مجالسة العُمْي تُعْدي العمى

مجالسة العُمْي تُعْدي العمى

فلا تَشهدنَّ لهمُ مَشْهدا

فلا تَشهدنَّ لهمُ مَشْهدا

Keeping company with the blind spreads blindness,

Sitting with the blind spreads blindness

so never attend a gathering of theirs.

So do not attend their gathering

فإن أنت شاهدْتَهم مرةً

فإن أنت شاهدْتَهم مرةً

فكن مِنهُمُ الأبعد الأبعدا

فكن مِنهُمُ الأبعد الأبعدا

For if you see them once,

And if you meet them once

then be the farthest from them—the farthest—

Be the farthest from them

بحيث تفوتُ إشاراتهمْ

بحيث تفوتُ إشاراتهمْ

وإلّا فإنك منهم غدا

وإلّا فإنك منهم غدا

where you are beyond the reach of their gestures;

So that you miss their gestures

otherwise, you will surely be one of them tomorrow.

Otherwise you will be one of them tomorrow

لأن إشاراتهم لا تزا

لأن إشاراتهم لا تزا

ل قد نفضت نحو عَيْنٍ يدا

ل قد نفضت نحو عَيْنٍ يدا

For their gestures never cease

For their gestures do not stop

to fling a hand toward an eye.

Having flung dirt into an eye and a hand

فَيُعْمونَ من شئت في ساعة

فَيُعْمونَ من شئت في ساعة

ولم يَحْتسبْ قَطُّ أن يَرْمَدا

ولم يَحْتسبْ قَطُّ أن يَرْمَدا

So they blind whomever you wish in an hour,

They blind whoever they want in an instant

though he never once expected his eyes to grow sore.

Never thinking to shoot an arrow back

ألا رُبَّ عين دنت منهمُ

ألا رُبَّ عين دنت منهمُ

فمدُّوا لها ليلها سرمدا

فمدُّوا لها ليلها سرمدا

Ah, many an eye has drawn near them,

Oh, many an eye drew near them

and they have prolonged its night forever;

So they made its night eternal for it

وأضحت ترى كل ما حولها

وأضحت ترى كل ما حولها

لظلمتها جبلاً أسودا

لظلمتها جبلاً أسودا

and it has come to see everything around it

And it came to see everything around it

as a black mountain, because of its darkness.

As a black mountain in its darkness