رأيتُكُمُ تجنون ما قد غرستُمُ

رأيتُكُمُ تجنون ما قد غرستُمُ

فلا تُنكروه أنْ يكون ذُعافا

فلا تُنكروه أنْ يكون ذُعافا

I saw you reaping what you had planted;

I saw you reap what you had sown

so do not find it strange that it should be deadly poison.

So do not deny that it was roughage

وَعافوا القذى أو فاِكرعوه ضرورةً

وَعافوا القذى أو فاِكرعوه ضرورةً

وَمَن لم يُرِد إلّا الأُجاجةَ عافا

وَمَن لم يُرِد إلّا الأُجاجةَ عافا

Shun the tainted water, or gulp it down of necessity;

And pardon the splinter or pull it out perforce

and whoever seeks only bitter brine turns away in disgust.

While he who wanted only the thorns—let him pardon

وَلا تَحسبوا ما نَحن نَرْأَبُ كسرَهُ

وَلا تَحسبوا ما نَحن نَرْأَبُ كسرَهُ

وفاقاً فعن قربٍ يعود خلافا

وفاقاً فعن قربٍ يعود خلافا

Do not mistake our mending of the breach

And do not think what we dislike breaking

for concord; before long it will return to discord.

Is safety, for from nearness it turns to conflict

ولا تأمنوا الأضغان وهي دفينةٌ

ولا تأمنوا الأضغان وهي دفينةٌ

فذو الحزمِ مَن هاب الغيوب وخافا

فذو الحزمِ مَن هاب الغيوب وخافا

And do not feel safe from grudges while they lie buried;

Nor feel secure from hidden rancors

for the prudent man is one who dreads the unseen and fears it.

For the prudent one is he who fears the unseen and is wary

فَما نحنُ للأقدار إلّا رَمِيَّةٌ

فَما نحنُ للأقدار إلّا رَمِيَّةٌ

يُصِبن صميماً أو يُصبن شَغافا

يُصِبن صميماً أو يُصبن شَغافا

For we are nothing but a target for the fates:

We are but marks for the fates

they strike the heart's core or strike its sheath.

That hit the core or miss the fringe

وسيّانِ في تضييعِيَ الحزمَ أنّني

وسيّانِ في تضييعِيَ الحزمَ أنّني

رهبتُ أماناً أو أمنتُ مخافا

رهبتُ أماناً أو أمنتُ مخافا

And in my neglect of prudence, it is all the same whether I

And it is the same in my losing circumspection

have feared safety or felt safe in danger.

Whether I felt safe or was wary of fear

فَما لِيَ أُسقى فيّ أوفى أصادِقِي

فَما لِيَ أُسقى فيّ أوفى أصادِقِي

كؤوساً دِهاقاً لم يكنّ سُلافا

كؤوساً دِهاقاً لم يكنّ سُلافا

Why is my most faithful friend made to drink on my account

Why should my truest friends serve me

brimming cups that were not choice wine?

Drafts of sorrow that were not delectable

إذا صاحبي أضحى سقيماً من الأذى

إذا صاحبي أضحى سقيماً من الأذى

فما سرّني أنّي أبِيتُ معافَى

فما سرّني أنّي أبِيتُ معافَى

If my companion becomes sick from suffering,

If my companion falls sick from harm

it gives me no joy to spend the night in health.

It gladdens me not that I stay healthy

ولم أنجُ من سوءٍ أصابَ معاشري

ولم أنجُ من سوءٍ أصابَ معاشري

وعاج بخلٍّ أرتضيه وطافا

وعاج بخلٍّ أرتضيه وطافا

Nor have I escaped an ill that befell my companion

And I escape no evil that befalls my fellows

and turned toward a friend I cherish and circled him.

And heal by stinginess I choose and revel in

دعونِيَ منكمْ لا تردّون طالباً

دعونِيَ منكمْ لا تردّون طالباً

وَلم تلبسوا إِلّا الغرورَ عِطافا

وَلم تلبسوا إِلّا الغرورَ عِطافا

Spare me your company: you repel no pursuer,

Leave me; do not turn me away seeking

and have worn nothing but delusion as a cloak.

