لا تَقْربنَّ عَضِيهَةً

لا تَقْربنَّ عَضِيهَةً

إنّ العضائِه مُخزياتُ

إنّ العضائِه مُخزياتُ

Never go near a slanderous lie;

Do not approach mischief,

for slanders bring disgrace.

for mischiefs are disgraceful.

وَاِجعَلْ صلاحَكَ سَرْمَداً

وَاِجعَلْ صلاحَكَ سَرْمَداً

فالصّالحاتُ الباقياتُ

فالصّالحاتُ الباقياتُ

And make your righteousness everlasting,

And make your righteousness eternal,

for righteous deeds are what endure.

for the righteous are the everlasting.

في هَذه الدّنيا ومَنْ

في هَذه الدّنيا ومَنْ

فيها لنا أبداً عِظاتُ

فيها لنا أبداً عِظاتُ

In this world, and in those

In this world, to us

within it, there are always lessons for us:

there are lessons forever.

إمّا صروفٌ مقبلا

إمّا صروفٌ مقبلا

تٌ أو صروفٌ مُدبِراتُ

تٌ أو صروفٌ مُدبِراتُ

either turns of fortune approaching,

Either favours coming,

or turns of fortune receding.

or favours departing.

وحوادثُ الأيّام فينا

وحوادثُ الأيّام فينا

آخذاتٌ مُعطِياتُ

آخذاتٌ مُعطِياتُ

And the happenings of the days in our midst

And the events of days amongst us

take away and give.

are taking and giving.

والذُلُّ موتٌ للفتى

والذُلُّ موتٌ للفتى

والعزُّ في الدُّنيا الحياةُ

والعزُّ في الدُّنيا الحياةُ

And humiliation is death to a young man,

And humiliation is death for the youth,

and honor in this world is life.

and honour is life in this world.

والذُّخْرُ في الدّارين إم

والذُّخْرُ في الدّارين إم

ما طاعةٌ أو مَأْثُراتُ

ما طاعةٌ أو مَأْثُراتُ

And treasure in the two abodes is either

And provision in both abodes is only

obedience or noble deeds.

obedience or glorious traces.

يا ضيعةً للمرءِ تد

يا ضيعةً للمرءِ تد

عوهُ إلى الهُلْكِ الدُّعاةُ

عوهُ إلى الهُلْكِ الدُّعاةُ

What a loss for a man whom

O loss for the man misguided

the callers summon to destruction!

by those inviting him to ruin.

تغترُّهُ حتّى يزو

تغترُّهُ حتّى يزو

رَ شِعابَهنَّ الطيّباتُ

رَ شِعابَهنَّ الطيّباتُ

They beguile him until he visits

They delude him until he becomes friendly

their ravines—those pleasant things.

with their alluring slopes.

عِبَرٌ تَمرُّ وما لها

عِبَرٌ تَمرُّ وما لها

مِنّا عيونٌ مُبصراتُ

مِنّا عيونٌ مُبصراتُ

Lessons pass, yet there are no

Lessons pass but to them

eyes among us that see them.

we have no discerning eyes.

أين الأُلى كانوا بأي

أين الأُلى كانوا بأي

دينا حصولاً ثمّ ماتوا

دينا حصولاً ثمّ ماتوا

Where are those we once held in our

Where are those forebears, with what

hands, who then died?

hands they acquired, then died?

مِن كلّ مَنْ كانت له

مِن كلّ مَنْ كانت له

ثمراتُ دجلةَ والفُراتُ

ثمراتُ دجلةَ والفُراتُ

From among all those who possessed

Of all who reaped

the fruits of the Tigris and Euphrates.

the fruits of Tigris and Euphrates,

ما قيلَ نالوا فوقَ ما

ما قيلَ نالوا فوقَ ما

يَهوون حتّى قيل فاتوا

يَهوون حتّى قيل فاتوا

No sooner was it said, 'They gained more than they

it is said they attained what they craved

desired,' than it was said, 'They are gone.'

until it was said they passed away.

لم يُغنِ عنهمْ حين هم

لم يُغنِ عنهمْ حين هم

مَ بهمْ حِمامُهُمُ الحُماةُ

مَ بهمْ حِمامُهُمُ الحُماةُ

Nothing availed them when

Their bath-attendants did not avail them

their appointed death threatened them—not their defenders,

when the (angel of) death came to them.

كَلّا ولا بيضٌ وسُم

كَلّا ولا بيضٌ وسُم

رٌ عارياتٌ مُشرَعاتُ

رٌ عارياتٌ مُشرَعاتُ

no, nor bright swords and brown

Nay! Neither white nor red,

spears, bare and leveled.

bare, wide open.

