في كلّ منقلب غيظ أساء به

وكلّ منقلب لي فيه ما يتر

With every turn of anger that did him wrong

And every turn that brought me benefit

وكل يوم أرى في صرفه عبرا

تدقّ في جنبها الآيات والعبر

And every day I see in its events

Signs and lessons that prod its side

تراع بالخطب وقتا ثم يتبعه

خطب يهون الذي ولى ويحتقر

It oscillates between sermons for a time, then is followed

By sermons that make easy what has passed and belittled

تبارك الله باد العلم والأثر

أم غيّرت صالحات الخلقة الغير

Blessed is God, the traces of knowledge have vanished

Or has the nature of righteousness changed in creation?

بقدر ما كانت الآداب نافقة

وتشتهي صارت الآداب تحتضر

To the extent etiquette was hypocritical

And craved, etiquette started to die out

والحلم والعلم والأخبار ضائعة

والخير محتقر والشر مشتهر

Patience, knowledge and news are lost

Good is scorned and evil spread

أشقى الورى في زمان السوء من سلفت

أيّامه بين قوم كلهم غرر

Most wretched of creatures in an evil time is he whose days

Were among a people, all of them fools

وخلفته الليالي بعد فقدهم

على أناس زمان كلهم بقر

And the nights left him after losing them

Among people of the time, all of them cattle

لقد دفعت إلى قوم إذا انتسبوا

فلا ربيعة تؤويهم ولا مضر

Indeed I have come to a people who when they claim descent

Neither Rabi'a shelters them nor Mudar

ما يطمع الضيف في أزوادهم بخلا

على الخصاصة ولا موسى ولا الخضر

A guest hopes not for provisions from their stinginess

Not even for crumbs, neither Moses nor Al-Khidr

عند الشرور مرابيح فإن حضروا

سوق المكارم في أوطانها خسروا

The evildoers have lanterns, so if they attended

The market of virtues in their homelands they would lose

فمن رأى ما رأت عيناي من نفر

كانوا هم الراس فيه السمع والبصر

Whoever saw what my eyes have seen of a band

Who used to be leaders in hearing and sight

ثم اغتدى بين هذا النشء أتبعهُ

جهّالهم وتأوى قلبه الحذر

Then insolence grew between this generation following them

Their ignorance took refuge and cautiousness left his heart

ذاك الغريب يقينا ليس من نزحت

دارٌ به وسعى في همّه القدر

That stranger for certain did not emigrate from a house

That contained him, and fate busied itself with his concerns

بقاني الله حتّى صرت في نفر

من سوقة ما لحرّ فيهم وطرُ

God has kept me until I came to be among a band

Whose marketplace contains no virtue or wares

عن المعالي إذا ما استنهضوا غيبٌ

وإن دناة بدت أو غيبة حضروا

When roused to glory, they are absent

And if nearby, they are present when ignored

أيد طوال إلى المكروه ما قدروا

وفي ابتناء المعالي شانها القصر

Long hands for wrongdoing they are unable

And in building virtues their trait is falling short

أشدّهم رغبة في ودّ صاحبه

عند الرخاء وفي اللأواء لا ورر

The most eager of them in his companion's affection

Is at ease, but in hardship there is no consolation

كالقوس في الحرب لا يرجى الغناء بها

ولا القتال إذا ما خانها الوتر

Like a bow in war, no singing is expected from it

Nor fighting if the bowstring betrays it

أو نخلة السوء يأوي البوم مذ يفعت

في رأسها وهي لا شيص ولا كثر

Or a date palm of evil on which an owl roosts since it bore fruit

While it has neither clusters nor abundance

وصاحب السوء لا ترجى منافعه

كصفحة الذئب لا صوف ولا شعر

And an evil companion, no benefits are hoped from him

Like the friendship of a wolf, neither wool nor hair

قد تطلع الشمس والأقذاء تحجبها

أو الضباب ويحمي ورده النهر

The sun may rise but fog hides it

Or mist, yet the river protects its roses

وينزل الغيث في أرض مسبّخة

وينثني وهي لا نبت ولا شحر

And rain descends on arid land

Yet turns away while it has no plants or trees

إني سمعت بقوم أوطنوا هجرا

والدومتين وطابت عندهم هجر

I heard of a people who settled the wilderness,

And al-Dumatayn became pleasant to inhabit

باعوا المنازل والأوطان وانتقلوا

سوء الجوار جلاهم بعد ما صبروا

They sold their dwellings and homelands and moved

The evil of a neighbor expelled them after they endured

تقدّس الله فالأرزاق قد قسمت

ما حمّ آت وما لم يقضه عسر

Holy is God, livelihoods have been apportioned

What has been brought and what hardship has not judged

حظّ الأديب اللبيب الماء والكسر

وحظّ ذي الجهل فيه المال والبدر

The share of the intelligent scholar is water and crumbs

And the share of the ignorant is wealth and full moons

وكم أديب غبيّ في تقلّبه

وكم غبيّ فقير ماله كسر

How many a foolish scholar in his turns

And many a poor fool, his wealth is broken

إن المبخّل يستغني ويحتكر

والحرّ ما عاش يستغني ويفتقر

Surely the miser acts self-sufficient and hoards

While the noble is never self-sufficient and needs

من العلامة في الأشرار أنهمُ

في كل ما كثرت أموالهم كفروا

Of the signs of the evildoers is that whenever

Their wealth increased, they disbelieved

وفي الكرام علامات إذا منعوا

عاذروا بصبر وإن أعطوا الغنى شكروا

And of the noble are signs that if they refused to give

They would excuse with patience, and if gave wealth, thank

لقد دفعت إلى أمر تحمّله

هدم الحياة وفي أشيائه أشر

Indeed I have been handed an ordeal

Which destroyed life, and in its affairs the worst

أجري على الطبع في تأديب جاهلهم

ورده عن قبيح مثله غرر

I act according to my nature in disciplining their ignorance

And correcting him from an ugliness like it, another ugliness

وينثني مغضبا نحوي يقاتلني

وأنثني من وراء الحق أعتذر

And he turns angrily toward me, fighting me

While I turn away behind the truth, apologizing