The poet أبو الطَيِّب المُتَنَبِّي is one of the most famous Arab poets and undoubtedly one of the best. His verses are often quoted as proverbs and wise sayings. I shall start this translation corner with a verse of his. However, his poetic genius is accompanied by an arrogance which he made no effort to conceal. Though arrogance is not to be appreciated, in his case it's sort of understood. Let's give an example.
Al-Mutanabbi said:
| وما أنا مِنهُمُ بالعَيْشِ فيهِمْ |
| ولكنْ مَعْدِنُ الذَهَبِ الرَغَامُ |
| I am not one of them by living among them |
| but gold is found in the soil |
He means: I am not [to be considered] one of them [just] by living among them, but gold is found in (or comes from) the soil.
Al-Mutanabbi again said:
| و مَنْ يَكُ ذا فَمٍ مرٍّ مريضٍ |
| يَجِدْ مُرّا به الماء الزُلالَ |
| He who has a sour, sick mouth |
| will find fresh, clear water sour with it |
Imaam As-Ahaafi'ee said:
| العَْبدُ حُرٌّ إنْ قَنَعْ |
| والحُرُّ عَبْدٌ إن طَمَعْ |
| The slave is a free man if he is satisfied |
| The free man is a slave if he is greedy |
Note: The ــْـ on قنع and طمع was initially a ــَـ