حيل البلى تأتي على المحتال — Abu Alatahyah

حِيَلُ البَلى تَأتي عَلى المُحتالِ

وَمساكِنُ الدُنيا فَهُنَّ بَوالِ

The wiles of decay overcome the schemer.

And this world's dwellings—they are decaying.

شُغِلَ الأُلى كَنَزوا الكُنوزَ عَنِ التُقى

وَسَهوا بِباطِلِهِم عَنِ الآجالِ

Those who hoarded treasures were distracted from piety,

And through their vanities forgot their appointed ends.

سَلِّم عَلى الدُنيا سَلامَ مُوَدِّعٍ

وَاِرحَل فَقَد نوديتَ بِالتَرحالِ

Bid this world the farewell of one departing,

And depart, for you have been summoned to leave.

ما أَنتِ يا دُنيا بِدارِ إِقامَةٍ

ما زِلتِ يا دُنيا كَفيءِ ظِلالِ

You, O world, are no abode for staying.

You have ever been, O world, like the shade of shadows.

وَحُفِفتِ يا دُنيا بِكُلِّ بَلِيَّةٍ

وَمُزِجتِ يا دُنيا بِكُلِّ وَبالِ

And you were surrounded, O world, by every affliction,

And mingled, O world, with every calamity.

قَد كُنتِ يا دُنيا مَلَكتِ مَقادَتي

فَقَرَيتِني بِوَساوِسٍ وَخَبالِ

You had indeed, O world, taken hold of my reins,

So you regaled me with whisperings and derangement.

حَوَّلتِ يا دُنيا جَمالَ شَبيبَتي

قُبحاً فَماتَ بِذاكَ نورُ جَمالي

You turned, O world, the beauty of my youth

To ugliness, and so the light of my beauty died.

غَرَسَ التَخَلُّصُ مِنكِ بَينَ جَوانِحي

شَجَرَ القَناعَةِ وَالقَناعَةُ مالي

Deliverance from you planted between my ribs

The trees of contentment—and contentment is my wealth.

الآنَ أَبصَرتُ الضَلالَةَ وَالهُدى

وَالآنَ فيكِ قَبِلتُ مِن عُذّالي

Now I have discerned error and right guidance,

And now, concerning you, I have heeded my reproachers.

وَطَويتُ عَنكَ ذُيولَ بُردَي صَبوَتي

وَقَطَعتُ حَبلَكِ مِن وِصالِ حِبالي

And I gathered away from you the hems of my youthful passion's two cloaks,

And cut your cord free from its joining with my cords.

وَفَهِمتُ مِن نُوَبِ الزَمانِ عِظاتِها

وَفَطِنتُ لِلأَيّامِ وَالأَحوالِ

And I understood the admonitions in time's calamities,

And became alert to the days and circumstances.

وَمَلَكتُ قَودَ عِنانِ نَفسي بِالهُدى

وَطَوَيتُ عَن تَبَعِ الهَوى أَذيالي

And through guidance I mastered the reins of my soul,

And gathered my hems away from following desire.

وَتَناوَلَت فِكَري عَجائِبُ جَمَّةٌ

بِتَصَرُّفي في الحالِ بَعدَ الحالِ

And many wonders took hold of my thoughts

As I passed from state to state.

لَمّا حَصَلتُ عَلى القَناعَةِ لَم أَزَل

مَلِكاً يَرى الإِكثارَ كَالإِقلالِ

Since I attained contentment, I have remained

A king who sees having much as having little.

إِنَّ القَناعَةَ بِالكَفافِ هِيَ الغِنى

وَالفَقرُ عَينُ الفَقرِ في الأَموالِ

For contentment with enough is wealth,

And poverty, poverty itself, lies in riches.

مَن لَم يَكُن في اللَهِ يَمنَحُكَ الهَوى

مَزَجَ الهَوى بِمَلالَةٍ وَثِقالِ

Whoever does not give you love for God's sake

Mixes love with weariness and heaviness.

