قل لقومٍ شنّوا المعاتبَ منهم

قل لقومٍ شنّوا المعاتبَ منهم

في الأحاديث شَأْمَةً ويمينا

في الأحاديث شَأْمَةً ويمينا

Say to a group among them who unleashed reproaches

Tell those who blamed me

in their talk, to left and right:

In gossip and oaths

لم تُنيلوا شيئاً ففيمَ شمختُم

لم تُنيلوا شيئاً ففيمَ شمختُم

وعَهِدنا ذا النَّيْلِ يشمخ فينا

وعَهِدنا ذا النَّيْلِ يشمخ فينا

You have given nothing—why hold your heads so high?

You gained nothing, so why are you arrogant?

We have known the giver to hold his head high among us.

While our Nile overflows with arrogance in us

إنّ كِبْرَ الفتى ولا فضلَ فيه

إنّ كِبْرَ الفتى ولا فضلَ فيه

عند أهل النُّهى يكون جنونا

عند أهل النُّهى يكون جنونا

A young man's arrogance, when he has no merit,

Indeed, a young man's arrogance, though undeserved,

is madness in the eyes of those with sense.

Is seen by the virtuous as madness

قد تَرَكْناكُمُ وويلٌ لمن يت

قد تَرَكْناكُمُ وويلٌ لمن يت

رُكُهُ النّاسُ كلُّهم فاِتركونا

رُكُهُ النّاسُ كلُّهم فاِتركونا

We have already left you; woe to anyone

We left you, and woe to those abandoned by all

whom all people abandon—so leave us.

So leave us be

في غَدٍ يَرجعُ الغنيُّ فَقيراً

في غَدٍ يَرجعُ الغنيُّ فَقيراً

وهزيلاً من كان ليس سمينا

وهزيلاً من كان ليس سمينا

Tomorrow the rich man will become poor,

Tomorrow the rich will return poor

and he who was not fat will become emaciated.

And the plump become emaciated

لم يكن مَن شراكُمُ وتدلَّس

لم يكن مَن شراكُمُ وتدلَّس

تمْ عَلى ناظِرَيْهِ إلّا غنينا

تمْ عَلى ناظِرَيْهِ إلّا غنينا

No one who bought you, while you disguised yourselves

No one who conspired and deceived

before his eyes, was anything but a fool.

Could fool our watchful eyes except the rich

وظننّا بكمْ جميلاً ولكنْ

وظننّا بكمْ جميلاً ولكنْ

أكْذَبَتْ منكمُ السّجايا الظُّنونا

أكْذَبَتْ منكمُ السّجايا الظُّنونا

We thought well of you, but

We thought well of you, but

your natures proved those hopes false.

Your flaws belied our hopes

وَوَرَدْنا فلم تكونوا مَعيناً

وَوَرَدْنا فلم تكونوا مَعيناً

وهززنا فلم تكونوا غُصونا

وهززنا فلم تكونوا غُصونا

We came to drink, but you were no flowing spring;

We came to you but found no allies

we shook you, but you were no boughs.

We wavered but found no branches to hold

ما رأينا منكمْ وأنتم على أفْ

ما رأينا منكمْ وأنتم على أفْ

ضلِ ما تبتغون إلّا مَهِينا

ضلِ ما تبتغون إلّا مَهِينا

We saw nothing in you, even when you had the best

We saw nothing from you, though you had

of what you sought, but a contemptible wretch,

All you desire, except disgrace

عَبِقاً بالقبيح ما كانتِ السَّوْ

عَبِقاً بالقبيح ما كانتِ السَّوْ

آت إِلّا مُوَسَّماً مَزْنونا

آت إِلّا مُوَسَّماً مَزْنونا

reeking of foulness, so long as shameful deeds endure—

Evil deeds were never adorned

nothing but a branded, suspected man.

Except by the vile and corrupt

لم يكن للدّفاعِ حصناً حريزاً

لم يكن للدّفاعِ حصناً حريزاً

لا ولا في البِياعِ عِلْقاً ثمينا

لا ولا في البِياعِ عِلْقاً ثمينا

He was no impregnable fortress for defense,

There was no impenetrable defense

no, nor a precious treasure in trade.

No precious goods nor fine jewelry

وَخِصالاً إِذا تُؤُمِّلْنَ كانتْ

وَخِصالاً إِذا تُؤُمِّلْنَ كانتْ

مسخناتٍ قُلوبَنا والعُيونا

مسخناتٍ قُلوبَنا والعُيونا

And traits that, when examined,

When we hope for good traits, we find

seared our hearts and eyes with grief;

Only those that inflame hearts and eyes

ووجوهاً بيضاً فإنْ سُئِلوا الخَيْ

ووجوهاً بيضاً فإنْ سُئِلوا الخَيْ

رَ وما هنّ أهلُهُ عُدْن جُونا

رَ وما هنّ أهلُهُ عُدْن جُونا

and white faces; but if they were asked for kindness—

White faces - if asked for virtue, they are

though those faces were unworthy of it—they turned black.

But empty headed fools

لا سقَى اللَّه مَعشراً تسكن السَّر

لا سقَى اللَّه مَعشراً تسكن السَّر

راءُ أبياتَنا إذا فارقونا

راءُ أبياتَنا إذا فارقونا

May God send no rain to a people—joy settles

May God not water a people whose dwellings

in our homes when they leave us.

