إِنَّ التَجارُبَ طَيرٌ تَألَفُ الخَمَرا
يَصيدُها مَن أَفادَ اللُبَّ وَالعُمرا
Experience is a bird that gets used to wine
And is caught by one who gains insight and life
كَم جُزتُ شَهراً وَكَم جَرَّمتُ مِن سَنَةٍ
وَما أَرانِيَ إِلّا جاهِلاً غُمُرا
How many months have I been rewarded and how many years have I sinned
Yet I still see myself as an ignorant lad
وَالغَيُّ كَالنَجمِ عُرياناً بِلا سُتُرٍ
وَلِلحُقوقِ وُجوهٌ أُلبِسَت خُمُرا
Ignorance is like a naked star without a veil
And rights have faces that are veiled
أَلا سَفينَةَ أَو عِبراً أَمُدُّ لَهُ
كَفّي فَأَنجُوَ مِن شَرٍّ لَها غَمَرا
Shall I extend a ship or lesson so he may be saved
From a peril that has flooded him
فَلا يَغُرَّنكَ مِن قُرّائِنا زُمَرٌ
يَتلونَ في الظُلَمِ الفُرقانَ وَالزُمَرا
So let not the groups of our readers deceive you
Who in the dark recite the Furqan and Gatherings
يُقامِرونَ بِما أوتوهُ مِن حِكَمٍ
وَصاحِبُ الظُلَمِ مَقمورٌ إِذا قَمَرا
They gamble with the wisdom they were given
And the owner of darkness is buried when there is moonlight
يُبدي التَدَيُّنَ مُحتالاً ضَمائِرُهُ
غَيرُ الجَميلِ إِذا ماجَسمُهُ ضَمَرا
Their outward piety conceals their deceitful consciences
Unlike a beautiful body whose insides fester
يَشدو مَزاميرَ داوُدٍ وَيُفَضِّلُهُ
في النُسكِ نافِخُ مِزمارٍ لَهُ زُمَرا
They sing the psalms of David and prefer
Over devotion, one who blows a flute and leads gatherings
وَلا تُشيفَن عَلى دارٍ لِتَنظُرَها
فَمَن أَشافَ عَلى قَومٍ كَمَن دَمَرا
Do not cry over a house just to see it
For he who cried over a people is like one who destroyed them
يوفي عَلى المِنبَرِ العالي خَطيبُهُمُ
وَإِنَّما يَعِظُ الآسادَ وَالنُمُرا
Their preacher fulfills his duty on the lofty pulpit
Yet he preaches to lions and leopards
هُمُ السِباعُ إِذا عَنَّت فَرائِسُها
وَإِن دَعَوتَ لِخَيرٍ حُوِّلوا حُمُرا
They are beasts when their prey becomes inattentive
And if you call them to good, they turn red
قَد صَدَقَّ الناسُ ما الأَلبابُ تُبطِلُهُ
حَتّى لَظَنّوا عَجوزاً تَحلُبُ القَمَرا
The people have believed what the wise would nullify
To the point they thought an old woman was milking the moon
أَناقَةٌ هُوَ أَم شاةٌ فَيَمنَحَها
عُسّاً تَغيثُ بِهِ الأَضيافَ أَو غُمَرا
Is it a she-camel or ewe that he gifts
A staff with which to serve guests or flooding
وَحَدَّثَتكَ رِجالٌ عَن أَوائِلِها
فَاِسمَع أَحاديثَ مَينٍ تُشبِهُ السَمَرا
And men told you about their beginnings
So listen to the tales of Mayn that resemble nocturnal conversation
رَجَوتُ أَغصانَ سِدرٍ أَن تُظَلِّلَني
وَقَد تَقَلَّصَ مِنها الظِلُّ وَاِنشَمَرا
I hoped the branches of a jujube tree would shade me
But its shade has narrowed and folded up
يُخالِفُ الطَبعَ مَعقولٌ خُصِصتَ بِهِ
فَاِقبَل إِذا ما نَهاكَ العَقلُ أَو أَمَرا
Reason opposes disposition if you possess it
So accept if the mind prohibits or commands
وَالدارُ تَدمُرُ مِن كُلٍّ وَما غَرَضي
كَونٌ بِتَدمُرَ لَكِن مَنزِلٌ دَمَرا
The house decays from everything yet my goal
Is not decay though a decayed dwelling
وَالإِنسُ أَشجارُ ناسٍ أَثمَرَت مَقِراً
وَأَكثَرُ القَومِ شاكٍ يَفقِدُ الثَمَرا
People are trees that produced a homestead for someone
And most of the folk doubt and miss the fruits
وَما التَقِيُّ بِأَهلٍ أَن تُسَمِّيَهُ
بَرّاً وَلَو حَجَّ بَيتَ اللَهِ وَاِعتَمَرا
Nor is the pious one a people even if he performed Hajj and Umrah
The heart is tempted by what the winds blow to it
وَالقَلبُ يَغرى بِما تُهدي الرِياحُ لَهُ
كَحَملِها الريحَ مِن زَيدٍ إِلى عُمَرا
Like their blowing from Zayd to Umar
Be steadfast with grit when you cannot hunt prey
ثِب مِن طِمارٍ إِذا لَم تَستَطِع سَرَباً
وَثِب شَبيهَ التَميمِيِّ الَّذي طَمَرا
And be like Tamimi who was steadfast and buried
