Sol 6.1

  1. أَرى الناسَ قَد أُغروا بِبَغيٍ وَريبَةٍ

    وَغَيٍّ إِذا ما مَيَّزَ الناسَ عاقِلُ

    I see people given over to injustice and suspicion,

    And error, whenever a wise man judges mankind.

  2. وَقد لَزِموا مَعنى الخِلافِ فَكُلُّهُم

    إِلى نَحوِ ما عابَ الخَليقَةَ مائِلُ

    And they have clung to the spirit of contrariness, so every one of them

    Inclines toward whatever disgraces humankind.

  3. إِذا ما رَأَوا خَيراً رَمَوهُ بِظِنَّةٍ

    وَإِن عايَنوا شَرّاً فَكُلٌّ مُناضلُ

    Whenever they see goodness, they cast suspicion upon it,

    And if they witness evil, each becomes its champion.

  4. وَلَيسَ اِمرُؤٌ مِنهُم بِناجٍ مِنَ الأَذى

    وَلا فيهِمُ عَن زَلَّةٍ مُتَغافلُ

    And not one of them escapes harm,

    Nor does anyone among them overlook a slip.

  5. وَإِن عايَنوا حَبراً أَديباً مُهَذَّباً

    حَسيباً يَقولوا إِنَّهُ لَمُخاتِلُ

    And if they behold a scholar, cultured and refined,

    Noble-born, they say, 'He is surely a deceiver.'

  6. وَإِن كانَ ذا ذِهنٍ رَمَوهُ بِبَدعَةٍ

    وَسَمّوهُ زِنديقاً وَفيهِ يُجادلُ

    And if he has intelligence, they accuse him of religious innovation,

    And call him a heretic, and his case is debated.

  7. وَإِن كانَ ذا صَمتٍ يَقولونَ صورَةٌ

    مُمَثَّلَةٌ بِالعيِّ بَل هُوَ جاهِلُ

    And if he is silent, they say, 'An image

    Fashioned of inarticulacy—no, he is ignorant.'

  8. وَإِن كانَ ذا شَرٍّ فَوَيلٌ لِأُمِّهِ

    لِما عَنهُ يَحكي مَن تَضُمُّ المَحافِلُ

    And if he is wicked, then woe to his mother

    For what those gathered in assemblies recount about him.

  9. وَإِن كانَ ذا أَصلٍ يَقولونَ إِنَّما

    يُفاخِرُ بِالمَوتى وَما هُوَ زائِلُ

    And if he has noble lineage, they say, 'He only

    Boasts of the dead and never stops.'

  10. وَإِن كانَ مَجهولاً فَذَلِكَ عِندَهُم

    كَبيضِ رِمالٍ لَيسَ يُعرَفُ عامِلُ

    And if he is unknown, then in their eyes he is

    Like eggs in the sands, their maker unknown.

  11. وَإِن كانَ ذا مالٍ يَقولونَ مالُهُ

    من السُحتِ قَد رابى وَبِئسَ المَآكِلُ

    And if he has wealth, they say, 'His wealth

    Comes from illicit gain; he has practiced usury—what vile food!'

  12. وَإِن كانَ ذا فَقرٍ فَقَد ذَلَّ بَينَهُم

    حَقيراً مَهيناً تَزدَريهِ الأَراذِلُ

    And if he is poor, he is abased among them,

    Despised and humiliated, scorned by the basest.

  13. وَإِن قَنِعَ المسكينُ قالوا لِقِلَّةٍ

    وَشُحَّةِ نَفسٍ قَد حَوَتها الأَنامِلُ

    And if the poor man is content, they say, 'Out of pettiness

    And stinginess of a soul that fingertips have enclosed.'

  14. وَإِن هُوَ لَم يَقنَع يَقولونَ إِنَّما

    يُطالِبُ مَن لَم يُعطِهِ وَيُقاتِلُ

    And if he is not content, they say, 'He only

    Presses those who have given him nothing, and fights.'

  15. وَإِن يَكتَسِب مالاً يَقولوا بهيمَةٌ

    أَتاها مِنَ المَقدورِ حَظٌّ وَنائِلُ

    And if he earns wealth, they say, 'A beast

    To which luck and bounty have come from fate.'

  16. وَإِن جادَ قالوا مُسرِفٌ وَمُبَذِّرٌ

    وَإِن لَم يَجُد قالوا شَحيحٌ وَباخِلُ

    And if he gives generously, they say, 'Extravagant and wasteful!'

    And if he does not give, they say, 'Stingy and miserly!'

  17. وَإِن صاحَبَ الغِلمانَ قالوا لِريبَةٍ

    وَإِن أَجمَلوا في اللَفظِ قالوا مُباذِلُ

    And if he keeps company with boys, they say, 'For a dubious purpose!'

    And if they soften their wording, they say, 'A libertine!'

  18. وَإِن هَوِيَ النِسوانَ سَمّوهُ فاجِراً

    وَإِن عَفَّ قالوا ذاكَ خُنثى وَباطِلُ

    And if he loves women, they call him immoral;

    And if he is chaste, they say, 'That one's a hermaphrodite and a good-for-nothing!'

  19. وَإِن تابَ قالوا لَم يَتب مِنهُ عادَةٌ

    وَلَكِن لِإِفلاسٍ وَما ثَمَّ حاصِلُ

    And if he repents, they say, 'None of his habits has changed;

    It is only bankruptcy, and nothing is left.'

  20. وَإِن حَجَّ قالوا لَيسَ لِلَّهِ حَجُّهُ

    وَذاكَ رِياء أَنتَجَتهُ المَحافِلُ

    And if he makes the pilgrimage, they say, 'His pilgrimage is not for God;

    And that is ostentation bred by public gatherings.'

  21. وَإِن كانَ بِالشِطرَنجِ وَالنَردِ لاعِباً

    وَلاعَبَ ذا الآداب قالوا مُداخِلُ

    And if he is a player of chess and backgammon,

    And plays with a man of culture, they say, 'An interloper.'

  22. وَإِن كانَ في كُلِّ المَذاهِبِ نابِزاً

    وَكانَ خَفيفَ الروحِ قالوا مُثاقِلُ

    And if he is a faultfinder in every school of thought,

    And is lighthearted, they say, 'A bore.'

  23. وَإِن كانَ مِغراماً يَقولونَ أَهوَج

    وَإِن كانَ ذا ثَبتٍ يَقولونَ باطِلُ

    And if he is impassioned, they say, 'Reckless!'

    And if he is steadfast, they say, 'Worthless!'

  24. وَإِن يَعتَلِل يَوماً يقولوا عقوبةٌ

    لشرِّ الّذي يَأتي وما هوَ فاعلُ

    And if one day he falls ill, they say, 'A punishment

    For the evil he commits and whatever he does.'

  25. وَإِن ماتَ قالوا لَم يَمُت حَتفَ أَنفِهِ

    لِما هُوَ مِن شَرٍّ المَآكِلِ آكِلُ

    And if he dies, they say, 'He did not die a natural death,

    Because he used to eat the vilest foods.'

  26. وَما الناسُ إِلّا جاحِدٌ وَمُعانِدٌ

    وَذو حَسَدٍ قَد بانَ فيهِ التَخاتُلُ

    And people are nothing but ingrates and obstinate foes,

    And envious men, whose deceit has become plain.

  27. فَلا تَترُكَن حَقّاً لِخيفَةِ قائِلٍ

    فَإِنَّ الَّذي تَخشى وَتَحذَرُ حاصِلُ

    So never abandon what is right for fear of what someone may say,

    For what you fear and guard against is bound to happen.