يا صاح إسمع مذ سمت

منظومةٌ قد جمعت

O friend, listen, since there has risen

a poem that has gathered

مثلثاتٍ أشبهت

مثلثاتِ قُطرُبِ

vowel triplets resembling

Qutrub's vowel triplets.

طوباك يا رامي السَلام

وقيت من رمي السِلام

Blessed are you, O sender of peace;

may you be protected from stones being thrown.

احفظ يمينك والسُلام

من حر نار الغضبِ

Guard your right hand and its joints

from the heat of wrath's fire.

اسمع وطع هذا الكَلام

يا خائفاً خدش الكِلام

Listen and obey these words,

O you who fear the scratch of wounds.

فالجري في الأرض الكُلام

يُبلي الفتى بالعطبِ

For running across hard, stony ground

wears a young man down with injury.

بحر الخطا هو غَمْر

ما شره إلّا غِمر

The sea of sin is deep;

its evil is nothing but rancor.

ما جازه إلّا غُمر

يرى بويل الخرب

None has crossed it but an inexperienced fool,

seen amid the woe of ruin.

عراه داء التَرب

فما له من تِرب

The sickness of poverty has struck him,

and he has no companion;

معفراً من تُرب

يعض كف التعب

smeared with dust,

he bites the hand of toil.

غدا بأرضٍ حَرَّه

مروعاً من حِرَّه

He found himself in a lava field,

terrified by thirst.

فهل فتىً من حُرَّه

يغيثني في كربي

Is there a youth born of a free woman

who will rescue me in my distress?

فتب بثوب الحَلم

موشحاً الحِلم

So repent in a robe of hide,

cloaked in forbearance;

فدهرنا كالحُلم

يمر مر السحب

for our lifetime is like a dream,

passing as clouds pass.

وجد يوم السَبت

وشد نعل السِبت

And strive on the Sabbath;

fasten a sandal of tanned leather,

وكل حشيش السُبت

تقشفاً للذهب

and eat the herb,

in austerity, for gold.

فالإثم شفك كالسَهام

أصمى فؤادك كالسِهام

For sin has wasted you like scorching heat,

mortally piercing your heart like arrows,

حتى غدا داء السُهام

نظير داء العطب

until the sickness of wasting became

like the sickness of destruction.

أدع يسوعاً دَعوة

وليس فيها دِعوة

Call upon Jesus with a prayer

containing no false claim.

أعد حقّاً دُعوة

لكل داعٍ نجب

He has indeed prepared a banquet

for every noble petitioner.

في رياض الشَرب

وحياض الشِرب

In the gardens of drinking companions,

and the pools of allotted water,

بكأس ماء الشُرب

تحوز أعلى الرتب

with a cup of drinking water,

you attain the highest ranks.

في النعيم الخَرق

مع يسوع الخِرق

In bliss's wide expanse,

with Jesus, the generous one,

لا تكن ذا خُرق

تر أليم التعب

do not be foolish,

or you will see painful toil.

كن كذا رحب الجَناب

راكباً طرف الجِناب

Be thus spacious in your courtyard,

riding a led steed;

تنج من داء الجُناب

والأذى والغضب

you will escape pleurisy

and harm and wrath.

إن رفضت غدا المَلا

فأنت في البئر المِلا

If tomorrow you reject the open expanse,

you are in the brimming well;

نارها لك كالمُلا

مدى الدهور الحقب

its fire is like sheets about you

through ages and long epochs.

قد يرى لك شَكل

ولا يرى لك شِكل

A likeness of you may be seen,

but no equal of yours is seen;

وفي يمينك شُكل

مغللاً باللهب

and on your right hand are fetters,

as you are shackled in flame.

مع أبالس صَرَّه

بهوتةٍ هي صِرّه

With a clamorous horde of devils,

in a pit of bitter cold,

كأنكم في صُرَّه

رباطها بالغضب

as though you were in a bundle,

bound by wrath.

