يا سائقَ الأضعانِ يَسري في الفَلا
مُغرَى بِكُسثبانِ العقيقِ واللوى
O driver of the camels walking through the empty desert,
Delighted by the red sand dunes and twisted shrubs.
دَعْ عَنْك ذِكْرَِ الواخِداتِ البزْل في
مهامةٍ تُسَلّي أربابَ النُّهى
Leave behind the recollection of the slender graceful ladies
In revelry that comforts the desirous souls.
لا تبكيَنْ على أَثافٍ قَدْ خَلا
واقِدُها فَهْيَ كأحجار الخلا
Don't shed tears over camps now vacant,
With extinguished fires like cold stones.
ولا على نوىً كأنَّ رَسْمَها
دارِسُ رسمِ الرَّوثِ من بَغْلِ الرحى
Nor for homes that seem as if
Their shapes were erased by the millstone's track.
مَنازِلٌ لَمْ يَرَها مُسافِرٌ
إلاَّ إذا ما ضَلَّ عَنْ طُرْق الهُدَى
Abodes never seen by travelers
Except when they have strayed from the paths of guidance.
واسمَعْ وَصَايا حاذِقٍ مُجَرِّبٍ
يُصغي إلى أقواله ذوو الهوى
Listen to the advice of an expert and seasoned one,
Whose words appeal to the passionate souls.
أُخَيِّ قَولي كُلُّهُ حقٌ فَلا
تَقِسْ مَقالي وَهْوَ حقٌ بالهدى
My brother, all my words are true so do not
Judge my speech- for it is true and rightly guided.
واعَملْ بما أقولُهُ واطّرح ال
جَهلَ فإنَّ الجهلَ يَزْري بالفَتى
Act upon what I say and abandon
Ignorance for it demeans the youth.
إذا وَجَدْتَ في الشِّتاءِ عارياً
مُرْتَعِداً ناد عَلَيْكَ بالدِّفا
If you find in winter someone naked,
Shivering, call him to your shelter.
مَنْ قَتَلَ الحيّة في هاجرةٍ
عرَّضَ نَفْسَهُ يقيناً لِلبِلى
Whoever kills a snake in its nest
Surely exposes himself to ruin.
وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَشكو صُداعَ رأسِهِ
فليسَ يَشْفي ما به كحل الجلا
And whoever complains of a headache
Will not be cured by kohl for the eyes.
وليسَ مَن يسكُنُ قاعاً صَفْصَفا
مثلَ الذي يسكُنُ بيتاً بالكُرى
Nor is he who dwells in a flimsy hut
Like one living in a house in the town.
والقِطُّ قد يَخْدِشُ مَنْ لاعَبَهُ
والكلبُ إنْ أوجَعَه الضّرْبُ عوى
A kitten may scratch the one playing with it,
And a dog will howl if you strike it hard.
والطّفلُ قَد يَضْحَكُ إنْ أطعَمْتَه
الحلوى وإنْ أخذْتَها منهُ بكى
A child may laugh if you feed him sweets,
And cry if you take them away.
والخُبْزُ للجائعِ أدمٌ كُلُّهُ
والصّيْفُ أدْفا زَمناً منَ الشتا
Bread is completely addictive for the hungry,
And summer more agreeable than winter.
وَيَشْبعُ الجائِعُ بالخُبزِ وَلا
يَشْبَعُ مَنْ مَصَّ مِنَ الجوعِ النّوى
The hungry are sated with bread but those
Who chew hunger cannot be sated.
والقُطنُ إذْ يُضْرَبُ لا صَوْتَ لهُ
وإنْ ضَرَبْتَ الطّبْلَ بالسّوط دوى
Cotton makes no sound when beaten
But the drum struck with a whip resounds.
وَيُظلِمُ البيتُ بِغَيْرِ كُوَّةٍ
ويستنيرُ إنْ تَكُنْ به كُوَى
A house is dark without a window
And illuminated if it has an opening.
والماءُ لا يَسْكَرُ مَنْ يَشْرَبُه
والخمرُ قد يَشْرَبُها مَنِ انتَشَى
Water does not intoxicate the one who drinks it
Yet wine may be drunk by the exhilarated.
مَنْ مَسكوهُ وَهْوَ في سُكْرَته
وَضَرَبوهُ الحدَّ لا شَكَّ صَحَا
One who was drunk when he was lashed
Undoubtedly became sober from the flogging.
مَن عامَ في الحَشِّ ولا يَغْسِلُ ما
علاهُ أعمى النّاشِقَينِ
He who roams around in the jungle without washing
What soils him is blind in both eyes.
من غرس البقل على ساقيةٍ
بطالةٍ في شَهْرِ تموزَ ذَوَى
Whoever plants beans on an abandoned canal
In the month of July has perished.
مَنْ طَلَبَ المعشوقَ مِنْ عاشقهِ
عادَ وباتَ تَحْتَ النّدى
Whoever seeks their beloved from their lover
Returns to spend the night under the dew.
وَمَنْ ثنى فَيْشَتَهُ
وبالَ سالَ بولُهُ إلى وَرا
And whoever bends down to defecate
His urine flows back onto his heel.
منْ صاحَِ في سَفْحِ الجبال وَحْدَهُ
جاوَبَهُ في ذلكَ الوقت الصّدى
Whoever yells alone on a mountain slope
Is answered back the same hour by the echo.
مَن أكَلَ الفِجْلَ تجشّى بعدما
يأكُلُه بِساعة مثلَ
Whoever eats raw onions will complain after
Eating them for about an hour.
مَن تَرك النّاسَ وَلم يسْتجدهم
ظنّوا بأنّه يطيرُ في الهوا
Whoever leaves people without greeting them
They think he is flying in the air.
والشّاعرُ المُفْلِقُ في زَمانِنا
لو جاءَ بالحِكْمةِ قالوا قد هذى
The eloquent poet in our time,
If he spoke wisdom they would say he is crazy.
منْ لَمْ يَكُنْ في النّاسِ ذا أذيّةِ
تخافُ منها أو قعوهُ في الأذى
Whoever was not harmful to people,
Fearing harm or wronging them,
كم صَوَّبَ النّاسُ خَطا ذوي الغنى
وزَعَموا ما قالَ ذو الفقر الخطا
How often the wealthy have blamed the poor man's mistake
And pretended the poor man’s words were wrong.
وَمَنْ يَكُنْ في النّاسِ لا حَظَّ لهُ
راحَ وجاءَ بَيْنهُمْ مِثلَ
And whoever among the people has no luck,
He goes and comes back the same as them.
لا تَطْلُبَنَّ الرِّزْقَ مِن طالبه
واطلُبُه منْ خالقه رَبِّ السّما
Do not seek sustenance from the one who seeks it
But seek it from its Creator, the Lord of the skies.
فالبدرُ قد يَنْقُصُ بعدَ تَمِّهِ
وَقَدْ يعودُ نورُهُ كما بَدا
For the full moon may wane after its perfection
And its light return as it began.
