كلُّ ابن آدم خطّاءٌ وخيرُهُمو
منْ أنفقَ العُمْرَ أوّابًا فما بخِلا
Every son of Adam is prone to error, and the best of them
Is he who spent his life continually repentant and not stingy.
ومن بقولِ ابن عبدِالله قالَ فما
اسْتَغنىْ بنَقْصٍ ولا اسْتثنىْ ولا افْتعَلا
And in the words of Ibn Abdillah he said without need
Of exception, omission or pretense:
قُلْ لابنِ أُمِّكَ أنَّ الخيرَ آيته
ما وُلّيَ الأمرَ أهلُهُ فمَا خَذَلا
Tell the son of your mother that the sign of good
Is when the right people are in charge and do not fail.
ما باحتَ التُّربُ قومًا بالّذيْ شمِلا
لو أنّ ماءً من السَّماءِ ما نزَلا
When has the soil been good to a people that it embraced
If rainwater did not come down from the sky?
والماءُ رهنٌ بخيرٍ فيهِ قد أصُلا
والخيرُ بالخيرِ لا بالشرّ قد جُعِلا
And water depends on the good in it that was inherent
While good through good, not evil, was made a duty.
هل شذَّ تُبّعُ ذو القرنينِ إذْ عدَلا
عمّن أحاطوهُ واحتذوا بهِ مَثلا؟
Did Tubba the owner of the two horns deviate
From those who surrounded him and followed his example?
هل شذَّ فِرعونُ ذو الأوتادِ حينَ علا
عمّن أطاعوهُ واختطّوا لهُ السُّبلا؟
Did Pharaoh the owner of the stakes rebel
Against those who obeyed him and paved the roads?
كمْ أغضبَ ابنَ أبي أخٌ قد اعْتقلا
ألسّهلَ والرّوضَ والبيْداءَ والجَبَلا!
How angry the son of Abu made his brother
Who conquered Tihama, meadows, deserts and mountains!
أأغضبَ ابنَ أبي فعلُ الذي جَبِلا
فينا وفيْ جوف رحمِ أمِّنا حُمِلا؟
Does the son of Abu anger us for what was inherent
In us and in the womb of our mother while carried?
ألا يرىْ أنّه بالنفسِ قد شُغِلا؟
أقبِحْ بها علةً إنْ كانَ قدْ غفَلا
Does he not see that he is preoccupied with himself?
How ugly the illness if he was unknowingly misguided!
أما اشتكى الحُمقُ منّا حين بانَ لهُ
أنْ لا شفاءَ لهُ منّا فما احْتمَلا
Has ignorance from us complained when it became clear to it
That we have no cure for it and it cannot endure?
أليسَ يعلمُ أنّ الجهلَ منهَلُنا؟
والعلمُ ما جفَّ بلْ بغيرِنا شُغلا!
Does it not know that ignorance is our spring?
While knowledge did not dry up but was busy without us!
والكِذْبُ موسِرُنا والصِّدقُ مُفقرِنا
والمالُ مطمحُنا بهِ اللّئيمُ علا
Lying enriches us while truth makes us poor
And wealth is our aspiration which the wicked climbed up.
والعسْرُ صائدُنا واليُسْرُ مُطلِقنا
والموتُ مُنقذنا أكرِمْ بمن عدَلا
Hardship hunts us while ease sets us free
And death saves us, so bless the one who was just!
والهجْرُ أطولُنا والوصْلُ أقصرُنا
والبغْضُ أسمنُنا والحبُّ قد نحَلا
Estrangement is our longest state while companionship is briefest,
Hatred fattens us while love has given freely.
والعِرضُ أرْخَصُنا والعرَضُ ممتُعنا
والعيْبُ من ثوبِهِ المشقوقُ ما خَجِلا
Chastity is cheapest for us while honor is pleasurable,
And the fault of one whose garment is torn is not shy.
والبئرُ غالبُنا والرّملُ مُعْجزُنا
والطّفلُ ضاعَ وربُّ البيتِ ما حَفَلا
The well defeats us and the sand dunes stop us,
The child is lost while the owner of the house does not care.
والهمُّ أكثرُنا إنْ أحصيَتْ مُهَجٌ
والرأسُ في مهدِهِ شيبًا قدِ اشْتعَلا
Worries are most of us, if you count the perturbed,
While the head in its cradle has turned white with burning.
