٧٧. وَمِنْ خَبَرِ ضِرَارِ بْنِ حَمْزَةَ الضَّبَائِيِّ عِنْدَ دُخُولِهِ عَلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ وَمَسْأَلَتِهِ لَهُ عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (ع) وَقَالَ فَأَشْهَدُ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ فِى بَعْضِ مَوَاقِفِهِ وَقَدْ أَرْخَى اللَّيْلُ سُدُولَهُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ فِى مِحْرَابِهِ قَابِضٌ عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ يَتَمَلْمَلُ تَمَلْمُلَ السَّلِيمِ وَيَبْكِى بُكَاءَ الْحَزِينِ وَيَقُولُ:

77. It is related that when Ḍirār ibn Ḥamzah (the correct: Ḍamrah) aḍ-Ḍibābī (or aṣ-Ṣudā’ī) [1] went to Mu‘āwiyah, and Mu‘āwiyah enquired from him about Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, he said: I stand witness that I have seen him on several occasions when night had spread and he was standing in the niche (of the mosque) holding his beard, groaning like a man bitten by a snake and weeping as a grieved man, saying:

يَا دُنْيَا يَا دُنْيَا إِلَيْكِ عَنِّى، أَبِى تَعَرَّضْتِ أَمْ إِلَيَّ تَشَوَّقْتِ؟ لَا حَانَ حِينُكِ هَيْهَاتَ غُرِّى غَيْرِى لَا حَاجَةَ لِى فِيكِ قَدْ طَلَّقْتُكِ َثلَاثاً لَا رَجْعَةَ فِيهَا فَعَيْشُكِ قَصِيرٌ وَخَطَرُكِ يَسِيرٌ وَأَمَلُكِ حَقِيرٌ. آهِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الزَّادِ وَطُولِ الطَّرِيقِ وَبُعْدِ السَّفَرِ وَعَظِيمِ الْمَوْرِدِ.

O world, O world! Get away from me. Why do you present yourself to me? Or are you eager for me? You may not get that opportunity to impress me. Deceive some other person. I have no concern with you. I have divorced you thrice whereafter there is no restitution. Your life is short, your importance is little and your aspirations are base. Alas! The provision is little, the way is long, the journey is far and the goal is hard to reach.

77. Dirar Bin Hamza Addaba’i raconte à Mou’awiyat qu’il avait vu le Prince des Croyants pendant la nuit, tenant sa barbe entre les mains, se tournant et se retournant comme s’il était piqué par un serpent, se lamentant et disant:

O monde! Vat-en! Est-ce à moi que tu t’attaques? Cherches-tu à me séduire? Tu es loin de réussir! Trompe un autre que moi; je n’ai nui besoin de toi. Je t’ai répudié trois fois d’une façon irréversible! La vie que tu donnes est courte, ton importance est minime et l’espoir en toi est médiocre. Oh! que les provisions sont peu nombreuses, la route longue, le voyage fatiguant et le but à atteindre difficile!

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #77