خَبَت نارُ نَفسي بِاشتِعالِ مَفارِقي
وَأَظلَمَ لَيلي إِذ أَضاءَ شِهابُها
My soul's fire faded when my beloved left,
And my night darkened when its meteors lit it.
أَيا بومَةً قَد عَشَّشَت فَوقَ هامَتي
عَلى الرُغمِ مِنّي حينَ طارَ غُرابُها
O owl nested arrogantly on my resolve -
Away with you though your fledglings twitter!
رَأَيتِ خَرابَ العُمرِ مِنّي فَزُرتِني
وَمَأواكِ مِن كُلِّ الدِيارِ خَرابُها
You saw time ravage me and visited my ruins,
Though ruins are your home from all lands.
أَأَنعَمُ عَيشاً بَعدَ ما حَلَّ عارِضِي
طَلائِعُ شَيبٍ لَيسَ يُغني خَضابُها
Can I live in comfort when gray appears,
Though henna's disguise may profit it naught?
إِذا اِصفَرَّ لَونُ المَرءِ وَاِبيَضَّ شَعرُهُ
تَنَغَّصَ مِن أَيّامِهِ مُستَطابُها
When a man's hue pales and his hair whitens,
The sweet days of his life become bitter.
فَدَع عَنكَ سَوآتِ الأُمورِ فَإِنَّها
حَرامٌ عَلى نَفسِ التَقيِّ اِرتِكابُها
Leave the moral faults alone, for piety
Forbids the righteous soul to commit them.
وَأَدِّ زَكاةَ الجاهِ وَاِعلَم بِأَنَّها
كَمِثلِ زَكاةِ المالِ تَمَّ نِصابُها
Give your fame its alms, and understand
It's like the alms upon wealth when due.
وَأَحسِن إِلى الأَحرارِ تَملِك رِقابَهُم
فَخَيرُ تِجاراتِ الكِرامِ اِكتِسابُها
Do good unto the noble and gain their necks -
To gain them is the best commerce of honor.
وَلا تَمشِيَن في مَنكِبِ الأَرضِ فاخِراً
فَعَمّا قَليلٍ يَحتَويكَ تُرابُها
Walk not haughtily upon the earth's surface
For soon enough it will hold you in its dust.
وَمَن يَذُقِ الدُنيا فَإِنّي طَعَمتُها
وَسيقَ إِلَينا عَذبُها وَعَذابِها
I have tasted of this world - it proffered
To us its sweet and bitter, pleasure and pain.
فَلَم أَرَها إِلّا غُروراً وَباطِلاً
كَما لاحَ في ظَهرِ الفَلاةِ سَرابُها
I found it naught but vanity and falseness,
Like mirages upon the horizon's breadth.
وَماهِيَ إِلّا جِيَفَةٌ مُستَحيلَةٌ
عَلَيها كِلابٌ هَمُّهُنَّ اِجتِذابُها
It is but a vile carcass fought over
By dogs whose only care is to drag at it.
فَإِن تَجتَنِبها كُنتَ سِلماً لِأَهلِها
وَإِن تَجتَذِبها نازَعَتكَ كِلابُها
If you avoid it you'll live in peace with its people,
But if you seek it its hounds will contest you.
فَطوبى لِنَفسٍ أُولِعَت قَعرَ دارِها
مُغَلِّقَةَ الأَبوابِ مُرخَىً حِجابُها
Happy the soul that lodged in its home's depth,
Doors barred, curtains drawn, hidden from all.
