Sol 6.1

  1. لَأَوصِيَنَّ بِما أَوصَت بِهِ أُمَمٌ

    في الدَهرِ وَالقَولُ مِثلَ الشُربِ مَعلولُ

    I shall surely give the counsel that peoples gave

    through the ages—and speech, like drinking, is repeated.

  2. لا تَأمَنَنَّ أَخا داءٍ وَلا ضَمَنٍ

    قَد يُحدِثُ السَيفُ كَلماً وَهوَ مَفلولُ

    Never feel safe from one afflicted with illness or chronic infirmity;

    a sword may inflict a wound even when its edge is notched.

  3. وَلا يَغُرَّنكَ مِمَّن قَلبُهُ أَحِنٌ

    صَمتٌ فَإِنَّ حُسامَ الغِمرِ مَسلولُ

    And let no one whose heart bears rancor deceive you

    by silence; for rancor’s keen sword is drawn.

  4. وَإِن دُلِلتَ عَلى شَرٍّ لِتَأتِيَهُ

    فَأَنتَ مِنهُ عَلى ما ساءَ مَدلولُ

    And if you are guided toward evil, so as to commit it,

    then through it you are guided toward what is bad.

  5. مَفعولُ خَيرِكَ في الأَفعالِ مُفتَقَدٌ

    كَما تَعَذَّرَ في الأَسماءِ فَعلولُ

    The effect of your goodness is missing among deeds,

    just as the pattern faʿlūl is lacking among nouns.

  6. وَلا يَصُدَنّكَ عَن مَجدٍ وَلا شَرِفٍ

    تَبغيهِ أَنَّكَ طَلقُ الوَجهِ بُهلولُ

    And do not be deterred from glory or honor

    you seek, just because you are cheerful-faced and jovial.

  7. وَلا تُجِلَنَّ ما الأَحلامُ تَحظُرُهُ

    فَقَد عَلِمتَ بِأَنَّ الرِمسَ مَحلولُ

    And do not revere what reason forbids,

    for you know that the grave stands open.

  8. وَقَد يَطِلُّ دِماءً غَيرَ هَيِّنَةٍ

    دَمٌ مِنَ الذارِعِ الزِنجِيِّ مَطلولُ

    And much blood, far from trifling, may be spilled without redress

    because of unavenged blood from the long-armed Zanj man.

  9. ذاكَ الأَسيرُ كَفانا غُلُّهُ عَنَتاً

    فَلَيتَهُ آخِرَ الأَيّامِ مَغلولُ

    That captive—his shackles have spared us hardship;

    so would that he were fettered to the end of days.