نَطَقوا زماناً ثمّ لي

نَطَقوا زماناً ثمّ لي

سَ لنُطقِهِمْ إلّا الصَّماتُ

سَ لنُطقِهِمْ إلّا الصَّماتُ

They spoke for a time; then

They spoke for a while, but for their speech

nothing remained of their speech but silence.

there remains nothing but silence.

وَكأنّهُمْ بِقُبورِهمْ

وَكأنّهُمْ بِقُبورِهمْ

سَبَتوا وما بهِمُ سُباتُ

سَبَتوا وما بهِمُ سُباتُ

It is as though, within their graves,

As if by their graves

they slept—yet they are not asleep.

they slept, but in them there is no sleep.

من بَعد أنْ ركبوا قَرا

من بَعد أنْ ركبوا قَرا

سُرُرٍ وجُردٍ هُمْ رُفاتُ

سُرُرٍ وجُردٍ هُمْ رُفاتُ

After mounting the backs

After mounting couches

of couches and sleek steeds, they are crumbling remains.

and rolling on mattresses, they are motes.

سلموا عَلى صلحِ الأسن

سلموا عَلى صلحِ الأسن

نَة والظُّبا لمّا اِستماتوا

نَة والظُّبا لمّا اِستماتوا

They survived, in a truce with spearheads

They bid farewell to the virtuous women

and sword-edges, when they fought desperately.

and gazelles when they perished.

ونَجَوْا من الغمّاءِ لم

ونَجَوْا من الغمّاءِ لم

ما قيلَ ليس لهمْ نجاةُ

ما قيلَ ليس لهمْ نجاةُ

And they escaped dire distress when

And escaped from the haze when

it was said, 'There is no escape for them,'

it was said they had no deliverance.

في موقفٍ فيه الصوا

في موقفٍ فيه الصوا

رمُ والذّوابلُ والكُماةُ

رمُ والذّوابلُ والكُماةُ

on a battlefield amid sharp

In a stance in which are

swords, slender spears, and armored warriors.

horror, perplexity, and agonies.

وأَنامَهُمْ مِن حيثُ لَم

وأَنامَهُمْ مِن حيثُ لَم

يخشوا لحَيْنِهُمُ المماتُ

يخشوا لحَيْنِهُمُ المماتُ

And death put them to sleep where they had not

And their days from where

feared it, to their doom.

they feared not their appointed time.

وطَوَتْهُمُ طيَّ البرو

وطَوَتْهُمُ طيَّ البرو

دِ لهمْ قبورٌ مُظلماتُ

دِ لهمْ قبورٌ مُظلماتُ

And they were folded like cloaks

And the earth covered them

by their dark graves.

with gloomy graves.

فهُمُ بها مثلُ الهشي

فهُمُ بها مثلُ الهشي

مِ تعيثُ فيه العاصفاتُ

مِ تعيثُ فيه العاصفاتُ

So there they are like dry

So they are in them like feeble ones

stubble that storm winds ravage.

ravaged by storms.

شُعْثٌ وَسائِدهُمْ بها

شُعْثٌ وَسائِدهُمْ بها

من غير تكرمةٍ علاةُ

من غير تكرمةٍ علاةُ

Disheveled, their pillows there

Dishevelled, their pillows therein

are hard stones, without honor.

without hospitality, bare.

قلْ للّذين لهمْ إلى ال

قلْ للّذين لهمْ إلى ال

دُنيا دواعٍ مُسمعاتُ

دُنيا دواعٍ مُسمعاتُ

Say to those drawn toward the

Say to those whose inclinations to

world by calls that make themselves heard,

this world are attentive.

وكأنّهمْ لم يسمعوا

وكأنّهمْ لم يسمعوا

ماذا تقولُ النّاعياتُ

ماذا تقولُ النّاعياتُ

as though they had never heard

As if they never heard

what the women announcing death say,

what the wailers say.

أو ما تقولُ لهمْ إذا اِج

أو ما تقولُ لهمْ إذا اِج

تازوا الدّيارُ الخالياتُ

تازوا الدّيارُ الخالياتُ

or what, when they pass by,

Or what the abodes say to them

the deserted dwellings say to them.

when they inhabit the desolate dwellings.

فالضّاحكاتُ وقد نعم

فالضّاحكاتُ وقد نعم

نَ بهنَّ هنّ الباكياتُ

نَ بهنَّ هنّ الباكياتُ

So those who laughed, and once lived in ease

So the laughing ones, who rejoiced with them,

in them, are the very ones who weep.

are the crying ones.

حتّى متى وإلى متى

حتّى متى وإلى متى

تأوي عيونَكُمُ السِّناتُ

تأوي عيونَكُمُ السِّناتُ

For how long, and until when,

Until when and until when

will drowsiness lodge in your eyes?

do your eyes sleep O seniors?

كم ذا تعرّجُ عنكُمُ

كم ذا تعرّجُ عنكُمُ

أبدَ الزّمانِ الموعظاتُ

أبدَ الزّمانِ الموعظاتُ

How long will they keep turning away from you—

How much longer will you deviate

the admonitions, all through time?

from the eternal admonitions?

