, were perched,

And birds swarmed the open plains.

بِمُهَنَّدٍ ذي حِليَةٍ جَرَّدتُهُ

بِمُهَنَّدٍ ذي حِليَةٍ جَرَّدتُهُ

يَبري الأَصَمَّ مِنَ العِظامِ وَيَقطَعُ

يَبري الأَصَمَّ مِنَ العِظامِ وَيَقطَعُ

With an ornamented sword of Indian steel that I unsheathed—

With a polished sword I stripped

It pares the solid bones and cuts through.

One who makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.

لِتَنوبَ نائِبَةٌ فَتَعلَمَ أَنَّني

لِتَنوبَ نائِبَةٌ فَتَعلَمَ أَنَّني

مِمَّن يُغَرُّ عَلى الثَناءِ فَيُخدَعُ

مِمَّن يُغَرُّ عَلى الثَناءِ فَيُخدَعُ

Let a misfortune strike, and you will learn that I

So that a successor may take a turn and thus learn

Am among those beguiled by praise and thus deceived.

That I am one who is fooled by praise and so deceived.

إِنّي مُقَسِّمُ ما مَلَكتُ فَجاعِلٌ

إِنّي مُقَسِّمُ ما مَلَكتُ فَجاعِلٌ

أَجراً لِآخِرَةٍ وَدُنيا تَنفَعُ

أَجراً لِآخِرَةٍ وَدُنيا تَنفَعُ

I share out what I possess, thus laying up

Indeed, I apportion what I possess, thus making

Reward for the hereafter and benefit in this world.

A reward for the hereafter, and a world that benefits.