منْ ذَا الذِي قَدْ نالَ رَاحةَ فِكرهِ
فِي عُمره مِنْ عُسْره أو يُسْرهِ ؟
Who is he who has found rest for his thoughts
In his life, in hardship or in ease?
يلقَى الغَنِيُّ لحفظه ما قد حَوى
أضْعَافَ ما يَلقى الفقيرُ لفقرهِ
The wealthy man finds, to keep what he gathered,
Many times what the poor man finds in his poverty.
فَيظلُّ هذا سَاخطاً في قله
ويظلُّ هذا ثاعباً في كثـرهِ
So this one remains discontent in his stinginess,
And this one remains fearful in his riches.
والجنُّ مثلُ الإنس يَجري فِيهمُ
حُكْم القَضاء بِحُلوه وبمُره
Jinn are to humans as destiny's rule
Makes sweet or bitter for them.
فإذَا المَريدُ أتى ليَخطفَ خَطفةً
جاءَ الشِّهابُ بحَرْقِه وبزجْرهِ
So if an ascetic comes to snatch an instant,
The shooting star comes with its burning and rebuke.
وَنبيُّ صِدقٍ لا يَزالُ مُكذَّبًا
يُرمَى بباطلِ قولِهم وبِسحرهِ
An honest prophet remains forever called a liar,
Pelted with the falsehood and sorcery of their words.
والعالِمُ المُفتي يَظلُّ مُنَازعاً
بالمشكلاتِ لدى مَجالسِ ذِكرهِ
The scholar issuing legal opinions remains disputed
By problematic cases in gatherings where he is mentioned.
فَالويلُ إنْ زلَّ اللسانُ فَلا يُرى
أَحدٌ يُساعِدُ في إقامةِ عُذرهِ
So woe if the tongue slips and none
Is seen to help establish his excuse.
أوَ مَا ترى المَلكَ العزيزَ بجُنده
رَهنَ الهُمومِ على جَلالة قَدرهِ
Do you not see the mighty king with his armies
Held hostage to worries despite his glorious might?
فيَسرُّهُ خبرٌ وفي أعقابِه
خبرٌ تَضيقُ به جوانبُ قصرهِ
Good news delights him, but on its heels
comes news that squeezes his palace walls.
ومُؤَازرُ السلطانِ أهلُ مَخاوف
وإن استبد بعزه وبقهرهِ
The sultan's supporters are people of fears,
Though he controls them utterly by his might and coercion.
فلربما زلتْ به قدم فلم
يرجع يساوي في قلامة ظفرهِ
So sometimes he trips and cannot match
What his claws had seized in the first place.
وأخو العبادةِ دهرُه مُتنغصٌ
يَبغي التخلصَ من مخاوفِ قبرهِ
The devotee's lifetime is worried;
He wants release from the fears of his grave.
وأخو التِّجارةِ حائرٌ مُتفكرٌ
مما يُلاقِي من خسارةِ سعرهِ
The trader wanders anxious and thoughtful
Of what he faces in the loss of his goods' value.
وأبو العيالِ أبُو الهمومِ، وحَسرةُ الـ
ـرجل العقيمِ كمينةٌ في صدرهِ
The father of a household owns its worries, while
A childless man's regret nests in his breast.
وكل قرين مضمر لقرينه
حسداً وحقداً في غناه وفقرهِ
And every companion envies his companion,
In wealth or poverty, with hidden spite and hatred.
ولرب طالبِ راحةٍ في نومه
جاءتْه أحلامٌ فهام بأمرهِ
And perhaps one who longs for restful sleep
Sees disturbing dreams that addle his mind.
والطفل من بطن أمه يخرجُ
غُصصُ الفِطام تروعه في صغرهِ
The child emerges from its mother's womb
To screams of weaning that terrify its infancy.
والوحشُ يأتيه الردى فِي بَره
والحوتُ يلقَى حَتفه في بَحرهِ
The wild creature meets harm out on the range,
While the whale meets its end in the sea.
ولربما تأتِي السباعُ لميتٍ
فاستخرجته من قرارة قبره
Perhaps predators will come to a corpse
And drag it from the depths of its grave.
ولقدْ حسدتُ الطيرَ في أَوكارها
فَوجدتُ منها ما يُصادُ بوكرهِ
I envied birds in their nests
But found among them what earns them trouble at dawn.
كيفَ التلذذُ في الحياةِ بعَيْشَةٍ
مَا زالَ وهو مروع في أسرهِ ؟
How to enjoy life in an existence
That remains fearful and oppressed?
تاللهِ لو عاشَ الفتى في أهلهِ
ألفاً من الأعوامِ مالكَ أمرهِ
By God, if a lad lived with his family
A thousand years with his affairs under control,
متلذذاً معهمْ بكل لذيذةٍ
متنعماً بالعيشِ مدةَ عُمرهِ
Delighting with them in every delight,
At ease with life the span of his days,
لا يعتريه النقصُ في أحواله
كُلاًّ ولا تَجري الهموم بفكرهِ
No loss affecting his fortunes
Or worries occupying his thoughts,
ما كان ذلك كلُّه مما يفي
بنزولِ أَوَّلِ ليلةِ في قبرهِ
All that would not suffice
To counter one night spent lying in his grave!
كَيْفَ التخلصُ يا أخِي مِما تَرى؟
صبراً على حُلو القضاءِ ومرهِ !
My brother, how does one escape what you see?
Patience with the sweet and bitter in destiny!