مولاك لا بالقَسط

رماك بل بالقِسط

Your Lord did not, through injustice,

cast you down, but through justice;

فعدله كالقُسط

يفوح عند النوب

for his justice is like costus,

fragrant amid afflictions.

كم رمت نسق العَرف

وضقت عند العِرف

How often you sought an ordering of fragrance,

and grew impatient when patience was needed.

دهاك نكر العُرف

وجود ربٍّ مرهب

You were overtaken by denial of kindness

and of an awe-inspiring Lord's bounty.

تبعت رأي الجَدِّ

لما عصى بالجِدِّ

You followed your forefather's counsel

when he sinned in earnest;

وإذ غدا بالجُدِّ

فداه مولى الأدب

and when he came to the shore,

the Lord of virtue redeemed him.

جاء من خير الجَوار

مستكنّاً في الجِوار

He came from the finest of maidens,

sheltered in refuge;

صوته يعلو الجُوار

من مريمٍ في عجب

his voice rose above the clamor,

from Mary, in wonder.

وذاق شوك الأَمَّه

فيا لها من إِمَّه

He tasted thorns that wounded his head—

what a condition that was!—

ومات دون الأُمَّه

بجسمه المعذب

and died for the community

in his tormented body.

ونال طعم الحَربه

ما أمره بالحِربه

And he tasted the spear;

how bitter it was in bereavement!

فقلبه كالحُربه

حوى ضروب النوب

His heart was like a chamber,

holding many kinds of affliction.

الويل ويل الشَعب

إذا ضل بين الشِعب

Woe, woe to the people,

if they stray among mountain passes,

مشعباً كالشُعب

ممزقاً بالغضب

divided like branches,

torn apart by wrath.

عليه قد ناح الحَمام

لما سقي كأس الحِمام

The doves lamented over him

when he was given death's cup;

وقام كالليث الحُمام

من بعد موتٍ مرهب

and he rose like a valiant lion

after an awe-inspiring death.

وهد عزم اللَمَّه

وغلهم باللِمَّه

He broke the force of the demonic assault,

and shackled them by their locks;

وحل أسر اللُمَّه

من بعد طول الحقب

he freed the captive company

after long ages.

غدا نقي المَسك

وعرفه كالمِسك

His skin became pure,

and his fragrance was like musk;

وجاد لا كالمُسك

على الأسير الوصب

he gave generously, not with miserliness,

to the ailing captive.

فارمق إذاً بالحَجر

وفز بحسن الحِجر

Look, then, at the stone,

and win sound judgment;

من بعد ذاك الحُجر

نجوت منجى الهرب

after that restraint,

you escaped as a fugitive escapes.

لا تكن كالسَقط

أو جنين السِقط

Do not be like worthless refuse,

or a miscarried fetus,

ما بين نار السُقط

لأجل ذنبٍ مشجب

amid a fire of sparks,

for a condemned sin.

عليك نارٌ كالرَقاق

ويومها يوم الرِقاق

Over you is fire like a level plain,

and its day is a day of slaves;

تذوب جوعاً والرُقاق

يعز يوم السغب

you waste away with hunger, while flatbread

is scarce on hunger's day.

أذنك فيها الصَلُّ

أعضاك فيها الصِلُّ

Your ear has ringing in it,

your limbs have the viper in them,

وفوك فيه الصُلُّ

وسمه كالعقرب

and your mouth holds foul water,

whose venom is like a scorpion's.

معذَّباً بالجَث

ممزقاً بالجِث

Tormented by cutting,

torn in body,

مثقلاً بالجُث

في بحار اللهب

weighed down with mounded earth,

in seas of flame.

ففر خوفاً كالطَلا

عن معاطاة الطِلا

So flee in fear like a fawn

from sharing wine,

ومن مغازلة الطُلا

إن رمت حسن الأرب

and from courting necks,

if you seek a worthy desire.

