أيها المُتْحفِي بحُولٍ وعُورٍ

أيها المُتْحفِي بحُولٍ وعُورٍ

أين كانت عنك الوجوهُ الحسانُ

أين كانت عنك الوجوهُ الحسانُ

O you who bring me cross-eyed and one-eyed folk,

O you who is deformed with crookedness and lameness

Where had the lovely faces gone from you?

Where were your beautiful faces from you?

قد لَعَمْرِي ركبتَ أمراً مهيناً

قد لَعَمْرِي ركبتَ أمراً مهيناً

ساءنا فيك أيها الخُلْصانُ

ساءنا فيك أيها الخُلْصانُ

By my life, you have undertaken a shameful deed;

Indeed, you have committed a disgraceful matter

it grieved us to see it in you, O trusted friend.

We were disappointed in you, O untrustworthy one

فتحك المِهرجانَ بالحُولِ والعُو

فتحك المِهرجانَ بالحُولِ والعُو

ر أرانا ما أعقبَ المِهرجان

ر أرانا ما أعقبَ المِهرجان

Your opening of Mihrjan with the cross-eyed and the one-eyed

You started the festival with crookedness and lameness

showed us what Mihrjan brought in its wake.

You showed us what followed the festival

كان من ذاك فقدُك ابنتَك الحُرْ

كان من ذاك فقدُك ابنتَك الحُرْ

رَةَ مصبوغةً بها الأكفان

رَةَ مصبوغةً بها الأكفان

Among its consequences was your loss of your freeborn daughter,

From that was your loss of your free daughter

her shrouds stained with her [blood];

Dyed with her shroud

وتجافي مؤمَّل لي خليلٍ

وتجافي مؤمَّل لي خليلٍ

لجَّ منه الجفاء والهجران

لجَّ منه الجفاء والهجران

and the estrangement of a friend in whom I had placed my hopes,

And the estrangement of a friend I hoped for

whose coldness and abandonment grew relentless.

Whose estrangement and abandonment intensified

وعزيزٌ عليَّ تَقْريعُ خِلّ

وعزيزٌ عليَّ تَقْريعُ خِلّ

لا يُدانيه عنديَ الخلان

لا يُدانيه عنديَ الخلان

And it is painful for me to rebuke a friend

And dear to me is the rebuke of a sincere friend

whom no other friends equal in my esteem.

Nothing equals it for me, not even the closest friend

غيرَ أنِّي رأيت إذكارَهُ الحزْ

غيرَ أنِّي رأيت إذكارَهُ الحزْ

م وإشعارهُ شعاراً يصان

م وإشعارهُ شعاراً يصان

Yet I thought to remind him of prudence

Except that I saw his painful remembrance

and clothe him in a garment to be preserved.

And his expression of slogans that should be preserved

لا تهاوَنْ بطيرةٍ أيُّها النَّظْ

لا تهاوَنْ بطيرةٍ أيُّها النَّظْ

ظارُ واعلم بأنَّها عنوان

ظارُ واعلم بأنَّها عنوان

Do not make light of an ill omen, O keen observer,

Do not take lightly a bird, O onlooker

and know that it is a sign.

And know that it is a symbol

قِفْ إذا طيرةٌ تلقَّتْكَ وانُظرْ

قِفْ إذا طيرةٌ تلقَّتْكَ وانُظرْ

واستمعْ ثمَّ ما يقولُ الزمان

واستمعْ ثمَّ ما يقولُ الزمان

Stop when an ill omen meets you, and look,

Stop if a bird faces you, look

and listen then to what Time says.

And listen, then see what time will say

فَلِما غابَ من أُمورِكَ عُنْوا

فَلِما غابَ من أُمورِكَ عُنْوا

نٌ مُبينٌ وللزّمانِ لسان

نٌ مُبينٌ وللزّمانِ لسان

For what is hidden in your affairs has a sign,

For when the qualities you possessed are gone

clear to see; and Time has a tongue.

