فيمَ الرُكونُ إِلى دارٍ حَقيقَتُها
كَالطَيفِ في سَنَةٍ وَالطَلِّ مِن مُزنِ
Why settle in a house whose reality
Is like a mirage in a year and dew from spindles?
دارُ الغُرورِ وَمَأوى كُلِّ مُزرِيَةٍ
وَمَعدِنُ البُؤسِ وَاللأَواءِ وَالمِحَنِ
The abode of delusion, the shelter of every disappointed one,
The mine of misery, hardship and affliction.
الزَورِ ظاهِرُها وَالغَدرِ حاضِرُها
وَالمَوتُ آخِرُها وَالكَونُ في الشَطنِ
Deceit is its façade, treachery its company,
Death its end, and existence its torment.
تُبيدُ ما جَمَعتَ تُهينُ مِن رِفعَتٍ
تَضُرُّ مَن نَفَعتَ في سالِفِ الزَمَنِ
It destroys what you have gathered, disgraces whom it has elevated,
And harms those it once benefited in days gone by.
النَفسُ تَعشَقُها وَالعَينُ تَرمُقُها
لِكَونٍ ظاهِرها في صورَةِ الحُسنِ
The soul desires it, the eye gazes upon it,
For the beauty of its outward form and charm.
سَحارَةً تَحكُمُ التَخييلَ حينَ يَرى
كَأَنَّهُ الحَقُّ إِذا كانَت مِنَ الفِتَنِ
Bewitching, it rules the imagination when one sees it,
As if it were the truth though it springs from trials.
فَذو الحَماقَةِ مَن قَد ظَلَّ يَجمَعُها
يُعاني السَعيَ مِن شامٍ إشلى يَمَنِ
A fool is one who continues to amass it,
Enduring fruitless toil from Syria to Yemen.
مُشَمِّراً بِرَكبِ الأَخطارِ مُجتَهِداً
لِأَجلِها يَستَلينُ المَركَبُ الخَشِنِ
Girding himself for dangers, striving diligently
So that the rugged ship may be softened for its sake.
وَذو الحَجا يُقِلُّها زُهداً وَيَنبِذُها
وَراءَهُ نَبذَةَ الأَقذارِ في الدِمَنِ
While the wise belittle it in asceticism, rejecting it
As one discards filth into the dunghill.
رَمى بِقَلبٍ مُنيرٍ في مَصايدِها
فَلا يُصادِفُ غَيرَ الهَمِّ وَالحَزَنِ
He casts his enlightened heart into its traps,
So he meets with nothing but worry and sorrow.
يَجولُ بِالفِكرِ في تَذكارِ مَن صَرَعَت
مِن مثؤثِريها بِسَعيِ القَلبِ وَالبَدَنِ
He reflects with his thoughts on those it destroyed,
Of its devoted followers in body and soul.
مِمَّن أَشادَ مَبانيها وَأَحكَمَها
لِيَستَجِنَّ مِنَ الأَقدارِ بِالجَنَنِ
Those who built its edifices and strengthened them
To find safety from fate in madness.
نالوا مَكارِمَها اَحيوا مَعالِمَها
سَلوا صَوارِمَها لِلبَغيِ وَالضَغَنِ
They attained its glories, revived its beacons,
Unsheathed its swords against evil and rancor.
رَقّوا مَنابِرَها قادوا عَساكِرَها
بِقُوٍّ وَاِبتَنوا الأَمصارَ وَالمُدُنِ
They held its pulpits, led its armies,
With strength, conquering cities and towns.
وَعَبَدوا الناسَ حَتّى أَصبَحوا ذُلَلاً
لِأَمرِهِم بَينَ مَغلوبٍ وَمُمتَهِنِ
They enslaved people until they became
Submissive to their command, vanquished and disgraced.
وَجَمَعوا المالَ وَاِستَصفوا نَفائِسَهُ
لِمُتعَةِ النَفسِ في مُستَقبَلِ الزَمَنِ
They amassed wealth and chose its finest treasures
For the pleasure of the soul in days to come.
حَتّى إِذا اِمتَلَئوا بَشَراً بِما ظَفَروا
وَمَكَّنوا مَن عَلاها أَبلَغَ المِكَنِ
Until, when they were fully sated with the success they had attained,
And enabled those they had raised to the highest position.
ناداهُم هاذَمُ اللَذاتِ فَاِقتَحَموا
سُبُلَ المَماتِ فَأَضحوا عَبرَةَ الفِطَنِ
The destroyer of pleasures called them, so they embarked
On the paths of death, becoming lessons for the discerning.
