1. حَدثني شَيخ مِن الأَعراب

    أعرفه بِالصدق في الخِطاب

    An old man of the Bedouins told me,

    one whom I know to be truthful in speech.

  2. قالَ خَرَجت رائِداً لأَهلي

    وَكانَ ذاكَ العام عام محل

    He said: I went out seeking pasture for my family,

    and that year was a year of drought.

  3. فسرت مِن يبرين نصف ميل

    ثَم ضَللت لَقَم السَّبيل

    I traveled half a mile from Yabrin,

    then lost the main track of the road.

  4. وَكُنت إِذ ذاكَ غُلاماً يفعه

    لَكن قواي كُلها مُجتَمعه

    I was then an adolescent youth,

    but all my powers were intact.

  5. قَلبي جَميع وَجِناني حاضر

    ماض عَلى الهَول جَسور شاطر

    My heart was composed and my spirit alert,

    resolute in the face of terror, bold and resourceful.

  6. فَعِندَما أَيقنت إِني جائر

    عَن مَقصد قُمت كأنِّي حائِر

    When I became certain I had strayed

    from my intended course, I stood as if bewildered,

  7. استرشد الرِّياح وَالنُّجوم

    قَد سترتها دوني الغُيوم

    seeking guidance from the winds and stars;

    clouds had screened them from me.

  8. فَلاحَ لي شَخص قَريب مِني

    فارتَعت مِن ذاكَ وَساءَ ظَني

    Then a shape appeared nearby,

    and I was terrified and feared the worst.

  9. وَخلته الغول فَجاشَت نَفسي

    لأنَّها لَم تَكُ أَرض إِنس

    I thought it was a ghoul, and my soul churned,

    for this was no land of humankind.

  10. حَتَّى إِذا ما اشتد مِنهُ خَوفي

    عَلقت نَضوى وَجذبت سَيفي

    When at last my fear of it grew intense,

    I tethered my worn-out mount and drew my sword.

  11. فَبانَ لي إِذ لمع الحُسام

    وَاِنجاب مِن لألائه الظَّلام

    There appeared to me, as the blade flashed

    and darkness parted before its radiance,

  12. تَخل واثل فَقَصَدت قَصدَه

    وَقُلت أمسي وَأَبيت عِندَه

    palms and tamarisks; I made for them.

    I said: I shall spend the evening and the night beside them.

  13. حَتَّى إِذا ما جِئته وَجَدته

    يَهفو عَلى رَوض كَما أردته

    When at last I reached them, I found them

    swaying above a meadow, just as I had wished:

  14. عُيون ماء وَرِياض أشبة

    تَسمَع لِلطيور فيها جلبة

    springs of water and thickly grown meadows,

    where you could hear the birds' clamor.

  15. فَقُلت هَذا مَنزل أنيق

    وَإِنَّهُ بِنجعتي خَليق

    I said: This is a delightful dwelling place,

    and fitting for my quest for pasture.

  16. ثُم عَلقت ناقَتي في شَجرة

    وَنلت مِن بَعض النخيل ثَمَرة

    Then I tethered my she-camel to a tree

    and took some fruit from the palms.

  17. ثُم صَعدت نَخلة لاهجعا

    في رَأسِها مِن الأَذى مُمتنِعا

    Then I climbed a palm tree to sleep,

    sheltered at its crown from harm.

  18. وَاِنقَشَع السحاب عَن وَجه القَمَر

    وَبانَ لي ما كانَ يخفى وَظَهر

    The clouds cleared from the moon's face,

    and what had been hidden became clear to me and appeared.

  19. فَجاءَ ببر وَهزبرُ وَنمر

    وَالوَحش وَالطَّير جَميعاً تبتدر

    Then came a tiger, a lion, and a leopard,

    with wild beasts and birds all hastening forward.

  20. وَجاءَت الأَنعام وَالبَهائم

    وَالهام وَالطُّيور وِالأَراقم

    The livestock and beasts came,

    and owls, birds, and speckled snakes,

  21. وَالحَشَرات جلها وَدَقها

    مفتنة في خُلقِها وَخَلقِها

    and creeping creatures, large and small,

    diverse in character and form.

  22. وَارتفع العَنقاء فَوقَ دلبة

    وَهوَ أَمير الطَّير يَبغي الخطبة

    The Anqa rose above a plane tree,

    the prince of birds, intending to deliver a speech.

  23. فَقالَ حَمد اللَّه خَير نَطق

    وَشكره فَرض مُبين الحَق

    He said: Praise of God is the best speech,

    and thanking Him is a duty whose rightness is plain.

  24. الحَمد لِلَّه عَلى ما خَصَّني

    بِه مِن الخلق البَديع الحَسَن

    Praise be to God for the distinction He granted me:

    a wondrous and beautiful form.

