جف الكرى عكس الدموع معاً دما — Maelainin

جَفَّ الكرى عكس الدموع معاً دما

صبت وحُقَّ لها تَصُبُّ معندما

Sleep dried up; tears, by contrast, flowed together as blood.

They poured—and rightly so—deep crimson.

شوقاً لأهل الحوض نعم بلاده

ولنعم أهل بلاده وتنعّما

In longing for the people of al-Hawd: how excellent its land!

How excellent its people; may they enjoy delight!

فهي البلاد وأهلها أهل الهوى

وهم لِمُعمىً منه ينجو من عمى

It is the land, and its people are the people of love;

Through them, one blinded by love escapes blindness.

وهم لِمُعمىَ من مروءة دينه

أبصار تبصر في الليالي المظلما

For one blind to the noble virtues of his faith,

They are eyes that see through the darkness of nights.

فالحوض من حوض النبي سموهُ

وسمو أهل الحوض حقاً قد سما

They named al-Hawd after the Prophet's Pool;

And the eminence of al-Hawd's people has truly risen.

ولقد أحَال وبرق دون بلاده

واطْرَبُلُسٍّ ثم تونس معلما

And indeed Ahal and Barq, before its lands,

And Tripoli, then Tunis, as a landmark;

وجبال مَنْطَ جبال الأندلس التي

منها وفيهَ عبارة لم تحسما

And the mountains of Manta, the mountains of al-Andalus, which—

From them and within it, an expression left unresolved.

واقدامسٌ واخزيرة مع طنجةٍ

وتِطاوَنُ وارْباط واسْل متوءَما

And Ghadames and Khazira, together with Tangier;

And Tetouan, Rabat, and Salé, paired together;

وادزائرٌ طرٌ وفاسٌ غربه

مكناس أو مراكش تشمنهما

And all Algiers, and Fez to its west;

Meknes or Marrakesh, encompassing them both [reading uncertain];

والحوز ثم أصويرةٌ أو سوسه

أو وادِ نُونَ وأرْضه متضرما

And al-Hawz, then Essaouira, or its Sous;

Or Wadi Noun and its land, ablaze;

أو واد درأة في البحار مصبه

وسواقي ساقي حمرة صباً لما

Or Wadi Draa, whose mouth lies in the seas;

And the channels of Saqia Hamra, pouring forth [unclear];

وأكويس ثم رَواد صفصافٌ يُرى

وأَزيكُ وامْسَرْدادُ لا معيذ رْحما

And Akways, then Rawad; willows are seen;

And Azik and Amsardad—no protector, [unclear] mercy;

أوإيتق والحدب ثم بلاده

وامْرَيْكِلٌ ومهامه تعي اللما

Or Iytiq and al-Hadab, then its lands;

And Amraykil, and trackless wastes holding the gathering;

ذي تيرس آدرارُ أجل

زمورُيت واسعات كالحما

These are Tiris and Adrar, more majestic;

Zammurit, expanses like protected pasture;

أو كاغط وحمائد وامرية

وكثير إن عددتُه لن يفهما

Or Kaghat, Hamaid, and Amriya;

And much else: were I to enumerate it, it would not be comprehended.

فتحيرت وظواهري أصحابنا

فتعجبا ببواطني مترنما

Our companions were bewildered at my outward signs;

So marvel at my inward states, as I sing.

بعزائم وزعائم قد جربت

كل التجارب معزمات مزعما

With resolutions and leaders that have been tested,

Through every trial, resolute [ending unclear];

بتذكر وتشوق وتلهف

لمواطن وحبائب متكلما

With remembrance, yearning, and eager longing,

Speaking of homelands and beloved companions;

بعيون فتْح سُط وأنول بجة

وعيون محمود اللواء مهذرما

Of the springs of Fath, Sut, Anwal, and Bajjah;

And Mahmud's springs, the banner, flowing swiftly [reading uncertain];

وأفارَ واتْرُشِين واسعة ترى

واملازمٌ وأوادُ ويْزُن ملزما

And Afar and Atrushin, seen stretching wide;

And Amlazim, Awad, and Yuzun, firmly bound;

سِتريةُ الأيدين شكْراطيِلُهم

وأُرَيُّ والأبيار نعمَ محرجما

Sitriyyat al-Aydin, their Shakratil;