واستسق خير القَطر

ورد ذوب القِطر

Ask for the best rain,

and turn away molten copper;

فعرف ريح القُطر

يشيد فضل الأدب

the scent of aloeswood

proclaims the excellence of virtue.

ترى الفضائل كالزَجاج

فاعتقلها كالزِجاج

You see virtues as glass;

so grasp them like spear ferrules,

واحتفظها كالزُجاج

إذ هو سريع العطب

and safeguard them like glass,

for it is quickly damaged.

فالعقل هو كالظَلم

والفكر هو كالظِلم

For reason is like the sheen of teeth,

and thought is like snow;

والخبث نقي الصَلت

ثناك لا كالصِلت

and malice, with a clear brow,

turned you aside—not like a thief—

مجاهداً كالصُلت

في اكتساب النشب

as you strove like a vigorous man

to acquire wealth.

وزاد بجسمك مَنَّه

تقشفاً بالمِنَّه

And weakness grew in your body

through austerity, by grace;

ولا تخف فالمُنَّه

موجودةٌ في التعب

but do not fear, for strength

is found in toil.

وحمل النسك القَرى

كأنه نار القِرى

Make the back bear ascetic discipline,

as though it were hospitality's fire;

وجانبن سكنى القُرى

يا راهباً يا ابن أبي

avoid dwelling in villages,

O monk, O son of my father.

واطمر طموراً كالرَشا

من نساء كالرِشا

Leap like a gazelle

away from women like ropes;

إبليس يعطيك الرُشا

من منظرٍ أو مشرب

Satan offers you bribes

through a sight or a drink.

وأبعدن من الكَرَى

واللَه يمنحك الكِرى

Keep far from sleep,

and God will grant you wages;

ولا تكن مثل الكُرى

مدحرجاً بالسبب

do not be like balls,

rolled about by a cord.

فالنعيم لك العَقار

لا تخف من نوب

Bliss, then, is your estate;

do not fear afflictions.

إسعد بتلك الجَنَّه

واسخر بتلك الجِنَّه

Rejoice in that paradise,

and mock those demons;

وربنا لك جُنَّه

يقيك سهم النوب

our Lord is a shield for you,

protecting you from affliction's arrow.

ألق بذار الحَبِّ

في ديار الحِبِّ

Sow the seeds of grain

in the beloved's dwellings;

تجد ثمار الحُبِّ

في النيعم العذب

you will find the fruits of love

in sweet bliss.

فضائلٌ كالعَرس

والحلى للعِرس

Virtues are like a supporting wall,

and ornaments for the bride;

سرورها كالعُرس

عند النفيس الرغب

their joy is like a wedding

amid precious desires.

سر مسير الحَبوه

لا تن بالحِبوه

Go at a crawling pace;

do not slacken while sitting with knees drawn up,

عسى تحوز الحُبوه

في نعيم الطرب

that you may win the gift

in joyous bliss.

نق عقلك بالصَلاه

فإنها خير الصِلاه

Purify your mind with prayer,

for it is the best of offerings;

تقيك من لذع الصُلاه

في جحيم اللهب

it shields you from the sting of burning heat

in the inferno of flame.

أسلك سلوك البَرِّ

عاملاً بالبِرِّ

Travel the path of dry land,

doing good,

قانعاً بالبُرِّ

في هدو السبسب

content with wheat,

in the stillness of the wasteland.

إزهد بأكل الثَلَّه

وكل عروق الثِلَّه

Renounce eating the flock,

and eat the herb's roots;

وحاذرنَّ الثُلَّه

ترى هدو الغضب

beware the crowd,

and you will see wrath grow still.

صر آذان الوَقر

جاثماً كالوِقر

Let your ears become deaf,

crouching like a load,

مزيناً بالوُقر

أمام رب مرهب

adorned with dignity,

before an awe-inspiring Lord.