  25. أَفرَدني مِن لُطفِه وَحكمته

    بِصورة شاهِدة بِقدرته

    In His kindness and wisdom He made me unique

    with a form bearing witness to His power,

  26. حَتَّى لَقَد كَذَب بي الطَّغام

    وَشك في وجودي الأَنام

    so much so that the rabble denied me,

    and humankind doubted my existence.

  27. لأَنَّهُم خَصوا بِضَعف وَصغر

    فَحَسِبوا مِثلهم كُل الصُّور

    Because they were allotted weakness and smallness,

    they supposed all forms were like themselves.

  28. وَأَنكَروا ما خَرَق العادات

    فَكَذَبوا رواية الرواة

    They denied whatever broke customary patterns,

    and disbelieved the narrators' accounts.

  29. فَإِن يَكُن دينهُم التَّكذيب بي

    فَلَيسَ هَذا مِنهُم بِالعَجَب

    If their creed is to deny me,

    that is nothing surprising from them.

  30. فَإِنَّهُم قَد كَذبوا بِالصانع

    وَأَنكروا البَعث لِيَوم جامع

    For they have denied the Maker,

    and denied resurrection for a day of gathering,

  31. لجهلهم وَالجَهل شرشيمة

    جاءَت مَع الناس مِن المَشيمة

    through their ignorance—and ignorance is the worst disposition,

    brought with people from the placenta.

  32. كَذاكَ تَكذيبهُم لجهلِهم

    وَخُبثِهم وَنقصِهم وَبُخلِهم

    Likewise they deny, through their ignorance,

    their malice, their shortcomings, and their miserliness,

  33. بِما يَرى مِن جود كَفي صدقه

    وَنَفسه الفاضلة الموفقه

    what is seen of the generosity of Sadaqa's two hands

    and his virtuous, divinely favored soul,

  34. إِذ لَم يَكونوا شاهدوا مِن البَشر

    بَعض الَّذي بِه لَقَد شاعَ الخَبَر

    since they have never witnessed among humans

    some of what has become widely reported.

  35. وَهُم عَبيد الحس وَالعَيان

    وَخصماء العَقل وَالبرهان

    They are slaves of the senses and direct sight,

    and foes of reason and proof.

  36. لا يَقبَلون شاهِداً غَير النَّظَر

    وَلا يطيعون العُقول وَالفكر

    They accept no evidence beyond sight,

    nor heed intellect and thought.

  37. وَمِنهُم مَن يَجحَد المَلائِكة

    وَالجن أَيضاً وَالأُمور الشابِكة

    Among them are those who deny the angels,

    and the jinn as well, and intricate matters.

  38. كَذاكَ لَو لَم يَنظُروا السَّماء

    لأَنكَروا النُّجوم وَالأَنواء

    Likewise, had they not seen the sky,

    they would deny the stars and their seasonal risings:

  39. سَقف رَفيع فَوقَهُم بِلا عَمَد

    ما فيهِ أَمت شائن وَلا أَود

    a lofty roof above them without pillars,

    with no disfiguring unevenness or crookedness;

  40. وَخَيمة لَيسَ لَها أَطناب

    يَعجَز عَن أَوصافِها الإطناب

    a tent with no guy ropes,

    whose description defeats even lengthy exposition.

  41. وَكَوكَب يَنظُر في كُلِّ بَلَد

    كَأَنَّه مَسامت كُل أَحَد

    And a star looks into every land,

    as though directly aligned with every person.

  42. لَو فَكروا في جرم ذاكَ الكَوكَب

    حَتّى يَرى بِمشرق وَمَغرب

    If only they reflected on the body of that star,

    so that it is seen in east and west

  43. في حالة وَاحدة كَأَنَّهُ

    فَوقَك أَو عَلَيك مِنهُ جنه

    at the same moment, as though it were

    above you, or its canopy were over you.

  44. وَالأَرض فيها عبرة للمعتبر

    تخبر عَن صُنع مَليك مُقتدر

    The earth contains a lesson for the reflective,

    telling of the handiwork of an all-powerful Sovereign.

  45. تُسقى بِماء واحد أَشجارها

    وَنبعة واحِدَة قرارها

    Its trees are watered with the same water,

    and a single spring lies at their base.

  46. وَالشَّمس وَالهَواء لَيسَ تَختَلف

    وَأُكلُها مُختلِفٌ لا يَأتَلِف

    The sun and air do not vary,

    yet their fruit differs and is not uniform.

  47. لَو أَن ذا مِن عَمل الطَّبائع

    أَو أَنَّهُ صَنعة غَير صانع

    If this were the work of natural forces,

    or a work without a maker,

  48. لَم يَختَلف وَكانَ شَيئاً وَاحِداً

    هَل يُشبِه الأَولاد إِلا الوالد

    it would not differ, but would be one thing.