كَم ذا وُعظتمْ لَو تكو

كَم ذا وُعظتمْ لَو تكو

نُ لَكمْ قلوبٌ مصغياتُ

نُ لَكمْ قلوبٌ مصغياتُ

How often you have been admonished—if only

How much have you been admonished, if only

you had hearts that listened!

you had compliant hearts!

لكُمُ عقولٌ معرضا

لكُمُ عقولٌ معرضا

تٌ أَو عيونٌ عاشياتُ

تٌ أَو عيونٌ عاشياتُ

You have minds turned away,

You have averse minds,

or eyes grown dim.

or heedless eyes.

عُجْ بالدّيار فنادِها

عُجْ بالدّيار فنادِها

أين الجبالُ الرّاسياتُ

أين الجبالُ الرّاسياتُ

Stop by the dwellings and call to them:

Wonder at the abodes, and call upon them:

Where are the firmly rooted mountains?

where are the firm mountains?

أين العطاةُ على المكا

أين العطاةُ على المكا

رِمِ للعواذِلُ والأُباةُ

رِمِ للعواذِلُ والأُباةُ

Where are those generous in noble

Where are the generous ones

deeds, and those unyielding to reproachers?

to the slender waisted and the abstainers?

تجرِي المنايا مِنْ روا

تجرِي المنايا مِنْ روا

جِبِهِمْ جميعاً والصّلاتُ

جِبِهِمْ جميعاً والصّلاتُ

Deaths flow from their

Death runs in their veins altogether

knuckles, together with gifts.

while prayers run.

وإذا لَقُوا يومَ الوغى

وإذا لَقُوا يومَ الوغى

أقرانَهُمْ كانتْ هَناةُ

أقرانَهُمْ كانتْ هَناةُ

And when, on the day of battle, they met

And if they met, on the day of calamity,

their peers, there was calamity.

their peers, it would be solace.

والدّهرُ طوعَ يمينِهِمْ

والدّهرُ طوعَ يمينِهِمْ

وهُمُ على الدّنيا الوُلاةُ

وهُمُ على الدّنيا الوُلاةُ

And time obeyed their right hands,

And time is subdued by their right hand

and they were rulers over the world.

while they rule the world.

أَعطاهُمُ متبرّعاً

أَعطاهُمُ متبرّعاً

ثمَّ اِستردَّ فقالَ هاتوا

ثمَّ اِستردَّ فقالَ هاتوا

It gave to them freely,

It gave them generously

then reclaimed it, saying, 'Hand it over!'

then took back saying: hand them over!

كانَتْ جَميعاً ثمّ مز

كانَتْ جَميعاً ثمّ مز

زقَ شملَ بينِهمُ الشّتاتُ

زقَ شملَ بينِهمُ الشّتاتُ

All was together; then

They were all together, then

dispersion tore their fellowship apart.

He dispersed their unity into fragments.

فأكفُّهمْ من بعد أنْ

فأكفُّهمْ من بعد أنْ

سُلِبوا المواهبَ مقفِراتُ

سُلِبوا المواهبَ مقفِراتُ

So their palms, after

So their hands after being granted bounties

they were stripped of gifts, are barren.

became destitute and withered.

وسيوفُهُمْ ورماحُهمْ

وسيوفُهُمْ ورماحُهمْ

منبوذةٌ والضّامراتُ

منبوذةٌ والضّامراتُ

And their swords and spears

And their swords and spears

lie discarded, along with the lean steeds.

were discarded and rusted.

أمِنوا الصباحَ وما لهمْ

أمِنوا الصباحَ وما لهمْ

عِلْمٌ بما يجْنِي المماتُ

عِلْمٌ بما يجْنِي المماتُ

They deemed the morning safe, with no

They felt secure in the morn, and they had

knowledge of what death inflicts.

no knowledge of what death reaps.

ورماهُمُ فأصابهمْ

ورماهُمُ فأصابهمْ

داءٌ تعزّ له الرُّقاةُ

داءٌ تعزّ له الرُّقاةُ

And it shot at them; they were struck

And He afflicted them

by a disease for which charm-healers are scarce,

with a disease which healers cannot cure.

وَسِهامُ أَقواس المنو

وَسِهامُ أَقواس المنو

نِ الصائباتُ المصُمياتُ

نِ الصائباتُ المصُمياتُ

and arrows from the bows of death,

And the arrows of the Bender's

striking their mark and killing outright.

accurate, poisoning arrows.

مات النّدى من بيننا

مات النّدى من بيننا

بمماتِهمْ والمَكرُماتُ

بمماتِهمْ والمَكرُماتُ

Generosity died among us

The dew disappeared from between us

with their deaths—and noble deeds too.

with their deaths, and the bounties.