جَنَتِ الغَوارِسُ وَاِستَقَلَّ أَخو الغِني
وَسَعى المُؤَمِّلُ وَاِستَراحَ اليائِسُ
The Gharas garden bloomed, and the brother of the rich man gained independence,
The hopeful one strove, and the despairing one found rest,
وَاللُبُّ حُرفٌ وَالجَهالَةُ نِعمَةٌ
وَالكَيّسُ الفَطِنُ الشَقيُّ الكائِسُ
Reason is a mere letter, and ignorance a blessing,
The wise and clever one is wretched and sad.
وَإِذا رَجَعتَ إِلى الحَقائِقِ لَم يَكُن
في العالَمِ البَشَريِّ إِلّا بائِسُ
When you look back at the facts, there was in the human world,
Nothing but the miserable.
وَالمَوتُ بازٍ وَالنُفوسُ حَمائِمُ
وَهِزَبرُ عِرَّيسٍ وَنَحنُ فَرائِسُ
Death is a hawk, souls are doves,
An old man's nonsense, and we are frightened game.
إِنَّ الأَوانِسَ أَن تَزورَ قُبورَها
خَيرٌ لَها مِن أَن يُقالَ عَرائِسُ
It is better for the virgins to visit their graves,
Than to be called brides.
كَم نالَ قَبلَكَ في طَعّامِكَ مِن يَدٍ
نَصَبٌ إِلى أَن لاسَ قُوتَكَ لائِسُ
How many hands reached your food,
Striving until your livelihood was depleted.
فَكَوارِبٌ وَزَوارِعٌ وَكَوافِرٌ
وَحَواصِدٌ وَجَوامِعٌ وَدَوائِسُ
So ships and farms and infidels,
And harvests and mosques and churches.
وَخُطوبُ دَهرٍ غَيرُ ذَلِكَ جَمَّةٌ
دونَ اِغتِذائِكَ وَالأَُمورُ لَبائِسُ
And the tribulations of time are many,
Beyond your needs, and matters are miserable.
وَكَذاكَ ما عَنّاهُمُ حَتّى رَأوا
شَجَراً بِها ثَمَرُ النَدامَةِ نائِسُ
Until they saw a tree,
Bearing the fruit of regret, drooping.
وَمَتّى رَكِبتَ إِلى الدِيانَةِ غالَها
فِكَرٌ عَلى حُسنِ الضَميرِ دَسائِسُ
And when you rode the religion, thoughts
Against the good conscience laid traps.
وَالعَقلُ يَعجَبُ وَالشَرائِعُ كُلُّها
خَبَرٌ يُقَلَّدُ لَم يَقِسهُ قائِسُ
Reason is astonished, and all laws
Are news to be followed, not judged by a judge.
مُتَمَجِّسونَ وَمُسلِمونَ وَمَعشَرٌ
مُتَنَصِّرونَ وَهائِدونَ رَسائِسُ
Puritans, Muslims, and a group
Of Christians, Jews, laying nets.
وَبُيوتُ نيرانٍ تُزارُ تَعَبُّداً
وَمَساجِدٌ مَعمورَةٌ وَكَنائِسُ
And houses of fire are visited in worship
While mosques and churches stand busy.
وَالصائِبونَ يُعَظَّمونَ كَواكِباً
وَطِباعُ كُلٍّ في الشُرورِ حَبائِسُ
The strayers revere the planets,
And each one's nature in evils is trapped.
أَنّي يَنالُ أَخو الدِيانَةِ سُؤدَداً
وَمَآرِبُ الرَجُلِ الشَريفِ خَسائِسُ
How does the brother of religion attain happiness
While the affairs of the virtuous man are disgraced?
وَإِذا الرِئاسَةُ لَم تُعَن بِسِياسَةٍ
عَقليَّةٍ خَطِئَ الصَوابَ السائِسُ
And if leadership lacks wise policy,
It will miss the right, miserable.
