إِذا كُفَّ صِلٌّ أُفعُوانٌ فَما لَهُ

سِوى بَيتِهِ يَقتاتُ ما عَمَرَ التُربا

If a snake charmer stops charming snakes

He has nothing left but his home where he lives off the soil

وَلَو ذَهَبَت عَينا هِزَبرٍ مُساوِرٍ

لَما راعَ ضَأناً في المَراتِعِ أَو سِربا

And if the eyes of an unsteady, drunk wanderer were to vanish

He would no longer herd sheep in the meadows or flocks

أَو اِلتُمِعَت أَنوارُ عَمرٍ وَعامِرٍ

لَما حَمَلا رُمحاً وَلا شَهِدا حَربا

And if the lights of `Amr and 'Âmir were brought together

They would bear neither a lance nor witness battle

يَقولونَ هَلّا تَشهَدُ الجُمَعَ الَّتي

رَجونا بِها عَفواً مِنَ اللَهِ أَو قُربا

They say, “Why not attend the assembly by which

We hoped to gain God’s pardon or nearness?”

وهَل لِيَ خَيرٌ في الحُضورِ وَإِنَّما

أُزاحِمُ مِن أَخيارِهِم إِبلاً جُربا

But what good is there for me in attending when

I only crowd out the best of them, mangy camels?

لَعَمري لَقَد شاهَدتُ عُجماً كَثيرَةً

وَعُرباً فَلا عُجُماً حَمَدتُ وَلا عُربا

By my life, I have seen many non-Arabs

And Arabs, but I have praised no non-Arabs or Arabs

وَلِلمَوتِ كَأسٌ تَكرَهُ النَفسُ شُربَها

وَلابُدَّ يَوماً أَن نَكونَ لَها شَربا

And death has a cup that the soul dislikes drinking

But one day we will have to drink it

مِنَ السَعدِ في دُنياكَ أَن يَهلَكَ الفَتى

بِهَيجاءَ يَغشى أَهلُها الطَعنَ وَالضَربا

Good fortune in your world is for the young man to die

Amid the tumult, people stabbing and striking

فَإِنَّ قَبيحاً بِالمُسَوَّدِ ضِجعَةٌ

عَلى فَرشِهِ يَشكو إِلى النَفَرِ الكَربا

For it is ugly to lie in blackened state

On his carpet complaining to comrades of distress

وَلي شَرقٌ بِالحَتفِ ما هُوَ مُغرَبٌ

أَيَمَّمتُ شَرقاً في المَسالِكِ أَم غربا

I have an east by sword that is no west

Have I set out eastward on the roads or west?

تَقَنَّصَ في الإيوانِ أَملاكَ فارِسٍ

وَكَم جازَ بَحراً دونَ قَيصَرَ أَو دَربا

He amassed in the palace the wealth of a Persian

And how many crossed a sea without Caesar or path