ما راعَها مِن قُرى عُمٍّ وَجارِمِها
إِلّا الأَباريقُ يَحمِلنَ الأَباريقا
No village did it spare, nor any villain,
Save pitchers laden down with other pitchers.
وَمومِساتٌ تُوافيها حَنادِسُها
بِطارِقينَ يُخالونَ البَطاريقا
And whores whose chemises match their conceits
With libertines who mimic patriarchs.
لَم يَكفِهِم ريقُ كَرمٍ مِن شَرابِهِمُ
حَتّى أَضافوا إِلَيهِ مِن فَمٍ ريقا
The spittle of their liquor was not enough,
They added to it from their mouths a spittle.
لَو عُجِّلَت لِغَويٍّ فاجِرٍ سَقرٌ
لَأُشعِروا جَمَراتِ النارِ تَحريقا
If hell were hastened for a wayward villain,
They'd make hell's embers apt to set them crackling.
لَقَد تَفَكَّرتُ في الدُنِّيا وَساكِنِها
فَأَحدَثَ الفِكرُ أَشجاناً وَتَأريقا
I thought on life and those who dwell therein,
And thought did stir in me tumults and misgivings.
قَد أَغرَقوا في مَعاصيهِمُ فَما لَهُمُ
لا يُؤنِسونَ مِنَ الطوفانِ تَغريقا
They drowned in sins of theirs, and so they have
No rescue from the deluge of their drowning.
وَصَيَّروا لِأُناسٍ في الأَذى طُرُقاً
وَذَلَّلوا الإِثمَ إِعمالاً وَتَطريقا
And they made paths for people bent on mischief,
And smoothed the way to sin by tricks and scheming.
أَعِرقُ آدَمَ هَذا لا يُمازِجُهُ
سِواهُ أَم مَسَّ مِن إِبليسَ تَعريقا
Does humankind in Adam's form still mix with none
But Devil's spawn, or has he sniffed the Devil's tricks?
يَخشى ذَوِيَّ رَطيبٍ حامِلٍ ثَمَراً
مُؤَمِّلٌ مِن غُصونِ اليُبسِ تَوريقا
He dreads the righteous bearing luscious fruit
While hoping branches withered will bear fruit.
كَم تَطلُبُ المالَ في سَهلٍ وَفي جَبَلٍ
وَتَقطَعُ الأَرضَ تَغريباً وَتَشريقا
How much you seek the wealth on plain or height
And roam the land from end to end, from east to west.
وَقَد شَهِدتَ مَخاريقَ الوَغى لَعِبَت
مُجيدَةً لِدُروعِ القَومِ تَخريقا
And you have seen the fraying hooks in battle rend
The foemen's coats of mail to ragged shreds.
فَراقِبِ اللَهَ إِنَّ السَعدَ يَتبَعُهُ
نَحسٌ وَإِنَّ لِجَمعِ الدَهرِ تَفريقا
So fear your God for luck is dogged by ill luck.
The world's assemblage ends in separation.
وَمَرَّ موسى وَلَم يَترُك لِأُمَّتِهِ
إِلّا أَحاديثاً يُوَدَعنَ المَهاريقا
Moses has passed away and left his nation
Naught but traditions laden down with nonsense.
