شمر الذيل وبادر للعمل — Mohamed Almawali

شمِّر الذيلَ وبادر للعملْ

والزمِ التقوى ودعْ عنك الكَسلْ

Tuck up your hem and hasten to work.

Hold fast to piety and cast laziness aside.

واسلكن طرقَ المعالي والتقى

وَدَعَنْ ذكرَ المناني والطللْ

Follow the paths of lofty achievement and piety.

Leave off recalling old abodes and ruined dwellings.

واهجرٍ القولَ الذي لا يرتجى

منه نفعاً وافعلِ الخيرَ تنلْ

Abandon speech from which no

benefit is hoped; do good, and you will gain.

وبذكر اللهِ فالهجْ لا تكنْ

بسوى الله تعالى مُشْتَغِلْ

Keep God's remembrance on your tongue; do not be

occupied with anything besides God, exalted is He.

واتق الله تقى عبد صفا

قلبه لله في كل عَمَلْ

Fear God with the piety of a servant whose

heart is pure for God in every deed.

إن خيرَ الزاد تقوى الله والجه

لُ مردودٌ عَلَى مَنْ قد جَهِلْ

Indeed, the best provision is fear of God, and ignorance

is turned back upon those who are ignorant.

وايْدَ بالقُرانِ تعليماً له

إن في القرآن تفسيرَ الجُملْ

And reinforce teaching for him with the Qur'an,

for the Qur'an explains general statements.

واحفظِ الشرعَ وكرّر دَرْسَه

أبداً في كلِّ حينٍ لا تملْ

Preserve the religious law and repeat its study

always, at every moment; do not grow weary.

واقرأ الشعرَ يسجعٍ سالمٍ

فهو ديوان المصاليتِ الأُوَلْ

And read poetry in sound rhyming verse,

for it is the record of the bold warriors of old.

إن في الشعر لحكماً بيناً

قالَ فيه أحمد خيرُ الرسلْ

Indeed, poetry contains clear wisdom,

as Ahmad, the best of messengers, said of it.

واضرب النية للهِ ولا

تكُ ذا حمقٍ وعن ذاك فسَلْ

Set your intention for God, and do not

be foolish; ask about that.

لا تقل قولاً ولا تعمل بلا

نيةٍ واسمعْ مقالي ولا تملْ

Speak no word and perform no deed without

intention; hear my words and do not grow weary.

لا تجادلْ إن تعامى جاهلٌ

في أمور فأخو الجهلِ الجدلْ

Do not argue when an ignorant man feigns blindness

in matters, for disputation is ignorance's sibling.

وإذا قلتَ نعمْ فاعملْ بها

إنما العاقلُ إن قال فَعَل

When you say yes, act upon it.

The truly sensible man does what he says.

ودعِ الإكثارَ في الوصل فمن

زارَ غِبّاً زادَ حبّاً وإنْ وَصلْ

Avoid excessive visiting, for whoever

visits sparingly grows more loved, even when he calls.

وذر النذلَ ولا تنصحْ لهُ

إنما النذلُ كثوبٍ مُبْتذَلْ

Leave the base fellow alone; offer him no counsel.

The base fellow is merely a worn-out garment:

فإذا أصلحته لم يَنْصلح

كلما رقْعتَ بعضاً ينحلِلْ

when you mend it, it will not stay mended;

whenever you patch one part, it comes apart.

وطِّنِ النفس على الصبرِ ولا

تكترثْ يوماً إنِ الخطبُ نزَلْ

Accustom your soul to patience, and do not

be troubled whenever calamity descends.

وإذا شئتَ شِرَاءَ أشياءَ من

سرقِ أهل العدل عنها لا تَسَلْ

And if you wish to purchase things from

the thefts of upright people [unclear reading], do not inquire about them.

فإذا قدّمَ شىءٌ لك فخذ

لا تقلْ من أين مأتاهُ وكلْ

If something is offered to you, take it.

Do not ask where it came from; eat.

إنما دنياك فاعلمْ كلها

شبهاتٌ إن تعمَ فيها تضلْ

Know that your worldly life is entirely

full of doubtful things; if you are blind amid them, you stray.

قلّما تسلم منها حبةٌ

خلصتْ من كل عابٍ مَدخَلْ

Rarely is even a grain spared in it,

free of every blemish introduced into it.

