إذا غامرْتَ في شَرَفٍ مَرومِ فلا تَقْنَعْ بما دونَ النُّجومِ
فَطَعْمُ الموْتِ في أَمْرٍ صَغيرٍ كَطَعْمِ الموْت في أَمْرٍ عَظيمِ
سَتَبْكِى شَجْوَها فَرَسي وَمُهْرِى صَفائِحُ دَمْعُها ماءُ الجُسومِ
قَرَبْنَ النَّار ثُمَّ نَشَأْنَ فيها كَما نَشَأَ الْعَذارَى في النَّعيمِ
وَفارَقْنَ الصَّياقِلَ مُخْلَصات وَأَيْديها كثيراتُ الْكُلومِ
يَرَى الجُبَنَاءُ أَنَّ الْعَجْزَ عَقْلٌ وَتِلْكَ خَديعَةُ الطَّبْعِ اللَّئيمِ
وَكُلُّ شَجاعَةٍ في المَرءْ تُغْنِى وَلا مِثْلَ الشَّجاعَةِ في الحَكيمِ
وَكَمْ مِنْ عائِبٍ قَوْلاً صَحيحًا وَآفَتُهُ مِنَ الْفَهْمِ السَّقيمِ
وَلَكِنْ تَأْخُذُ الآذَانُ مِنْهُ عَلَى قَدْرِ الْقَرائِحِ والْعُلومِ
When you risk everything out of an urge for eminence accept nothing less than the universe
for the sting of death is the same in a small undertaking as in a great one.
Sword blades cry grief filled tears for my mare and colt.
They enter the fire then emerge like virgins in felicity.
They leave purified, the polishers´ hands full of wounds.
Cowards consider weakness intelligence but that’s a contrivance of a weak nature.
Every act of courage in oneself enriches one, but none more than a wise courage.
How many a critic criticizes a sound statement, but the critic complains out of a sick sense.
One understands only according to one´s ability and learning.
translated into English by Mark F Westergreen
for the sting of death is the same in a small undertaking as in a great one.
Sword blades cry grief filled tears for my mare and colt.
They enter the fire then emerge like virgins in felicity.
They leave purified, the polishers´ hands full of wounds.
Cowards consider weakness intelligence but that’s a contrivance of a weak nature.
Every act of courage in oneself enriches one, but none more than a wise courage.
How many a critic criticizes a sound statement, but the critic complains out of a sick sense.
One understands only according to one´s ability and learning.
translated into English by Mark F Westergreen
COMMENTS_______________________________________________________________
Al Mutannabi is considered to be one of the greatest Arabic poets, if not the greatest ever.
Many lines from his poems have come to be adages and proverbs within the Arabic language. I would like to think that his servant possibly quoted the second line of this poem to him when he wanted to flee the robbers that ended up taking his life. Of course the source in Wikipedia is in need of a citation, and Al Mutanabbi certainly had better lines than it. Still, it is very easy to remember for those interested in the memorization of poetry.
Line 2 is an example of Tabiq or Antithesis. A more literal translation:
“For the taste of death in a small matter is as the taste of death in a great matter”
The metre of the poem is wafir.
Lines 3-5 refer to the making of swords in a foundry. The term صَفائِحُ means "sides/plates".
Arberry translates the phrase ماءُ الجُسومِ as “water of the body", but in a footnote says,
sc. "blood" but offers no citations. Perhaps it actually has something to do with the process
of forging a sword. "They" lines 4 and 5 refer to the sword blades.
In line 5 the term مُخْلًصات “purified” refers to the swords being purified of alloy.
They leave the foundry purified, having wounded the polishers, not so the virgins!
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