قَد باشَروكَ بِمَكروهٍ أُديتَ بِهِ
حَتّى تَوَهَّمتَ أَن لَيسوا مِنَ البَشَرِ
They oppress you with hatefulness afflicted upon you,
Until you thought they were not of mankind.
زَهوُ التَكَبُّرِ لا زَهوُ النَخيلِ بِهِم
وَالنَبعُ لَيسَ بِمَجنِيٍّ مِنَ العُشرِ
The arrogance of haughtiness, not the arrogance of palm trees, is in them.
The spring is not freed from paying a tithe.
خَمساً وَعَشَراً أَجادوا في قِراءَتِهِم
وَوَفَّروا المالَ مِن خُمسٍ وَمِن عُشرِ
They excel in their reciting of the Five and the Ten,
And they calculate precisely the tax from a fifth and a tithe.
وَما يَحُجّونَ مِن دينٍ وَلا نُسُكٍ
وَإِنَّما ذاكَ إِفراطٌ مِنَ الأَشَرِ
They make no pilgrimage for religion or ritual,
Rather that is nothing but excess wickedness.
إِذا اِستَشاروكَ فَاِنَصَحهُم وَإِن غَضِبوا
فَإِن كُفَيتَ وَلَم تُسأَل فَلا تُشِرِ
If they consult you, then advise them, and if they rage,
Then suffice yourself if you are not asked, and do not meddle.
إِنَّ اللَيالِيَ تَسقي الحَتفَ ساكِنَها
قَيلاً وَصُبحاً وَفي الظَلماءِ وَالجَشرِ
For nights water the resting place of him who shelters in them
Mornings and evenings, in darkness and in drizzle.
وَتُلهِمُ النَحلَ جَمعَ الأَريِ جاهِدَةً
حَتّى إِذا جَمَّ قالَت لِلعَديمِ شُرِ
And it inspires the bees to gather nectar exerting themselves
Until, when they have gathered, it says to the destitute, “Take!”
تُعطي وَتَأخُذُ حَتّى مَبسِماً دَرِداً
أَعطَت بِأَخذِ الَّذي فيهِ مِنَ الأَشَرِ
It gives and takes until it gave a faint smile
In exchange for what evil was in it.
وَقَد طَوَتني كَأَنّي ضَربُ مُنسَرِحٍ
فَيا لَطَيٍّ لِطَيٍّ غَيرِ مُنتَشِرِ
It has folded me as if I were a battered tent,
Oh what folding! What folding with no spreading!
وَاللَهُ يَنشُرُ أَرواحاً بِقُدرَتِهِ
وَيَبعَثُ الغَيثَ في أَرواحِهِ النُشُرِ
And God spreads spirits by His power
And sends rain in spirits needing relief.