لستَ مسئولاً عن الشىءِ الذي

لست فيه عالِماً أو مستحلْ

You are not accountable for something

of which you have no knowledge, or which you do not deem lawful.

إنما تسألُ عن علمك بالشىء

أو قد كنت في شىءِ مُضلْ

You are accountable only for your knowledge of a thing,

or for having misled others in some matter.

فدِع القالةَ والزمْ ما ترى

فضياءُ الشمس يغنى عن زُحَلْ

Leave gossip aside and hold to what you see:

the sun's light makes Saturn unnecessary.

وإذا صاحبتَ فاصحبْ سيِّداً

صادقَ اللهجة ذا إن عَدَلْ

If you keep company, befriend a noble man,

truthful in speech—such a man, if he is just.

فإذا أولاكَ فاحفظْ وده

واعفُ عنه إن بَدَا منه خَلَلْ

When he bestows kindness on you, preserve his affection.

Pardon him if a fault appears in him.

إن يكنْ قبلُ وليّاً مُحسنا

فاذكرِ الإحسانَ منه واحتِيلْ

If he was formerly a beneficent friend,

remember his kindness and act resourcefully.

وكذا سركَ صنه جاهداً

عن جميع الخلق طُرّا يا رجلْ

Likewise, guard your secret diligently

from all people, every one, O man.

إنما الشرُّ كجمر في الحشَا

يتَلظَّى أو كنَارِ تَشْتَعِلُ

Evil is but an ember in the breast,

flaming, or like a blazing fire.

لم يطق كتمانَه خلقٌ سوى

مَنْ أرادَ اللهُ ربى ذُو الأزَلْ

No person can bear to conceal it except

one whom God, my Lord, the Eternal, wills.

والزم الشُّورى وإن شاورتَ في

فِعل أمرٍ لا تخالف وامْتَثِلْ

Hold fast to consultation; when you seek counsel about

undertaking a matter, do not oppose it, but comply.

كلْ من المطعومِ ما شئت ولا

تلبس الفاخرَ أو أَرْدَا الحُللْ

Eat whatever food you wish, but do not

wear either luxurious or the shabbiest garments.

وإذا ما شئت تزويجاً فخُذ

وسَطام الحسن وارفض ما كَمُلْ

If you wish to marry, choose

middling beauty, rejecting what is perfect.

وكذاكَ نهيُك عَن تزويج من

قبحت من دونِ ربات الكِلَلْ

Likewise, you are forbidden to marry one

whose ugliness puts her below the ladies behind bridal curtains.

وذواتُ الحسن منها كالذي

حل بستاناً فيا نعمَ المَحَلْ

The beautiful among them are like one

who settles in a garden—what an excellent abode!

أو كَرَوْضٍ باكرتْه مزنةٌ

فهمَا الغيث بها ثم انْهَطَلْ

Or like a meadow visited at dawn by a raincloud:

rain streams over it, then pours down.

يجتنى من كلِّ زهرٍ رائقٍ

ويشورُ الريقَ منها كالْعسلْ

One gathers from every lovely flower

and draws from them saliva like honey.

فاحفظِ الوصفَ وكُن ذَا فطنةٍ

ودع الجهلَ وخُذْ قولي وقُلْ

Remember the description and be discerning.

Leave ignorance aside; take my words and speak.

واقطعْ الآمالَ مِن مال الورى

واعتصمْ باللهِ نعم المتكلْ

Cut off hopes of obtaining other people's wealth.

Cling to God for protection—excellent is He to rely upon.

إنما المرءُ إذا ما طمعتْ

نفسه في مال مَنْ والاه ذَلْ

Indeed, when a person's

soul covets the wealth of someone he befriends, he is abased.

وإذا ما قنعتْ نفسُ امرئٍ

عظمتْ هيبتُه فيهم وَجَلْ

And when a person's soul is content,

his prestige among them grows, and he becomes eminent.

وصن المال وفرق طرَفا

منه فالمرضىُّ منهم مَنْ بَذَلْ

Safeguard your wealth and distribute a portion

of it, for the esteemed among them is whoever gives.

لا تفرقْه عليهم كلّهُ

تَنْدَمَنْ فالناسُ أعداءُ المُقِلْ

Do not distribute all of it among them:

you will regret it, for people are enemies of those with little.

إنما المالُ لعزٍّ باذخٍ

وكذَا الإقلالُ في دنياكَ ذُل

Wealth brings lofty honor,

and poverty in your world brings humiliation.

إنما دُنياك بالمالِ تُرى

في ذُرى العليا وأخرى بالعَمَلْ

Through wealth your worldly life is seen

at the loftiest heights, and the other life through deeds.

ودعِ الخرصَ ولا تسلك له

طرقاً فالحرصُ كم شخص قتَلْ

Leave conjecture aside and do not follow its

paths, for greed has killed so many people.

فأرَى الناسَ صديقاً لفتىً

ذَا سخارٍ وأعادى مَنْ بَخَلْ

I see people befriending a young man

of generosity, and opposing whoever is stingy.

لا تغرنْك الأماني كلما

كثُر المال فتهوى في ظُلَلْ

Do not let hopes deceive you whenever

wealth increases, lest you fall into shadows.

أكثرُ الناس إذا ما كثرُ الم

الُ في كفيه في دنياهُ ضَلّْ

Most people, when their wealth increases

in their hands, stray in their worldly life.

إِنما قارونُ من أجلِ الغنى

ساخَ في الأرضين مما قد عَمَلْ

Indeed, Qarun, because of his riches,

sank into the earth because of what he had done.

فإذا أوتيته فاعملْ بما

جاءَ في القرآنِ في السبع الطُّوَلْ

If you are given wealth, act according to what

appears in the Qur'an, in the seven long surahs.

وذَرِ الشىءَ الذي صاحبُه

إن يُسَائِل عنه يطرق في وَجَلْ

Leave alone the thing whose owner,

when questioned about it, bows his head in fear.

لا يصافِى الحرّ إلا مثلَه

هل ترى الأحرارَ صافتهم سِفلْ

A noble free man sincerely befriends only his equal.

Do you see noble free men befriended by base people?

لا تَرَى الإلْفينِ من كلِّ الوَرَى

ائتلفَا من غير أسبابِ العِلَلْ

You will not see any pair of companions among all people

united without grounds and causes.

ولسانُ المرءِ سيفُ قاطعٌ

يقتلن صاحبَه إنْ هو زَلّْ

A person's tongue is a cutting sword:

it will kill its owner if it slips.

وجراحُ النطقِ لا يُبْرَا المُدى

وجراحُ السيفِ يُبْرَى بالمهَلْ

Wounds from speech do not heal with time,

while wounds from swords heal in time.

إنْ يكن نطقُك ورداً كلّه

تجتنيه الناسُ فالصمتُ عَسَلْ

If your speech is entirely roses

that people pluck, then silence is honey.

وليكن صَمْتُكَ فِكْراً لا تكُنْ

ساكِناً إلا بقلبِ ذِى وَجَلْ

Let your silence be reflection; do not be

still except with a heart full of fear.

ودعِ الأحقادَ والغلّ ولا

تلزمِ الكبْرَ وجانب مَن هَزَلْ

Cast off resentments and rancor, and do not

cling to arrogance; shun whoever acts frivolously.

وذَرِ القُربى ولا تقطعْ لها

رحما فاللهُ ينجِى مَنْ يَصِلْ

Leave your kin alone, but do not sever

their ties of kinship, for God saves those who maintain them.

لا تَزُرْ في كل يومٍ مرةً

كلَّ من تهوى فيعروك الملَلْ

Do not visit once every day

everyone you love, lest boredom overtake you.

ينبغي في كل شهر مرةً

إن يكن منك على قُرْب المَحَلْ

Once each month is fitting

if his dwelling is close to you.

أو يكوننّ بعيداً نازحاً

فزرِ العامَ عزيزاً أو أَقِلُّ

Or if he is far away and distant,

then visit seldom, yearly, or less:

مرةً في كل عامٍ واحدٍ

لا تزدْه ودعَنْ عنك العَذَلْ

once in each single year.

Do not increase it; cast blame aside.

لا نقمْ إلا قليلاً عنده

قدرَ يومٍ أو ثلاثٍ أو أَقَلّْ

Let us stay with him only briefly,

for a day, or three, or less.

وكذا إِنْ هُو وإفاكَ فَقُلْ

مرحباً يا مَنْ إلينَا قد قَفَلْ

Likewise, if he comes to you, say:

Welcome, O you who have returned to us!

