Poems of Abu al-Atahiya

To Your Age, the World is Not a Place for Endurance

Indeed, to your age, the world is not a place for permanence.

The abode of death serves merely as a transient stop.

So do not fall in love with this world, my dear brother, for indeed,

The lover of this world experiences hardship without relief.

Its sweetness is intertwined with bitterness,

And its ease is intermingled with toil.

Do not walk one day in the garments of illusion,

For you were created from clay and water.

Very few are the individuals you meet who are grateful to God,

And even fewer accept His decree with contentment.

Indeed, Allah bestows great blessings upon us,

And His kindness and generosity are unmatched.

The ages differ in their circumstances,

And not every day of a young man is the same.

Life is but a day of hardship and severity,

And a day of joy, which comes only occasionally.

Not everything that I do not hope for will I be deprived of its benefit,

And not everything that I anticipate must come to fruition.

Oh what a wonder of time! No, rather it is its trials,

That scatter the bonds of every fellowship.

Time disrupts every sense of serenity,

And brings turbulence to every calm.

When my dear friend meets his fate,

For me, that will suffice as distance from meeting him.

I visit the graves of the affluent and find no beauty,

Though once they were known for their grandeur.

Every age persists with its decisions,

And every era is made gentler with its harshness.

The efforts to evade death are in vain,

And all remedies fail against the onset of death.

A youth’s spirit is joyful with its growth,

While every being inevitably grows toward decline.

How many sacrifices have died without reuniting with their families,

Who cherished them yet offered no ransom?

Before you, O Numan, is the abode of happiness,

Where permanence is assured, contrasted with the dwelling of sorrow.

You were created for one of two destinies, so do not sleep,

And remain between fear of both and hope for relief.

There is evil among people, though it does not show when they gather,

But God has cloaked them in garments of disguise.

If You Ever Find Yourself Alone with Time

If you ever find yourself alone with time, do not say,

You are alone, but rather say, “I have a watcher.”

Do not assume that God is unaware for a moment,

Nor that what is hidden from Him is beyond His sight.

Indeed, by God’s life, we have consistently followed,

Accruing sins upon sins like footsteps after footsteps.

Oh, how I wish that God would forgive what has passed,

And permit our repentance so that we may return.

When the century you existed in has passed,

And you find yourself in a time where you are a stranger.

And indeed, a person who has traveled for fifty years,

To a well of his thirst is indeed close.

Your kin are those who sincerely care for you,

The they beneath the soil have no connection to you.

So strive diligently in your good deeds, for only through them,

Will your efforts be rewarded—debts recognized in diverse ways.

I Wept for Youth

I wept for my youth with tears from my eyes,

Neither my weeping nor my wailing brought solace.

Oh, how regretful I am for a young life,

Now announced by gray hair and a weary head.

I have been stripped of youth while I once was fresh,

Much like a branch stripped of its leaves.

Oh, I wish that youth would return for one day,

So I could tell it what old age has done.

Shed the Burden of the World

Shed the burden of the world, perhaps you will find salvation,

For in righteousness and piety lies your true path.

I have seen the home in ruins adorned with revelry,

When the flute, drum, and cymbals gather in revels.

O deluded one, do you have an argument,

That will be of use to you on the Day of Judgment?

You manage the affairs of fate, for indeed,

In your heart, it lies every moment’s burden.

Do not assume that circumstances will remain for their owners,

For conditions may improve at times, only to sway again.

Those who take delight in something find joy in its novel aspects,

And he who tires of something will find boredom within it.

If the people of shamelessness persist, their minds scatter,

Such is the nature of the persistent miscreant.

Blessed is the one who in piety finds healing,

For only through righteousness does fire and ice unite.

Death is a Door

Death is a door, and all people must enter,

Oh, I wish I knew what lies beyond this door.

The afterlife is an eternal paradise if you work for it,

It pleases the Divine; otherwise, there is hellfire.

These are the two abodes, there are none others,

So look to yourself; what will you choose?

May God’s Peace Be Upon You

May God’s peace be upon you; indeed, I bid farewell,

And my eyes weep from the bitterness of parting.

If we live, God will reunite us,

And if we die, then the Day of Resurrection will unite us.

Have you not seen the trials of time every hour,

That have the shadow of mortality shimmering in them?

O builder of this world for others,

And O gatherer of life’s treasures for another!

I observe the man rushing at every opportunity,

Yet death will inevitably be his final stop.

Blessed is the One who is the sovereign and none other,

When will the needs of the insatiable cease?

Which person, in pursuit of a goal,

Will not seek another goal beyond it?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top