Why am I so worried
about my fortune?
Why should I complain?
My Creator is my Benefactor.

I am His weak creature
and He is the Almighty.
That which is hard for me
For Him becomes so easy.

I am just a slave
and Destiny has all matters settled.
He can see me, while I can’t.
Out of semen He shaped me inside a womb.

He says: “Be!” and so it is,
from the Beginning and all new again.
He reigns over all His creatures
and rules His kingdom as He pleases.

Out of semen He shaped me
in the darkness of a womb
and offered me all kinds of riches
and fed me all kinds of food.

I came out completely naked
and He decently clothed me.
He still protects me
and is far above the wisest of all men.

I was born naked—I was born ignorant.
He enveloped my soul in a decent cloth
and made me drink from His holy spring
and made Earth my bed and the Sky my roof.

Praise be to Him our Benefactor!
We must praise him at all times
for all the good He bestowed upon us
and for both Sky and Earth.

Earth is His kingdom, and I’m one of His subjects.
Men are His creatures, and I’m one of them.
He is the One who bestows fortune
so let’s not be too demanding, and accept whatever comes…

To you life means to entertain yourself:
seeking only pleasure and careless about the rest.
Take a rest, my heart,
and be happy with just a little!

Discard what your Self wants most if you want to get rich,
for your Poverty lies in your virtues!
He who can’t oppose his desires
shall suffer all his life!

Be strong and fight your Self!
Don’t let yourself drift away—keep Desire out of your mind
and root out every single seed of it, for your Self wishes you ill!
Look at you: how weary you are!

Some people told me: “Be wise, old fool!
Forget your worries and know what you say!
Build your walls on solid foundations,
for your foundations threaten to fall.”

I replied: “Are you being fair to Him?
From Him I see only the good.
How many lie buried under the ground?
Who am I to be in the world what I want to?
The world is worth nothing to me!
Why do you call me a fool
when you can see me carrying hard, heavy stones?
What do you want from me? Just leave me alone!

They told me: “Be quiet and humble, old fool,
when you enter the mosque!”
To which I replied:
“Who am I to refuse to be humble?!
My hair has turned white
and it’s time for me to depart
as if I had never existed!
I am from Earth, and to Earth I shall soon return.”

Earth is my Origin and that of all creatures.
Earth is where I am like a plant deeply rooted.
I prefer to see my flesh and bones
Turn into weeds and earthworms.

Earth was the Beginning of all Creation:
from Earth we all sprouted, and to it we shall return.
It is said that those who lie there shall someday rise
so I won’t mind resting anywhere you wish,
for Earth embraces all men alike:
the ragged and the richly clad,
those wearing large cotton belts,
chechias, turbans, or Yemeni brocades.

On Him who feeds the birds I rely,
for He certainly is my Protector!
He designs the course of my life
And all things happen as He wishes!

They said my mind was constantly upset.
I said: “He is the One who knows!”
They said I have changed my mind.
I said: “No! No! No! My mind won’t feed me.”

The said: “Why don’t you work?”
I said: “Work is an honor to me!
I will tighten my belt and toil all day long
till I save u; enough and savor
the tasty flesh of pigeons!
But I will never, ever beg
any of my brothers
nor any other person in the world!”

They said: “Life is tasteless.”
I said: “Because of heartless men!”
They said: “Be a beggar.”
I said: “Begging kills his man!”
They said: “Get married.”
I said: “Who suits me?”
They said: “But you have no money.”
I said: “Thank God!”

When lightning strikes and the wind blows,
I recall those nights
When I was so happy.
But then those were only ghosts!

My heart lies in the East, while in the West
I feel a complete stranger!
Each time lightning strikes
I recall a strange thing:
everyone wonders how I can be there and here!
To them I must look like
a bird whose feathers have been cut.

If you meditate on this poem
you will discover a hidden garden
where meaning flowers in various colors
nurtured by the noble Othman Ibn sidi Yahya.

Translation by Abdelfetah Chenni