إِن مازَتِ الناسُ أَخلاقٌ يُعاشُ بِها

إِن مازَتِ الناسُ أَخلاقٌ يُعاشُ بِها

فَإِنَّهُم عِندَ سوءِ الطَبعِ أَسواءُ

فَإِنَّهُم عِندَ سوءِ الطَبعِ أَسواءُ

If people are distinguished by qualities one can live by,

If people excel in character and morals,

they are alike in their evil disposition.

Yet when ill-natured they are most vile.

أَو كانَ كُلُّ بَني حَوّاءَ يُشبِهُني

أَو كانَ كُلُّ بَني حَوّاءَ يُشبِهُني

فَبِئسَ ما وُلِدَت في الخَلقِ حَوّاءُ

فَبِئسَ ما وُلِدَت في الخَلقِ حَوّاءُ

Or if all the sons of Eve resemble me,

Were all Eve's daughters made in my likeness,

then wretched is what Eve has borne among creatures.

Poorly was Eve created in form and feature.

بُعدي مِنَ الناسِ بُرءٌ مِن سَقامِهِمُ

بُعدي مِنَ الناسِ بُرءٌ مِن سَقامِهِمُ

وَقُربُهُم لِلحِجى وَالدينِ أَدواءُ

وَقُربُهُم لِلحِجى وَالدينِ أَدواءُ

My distance from people cures me of their sickness,

My remoteness from men cures me of their sickness,

and their nearness brings maladies to reason and faith.

While closeness to them breeds ruin and disease.

كَالبَيتِ أُفرِدَ لا ايطاءَ يُدرِكُهُ

كَالبَيتِ أُفرِدَ لا ايطاءَ يُدرِكُهُ

وَلا سَنادٌ وَلا في اللَفظِ إِقواءُ

وَلا سَنادٌ وَلا في اللَفظِ إِقواءُ

Like a verse set apart: no repeated rhyme-word can mar it,

Like a house standing alone, no shade to shelter it,

nor faulty pre-rhyme sounds, nor discordant rhyme-vowels in its wording.

No company, no strength in speech or plea.

نوديتَ أَلوَيتَ فَاِنزِل لا يُرادُ أَتى

نوديتَ أَلوَيتَ فَاِنزِل لا يُرادُ أَتى

سَيري لِوى الرَملِ بَل لِلنَبتِ إِلواءُ

سَيري لِوى الرَملِ بَل لِلنَبتِ إِلواءُ

You were hailed: 'You have withered—dismount!' This does not mean that

When the rain pours down, scouring the sandy waste,

my journey reached the winding sands; rather, it means a plant's withering.

It brings no nurture, only erosion.

وَذاكَ أَنَّ سَوادَ الفَودِ غَيَّرَهُ

وَذاكَ أَنَّ سَوادَ الفَودِ غَيَّرَهُ

في غُرَّةٍ مِن بَياضِ الشَيبِ أَضواءُ

في غُرَّةٍ مِن بَياضِ الشَيبِ أَضواءُ

And that is because the blackness of my temple-hair has been changed

The black locks of my youth are turned to white

by gleams from the whiteness of gray hair in a bright patch.

By shocks of sorrow, like flashes of light.

إِذا نُجومُ قَتيرٍ في الدُجى طَلَعَت

إِذا نُجومُ قَتيرٍ في الدُجى طَلَعَت

فَلِلجُفونِ مِنَ الإِشفاقِ أَنواءُ

فَلِلجُفونِ مِنَ الإِشفاقِ أَنواءُ

When stars of white hair rise in the darkness,

When the faint stars in the darkening twilight shine,

the eyelids have rainstorms born of apprehension.

My teardrops fall in pity for their decline.