al-Shanfarā الشنفرى
poet · Arabia · 6th century
A poet of Arabia before Islam. He is said to have left his own tribe and lived alone in the desert. The long poem Lāmiyyat al-ʿArab is handed down as his.
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6th century · The third and fourth verses of a poem spoken on turning his back on his own tribe. It is handed down as al-Shanfarā's, though some scholars think a later hand composed it.
On this earth there is a refuge from harm for the noble, and a place apart for one who fears hatred. By your life, the earth is not too narrow for a man who travels by night, in hope or in fear, if he keeps his wits.
وفي الأرض منأى للكريم عن الأذى
وفيها لمن خاف القلى متعزل
لعمرك ما بالأرض ضيق على امرىء
سرى راغبا أو راهبا وهو يعقلLāmiyyat al-ʿArab (The L-poem of the Arabs)
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