Echo our verses when we part from them

عَجزوا مُعظمَ الزّمانِ فلمّا

عَجزوا مُعظمَ الزّمانِ فلمّا

قَدَروا بعد عجزهمْ ظلمونا

قَدَروا بعد عجزهمْ ظلمونا

They were powerless most of the time; but when

They disappoint most times, then when

they gained power after their helplessness, they wronged us.

They gain power after that, they wrong us

وتراهمْ عن كلّ خيرٍ نُكولاً

وتراهمْ عن كلّ خيرٍ نُكولاً

وعلى الشّرِّ وحدَه قادرينا

وعلى الشّرِّ وحدَه قادرينا

You see them shrinking from every good deed,

You see them fail every good

and capable only of evil.

Yet succeed in evil alone

ليس وعدٌ منهمْ وإن غلِطُوا بال

ليس وعدٌ منهمْ وإن غلِطُوا بال

وعدِ يوماً كانوا له ماطِلينا

وعدِ يوماً كانوا له ماطِلينا

They give no promise; and if they blunder into

No promise from them, though they erred

a promise one day, they put off fulfilling it.

By making false promises before

وهُمُ الواجدون حتّى إذا ما

وهُمُ الواجدون حتّى إذا ما

سُئِلوا الرِّفْدَ أصبحوا عادِمينا

سُئِلوا الرِّفْدَ أصبحوا عادِمينا

They have plenty—until the moment

They have, until asked to help

they are asked for aid, when they become destitute.

Then they become bereft

نتمنّى من لُؤْمِهِمْ أنّهم لمْ

نتمنّى من لُؤْمِهِمْ أنّهم لمْ

يرفدونا وأَنّهمْ حرمونا

يرفدونا وأَنّهمْ حرمونا

Their baseness makes us wish that they had never

We wish their meager gifts had never reached us

given us aid, and that they had denied us.

And they had deprived us instead

ليت قلبي وقد صَبا سَفَهاً مِنْ

ليت قلبي وقد صَبا سَفَهاً مِنْ

هُ إِلى ما دَعَوْه كان حَرونا

هُ إِلى ما دَعَوْه كان حَرونا

Would that my heart, which in its own folly yearned

Would that my heart had not foolishly

toward what they called it to, had balked!

Answered their call like a donkey

والّذي ذاقَ مُرَّهُم يتمنّى

والّذي ذاقَ مُرَّهُم يتمنّى

بَدَلاً منه أن يذوق المنونا

بَدَلاً منه أن يذوق المنونا

Whoever has tasted their bitterness longs

He who tastes their bitterness wishes

to taste death instead.

Death rather than their company

أرِنِي منهُمُ وخذْ مُهلَةً طو

أرِنِي منهُمُ وخذْ مُهلَةً طو

لَ مدا الدّهرِ واجداً مأمونا

لَ مدا الدّهرِ واجداً مأمونا

Show me one of them—and take your time,

Show me one loyal friend from their ilk

as long as all eternity—who has means and can be trusted;

After long years, and I'll be content

وقريباً أكون فرْداً فأرْضا

وقريباً أكون فرْداً فأرْضا

هُ أنيساً لِوَحْشَتي وقرينا

هُ أنيساً لِوَحْشَتي وقرينا

and someone close whom, when alone, I might welcome

Soon I'll be solitary, so let me find

as company for my loneliness and as a companion.

A companion to my loneliness

كلُّ مَنْ قرّبوه قرّبَ نَهْداً

كلُّ مَنْ قرّبوه قرّبَ نَهْداً

هَرَباً منهُمُ وإلّا أمونا

هَرَباً منهُمُ وإلّا أمونا

Everyone they drew close readied a sturdy steed

All who draw near are driven away

to flee from them—or else a sure-footed she-camel.

Unless resigned to death by them

فَاِذهَبوا حيث شِئتمُ لم تَرَوْا من

فَاِذهَبوا حيث شِئتمُ لم تَرَوْا من

نا اِشتِياقاً إليكُمُ وحنينا

نا اِشتِياقاً إليكُمُ وحنينا

Go, then, wherever you wish; you have seen no

Go where you please, you'll get no

longing for you from us, nor any yearning.

Yearning or pining from us

لا ولا ناكثاً لبَيْنٍ ثنايا

لا ولا ناكثاً لبَيْنٍ ثنايا

هُ ولا قارعاً لبُعْدٍ جَبينا

هُ ولا قارعاً لبُعْدٍ جَبينا

No, nor anyone breaking his front teeth over parting,

No keeping pacts or mending bonds

nor striking his brow because of distance.

No soothing foreheads that frowned

وإذا ما جُفونُنا سِلْنَ حُزْناً

وإذا ما جُفونُنا سِلْنَ حُزْناً

لنَواكمْ فَلَسْنَ مِنّا جُفونا

لنَواكمْ فَلَسْنَ مِنّا جُفونا

And if our eyelids stream with grief

And if sadness makes our lids sleepless

at your departure, they are no eyelids of ours.

Our lids will show no sleeplessness for you