والقَه بالبشرِ واللطفِ ولا

تَلْقَه بالغلظِ إنْ معْكَ نَزَلْ

Meet him with cheerfulness and gentleness; do not

meet him harshly if he stays with you.

وإذا صافاك خِلٌّ صافِه

بالوفاءِ المحضِ لا تبغِ البَدَلْ

When a friend offers sincere friendship, reciprocate

with pure loyalty; seek no replacement.

فإذا زلَّ أقِلْ عثرتَه

لا ترى في الخَلْق شخصاً لم يَزِلْ

If he slips, pardon his stumble:

you will find no person who has never slipped.

وإذا أذنبَ عاتبه على

ذَنْبه فالعفوُ أَحْرَى بالرجُلْ

If he sins, reproach him for

his sin, for forgiveness better befits a man.

فَتِّشِ الناسَ جميعاً هل ترى

غيرَ ذى عابٍ وإن كانَ بَطَلْ

Examine all people: do you see

anyone without a flaw, even a hero?

تخُذِ الظاهرَ منهم ودعْ

المختفي وجانبْ ما اشْتكلْ

Take what is outwardly apparent in them, and leave

what is hidden; avoid what is ambiguous.

واجتَنِ الأثمارَ مهما أمكنتْ

فرصة منهم ودعْ عنك الفشلْ

Gather their fruits whenever there is

an opportunity from them; cast failure aside.

واحفظِ الجارَ وإن جارَ فمَنْ

حفظَ الجارَ فقد سدَّ الخَلَلْ

Protect your neighbor even if he wrongs you, for whoever

protects his neighbor has closed a breach.

وأنله إنْ يكُن ذَا عَيلةٍ

من ندى كفيك أو مما قد فَضَلْ

Give to him if he is in need,

from your hands' bounty or from what remains.

واقبلِ العذْرَ من الجاني إذا

بَسَط العذرَ بصدقٍ لا تُبَلْ

Accept the offender's excuse when he

offers it sincerely; do not dwell on it.

لا تكنْ فظّاً غليظَ القلب

ينقض من حَوْلك أهلٌ وخَوَلْ

Do not be rude and hard-hearted:

family and servants will break away from around you.

وارْعَ مَن راعَاك في كلِّ الوَرَى

واقبلِ المعروفَ منه إنْ قَبِلْ

Care for whoever cares for you among all people.

Accept kindness from him, if he accepts.

وابذل المعروفَ وفرّقه علَى

كلِّ ذى فقرٍ ومَنْ عَنْكَ سَأَلْ

Give kindness and distribute it to

everyone in poverty, and whoever asks about you.

يسترُ الجودُ عيوباً وكذا

يظهر العوراتِ في الناسِ البَخَلْ

Generosity conceals flaws, and likewise

stinginess exposes people's failings.

لا تمنيك الأماني في المَدَى

بخلود إنما الدنيا كَظِلّْ

Do not let hopes promise you, through time,

immortality; this world is merely a shadow.

وإذا فاتَك شىءٌ لا تقل

ليتَه لي وعَسَاهُ ولَعَلّْ

If something escapes you, do not say:

If only it were mine! Perhaps it may be! Maybe!

فالتمنّي حرفة الحَمْقَى فلا

تكنْ الأحمقَ إن شىءٌ رَحَلْ

Wishing is the occupation of fools, so do not

be the fool when something has departed.

وارضَ بالشىء الذي يؤتى وإنْ

قَلّ فالعاقل يرضى بالأقَلّْ

Be content with what is given, even if

it is little, for the wise are content with less.

ورَوِّض النفسَ وَوَطنها علَى

عَمل الخير ومِنهاجِ السبُلْ

Train your soul and accustom it to

doing good and following the course of the paths.

فهيَ كالطفل إذا نهنهته

عنَ رضاعِ الندْىِ عنه ينفصلْ

It is like a child: if you restrain it

from suckling the breast, it separates from it.

وإذا أهملته شَبَّ علَى

حبّه الندْىَ مَداهُ واتصلْ

But if you neglect it, it grows up

loving the breast throughout its life, remaining attached.

رُدَّها ما دمتَ في سنِّ الصبى

فعسيرٌ إن إذا المرءُ اكْتَهَلْ

Restrain it while you are still young,

for it is hard, indeed, once a person reaches middle age.