With a clear symbol, and time has a tongue

لا يَقُدْكَ الهوى إلى نصرة الأخ

لا يَقُدْكَ الهوى إلى نصرة الأخ

بار حتَّى تُهين ما لا يهان

بار حتَّى تُهين ما لا يهان

Do not let caprice lead you to champion reports

Let not passion lead you to support rumors

to the point of dishonoring what must not be dishonored.

Until you disgrace what cannot be disgraced

إنَّ عُقْبَى الهوى هُوِيٌّ وعُقْبَى

إنَّ عُقْبَى الهوى هُوِيٌّ وعُقْبَى

طُولِ تلك التهاوناتِ هوان

طُولِ تلك التهاوناتِ هوان

Indeed, the outcome of caprice is downfall, and the outcome

Indeed the consequence of passion is downfall

of such prolonged disregard is humiliation.

And the consequence of long heedlessness is humiliation

لا تُصَدِّقْ عن النَّبِيِّينَ إلا

لا تُصَدِّقْ عن النَّبِيِّينَ إلا

بحديثٍ يلوحُ فيه البيان

بحديثٍ يلوحُ فيه البيان

Believe nothing reported from the prophets except

Do not believe anything about the prophets

a saying in which clarity shines forth.

Except with a hadith in which the proof is clear

قد أتَى عن نبيِّنا حبُّه الفأْ

قد أتَى عن نبيِّنا حبُّه الفأْ

لَ مضيئاً بذلك البرهان

لَ مضيئاً بذلك البرهان

Our Prophet's love of a good omen has been reported,

There has come from our Prophet his love of virtue

the proof shining clearly thereby.

Shining with that proof

ومحبُّ الحبيبِ لا شك فيه

ومحبُّ الحبيبِ لا شك فيه

كارهٌ للكريه يا إنسان

كارهٌ للكريه يا إنسان

And one who loves the beloved—there is no doubt of it—

And the lover of the beloved, there is no doubt

hates the hateful, O man.

Hates that which is hated, O human

فدع الهزلَ والتضاحك بالطِّي

فدع الهزلَ والتضاحك بالطِّي

رةِ فالنُّصْحُ مُثْمِنٌ مَجَّان

رةِ فالنُّصْحُ مُثْمِنٌ مَجَّان

So abandon jesting and laughing at ill omens,

So leave joking and laughing at the bird

for counsel is precious, yet free.

For advice is precious and free

أترى من يرى البشيرُ بشيراً

أترى من يرى البشيرُ بشيراً

يَمْتري في النذير يا وَسْنان

يَمْتري في النذير يا وَسْنان

Do you think one who sees the bearer of glad tidings as such

Do you see one who sees the giver of good tidings as good tidings

doubts the warner, O drowsy one?

And bargains with the warner, O Wissam?

خبَّر اللَّهُ أنَّ مَشْأَمةً كا

خبَّر اللَّهُ أنَّ مَشْأَمةً كا

نَتْ لقومٍ وخبَّر القرآن

نَتْ لقومٍ وخبَّر القرآن

God has declared that ill fortune was

God has told that an omen

the lot of a people, and the Quran has declared it.

Was for a people, and the Quran has told

أفَزُورُ الحديثِ تقبلُ أم ما

أفَزُورُ الحديثِ تقبلُ أم ما

قاله ذو الجلال والفرقان

قاله ذو الجلال والفرقان

Will you accept fabricated reports, or what

Is the falsehood of a narration acceptable or what

the Lord of Majesty and the Criterion have said?

The Possessor of Majesty and the Criterion has said?

لا تَكَرَّهْ مَواعظي لكريه الْ

لا تَكَرَّهْ مَواعظي لكريه الْ

حَقِّ فيها فإنها بستان

حَقِّ فيها فإنها بستان

Do not loathe my admonitions for the unpleasantness of the

Do not dislike my advice for the ugliness of

truth within them, for they are a garden.

Truth within it, for it is an orchard

فيه دفْلَى وفيهِ شَوْكٌ وفيه

فيه دفْلَى وفيهِ شَوْكٌ وفيه

من ثمارٍ كرائمٌ ألوان

من ثمارٍ كرائمٌ ألوان

In it is oleander, and in it are thorns, and in it

In it is oleander, in it thorns, and in it

are many kinds of choice fruits.

Fruits of noble colors