وَإِذا اِبنُ آدَمَ نالَ رِفعَةَ مَنزِلٍ

قُرِنَ اِبنُ آدَمَ عِندَها بِسِفالِ

And when a son of Adam attains a lofty station,

The son of Adam is then coupled with lowliness.

وَإِذا الفَتى حَجَبَ الهَوى عَن عَقلِهِ

رَشُدَ الفَتى وَصَفا مِنَ الأَوجالِ

And when a young man bars desire from his mind,

The young man finds right guidance and is free of fears.

وَإِذا الفَتى خَبَطَ الأُمورَ تَعَسُّفاً

حَمِدَ الهَرامَ وَذَمَّ كُلَّ حَلالِ

And when a young man blunders through affairs recklessly,

He praises the forbidden and condemns everything lawful.

وَإِذا الفَتى لَزِمَ التَلَوُّنَ لَم تَجِد

أَبَداً لَهُ في الوَصلِ طَعمَ وِصالِ

And when a young man clings to fickleness, you will not find

Ever, in his company, the taste of union.

وَإِذا تَوازَنَتِ الأُمورُ لِفَضلِها

فَالدينُ مِنها أَرجَحُ المِثقالِ

And when things are weighed against each other for their worth,

Religion has the greatest weight among them.

أَمسَت رِياضُ هُداكَ مِنكَ خَوالِياً

وَرِياضُ غَيِّكَ مِنكَ غَيرُ خَوالِ

The gardens of your guidance have become empty of you,

And the gardens of your waywardness are not empty of you.

قَيِّد عَنِ الدُنيا هَواكَ بِسَلوَةٍ

وَاِقمَع نَشاطَكَ في الهَوى بِنَكالِ

Bind your desire away from this world with detachment,

And curb your zeal for desire with chastisement.

وَبِحَسبِ عَقلِكَ بِالزَمانِ مُؤَدَّباً

وَبِحَسبِهِ بِتَقَلُّبِ الأَحوالِ

And time suffices to school your mind,

And changing circumstances are enough for it.

بَرِّد بِيَأسِكَ عَنكَ حَرَّ مَطامِعٍ

قَدَحَت بِعَقلِكَ أَثقَبَ الأَشعالِ

By relinquishing hope, quench the heat of your cravings,

Which have kindled the most piercing flames in your mind.

قاتِل هَواكَ إِذا دَعاكَ لِفِتنَةٍ

قاتِل هَواكَ هُناكَ كُلَّ قِتالِ

Fight your desire when it calls you to temptation;

Fight your desire there with every means of combat.

إِن لَم تَكُن بَطَلاً إِذا حَمِيَ الوَغى

فَاِحذَر عَلَيكَ مَواقِفَ الأَبطالِ

If you are no champion when battle grows hot,

Then, for your own sake, beware the positions of champions.

اِحزُن لِسانَكَ بِالسُكوتِ عَنِ الخَنا

وَاِحذَر عَلَيكَ عَواقِبَ الأَقوالِ

Restrain your tongue, through silence, from foul speech,

And beware, for your own sake, the consequences of words.

وَإِذا عَقَلتَ هَواكَ عَن هَفَواتِهِ

أَطلَقتَهُ مِن خَينِ كُلِّ عِقالِ

And when you tether your desire away from its lapses,

You set it free from the treachery of every fetter.

وَإِذا سَكَنتَ إِلى الهُدى وَأَطَعتَهُ

أُلبِستَ حُلَّةَ صالِحِ الأَعمالِ

And when you find repose in guidance and obey it,

You are clothed in the robe of righteous deeds.

وَإِذا طَمِعتَ لَبِستَ ثَوبَ مَذَلَّةٍ

إِنَّ المَطامِعَ مَعدَنُ الإِذلالِ

And when you covet, you wear a garment of humiliation;

For cravings are the mine of abasement.