يا راهباً ذا خَلَّه

قد هجرت الخِلَّه

O monk in need,

you have abandoned the sword's sheath;

إن كنت صاحب خُلَّه

فاستقم في المذهب

if you possess friendship,

remain upright in the way.

لا تفه في خَطَّه

تحد عن خِطَّه

Do not speak within a drawn line

and stray from an allotted plot;

وهذه لك خُطَّه

عند ترك الأصوب

this is a course for you

when you leave what is soundest.

يا راعياً بالحَقِّ

في ركوب الحِقِّ

O shepherd in truth,

riding a young camel,

لا تكن كالحُقِّ

في ادخار الذهب

do not be like a casket

in hoarding gold.

قد خبرت الخَبره

وارتضيت الخِبره

You have tested the soft ground,

and accepted experience;

فوجدت الخُبره

بالعنا والتعب

then you found a share of food

through hardship and toil.

ديارنا كالذَبح

وأهلها كالذِبح

Our dwellings are like slaughter,

their inhabitants like a sacrificial victim,

وقومها كالذُبح

يسم قلب التعب

and their people like a plant

that brands the weary heart.

بؤساً لها من رَبع

فما لها من رِبع

Woe to it as an abode!

It has no fourth-day watering;

سرورها في رُبع

وكلها للحطب

its joy lies in a quarter,

and all of it is firewood.

إركب جنيب الرَسل

وجر لا كالرِسل

Mount a gently pacing steed,

and run—not like milk—

وكن نظير الرُسل

بوعظك المختلب

and be like the messengers

with your captivating preaching.

فعمرنا كالخَمره

ومكره كالخِمره

Our life is like wine,

its deceit like a covering,

وشره كالخُمره

في فساد المشرب

and its evil like a small mat

amid corrupted drinking.

كأنه فلو القَلا

جهلاً وعقباه القِلا

As though it were a playful foal,

in ignorance, with hatred its outcome,

يسقيك من صافي القُلا

مكدرات الشغب

it gives you, from pure lye,

the turbid draughts of strife.

لو حابك ألفي سَنه

كأنها فيه سِنه

Even if it favored you with two thousand years,

they would be like a doze within it;

لا يروقنك سُنه

يبدو بوجهٍ مقطب

let not its appearance beguile you:

it appears with a frowning face.

ليس فيه رَمَّه

رفاته هي رِمَّه

There is no restoration in it;

its remains are decayed bones;

متاعه كالرُمَّه

يبلى بأذنى سبب

its goods are like a frayed rope

that wears out at the slightest cause.

عناؤه في القَلب

وضعفه كالقِلب

Its toil is in the heart,

and its weakness is like a snake,

مزين بالقُلب

بمعصمٍ مختضب

adorned with a bracelet

on a dyed wrist.

خاصمنه باللَحا

عساك تنجو من لِحا

Oppose it with reproach,

perhaps you will escape strife;

لا تروقنك لُحا

تحتها كل غبي

let not beards delight you,

for beneath them is every fool.

إقرعن باب اللَبان

وارتضع صافي اللِبان

Knock at the breast's door,

and suckle pure milk;

لذ بمريم فاللُبان

عرفه منها خبي

seek refuge in Mary, for frankincense

has a hidden fragrance from her.

فهي ملاذ الصَفر

وغناء الصِفر

She is a refuge for the hungry,

and wealth for the destitute;

وعزمها كالصُفر

في لقاء الثعلب

her resolve is like brass

when confronting the fox.

قد تم يا ابن الحرَّه

نظامنا كالغرَّه

It is finished, O son of a freeborn woman—

our poem, like a shining forehead-mark.

قلت هذي درَّه

منظومةٌ بالسخب

I said: this is a pearl,

strung among necklaces,

وذات لفظٍ كالحلي

مثلثٍ بين الملا

with words like ornaments,

triply vocalized before the assembly.

فزدتها لفظاً عن

مثلثات قطرب

I added words to it beyond

Qutrub's vowel triplets.