And Urayy and al-Abyar—an excellent throng;

وأنوانسٍ بيض خَدالٍ تخذلُ

ببوارق عذب بروقاً مبسما

And fair, full-bodied young women who leave one helpless,

With sweet flashes, lightning from a smiling mouth;

حورٌ وعينٌ لؤلؤ مكنونة

تسبي بفاتر شادن متقوما

Fair, wide-eyed beauties, like sheltered pearls,

Captivating with a languid gazelle's gaze, standing gracefully;

عرباً وأتراباً كواعب هبُّها

هَبٌ لفارة تاجر إذ يقسما

Loving, alike in age, with swelling breasts—their wafted scent

Is a waft from a merchant's musk-pod as he portions it.

فإذا نظرت إليها تنظر منظراً

قمراً يلوح بظلمة متظلما

When you look at her, you behold a sight:

A moon appearing amid enveloping darkness.

وإذا لمست حريرة جسيتها

حِقْفاً وغصناً إذ تميسُ مبرعما

When you touch her, you feel silk;

A sand-dune and a budding branch as she sways.

فهناك إن تُبْصِرْ بِبَصْرٍ باصر

وفؤاد مقدم قادمٍ متقدما

There, if you look with truly discerning sight,

And a bold heart, advancing ahead,

تعلم بأن بلادنا لم يُنْئِها

بعدٌ وقائل ذاك صرم مصرما

You know that our land has not been made remote

By distance; whoever says otherwise severs his ties.

ودليل ذاك بان مكة مِ القرى

ومدينة بقراك عنها مبرما

The proof is that Mecca, [the Mother] of towns,

And Medina, among your towns, are firmly bound to it [wording uncertain];

ومنى زبيد جدحد ومشعرا

عرفات مزدلفات رابغ زمزما

And Mina, Zabid, Jadḥad, and the sacred station;

Arafat, Muzdalifa, Rabigh, and Zamzam;

بدر صفا مع مروة وحنين أو

عسفان هرشى خلَيصُ لاقصير الرما

Badr, Safa with Marwa, and Hunayn, or

Usfan, Harsha, and Khulays—[ending unclear: shortness of spears];

واسويس والوجه الذي بهْ قد نُعي

رحم الإله محمداً بِهْ فارحما

And Suez and al-Wajh, where a death was announced:

May God have mercy on Muhammad there; show mercy,

عبداً لرحمانٍ أضيف وقد علا

لحبوسُ حين تبنه وتخيما

A servant joined in name to the All-Merciful, who had risen;

Lahbus, when [unclear] and he encamped.

ولقد رأيت بذا الفتى سفراً فتي

بشراً سوياً لا يرد غشمشما

On the journey I saw in this youth a vigorous,

Upright man, never turned back, a fearless champion.

حفظ العلوم وزانها خلقا صفا

حسناً وخلقاً زانه بسخى نما

He mastered the sciences and adorned them with pure character,

Beautiful in form and character, enriched by growing generosity.

فصحبته بطريق نعم المصحب

وكريمة من قومه كالمعصما

I accompanied him along the road: an excellent companion;

And a noble woman of his people, like a wrist [image uncertain].

يدنيك أن تسخط ويبعد كل من

ينساك عنك مخاطراً لك قدما

He draws you near when you are displeased, and keeps away anyone

Who forgets you, boldly risking himself for you.

فإذا نسبت نسبته شرف النسب

وإذا خدمت خدمته لك مخدما

If you trace his lineage, his lineage ennobles ancestry;

If you serve him, his service makes him your servant.

فتخاله بسرور نفسك إذ تسر

وتظنه حذراً تخافُهُ ضيغما

You imagine him sharing your soul's joy when you rejoice;

And, in apprehension, you imagine him a lion you fear.

ولنعم ثم وحبذا ولنعم هو

ولبيس عندي من لي عنه يصرما

Excellent indeed! How admirable! How excellent he is!

And wretched, to me, is whoever would sever me from him.

وجميع مصر وسورها قد أخلفت

واسكندرية ذا بها متلوما

I left all Egypt and its walls behind;

And Alexandria, where I lingered,

لركوب بحر والركوب لطنجة

وبها صحار نلتها متوهما

To board the sea, sailing toward Tangier;

And there I reached deserts in imagination.

