Arabic Poetry [2]

As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaah

I think it was Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali, the grammarian who said,

و أحبب إذا ما أحببت حبّاً مقارباً *** فإنك لا تدري: متى أنت نازع
When you love, love with a love that draws you close
For you do not know: when will you depart?

و أبغض إذا أبغضت غير مجانب *** فإنك لا تدري متى أنت راجع
And when you hate, hate without turning away
For you do not know when you will return

و كن معدناً للحلم و الصْفح عن الأذى *** فإنك راءٍ ما عملت و سامع
Be a source of perseverance and forgive the harm
For you will soon see and hear what you worked

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Here’s one of my favourite comebacks:

اصبرْ على كيد الحسود *** فإن صبْركَ  قاتِله
فالنار تأكل نفسها *** إن لم تجد ما تأكله

Be patient over the plots of the envier
Truly, your patience will kill him
For the fire only consumes itself
If it doesn’t find something else to consume

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Abu Ya’laa said, ‘I heard Ishaaq ibn Abi Israa’eel say: I heard Ibn ‘Uyaynah say, “If it was said ‘bring out the best of this city’, there would come out people that were unknown.’

And al-Karizi said so wisely:

و لا تمشِ فوق الأرض إلا تّواضعاً *** فكَم تحتها قومٌ هم منكَ أرفع
فإن كنت في عز و خير و منعة *** فكم مات من قوم هم منك أمنع

And do not walk upon the earth except in humility
For how many people underneath it are more exalted than you
If you are in glory, goodness and strength
Then how many have died that were more stronger than you

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Abul Ja’far al-Baghdaadi said,“I read upon the door of a castle in Sind:

نزل الموت منزلاً *** سلب القوم و ارتحل
“Death has descended with a great descent
It has taken the people and went away”

I said, ‘What is this?!’ They said, ‘All the people in the castle have died and in the morning this was found written on the door, no-one knows who wrote it.’