تِلكَ القُبورِ وَقَد صارَوا بِها وَمِمّا
بَعدَ الضَخامَةِ في الأَبدانِ وَالسَمَنِ
Those graves, though after corpulence
And fatness of body they lie in dust and clay.
بَعدَ التَشَهّي وَأَكلِ الطَيِّباتِ غَدا
يَأكُلُهُم الدودُ تَحتَ التُرَبِ وَاللَبَنِ
After indulgence and eating delicacies, they became
Food for worms beneath the soil and dirt.
تَغَيَّرَت مِنهُمُ الأَلوانُ وَاِنمَحَقَت
مَحاسِنُ الوَجهِ وَالعَينَينِ وَالوَجَنِ
Their complexions changed, the beauty of their faces vanished,
Along with their eyes and cheeks.
خَلَّت مَساكِنَهُم عَنهُم وَأَسلَمَهُم
مَن كانَ يَأَلَفُهُم في السِرِّ وَالعَلَنِ
Their homes were emptied of them, and they were deserted
By those who used to be intimate with them, openly and in secret.
وَعافَهُم كُلَّ مَن قَد كانَ يَألَفُهُم
مِنَ الأَقارِبِ وَالأَهلينَ وَالخَدَنِ
They were shunned by all relatives, family and friends
Who used to cherish them.
ما كانَ حَظُّهُم مِن عِرضِ ما اِكتَسَبوا
غَيرَ الحَنوطِ وَغَيرَ القَطَنِ وَالكَفَنِ
Of the wealth they had amassed, their share
Was only shrouds, cotton and linen.
تِلكَ القُصورُ وَالتِلكَ الدورُ خاوِيَةً
يَصيحُ فيها غُرابُ البَينِ بِالوَهنِ
Those palaces and mansions lie deserted,
With only the desolate cries of owls within them.
فَلَو مَرَرتُ بِها وَالبومُ يَندَبُها
في ظُلمَةِ اللَيلِ لَم تَلتَذُّ بِالوَسَنِ
Had I passed by them, with owls lamenting them
In the darkness of night, I would not have delighted in luxury,
وَلا تَجَمَّلَت بِالأَرياشِ مُفتَخِراً
وَلا اِفتَتَنتَ بِحُبِّ الأَهلِ وَالسَكَنِ
Nor prided myself with fine plumage,
Nor been tempted by love of family and dwelling.
وَلا تَلَذَّذتُ بِالمَطعومِ مُنهَمِكاً
وَلا سَعَيتَ لَدَينا سَعى مُفتَتَنِ
Nor savored delicacies greedily,
Nor striven among you with the striving of one infatuated.
وَلا اِعتَبَرتَ إِذا شاهَدتَ مُعتَبِراً
تَراهُ بِالعَينِ أَو تَسمَعُهُ بِالأُذُنِ
Nor taken heed, if I witnessed one exhorting,
Whether I saw him with my eyes or heard him with my ears.
إِنَّ المَواعِظَ لا تَغنى أَسيرَ هَوى
مُقفَلِ القَلبِ في حيدٍ عَنِ السُنَنِ
Indeed, sermons do not avail a captive of passion,
Whose heart is locked, straying from proper traditions.
مُستَكبِراً يُبطِرُ الحَقَّ الصَريحَ إِذا
يَلقى إِلَيهِ لِفَرطِ الجَهلِ وَالشِنَنِ
Arrogant, he turns away from the clear truth when
It comes to him, due to his great ignorance and enmity.
يَمنى النَفسَ أَمراً لَيسَ يُدرِكُهُ
إِنَّ الأَماني مَقطاعَ عَنِ المِنَنِ
His soul desires something he cannot attain,
For hopes are cut off from favors.
يَكفي اللَبيبُ كِتابَ اللَهِ مَوعِظَةٌ
كَما أَتى في حَديثِ السَيِّدِ الحَسَنِ
It suffices the sensible one the Book of Allah as an exhortation,
As has come in the hadith of the Master Al-Hasan.
مُحَمَّدٌ خَيرُ خَلقِ اللَهِ قُدوَتُنا
مُطَهَّرُ الجَيبِ عَن عَيبٍ وَعِن دَرَنِ
Muhammad is the best of Allah's creation, our exemplar,
Pure of heart from any blemish or blame.
عَلَيهِ مِنّا صَلاةُ اللَهِ دائِمَة
ما سارَتِ الريحُ بِالأَمطارِ وَالسُفُنِ
Upon him be Allah's eternal blessings
As long as the wind blows with rain and ships sail.
وَالآلِ وَالصَحبِ ما غَنَّت مُطَوَّقَةً
وَما بَكَت عَينُ مُشتاقٍ إِلى وَطَنِ
And upon his family and companions as long
As turtledoves coo and the eyes of yearners weep for their homeland.