فبذا يهون عليك ذاك ونأيه

إن أفردا لا سيما قد أضرما

Thus that distance and remoteness become easy for you,

If considered separately—especially since they have kindled

شوق لقطب الكون قاطبة جمع

جمع العلوم علومه لن تسئما

Longing for the Pole of the whole universe, who gathered

All the sciences: you will never tire of his knowledge.

بمشارع لشرائع وحقائق

لمعينها سحٌّ وتسكاب السما

At sources of sacred laws and spiritual truths,

Whose flowing spring receives the heavens' abundant pouring;

وسموها يسمو لعرش إلهنا

ولفرشها عرشٌ وفرش أعظما

Their loftiness rises toward our God's Throne;

And their foundation has a throne and a greater foundation.

وحواسم لعدات بارئنا برت

حسماً لهم بقطيع بار محسما

And decisive blades have cut down our Creator's enemies,

Severing them with a righteous, decisive sword.

ومخلدات من نعيم ناعم

لمواله كرماً بها متكرما

And everlasting gifts of gentle bliss,

For his followers, through which he generously bestows honor.

فهو الفضيل الفاضل المتفضل

بمحمد يسمو سمياً يكرما

He is the excellent, the virtuous, the generous;

Bearing Muhammad's name, he rises in honor as his namesake.

تفضيل أفعِلْ قبل مجرور بيا

يلفى لها بتطاوع اليد ألفما

For praise, afʿil precedes a noun governed by bi;

It is found there, readily at hand [ending unclear].

قصداً له بتفضل وتعجباً

ولقد تطاول فيه أفعل بعدما

Intended for him in praise and wonder;

And afʿal has risen high in him thereafter.

وكذاك أفعل للتفضل تنسب

لتطاوع المداح فيه فيلزما

Likewise, afʿal is attributed to excellence,

As praise readily follows him, making it fitting.

وكذاك نعم وحبذا ومضاه ذا

ومثاله أكرم به ما أرحما

Likewise niʿma, ḥabbadhā, and expressions resembling them;

For example: 'How noble he is! How merciful!'

وتجىء أحسن أو أبر وحبذا

ولنعم شمساً هو ضاء وأكرما

And 'better,' or 'more dutiful,' and 'how admirable!';

What an excellent sun he is, shining and most generous!

واحذو لهذا محاذياً بل لا تقف

واعلم بأنك لا تخاف ملجما

Follow this pattern closely—indeed, do not stop;

Know that you need not fear anyone who would bridle you,

حتى ترى مستوعباً لمديح من

غير النبي وزده عنهم معظما

Until you have exhausted the praise of anyone

Other than the Prophet; exalt him above them all.

لخصاله ووصاله وفصاله

محمودة أيامه للمنأما

For his qualities, his companionship, and his distinctions,

His days are praised by those who receive his bounty.

فهو الشريف بنسبة وفعاله

تشفي الشفا شفتي مرهما

He is noble in lineage, and his deeds

Heal the lips—my lips—like a soothing salve.

بسخائه برماً بحلم جاهلا

وسُماً لغيرها وثم المحكما

By his generosity, the vexed; by his forbearance, the ignorant;

And marks for others, and then what is made firm [wording unclear].

يعطيك نائله ويبصر منَّةً

بقبوله عفواً عطاء مغنما

He gives you his bounty and sees a favor

In your accepting his freely given, profitable gift.

فسناؤه وثناؤه لن يحصرا

ضوءاً ومدحاً تامكاًمتنسما

His radiance and his praise cannot be encompassed:

Light and lofty praise, wafting abroad.

حسبي به وبه كفاية مأخذي

وبه أَصول به أحول مقدما

He suffices me; through him my undertaking is fulfilled;

Through him I advance in strength; through him I turn, pressing forward.

وبه ملاق كل لاقٍ ظاعن

أو قاطن مترنما متلملما

Through him I meet everyone I encounter, whether traveling

Or residing, singing and gathering myself together.

وبه أسير وإن سكنت به سكن

قدمي بفتح يات ليس مبكما

Through him I travel; if I rest, through him rest

My feet—with the yāʾ pronounced open—not mute.

وبه حياتي فإن رأيت به أرى

ويرى به ظفري ودرأ المرغما

Through him is my life; if I see, through him I see;

Through him appear my victory and the repulsion of the humiliator.

