سَل سَبيلَ الحَياةِ عَن سَلسَبيلِ

لا تُخَبَّر عَن غَيرِ وِردٍ وَبيلِ

Ask the path of life about the smooth path

Be not informed of other than roses and nightingales

وَالمَنايا لَقَينَ بِالجَندَلِ الفَ

ظِّ ثَنايا لُقينَ بِالتَقبيلِ

And the cups met with intense kisses

Met with kisses intense

هَل تَرى سَيِّدَ القَرابَةِ أَضحى

مُفرَدَ الشَخصِ ما لَهُ مِن قَبيلِ

Do you see the master of kinship has become

A lone person with no tribe

قَوَّضَتهُ وَطالَما قَوَّضَتهُ

مُخبِلاتٌ أَعقَبنَ بِالتَخبيلِ

It undermined him and how often undermined him

Feeble things followed by feebleness

لَم تَحِد نَبلُ دَهرِنا بِرِماحٍ

أَو سُيوفٍ عَن ساقِطٍ أَو نَبيلِ

The nobility of our time did not contend with spears

Or swords over a fallen or noble one

وَبَني الأَشعَثِ اِستَباحَت رَزايا

ها وَأَلقَت كَلّاً عَلى رِتبيلِ

And the sons of Ash'ath took liberties with my sustenance

And cast all on the Ritebil

يا طَبيبَ المِصرِ اِجتَهَدتَ وَما الجُل

لابُ جَلابَ راحَةٍ لِنَبيلِ

O doctor of Egypt, you have tried hard but the medicines

Are no medicines of comfort for the noble one

وَإِذا وُقِّرَت جِبالُ الرَدى جَل

لَت فَلَم تَندَفِع بِجُلِّ جَبيلِ

And if the mountains of misery melted they would not rush

With the melting of Jabal Jaleel

أَيُّها الجامِعُ الكُنوزَ أَذَرٌّ

أَم زِبالٌ مِن نَملَةٍ في زَبيلِ

O you who gather wealth, is it rubbish

Or garbage from an ant in a bucket

صَدَقاتٌ مِنَ المَليكِ عَلى الحَت

فِ جُسومٌ عُرِفنَ بِالتَسبيلِ

Charities from the King to the guard

Are bodies known for fawning

لا تُؤَبِّل أَخاكَ يَوماً إِذا ما

تَ فَما كانَ مَوضِعَ التَأبيلِ

Do not blame your brother one day if you

Pass away, for that was not a place for blame

وَاِرتَقِب مِن مُؤَذِّنِ القَومِ فَتكاً

فَالنَصارى يَشكونَ فِعلَ الأَبيلِ

And beware of getting killed by the caller of the people

For the Christians complain of the act of the bell

وَلِحَبرِ اليَهودِ في دَرسِهِ التَو

راةَ فَنٌّ وَالهَمُّ في التَدبيلِ

And for the Jewish priest in his study of the

Torah, it is an art and the matter is in the interpretation

رَبَلَتهُ أَسفارُها وَحَمَتهُ

طولَ أَسفارِهِ مِنَ التَربيلِ

Its books have made him senile and the

Length of its books has made him ramble

حَسَّنَ القَولَ يَبتَغي نَضرَةَ العَي

شِ بِغِشِّ الإِذواءِ وَالتَذبيلِ

He makes good speech seeking the freshness of living

By deceitful coaxing and interpretation

فَاِقدُروا مِن بَناتِ ضَأنٍ عَبوراً

سَرَّهُ أَن تَكونَ كَالزَندَبيلِ

So take a crossing from the daughters of sheep, he was happy

That it would be like the hornet

وَاِصنَعوا مِن حَلاوَةٍ ذاتِ طيبٍ

لا بِرِطلَي بَغدادَ بَل أَردَبيلِ

And make something sweet of good scent

Not two pounds of Baghdad but Ordobol

وَاِحذَروا أَن تُواكِلوهُ فَما يَأ

مَنُ دَيّانُكُم يَدَ الجَردَبيلِ

And beware entrusting him for your judge does not

Trust the hand of the coward

إِن تَحُلّوا شاماً فَخَمرُ جِبالٍ

أَو عِراقاً فَالشُربُ مِن نَهرِ بيلِ

If you resolve on Damascus then it is the wine of mountains

Or Iraq then drinking from the river Bel

وَهيَ رومِيَّةٌ لِزِنجِيَّةِ الأَع

نابِ فيها طَعمٌ مِنَ الزَنجَبيلِ

And it is Roman to the African with tusks

In it is a taste of ginger

ذاتُ خَرسٍ تُرَدِّدُ النُطقَ أَخ

رَسَ يَشكو عَلى اللِسانِ الخَبيلِ

One who is mute reiterating speech, muted

Complaining of the ineloquent tongue

قَد أَراكُم تَلَطُّفاً وَهوَ في الغِل

ظَةِ مِن جُرهُمٍ وَآلِ عَبيلِ

I have seen you being genteel while he is in the

Darkness of Jurhum and the family of Ebil

مَوعِدٌ بِالإِجرامِ يوعِدُ أُمَّ النَس

لِ فيهِ بِالثُكلِ وَالتَهبيلِ

A promise of crime that promises the mother of generations

In it is bereavement and ruin

فَليَحِدهُ عَلى قُرىً حَرَّبَتهُ

كُفرُ توتا مِنهُ وَكُفرُ تَبيلِ

So let it limit him to villages it has ravaged

The blasphemy of Tuta and the blasphemy of Tebil

يُطلِقُ الخَمسَ في الحَرامِ وَأَمّا اللَف

ظُ مِنهُ فَدائِمُ التَكبيلِ

He permits prostitution but as for the

Expression from him it is constantly shackled

كَذِبٌ لا يَزالُ يُطعِمُ خُبزاً

نُصَّ عَن آدَمٍ وَعَن قابيلِ

A liar who does not stop feeding bread

Text from Adam and from Cain

يَمتَريهِ جَذلانُ مُهتَبِلُ الغِرَّ

ةِ يُبدي حُزناً عَلى هابيلِ

Measuring him is a scabby hyena, the stupidity

Shows grief over Habeel

لا تُعَرّي اللَيثَ المَنونُ وَلا الشِب

لَ وَلا المُغفِراتِ في إِشبيلِ

Do not strip the dead lion or the old fox

Or the forgiving women of Seville

أَنا بِئسَ الإِنسانُ وَالناسُ مِثلي

فَاِعتِبيني إِن شِئتِ أَو فَاِعتَبي لي

I am wretched man and people are like me

So blame me if you wish or excuse me