Nor wear anything but the cloak of deception

وكم ذا أُرِيدَتْ بالهَوانِ بيوتُكمْ

وكم ذا أُرِيدَتْ بالهَوانِ بيوتُكمْ

فلَمْ تجعلوا من دونهنَّ سِجافا

فلَمْ تجعلوا من دونهنَّ سِجافا

And how often your houses have been targeted for humiliation,

How many houses of yours were desired in humiliation

yet you placed no curtain before them.

Yet you made no partition to protect them

ولو كنتُمُ لمّا غمزتُم قناتَكُم

ولو كنتُمُ لمّا غمزتُم قناتَكُم

على أَوَدٍ أوسعتموه ثِقافا

على أَوَدٍ أوسعتموه ثِقافا

And had you, when you tested your spear-shaft,

Had you, when you winked your eyelids

on finding it bent, worked it thoroughly with the straightening tool,

Over malice, widened them in sagacity

وداويتُمُ الأدواءَ وهي ضعيفةٌ

وداويتُمُ الأدواءَ وهي ضعيفةٌ

فكم من قويّاتٍ نَشَأْنَ ضِعافا

فكم من قويّاتٍ نَشَأْنَ ضِعافا

and treated the ailments while they were still weak—

And cured the illnesses when they were mild

for how many mighty ones began weak—

How many strong ones arose from the weak

لقيتُمْ كَمَا شئتُم وشئناه فيكُمُ

لقيتُمْ كَمَا شئتُم وشئناه فيكُمُ

ولكنّ أمراً جلَّ أن يُتَلافى

ولكنّ أمراً جلَّ أن يُتَلافى

you would have fared as you wished, and as we wished for you;

You met as you wished and we wished in you

but a matter has grown too grave to be remedied.

But it is most sublime that disagreement be avoided

كأنّكُمُ رَكْبٌ على دوِّ قَفْرَةٍ

كأنّكُمُ رَكْبٌ على دوِّ قَفْرَةٍ

يُزَجِّي مطاياً للنّجاءِ عِجافا

يُزَجِّي مطاياً للنّجاءِ عِجافا

It is as though you were a caravan on a desert's vast waste,

It is as if you are a band on blowing wastes

driving gaunt mounts onward in haste,

Driving steeds to salvation bare

بِمَهلكَةٍ خرِّيتُها هالكٌ بها

بِمَهلكَةٍ خرِّيتُها هالكٌ بها

وكم مرّةٍ شمَّ التّراب وسافا

وكم مرّةٍ شمَّ التّراب وسافا

in a deadly wilderness whose expert guide is doomed there,

With a perdition I steered which destroyed its rider

though many a time he has smelled the earth and sniffed it.

And many a time he sniffed the dust and traveled

إذا هَيْقُها مدّ الجناحَ فإنّما

إذا هَيْقُها مدّ الجناحَ فإنّما

إماءُ بَنِي لَخْمٍ مَدَدْنَ طِرافا

إماءُ بَنِي لَخْمٍ مَدَدْنَ طِرافا

When its male ostrich stretches out his wing, it is as though

When she flapped her wing, she merely extended

the slave women of Banu Lakhm had spread a leather tent.

The servant girls of Banu Lakhm their hands

سقى اللَّه أَقواماً مَضَوا لسبيلهمْ

سقى اللَّه أَقواماً مَضَوا لسبيلهمْ

وقد ملأوا سُبْلَ الطّماعِ عَفافا

وقد ملأوا سُبْلَ الطّماعِ عَفافا

May God send rain on folk who have gone their way,

May God water a people who went their way

having filled the paths of the covetous with self-restraint.

And filled the roads of greed with integrity

لهم في ندىً سِيلوه أو بدأوا به

لهم في ندىً سِيلوه أو بدأوا به

أكُفٌّ يناوِلْن النّوالَ جُزافا

أكُفٌّ يناوِلْن النّوالَ جُزافا

For bounty sought from them or offered unbidden, they have

Theirs is a stream they were granted or they initiated

hands that dispense gifts without measure.

Palms that serve the draft quick and bountiful

أجابوا أُنوفَ الموتِ رغمَ أُنوفنا

أجابوا أُنوفَ الموتِ رغمَ أُنوفنا

فماذا جنى ذاك الهتافُ هِتافا

فماذا جنى ذاك الهتافُ هِتافا

They answered the proud noses of death, against our will;

They answered the noses of death despite our noses

so what did that summons reap by calling?

So what did that screeching screech harvest