وأبوه مامين الأمين شمائله

شملت حياءاً أو سخاءاً مبرما

His father is Mamin, the trustworthy; his qualities

Encompassed modesty and firmly established generosity.

رحب الفناء مع الصدور علومه

حكماً وعلماً للورى بها علَّما

Spacious in courtyard and breast, his sciences

Were wisdom and knowledge through which he taught humankind.

ولأمه الزهرا خديجة إرْثُ ما

للأم فاطمة وليس مسلهما

His mother, al-Zahra Khadija, inherited what

Belonged to Mother Fatima [ending unclear].

وله قبيلة لا يرام مرامها

ومرامها للمكرمات فأَلْمَمَا

He has a tribe whose aspiration cannot be surpassed;

Its aspiration is toward noble deeds: draw near!

فتراها عند شدائدٍ برخائها

عند النُّزول وجوهها متبسما

You see it, amid hardships, in ease;

When calamities descend, its faces are smiling.

وفروعها بأصولها حسباً سمت

ولطيب أصلٍ طاب فرعٌ حيثما

Its branches rose in honor through their roots;

From a good root comes a good branch, wherever it grows.

فرجالها يبنون كل خليفة

حسنت وحسن نسائها بُني مأتما

Its men raise every successor,

Fine indeed; its women's beauty has formed a gathering.

فتراهم عُرباً وهنّ عرائب

وغرائب أترابهن بميسما

You see them as Arabs, and the women as noble Arab women,

Distinguished among their peers by their marks.

لهمُ خدورٌ ظلمة وهم لها

كبدور أحسن ما يضيء مظلما

They have dark, secluded chambers, and within them

They are like full moons, beautifully illuminating darkness.

كل أعد وما يزن بريبة

مما بناد نيل أو متزلما

Each is prepared, and none is weighed with suspicion,

Regarding what is attained in an assembly [ending unclear].

هذا وإني قد رأيت جميع ما

عديته ولأهله متوسما

This—and I have seen everything

I enumerated, discerning its people;

غرباً شمالاً أو يميناً مطلعاً

عُرباً وعجماً كافراً أو مسلما

Westward, northward, southward, and eastward;

Arabs and non-Arabs, unbelievers and Muslims.

فإذا الرياح مع الرواح تنسَّمت

ألفيتني متروّحاً متنسّما

When the winds breathed with the evening's departure,

You found me taking ease and breathing their breeze.

ومع الضُّحى أضحى بها متضحياً

وبقرِّها وبحرِّها متلثما

At forenoon I spent the morning there in sunlight;

And in its cold and heat, with my face veiled.

قصدي بذا الجولان قول نبينا

وسواه ثم مناسك تُجلي الغما

My purpose in this wandering was our Prophet's saying,

And other purposes, then rites that dispel sorrow.

ولقد رجعت وما قضيت لجولتي

إن الطعام يقوي أكلاً منهما

I returned without completing my journey's purpose;

Food indeed strengthens the eating of both [wording unclear].

لكنه حب المواطن أهلها

أوبى بنا ولسنة ولنعم ما

But love of homelands and their people

Brought us home, and to a tradition—how excellent it is—

من بعد أخذ حوائجي وفوائداً

والرمي يرجع للبلاد ولو طما

After obtaining my needs and benefits;

The cast returns to its land, even when it overflows [image uncertain].

من غير ما وهن ولا خوف المللْ

ولسان حال يصدق المتكلّما

Without weakness or fear of weariness;

And the tongue of circumstance confirms the speaker.

ولقد رضيت من الدهور بمرها

مراً وحلواً للصدور مغمّما

I accepted the ages and their passing,

Bitter and sweet, bringing gloom to the breast.

ولقد نظرت بعين صدق ذا الورى

ووراءها وأمامها والمكتما

I looked with truthful eyes upon humankind,

What lay behind it, before it, and concealed;

وملوكها وقيادها وزراءها

علماءها وجهاءها لا مسئما

Its kings, commanders, and ministers;

Its scholars and dignitaries, without tiring;

وذكورها وإناثها وكبارها

وصغارها متحبّباً مترحّما

Its men and women, its elders

And its children, showing affection and compassion.

وأخذت مأخذها صرفت بصرفها

ودخلت مدخلها دخولاً أحزما

I adopted its approach and adapted to its changes;

I entered its entrance with firmer resolve.