    Do children resemble anyone but their father?

  49. لَو طبخ الطَّباخ أَلف قدر

    بِالماء وَاللَّحمِ وَحُب البر

    If a cook cooked a thousand pots

    with water, meat, and grains of wheat,

  50. ما جاءهُ مِن بَعضِها سِكباج

    وَلا قَلِياتٌ وَشورباج

    none would yield sikbaj, a vinegar stew,

    or fried dishes, or shurbaj soup;

  51. بَل كُلها هَريسة إِذ أَصلها

    مُتفق لَم يَتَفاوَت أَكلها

    rather, all would be harisa porridge, since their base

    is the same; their fare would not differ.

  52. الشمس وَالهَواء يا مُعاند

    وَالماء وَالتُراب شَيء واحد

    The sun and air, O obstinate one,

    and water and soil remain the same.

  53. فَما الَّذي أَوجَب ذا التفاضلا

    إِلا حَكيم لَم يَرده باطِلا

    What, then, brought about these differences,

    if not a Wise One who did not intend them in vain?

  54. وَزَعَموا أن النُّجوم صانِعه

    وَأنَّها ضائِرة وَنافِعه

    They claim that the stars create,

    and that they cause harm and bring benefit.

  55. في ساعَة يولَد ألف ألفِ

    وَحالهم نِهاية في الخلف

    In a single hour a million are born,

    yet their circumstances differ to the utmost:

  56. فَواحِد يَموت في مَكانه

    وَواحِد يَعيش في أَقرانه

    one dies on the spot,

    and one lives among his peers;

  57. وَواحِد ذو ثَروة تَطغيه

    وَواحد شبعته تَكفيه

    one has wealth that makes him insolent,

    and one needs no more than his fill;

  58. وَواحِد برّ عَليم ناسك

    وَواحِد غُرّ جَهول فاتِك

    one is righteous, learned, and devout,

    and one is naive, ignorant, and murderous;

  59. وَواحِد عَبد ذَليل مُضطَهد

    وَواحد ملك عَظيم معتمد

    one is an abased, oppressed slave,

    and one a mighty king relied upon.

  60. تخالف لَيسَ لَهُ نِهايه

    في بَعضِهِ مِن كُلهِ كِفايَه

    Such differences have no end;

    a few examples suffice for the whole.

  61. لَو كانَ هَذا صَنعة الطَّبائع

    لاتفقوا في الحال وَالصَّنائع

    If this were the work of natural forces,

    they would be alike in condition and occupation.

  62. بَل هوَ مِن فعل حَكيم قادر

    وَخالِق للعالمين فاطِر

    Rather, it is the act of a wise, powerful One,

    a Creator and Originator of the worlds.

  63. وَبَعضهم يَقتل بَعضاً ظُلما

    وَلا يَخاف حَرجاً أَو إِثما

    Some of them kill others unjustly,

    fearing neither guilt nor sin.

  64. تَراهُم تَحتَ البُرود الضافية

    كَأَنَّهُم طلس الذِّئاب الضارِية

    You see them beneath their ample cloaks,

    as though they were dusky-gray, ravening wolves.

  65. يَسعون بِالغيبة وَالنَّميمة

    وَيخلقون الفِتَن العَظيمة

    They go about backbiting and carrying tales,

    and stir up great strife,

  66. حِرصاً عَلى الدُنيا الَّتي لا تَبقى

    وَاللَّهُ ما في الخَلق مِنهُم أَشقى

    out of greed for a world that does not last.

    By God, none in creation is more wretched than they.

  67. وَيَدعونَ أنَّهُم خَير الأُمم

    وَأَنَّهُم ذوو عقول وَحِكَم

    Yet they claim to be the best of nations,

    possessing intellects and wisdom,

  68. وَأنَّهُم أَخَص بِاللَّه مَعاً

    مِن غَيرِهم فَظالم مَن ادعا

    and collectively more favored by God

    than others—wrongful is anyone who claims it.

  69. هَيهات ما أَجدرَهم مِن رَبِهم

    بِصَرفهم عَن بابِهِ وَحجبهم

    Far from it! How well they deserve from their Lord

    to be turned from His door and barred!

  70. لأَنَّهُم ما يَفعَلونَ ما حتم

    وَلَيسَ يَرضون بِكُل ما حكم

    For they do not do what He made obligatory,

    nor are they content with all He has decreed.

  71. يُخالِفونَ حُكمه وَأَمره

    وَيأمَنونَ بَطشه وَمكره

    They defy His judgment and His command,

    yet feel safe from His might and His stratagem.

  72. قَد ضمن الرزق لَهُم وَقالا

    كَفَيتُم فَأحسنوا الأَعمالا

    He has guaranteed them sustenance and said:

    You are provided for; so perform good deeds.