والدّينُ غائبُنا واللّهوُ حاضِرُنا
والموتُ جارٌ وقلبُ الشّيخِ ما وَجِلا
Debt is absent from us while nonsense is present,
And death is a neighbor while the sheikh's heart is not anxious.
منّي سلامٌ إليكَ يا ابنَ منْ عرِبوا
أنظرْ إليكَ لِكيْ تستَكْشفَ العِلَلا
From me greetings to you, O son of those who Arabized,
Look into yourself so that you may uncover the defects.
فرعونُ لنْ ينجليْ ما دامَ أشجعُنا
حرفٌ له ننسبُ القتلَ وما قَتلا
Pharaoh will not go away as long as our bravest
Attribute killing to him though he did not kill.
فرعونُ لن ينجليْ ما دامَ عالُمُنا
يستلزمُ القتلَ "شرعًا" كلّما سُئِلا
Pharaoh will not go away as long as our scholar
Sanctions killing “legally” whenever asked.
ويسألُ الغيْرُ ما جرىْ لعالمِنا
أفتنةٌ هيَ أمْ تراهُ قد خَبِلا؟
And others ask what happened to our scholar,
Is it misguidance or do you think he is deranged?
ما انفكّ يتلوْ عليْنا الذّكرَ مُنفعِلا
معْ أنّه للشياطينِ قدِ امْتَثلا
He did not stop reciting scripture to us emotionally
While he was obeying the devils.
فرعونُ لن ينْجليْ ما دام سيّدنا
يردُّ بالقتل غدرًا كلّما ثَمِلا
Pharaoh will not go away as long as our master
Responds with murder to betrayal whenever it swells.
أعظِمْ بهِ فارسًا ما منْ خُزَعْبلةٍ
إلا وصيّره من بثّها البَطَلا!
He made great every knight - there is no Khizrabla
Except he made him a hero by instigating war!
وليسَ في الغربِ أدناهُ وما بعُدا
أضحوكةٌ ما بدا في متنِها حَمَلا!
And in the West there is no one weaker or farther away
Who became a laughing stock the moment he carried a burden!
فرعونُ لن ينجليْ ما دمنَ نِسوتُنا
يلِدْنهُ والجسومُ تكتسيْ الحُللا
Pharaoh will not go away as long as our women
Give birth to him while bodies are adorned in gowns.
فرعونُ لن ينْجليْ ما دامَ موقِفُنا
منْ كلّ مُختلفٍ بأنّهُ جَهِلا
Pharaoh will not go away as long as our stance
Towards anyone different is that he is ignorant.
فرعونُ يسْكُنُها قهْرًا ويسكُنكَا
جهْلًا ولوْ متَّ أو ماتتْ لما ارتحَلا
Pharaoh forcibly inhabits it and ignorance inhabits you
Whether he died or passed away, he would not have left.
فانظرْ إليها ترَ الإنسان مُغتَصبًا
وانظرْ إليك ترَ الفرعونَ مُكتملا
Look at the human being oppressed and look at yourself
Seeing Pharaoh completed.
فرعونُ لولاهُ تاريخُك ما اكتملا
إنْ يخْلُ مِنهُ فلنْ تلقىْ لهُ بَدَلا
Pharaoh, without him your history would not be completed,
If missing from it, you will not find a replacement.
ربّاهُ لا بحرَ في قلبٍ فيغرقهُ
ولا ابنَ عمرانَ كي يُبقي لنا أمَلا
God raised him not in a sea to drown him
Nor Moses to keep hope alive for us.
هذا دعاءٌ دعا به لِسانُكَ لَيْ
تهُ دعا قلبُكَ الّذي قسا وقلَى
This is a prayer your tongue prayed but did not
Come from a heart that hardened and burned.
هذي شعوبٌ إذا ما اصْطدتها بدنًى
شرَّتْ وأغنتْ حديثَ الناسِ والجدَلا
These are people, if you hunt them with slander
They scatter and sing the talk of the people and disputes.
وصارَ ما أنْجَبتْ نساؤُها فُرُعا
تُحتزُّ أرؤسُها فدىً لِمَنْ قتَلا
And what their women begot become knights
Whose heads are held ransom for he who killed.