ورأيت منها ما يسر رأته بي

متجافياً عن غيره متصلّما

I saw in them what delights; they saw it in me,

Turning away from anything else, resolutely detached.

وصحبت كلاً لا صحابة قاطع

بل مورداً لوصاله متجسما

I accompanied everyone, not with a severing companionship,

But approaching their fellowship, fully engaging myself.

وجميعهم لا مراود لإقامتي

من عند أدنى لمن يكون الفدغما

None of them could persuade me to remain,

From the lowliest to the great, imposing man.

وعلمت كلاً جاهلاً لحقيقتي

بتجاهلي وتغافلي متهينما

I knew each to be ignorant of my true nature,

Through my feigned ignorance and heedlessness, murmuring quietly.

ولقد شكرت إلهي حيث يولني

نعماً ويدرأ غيرها متألما

I thanked my God, who grants me

Blessings and wards off other, painful things.

بحوائجي حمداً عليها علمتها

وفوائدي فعليكها ذا الأزكما

For my needs, I offered praise, knowing those blessings;

And my benefits: take them [ending unclear].

فمثال ذي الدنيا سراب القيعتي

فحسابه ماءٌ يعيي المغشِما

This world's likeness is a mirage on a level plain;

Mistaking it for water exhausts the reckless traveler.

فتحبّبنّ لحبها ولأهلها

واصحبهما دخلاً وحذراً منهما

Show affection toward its love and its people;

Keep company with both, inwardly wary of them.

والناس إن تصحب فصاحب عشرة

وبعشرة فاصحب لتنجو من العمى

If you keep people's company, keep ten qualities;

With those ten keep company, to escape blindness:

عقلٌ وعلمٌ ثم دينك واصبرن

واللين والجود البرور وأحلما

Reason, knowledge, then your religion—and be patient;

Gentleness, generosity, dutiful goodness, and forbearance;

والعرف والشكر الدوام مداوماً

لذي عشرة وذويها فاصحب وأدوما

Kindness and enduring gratitude, practiced constantly.

Keep company with these ten and those possessing them, and persevere.

والمال عرضك صن به أن تجمع

والحمد خير المال خذ لن تعدما

Use wealth to protect your honor, rather than simply amass it;

Praise is the best wealth: take it, and you will not lack.

وإذا عليك غمار أمر تبهض

لا تأخذن قنوط غرٍّ مذئما

When the depths of an affair weigh heavily upon you,

Do not adopt a deluded fool's blameworthy despair.

وخُذَنَّ صبر ألاء عزم واستوي

لمن استوى وعجل حيث المرتما

Take patience, blessings, resolve, and stand steady

With whoever stands steady; hasten where the goal lies.

وعداك شرياً كن لها ومواليا

أرياً وراحاً للموالي إن امما

Be bitter colocynth to your enemies, and to your allies

Honey and wine, when they come seeking you.

والمرء حيث يكون كان حديثه

وظنونه حيث الفعال محكما

A man's speech follows wherever he is;

His thoughts follow where action is firmly established;

وفعاله حيث الطَّعام فأين هو

والدّين ينسب للمُخالل أينما

His deeds follow where his food is—so where is he?

And religion is attributed to one's intimate companion, wherever he is.

ولربما أبدى العدو صداقة

وعداوة يبدي الصديق لربما

An enemy may sometimes display friendship;

A friend may sometimes display hostility.

لا تنظرن لذا وذاك فاحذرن

إن الرمي يراد أبعد من رمى

Do not judge by this or that; remain wary:

A shot may be intended farther than its apparent target.

وسلامة إن رمتها مسلومة

إياك أن تُلفى حياتك مسلَما

Safety, if you seek it, must be kept intact;

Beware of finding your life surrendered,

أو أن تعوِّل في الأمور على أحد

أو أن ترد جميل عزم صمما

Or relying in your affairs upon anyone,

Or rejecting noble resolve, firmly made,

أو أن تهين مهذباً لرثاثةٍ

أو أن تعظم جاهلاً أو تذمما

Or despising a refined person for shabby clothing,

Or esteeming an ignorant person, or earning blame,

أو أن تضيف إليك مواتياً

خُلُقَاً وسيرة طبعك المتعلما

Or attaching to yourself someone who conforms,

In character and conduct, to your acquired nature [wording uncertain].

