كيفَ السبيلُ إلى الغِنى

كيفَ السبيلُ إلى الغِنى

والبُخْلُ عندَ النّاسِ فِطْنَهْ

والبُخْلُ عندَ النّاسِ فِطْنَهْ

How is one to reach wealth,

How to attain wealth when stinginess is the people's wisdom?

when people deem miserliness shrewdness?

Slaying the misers has become tradition.

إن لم تدعْ سبباً إليْ

إن لم تدعْ سبباً إليْ

هِ القتلُ في البخَلاءِ سُنّهْ

هِ القتلُ في البخَلاءِ سُنّهْ

If you do not abandon a means to

Take from your time whatever brings you no harm,

it, killing misers is customary.

Snatching with blows and ravaging all its shields.

خذْ من زَمانكَ كلَّ شيْ

خذْ من زَمانكَ كلَّ شيْ

ءٍ لا يجرُّ عليكَ منّهْ

ءٍ لا يجرُّ عليكَ منّهْ

Take from your age every

We thought truth would benefit us and take away all distress,

thing that brings you no debt of gratitude.

Until we were mocked for being hopeful and they believed our suspicions.

بالضّربِ يَخْتَطِفُ الذّرى

بالضّربِ يَخْتَطِفُ الذّرى

والطّعْنِ يهتِكُ كلَّ جُنّهْ

والطّعْنِ يهتِكُ كلَّ جُنّهْ

With blows one snatches the heights,

They said you fled humiliation and disgrace. I said: it indeed

and with thrusts one rends every shield.

Sprouted with us in the land of Iraq but we did not experience its affliction.

كُنّا نظنُّ الصِّدقَ ين

كُنّا نظنُّ الصِّدقَ ين

فَعنا ويذهب كل إحْنَهْ

فَعنا ويذهب كل إحْنَهْ

We thought truth would

Except for departing, the country had enough of transporting nobles forcibly exiled.

benefit us and dispel every grudge,

If I stay, I will afflict it with tranquil souls.

حتّى سخِرْنا بالرِّجا

حتّى سخِرْنا بالرِّجا

لِ فصدّقونا بالمَظَنّهْ

لِ فصدّقونا بالمَظَنّهْ

until we mocked

Clench your hand on my tomorrow, for I am the expectation of suspicions.

men, and they believed us on conjecture.

I am from the chiefs of ‘Utaik and the devils are my neighbors.

قالوا هَرَبْتَ من المذَل

قالوا هَرَبْتَ من المذَل

لَةِ والهَوانِ فقلتُ إنّهْ

لَةِ والهَوانِ فقلتُ إنّهْ

They said, “You fled from

If you do not become rebellious Babylon in the morning,

humiliation and abasement.” I said, “Indeed.”

You will leave all the non-Arabs while their hearts are enveloped in deaf tongues.

ونَبَتْ بِنا أرضُ العِرا

ونَبَتْ بِنا أرضُ العِرا

قِ فما مَحَنّاها بمِحْنَهْ

قِ فما مَحَنّاها بمِحْنَهْ

And we were spurned by the land of

Iraq; we inflicted on it no ordeal

غيرَ الرّحيلِ كفى البلا

غيرَ الرّحيلِ كفى البلا

دَ بنُقلةِ النُجَباءِ هُجْنَهْ

دَ بنُقلةِ النُجَباءِ هُجْنَهْ

but departure: shame enough for a

land is the migration of noble men.

ولَئِنْ بَقِيْتُ لأدعَرنَّ

ولَئِنْ بَقِيْتُ لأدعَرنَّ

بِها نفوساً مطمئنّه

بِها نفوساً مطمئنّه

And if I remain, I shall surely malign

tranquil souls there.

أشدُدْ يديْكَ بيَ الغَدا

أشدُدْ يديْكَ بيَ الغَدا

ةَ فإنّني عِلقُ المظِنّهْ

ةَ فإنّني عِلقُ المظِنّهْ

Tighten your grip on me in the

morning, for I am a treasure worth seeking.

أنا من مهالِيَة العَتيْ

أنا من مهالِيَة العَتيْ

كِ وبي من الشيْطانِ جِنّهْ

كِ وبي من الشيْطانِ جِنّهْ

I am of the Mahaliya of al-ʿAtik,

and a madness from the Devil dwells in me,

إنْ لم تُصَبِّحْ بابِلاً

إنْ لم تُصَبِّحْ بابِلاً

جُرْدٌ تَبارى في الأعِنّهْ

جُرْدٌ تَبارى في الأعِنّهْ

if Babylon is not assailed at dawn

by sleek steeds vying under the reins,

تَذَرُ الأعاجمَ كُلَّهُمْ

تَذَرُ الأعاجمَ كُلَّهُمْ

وقلوبُهم غُلفُ الأسِنّهْ

وقلوبُهم غُلفُ الأسِنّهْ

leaving all the non-Arabs

with their hearts as sheaths for spearheads.