Poem: For Those Who Dare to Face the Horror
Attributed to Ka’b ibn Zuhair:
For those who face the horror without ambition,
The burdens of fate may not be carried lightly.
If you refrain from ignorance and disgrace,
You may encounter a patient soul, or perhaps a fool will find you.
Poem: A Tenderness Amidst Suffering
Attributed to Al-Mutanabbi:
O Sons of Our Father, we belong to the realm,
Where the crow of separation continuously croaks.
We mourn for this world, a collective sorrow,
For those united by life, yet separated in death.
Where are the tyrants who hoarded riches,
Yet remain behind, forgotten and forlorn?
Each warrior, confined by their own army,
Ultimately rests in a grave that grows small.
They fall silent when called, as if unaware,
That silence does not grant them license to speak freely.
For death approaches, and souls are precious,
And he who clings to what he has is a fool.
Hope flares, while the sweetness of life lingers,
As gray overtakes youth, causing a lament to arise.
Indeed, I have wept for my youth, and yet,
My memories grow darker, while the light of my face fades.
With grief for his separation, I took heed,
Until with tears, I almost let the light of my eyes shine forth.
Poem: A Hope That Has Faded
Attributed to Abu Tammam:
A hope once held by my soul has passed,
And despair has become its new companion.
My time deceived me after contentment,
Eroding the joy that I once knew.
It is not that fate wronged me, but rather,
It graciously lent me kindness, then it claimed its due!
Poem: When One Feels Obligated to Care
Attributed to Imam Al-Shafi’i:
If a person can only be counted on by constraint,
Then let them go, and don’t lament their absence.
For in people, there are replacements, and relinquishment brings ease,
And within the heart, patience for a lover, even when they seem distant.
Not every person you love will reciprocate that love,
Nor does every friend you cherish truly hold dear.
If the purity of affection is not inherent,
Therein lies no value in a friendship born of obligation.
Nor is there virtue in a friend who betrays,
Only to greet their past affection with disdain.
And to deny a bond that once flourished,
And unveil a secret that was once concealed.
Peace be upon a world that has not,
A sincere friend who keeps their promises and remains just.
Poem: Beware of False Omens
Attributed to Abu Al-Ala’ Al-Maari:
Do not rejoice in an omen merely because you heard it,
Nor be disheartened by the cawing of a crow.
The situation is graver than a bliss you anticipate,
And the reality is easier than you might fear.
When pondering thoughts that yield no pleasant outcome,
The mind’s clarity will lighten burdens that felt heavy.
If the intellect is sound, it grants one restful vigor,
Only for it to fade away, as strife turns to play.
And the charms of women in their allurements,
Are but fleeting moments like shadows cast in games.
Excess weight only burdens the flesh it carries,
Dragging it down into the inevitable grave.
Poem: Let Time Wear On
Attributed to Imam Al-Shafi’i:
Let the days do as they will,
And comfort your soul when fate decrees.
Do not grieve for the trials of life,
For the events of this world are transient.
Be a man of resilience in the face of hardships,
With generosity and loyalty as your traits.
Though your faults may proliferate among people,
And you desire to conceal them.
Cover your flaws with generosity, for every fault,
Is masked, as is said, by benevolence.
Nor submit to your enemies in disgrace,
For the satisfaction of foes is a curse.
Do not expect grace from the stingy,
For there is no water for the thirsty in hell.
Your sustenance cannot be diminished by patience,
Nor will hardship lead to abundance.
Neither sorrow is everlasting, nor joy,
Nor is there wealth in your fortune or misfortune.
And whoever is visited by death at their doorstep,
Neither earth nor sky can protect them.
Though the earth of God is vast, yet,
When destiny descends, space shrinks.
Let the days betray anew each moment,
For medicine cannot shield you from death.
Poem: Command Your Swords Against the Accusers
Attributed to Antara ibn Shaddad:
Direct your swords against the necks of the accusers,
And if you find yourself in the land of humility, depart.