لا سيما سفراً وقيل من المثل

عنا خياراً اغربن لنعتما

Especially while traveling; and among proverbs it is said:

Choose the best abroad, away from us [proverb unclear].

وإذا تريد تسافرن فخاطرن

بكرائم الأنساب تكفى مندما

When you wish to travel, venture

With those of noble lineage: you will be spared regret.

وإذا تريد تزوجاً فتأهّلن

من بيت دين لا يكون مُتْهَمَا

When you wish to marry, take a wife

From a religious household that is not suspect.

إنَّ الرفيق يراد قبل طريقهم

والجار قبل الدار يطلب مرسما

The companion is sought before the road;

The neighbor is sought before the house, as a settled rule.

والليل كِنَّ لما تُحِبُّ خفاءَهُ

ولما تحب ظهوره كن أيوما

Make night a shelter for what you wish concealed;

For what you wish revealed, be daylight.

ولمقصدٍ قمراً تكون مقهقرا

في عين ناظره الأمام مؤمّما

For a purpose, be a moon that appears to recede

In its observer's eye, while aiming forward.

وبغربة لا تصحبن مبطناً

فبطانة للسوء تذهب محرما

In a foreign land, do not accompany a secretive man:

An inner circle of evil leaves you deprived.

وبغربة لا تصحبن مذبذباً

فمذبذبٌ أفعى تنيب مسمما

In a foreign land, do not accompany a wavering man:

The wavering man is a viper baring venomous fangs.

وبغربة لا تصحبن مبذراً

إن المبذر للشياطين يُرْسَما

In a foreign land, do not accompany a spendthrift:

The spendthrift is reckoned among the devils.

واصحب موات لا يبطن مستو

سرفاً يباعد لا يقاتر درهما

Accompany an agreeable, open, balanced man;

One who shuns extravagance without begrudging a dirham.

واصحب لحرّ إذ تلوم يقيمه

واصحب نسيباً لا يبدل معتما

Accompany a free man whom your rebuke sets right;

Accompany a well-born man who does not change [ending unclear].

واصحب خياراً فالخيار تعز من

يدنو لها وبصحبة لن تكلما

Accompany the best: the best honor whoever

Draws near them, and their company will not wound you.

واقدم كقسورةٍ أديباً واقتنص

لعلوم نافعة حَلَتْ أو علقما

Advance like a lion, well-mannered, and hunt

Useful knowledge, whether sweet or bitter as colocynth.

ولما نأى قِسْ بالذي دنا وادنُهُ

فإذا فعلت لذاك نلت المحتما

Measure what is distant by what is near, and draw it close;

If you do that, you attain what is assured.

وإذا نبت بك في الزمان مواضعٌ

أو نابك الكمد ارحلنّ محذرما

If, in changing times, places prove inhospitable to you,

Or grief befalls you, depart swiftly.

وإذا تريد طلاق نسوية فَقُمْ

وارحل أو ارْحَلْهَا قبيل المصرما

If you desire a woman's divorce, arise

And depart, or send her away, shortly before severing the bond.

وثلاثة ليس المكافي يكافها

ضيفٌ وطامِعُ ثم خاطب أيما

Three are beyond a requiter's requital:

A guest, a hopeful petitioner, and one courting an unmarried woman.

وثلاثة إياكها لا تأمنن

فعدىً نساءً أو سفيهُ ملمّما

Beware of three; never feel secure with them:

Enemies, women, or an intrusive fool.

وثلاثة فاظلم وإلا تُظلم

عبدٌ كذا ولدٌ وزوجةُ فاظلما

Three: wrong them, or else you will be wronged—

A slave, likewise a child, and a wife: wrong them.

وثلاثة لِلْحُبِّ تورث في الزمن

فتواضعٌ أدبٌ ودينٌ فالزما

Three bequeath love through time:

Humility, good manners, and religion: hold fast to them.

وثلاثة بجّل لها عزاً تنل

شيخاً وسلطاناً ووالدك اخدما

Honor three, and you will attain esteem:

An elder, a ruler, and your father: serve them.

وإذا لك الأمر الصعيب رموا له

هوّن عليك يهن له تر سلما

If they cast a difficult affair upon you,

Make it easy for yourself; it becomes easy, and you see safety.