  73. فَسَألوا مِن غَيرهِ ما ضمنه

    وَضيعوا وَما أَتوا بِحسنه

    Yet they sought from others what He guaranteed,

    and neglected their duty, failing to fulfill it well.

  74. إِن رُزِقوا مالا كَثيراً بَطروا

    أَو حرموه سَخطوا وَفجروا

    If granted abundant wealth, they grow insolent;

    if denied it, they become resentful and act wickedly.

  75. يَدَّخِرون وَالشقي المُدخر

    ما فيهُم ذو فطنة فَيعتَبر

    They hoard, and wretched is the hoarder.

    None among them has the discernment to learn

  76. بِمَن مَضى مِن قَبلهم مِن الأُمم

    كَيفَ مَضوا وَخَلفوا هَذي النِّعَم

    from the nations that passed before them,

    how they passed away and left these blessings behind.

  77. فَلَيتَني أَبصَرت فيهِم رجلا

    حبراً ألد في الخِصام جَدَلا

    If only I could see among them a man,

    a learned scholar, formidable and skilled in dispute,

  78. يَعتمد الإنصاف في المُجادلة

    لا يَقصد اللجاج وَالمماحلة

    who relies on fairness in debate,

    not seeking obstinacy or wrangling.

  79. فَإِن من مَقصودِه العِناد

    كَالجمل المصعب لا يَنقاد

    For one whose aim is obstinate resistance

    is like an unbroken camel that will not submit;

  80. وَلَو رَأى لِلخَصم كُل آيه

    ما زادَهُ ذاكَ سِوى غوايه

    even if he saw every proof his opponent offered,

    it would only increase his error.

  81. فَإِنَّهُم قَد شاهَدوا آيات

    لرسل الرَّحمن مُعجِزات

    For they have witnessed signs,

    miracles of the All-Merciful's messengers,

  82. فَلم يزدهم ذاكَ غَير كُفر

    وَعَمه عَن الهُدى وَخسر

    yet these only increased their unbelief,

    their blind wandering from guidance, and their loss.

  83. إِذ لَم يَكُن في عَزمِهِم أَن يُؤمِنوا

    قَد عَلِموا بِكُفرِهم وَأَيقَنوا

    Since they had no intention of believing,

    they knew their unbelief and were certain of it.

  84. أَسأَلهم وَلا يَقولوا مينا

    بِأَي شَيء فضلوا عَلَينا

    I would ask them—and let them tell no lies—

    in what respect they surpass us.

  85. وَنَحنُ لا نُشرك بِاللَّه وَلا

    نَقنَط مِن رَحمَتِهِ إِذ نَبتَلي

    We associate no partner with God, nor

    despair of His mercy when we are tried.

  86. أذكر مِن عُيوبهم ما أذكر

    وَإِنَّني مِن ذِكرهم استغفر

    I mention what I mention of their faults,

    and seek forgiveness for speaking of them.

  87. فَقالَت الطيور مثل قَولِه

    وَضَجت الوَحش به مِن حَولِه

    The birds said the same as he,

    and the beasts around him loudly echoed it.

  88. وَقالَت الأَنعام وَالسباع

    لَقَد أَصابَ الملك المُطاع

    The livestock and beasts of prey said:

    The king whom we obey has spoken rightly.

  89. فَقال لي الشيخ فَأدرَكتَني

    حمية الطَّبع وَحركتني

    The old man told me: Then I was seized

    by instinctive zeal, which stirred me;

  90. وَساءَ في مَقاله وَشفني

    وَهَزني لِلقَول وَاستخفني

    he offended me with his speech and pained me,

    rousing me to speak and provoking me.

  91. ثُم هَمَمت بِالجَواب ناصِراً

    جنسي فَقَد ألزَمنا المعايرا

    Then I meant to answer, defending

    my kind, for he had fastened reproaches upon us.

  92. ثُم ذَكَرت أَنَّني وَحَيد

    بِينَهُم وَأَنَّهُم عَديد

    But then I remembered that I was alone

    among them, and they were many.

  93. فَقُلت حفظ النَفس أَولا قُصِد

    وَبَعد ذاكَ للفَخار أَجتهد

    I said: Preserving my life must come first;

    after that, I shall strive for honor.

  94. وَإِن أَضَعت مُهجَتي لَم أَحفَظ

    عرضي وَكَيف بعدَها تيقظي

    If I throw my life away, I shall not preserve

    my honor—and how could I stay vigilant afterward?

  95. وَكُنتُ مثل مَن أَضاعَ المالا

    لِطَلَب الربح فَقَد أَحالا

    I would be like one who throws away his capital

    in pursuit of profit: he has acted absurdly.