فيصيرُ الفعلُ طبعاً لازماً

أبداً لا ينجلى مثلُ الكَحَلْ

Action then becomes an enduring nature,

never fading, like the eyes' natural dark rims.

قيلَ من شبّ على شىءٍ ولم

يرتدعْ شابَ عليه وثَقُل

It is said: whoever grows up with something and does not

desist, grows gray in it and becomes weighed down.

وإذا مسَّك مكروهٌ فلا

تبتئسْ في الأمر فالدنيا دُوَلْ

If adversity afflicts you, do not

grieve over it, for life brings turns of fortune.

مرةً تسقيك صاباً وكذَا

مرةً تسقيكَ شهداً وعَسَلْ

Sometimes it gives you bitter sap to drink, and likewise

sometimes it gives you honeycomb and honey.

هكذا عادتُهَا مرت على

أممٍ من قبلنا لا تَشْتَغِلْ

Such is its custom; it has passed over

nations before us—do not preoccupy yourself.

فإذا نالك منها طرَفٌ

فتيقن عن قليلٍ يَضْمِحلّْ

If some portion of it reaches you,

be certain that before long it will fade.

لم تدمْ أتراحُها فيها ولا

أبداً يبقى لنَا فيها الجَذَلْ

Its sorrows do not endure within it, nor

does joy remain with us in it forever.

فإذا شبتْ خُلودا دائماً

وترَى الخيراتِ في أعْلَى مَحَلّْ

If, then, you seek lasting immortality,

and see blessings in the highest station,

كنْ كسلطان بن سيف في الوَرَى

وامتنل أخلافه ثمَّ اشتَمِلْ

be like Sultan ibn Sayf among people.

Emulate his character, then clothe yourself in it.

فهْو محمود بخلق مرتضىً

عَمَّ أهلَ السهل جوداً والجَبَلْ

He is praised for pleasing character;

his generosity encompassed people of plain and mountain.

وهْوَ سيفُ اللهِ في الأرض على

مَنْ طغَى وامتازَ بالجهلِ وضَلّْ

He is God's sword on earth against

whoever tyrannizes, is marked by ignorance, and strays.

إنْ جرَى ذكرٌ له في محفلٍ

تشتفى الأجسامُ مِنْ كلِّ العِللْ

If mention of him passes through an assembly,

bodies recover from every ailment.

ملكٌ آراؤه أسيامه

ماضياتٌ حدّها لا يَنْفَلِلْ

A king whose judgments are his swords,

keen-edged, their sharpness never blunted.

وجوادٌ إنْ أتاهُ عاذِلٌ

قال هيَّا سبَق الجودُ والعدَلْ

A generous man: if a critic comes to him,

he says, 'Come! Generosity and justice have already led the way.'

وشجاعٌ علّم الفرسان في

الحرب تصريفَ العوالِي والأَسَلْ

A brave man who taught horsemen, in

war, the wielding of spearheads and lances.

لا تقسْ جدوى يديه بالحيا

إنْ هَمَي مِن مزنة ثمَّ انهَمَلْ

Do not compare his hands' bounty with the rain

when it streams from a cloud, then pours down.

جُودُه أثر فينا مِثْلَمَا

أثَّرت في راحِ كفّيه القُبَلْ

His generosity left its mark on us, just as

kisses left their marks on the palms of his hands.

طوقَتْ نعماه أعناقَ الورى

فهيَ من أعناقهم لا تنحللْ

His favors have encircled people's necks,

and from their necks they never come undone.

يا فَتى سيفِ المليك المرتضى

فُقْتَ أهل الأرض إحساناً فَظَلّْ

O youth of Sayf, the well-approved king,

you surpassed earth's people in kindness—remain so.

فضلَتْ أخلاقُك الحسنى فما

سادَ إلاّ مَنْ على الناس فَضَلْ

Your finest virtues have excelled, for none

has ruled except one who excels other people.

صُلْ على الأعداءِ في أوطانهم

فهمْ يغزونَنَا إن لم تصُلْ

Charge against your enemies in their homelands,

for they will invade us if you do not attack.

وإذا ما صُلْتَ عليهمْ صولة

جوّد الضربةَ ألاّ تندمِلْ

When you launch an onslaught against them,

deliver the blow so well that its wound cannot heal.