يَتلونَ أَسفارَهُم وَالحَقُّ يُخبِرُني
بِأَنَّ آخِرَها مَينٌ وَأَوَّلَها
They read their journeys, while the truth informs me
That its end is trouble and its beginning is
صَدَقتَ يا عَقلُ فَليُبعَد أَخو سَفَهٍ
صاغَ الأَحاديثَ إِفكاً أَو تَأَوَّلَها
You were right, O mind, so let the foolish brother be dismissed
He fabricated tales or misinterpreted them
وَلَيسَ حِبرٌ بِبِدعٍ في صَحابَتِهِ
إِن سامَ نَفعاً بِأَخبارٍ تَقَوَّلَها
Ink is not with innovation among his companions
If he gained benefit relating fabricated news
وَإِنَّما رامَ نُسواناً تَزَوَّجَها
بِما اِفتَراهُ وَأَموالاً تَمَوَّلَها
Rather he sought to marry women with what he invented
And acquired wealth with what he misappropriated
طالَ العَناءُ بِكَونِ الشَخصِ في أُمَمٍ
تَعُدُّ فِريَةَ غاويها مُعَوَّلَها
Misery has been prolonged by the person being among nations
That count its misguided one as depended upon
وَسَوفَ يَرقُدُ في الغَبراءِ مُضطَرِبٌ
قَد سارَ آفاقَ دُنياهُ وَجَوَّلَها
And he will sleep in the dust, troubled
After traveling the horizons of his world and wandering through it
لَأَهجُرَنَّكَ لا عَن بِغضَةٍ سَلَفَت
بَل شيمَةٌ حَمَّها قَدرٌ وَسَوَّلَها
I will surely abandon you, not out of past hatred
But dignity instilled by fate and tempted by it
وَصاحِبُ الشَرعِ كانَ القُدسُ قِبلَتَهُ
صَلّى إِلَيها زَماناً ثُمَّ حَوَّلَها
The companion of Islamic law had Jerusalem as his direction of prayer
He prayed towards it for a time, then changed it
لا يَخدَعَنَّكَ داعٍ قامَ في مَلَإٍ
بِخُطبَةٍ زانَ مَعناها وَطَوَّلَها
Let not a caller deceive you, who stood before a gathering
With a sermon whose meaning was adulterated and prolonged
فَما العِظاتُ وَإِن راعَت سِوى حِيَلٍ
مِن ذي مَقالٍ عَلى ناسٍ تَحَوَّلَها
Sermons are nothing but ruses
From one with speech over people he has misled
وَالدَهرُ يُنسي كَمِيَّ الحَربِ صارِمَهُ
وَدِرعَهُ وَفَتاةَ الحَيِّ مِجوَلَها
Time makes forgotten the sword bearer in war
His armor and the dashing stallion in its prime
وَيَستَرِدُّ مِنَ النَفسِ الَّتي شَرُفَت
ما كانَ في سالِفِ الأَيّامِ خَوَّلَها
And takes back from the soul which became noble
What it was given in days passed long ago
وَجِروَلٌ صارَ تُرباً بَعدَ مَنطِقِهِ
وَلَم يُشابِه مِنَ الصَحراءِ جَروَلَها
An orator became dust after his speech
And did not resemble the wilderness he declaimed
قَضِّ الزَمانَ بِإِجمالٍ وَتَمشِيَةٍ
لِلأَمرِ إِنَّ وَراءَ الروحِ مِغوَلَها
Spend time wholesomely and walk about
For the spirit’s journey follows behind it
وَالوِردِ يَكفيكَ مِنهُ شُربَةٌ حُمِلَت
في الرَكبِ إِن مَنَعَتكَ الأَرضُ جَدوَلَها
A sip of roses will suffice if you obtain it
On your travels, if the land denied you its streams
