Thursday, 30 June 2016

Words of Abu Atahiya

رغــيــف خــبز يـابس *** تأكــله في زاويــه
A flat and dry loaf of bread
Which you eat in a corner

وكـــوز مــاء بــارد *** تـشـربه من ساقــيــه
A cold glass of water
Which you drink from a stream

وغــرفــة ضــيقــة *** نـفـسـك فيـها خالــيــه
A narrow and constricted bedroom
Wherein you are all alone

أو مسجد منــعزل *** عن الورى في ناحــيــه
Or an isolated mosque
In a corner far from the people

تـدرس فـيه دفـتراً *** مسـتنداً بالـسـاريه
Wherein you study from a book
Fastened by the spine

معـتـبراً بمــن مضى *** من القـرون الخالــي
Giving you news of those gone by
Of past centuries and nations

خــيــرٌ من السـاعـات في *** فيء قصـور عالـيه
Is better than moments spent
Under the shade of lofty castles

تعــقـبها عـقــوبة *** تصلى بــنار حامـيه
Only to be followed by punishment
Being burnt by fierce Fire

فــهذه وصيـــتي *** مخـبــرة بحاـليه
And so this is my parting advice
Informing you of current times

طــوبى لمن يســمعها *** تلك لعـمري كافــيه
Glad tidings to the one who hears it
That, I swear, is sufficient

فاسمع لنصح مشــفـق *** يدعى أبا العتـــاهـيــه
So listen to the advice of the worried one
The one whom they call Abul ‘Atahiyah

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