وَإِذا سَبَحتَ إِلى الهَوى أَذيالَهُ

أَلقاكَ في قيلٍ عَلَيكَ وَقالِ

And when you swim toward desire's trailing hems,

It casts you into gossip and hearsay against you.

وَإِذا حَلَلتَ عَنِ اللِسانِ عِقالَهُ

أَلقاكَ في قيلٍ عَلَيكَ وَقالِ

And when you loosen the tongue's fetter,

It casts you into gossip and hearsay against you.

وَإِذا ظَمِئتَ إِلى اِلتَقى أُسقيتَهُ

مِن مَشرَبٍ عَذبِ المَذاقِ زُلالِ

And when you thirst for piety, you are given it to drink

From a sweet-tasting, crystal-clear source.

وَإِذا اِبتُليتَ بِبَذلِ وَجهِكَ سائِلاً

فَاِبذُلهُ لِلمُتَكَرِّمِ المِفضالِ

And when you are tried by offering your face as a petitioner,

Then offer it to one gracious and bountiful.

إِنَّ الكَريمَ إِذا حَباكَ بِوَعدِهِ

أَعطاكَهُ سَلِساً بَغَيرِ مِطالِ

For when a generous man favors you with his promise,

He grants it to you readily, without delay.

ما اِعتاضَ باذِلُ وَجهِهِ بِلِسانِهِ

عِوَضاً وَلَو نالَ الغِنى بِسُؤالِ

One who offers his face through his tongue receives no

Compensation, even if he gains wealth through begging.

وَإِذا السُؤالُ مَعَ النَوالِ قَرَنتَهُ

رَجَحَ السُؤالُ وَخَفَّ كُلُّ نَوالِ

And when you couple begging with the gift,

Begging weighs heavier, and every gift weighs light.

عَجَباً عَجِبتُ لِموقِنٍ بِوَفاتِهِ

يَمشي التَبَختُرَ مِشيَةَ المُختالِ

In wonder I marvel at one certain of his death,

Who walks swaggering, with the gait of the conceited.

رَجِّ العُقولَ الصافِياتِ فَإِنَّها

كَنزُ الكُنوزِ وَمَعدَنُ الإِفضالِ

Place your hopes in pure minds, for they

Are the treasure of treasures and the mine of beneficence.

صافِ الكِرامِ فَإِنَّهُم أَهلُ النُهى

وَاِحذَر عَلَيكَ مَوَدَّةَ الأَنذالِ

Befriend the noble, for they are people of reason,

And guard yourself against the affection of the base.

صِل قاطِعيكَ وَحارِميكَ وَأَعطِهِم

وَإِذا فَعَلتَ فَدُم بِذاكَ وَوالِ

Keep ties with those who cut you off and deny you, and give to them;

And when you do so, persist in it and keep it up.

وَالمَرءُ لَيسَ بِكامِلٍ في قَولِهِ

حَتّى يُزَيِّنَ قَولَهُ بِفِعالِ

And a man is not complete in his speech

Until he adorns his speech with deeds.

وَلَرُبَّما ارتَفَعَ الوَضيعُ بِفِعلِهِ

وَلَرُبَّما سَفَلَ الرَفيعُ العالي

And often the lowly rises through his deeds,

And often the exalted, lofty man sinks.

كَم عِبرَةٍ لِذَوي التَفَكُّرِ وَالنُهى

في ذا الزَمانِ وَذا الزَمانِ الخالي

How many lessons there are for those who reflect and reason

In this age and in that bygone age.

كَم مِن ضَعيفِ العَقلِ زَيَّنَ عَقلَهُ

ما قَد رَعى وَوَعى مِنَ الأَمثالِ

How many a weak-minded man has had his mind adorned

By the proverbs he has heeded and understood.

كَم مِن رِجالٍ في العُيونِ وَما هُم

في العَقلِ إِن كَشَّفتَهُم بِرِجالِ

How many are men in others' eyes, yet they are not

Men of reason, if you lay them bare.