And should you be faced with a tyrant, be a tyrant yourself,
And if confronted by the ignorant, remain on your ground.
When the coward tries to dissuade you on a day of terror,
Fearful of a mighty surge, disregard his words.
Press forward when fate calls at the outset,
And choose for yourself a place that elevates.
For death does not spare you from its afflictions,
Even if you build a fortress of stones.
It is better for a youth to perish in glory,
Than to spend the night a captive of despair.
If my worth is measured among the throng of slaves,
My ambitions soar beyond the Pleiades in the sky.
Even if the knights of Abs dispute my lineage,
The sharpness of my spear grants me dignity.
With my own blades and scimitars, I achieved greatness,
Not by kinship or by sheer numbers.
I plunged my steed into the fray of dust,
While fire flared from the edges of my arms.
Amid whirlwinds of battle, I returned unscathed,
For I faced the adversity with valor and pride.
Indeed, I dealt a grievous blow to the Banu Harithah,
When I struck deep into the heart of their champion.
From the Banu Rabi’a and the proud Jaber ibn Muhalhal,
To other noble clans whose names fell to history.
And I am born from the darkness of a proud line,
A gazelle grazing within my domains.
Her limb is like that of a swift ostrich,
While the hue of her hair resembles black pepper grains.
Her smile beneath the veil glimmers bright,
As a bolt of light in the blanket of night.
O you who descend upon my refuge and home,
Have you not observed my struggle within this place?
For your dignity remains high while I suffer for love,
What a marvel, your pride and my humility!
Do not quench my thirst for life with humiliation,
Instead, grant me from the chalice of honor.
For life’s water with disgrace is like a hell,
Yet hell with dignity is a place to find solace.
Poem: People Before Us Shared This Time
Attributed to Al-Mutanabbi:
People before us accompanied this time,
And they faced its trials as we do now.
They departed with a collective ache,
Though some found joy on rare occasions.
Perhaps you will do good on some nights,
Yet the merit of kindness is often muddied.
And it seems we haven’t found satisfaction in fate,
Until aided by those who support us.
Whenever time cultivates a canal,
A person will plant their spear therein.
And the aspirations of souls are smaller than
To feud, injure, or to perish therein.
But a youth faces death unrelentingly,
With grim resolve and no embrace of disgrace.
If life were to endure for the living,
Then we could enumerate only the brave.
And if death cannot be avoided,
Then it is weakness to be a coward.
All that is not difficult within the soul,
Is easy to navigate when it must pass.
Poem: What Await You with Respect to the Flower
Attributed to Tarfa ibn Al-Abd:
What do you wait for in regard to the flower among you,
When the sons have diminished, and the kin of the flower are dispelled?
The monumental matters are often ignited by the small,
Even while blood continues to flow.
And oppression has divided between the living Wail,
A kishke serving them between the grips of fate.
Such cruelty brings forth bitter woe,
Mixed with salt and glimmering pain.
The behavior of those who remain in disgrace,
Can transgress like an injured beast.
And sin is a disease not easily cured,
While righteousness remains unblemished!
And the honest are familiar to the noble, whose aspiration is high,
While the vile are akin to the despicable, whose place is low!
And it dawned on me that their greed may overpower me,
Entangled in the fate of all, as they continue to progress.
Fulfill rights, and you shall preserve your honor,
Verily, a noble soul when challenged rises in wrath.
Poem: If a Person Has Not Defiled His Honor with Shame
Attributed to Al-Samawal:
If a person has not sullied his honor with disgrace,
Then every attire he wears is a thing of beauty.
And if he does not impose a burden upon himself,
Then he has no means to achieve reverence.
They reproach us for our small number,
To which I responded, ‘Indeed, the noble are few.’
And those few who endure remain as we are:
Youth aspire for greatness, but the elders remain.
Yet it does not harm us that we are few, while our neighbor,
Holds a superior status while the many suffer.
We possess a mountain that we safeguard,
Strong enough to repel those who challenge our might.