والناس مثل الناس ثم بلادها

كبلادها اللائي بعينك فاحكما

People are like people, and their lands

Like the lands before your eyes: judge accordingly.

ووِفاقُ كُلٍّ أن تقابل بالذي

يرضيك منه وفاعلٌ ذي قلّما

Harmony with everyone means responding with what

Pleases you from him; few practice this.

وسوى تقي باعدنَّ من الذي

ينمي لأهل الدهر كلاً كلما

Except for the devout, keep far from anyone

Who carries every word to the people of the age.

وقناعة أسنى اللباس تجمّلن

بقناعة فبعزها لن تهدما

Contentment is the finest garment: adorn yourself

With contentment; through its dignity you will not be broken.

واكتم أمورك إذ تريد نجاحها

ومعان سِرِّ الحق حقاً فاكتما

Conceal your affairs when you desire their success;

And truly conceal the meanings of the Truth's secret.

ودع التَّدَعّي للمقام ولو تصل

واترك لغير مكون كي تغنما

Abandon claims to spiritual station, even if you attain it;

Leave it to the Uncreated, that you may prosper [reading uncertain].

وحقيقة كن وازناً بشريعة

وشريعة بحقيقة لك فاعمما

Weigh spiritual reality by sacred law;

And sacred law by spiritual reality: apply this broadly.

وطريقة للقوم سلّم أهلها

وإليك من نكران غرٍّ معجما

Accept the people's spiritual path and its adherents;

Keep away from an ignorant denial of what seems obscure.

فخلاف علم ليس يحصر حاصر

والطّرق للمولى بعدِّ المغنما

Differences in knowledge cannot be encompassed by any reckoner;

And paths to the Lord are numbered with the gains [wording uncertain].

واعلم بأني ما ذكرت لذا هوى

ولبيس ما يهوى يقال وبيسما

Know that I have not spoken this from mere desire;

Wretched indeed is what is said from desire!

بل إنه لتذكُّرٍ ولفيد من

يهوى لفائدة بحب مفعما

Rather, it is for remembrance and the benefit of whoever

Desires benefit, overflowing with love.

ولكونه قد قيل بعد تجرّبٍ

يهواه ذو القلب السليم المسقما

Because it was spoken after experience,

One with a sound yet afflicted heart loves it.

وإذا الدليل تراه جاء طريقة

منها يجيء صراطه خذ قلما

When you see the guide come by a path,

From which his road emerges, take a pen.

والدهر مثل الأيكة الْعُلْما له

كقوادمٍ ومُجَرِّبٌ عودٌ هُما

Time is like a thicket; its learned men

Are like leading flight feathers, and an experienced man a seasoned shoot—both.

ولقد حمدت بعيد قول لكونه

أُحبي بسامعه وحبَّ تَعَلُّما

I gave thanks after speaking, because it

Was bestowed upon its hearer, who loved learning,

بفتى قريضا يُمْلِهِ وفنونه

وفنونه بتفنن تتقدّما

Through a youth dictating verse and its arts;

Its arts advance through skillful variety.

حاولت حين رأيت أن أمْحَنه

فمنحته بعد اختياري يمما

When I saw him, I tried to test him;

Then, after my choosing, I granted him what he sought.

فعلمت أن الشبل والده الأسد

وكريمُ أصلٍ لا يغيره الظما

I knew that the cub's father was the lion;

And thirst does not alter one of noble stock.

فجعلته وسط الفؤاد وشغفه

شغفاً له وجزائنا المتيمما

I placed him in the heart's center and its deepest chamber,

Out of ardent love for him, and as our intended recompense.

وبشكره أنميته بجماعة

درراً هواها هوى لنا متنظما

In gratitude to him, I raised it with a collection

Of pearls, whose love is a love for us, strung together.

فأمورنا حمداً ببدء واحد

تعلو بحول الله تنمو المختما

Our affairs, with praise, have a single beginning;

Through God's power they rise and grow to their conclusion.

وبه صلاتي على النبي محمد

لكماله بكمالها لن تحتما

Through Him, my blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad,

For his perfection, in their perfection, shall not be cut short [reading uncertain].

وبه حمدت على الختام وبدئها

مستغفراً من كل ذنب يختما

Through Him I gave praise at its ending and its beginning,

Seeking forgiveness for every sin, bringing it to a close.