تغيرت المودة والإخاء

Poem Translation:

The bonds of love and friendship shift and fade,
And truth is scarce, hope’s light begins to shade.
Time handed me to friends in faithless guise,
Who, full of treachery, from loyalty rise.
A brother once to whom I gave my all,
Yet friendship fleeting, broken at his call.
When fortune shines, their love seems deep and true,
But vanishes when trials come into view.
If from their wealth I find myself released,
They turn, as if all bonds of love had ceased.
Yet He who granted them their worldly gain,
Will lift me too, for wealth and want are vain.
All love that’s pure is only found in God,
And sin-stained hearts with brotherhood are flawed.
Though wounds may heal, bad manners have no cure,
And joy and pain alike will not endure.
When I see friends’ old promises denied,
My honor holds my hurt and shame inside.
When once the head of household fades away,
Coldness and distance others will display.

Poem Explanation:

This poem by Ali ibn Abi Talib speaks to the fleeting nature of human relationships, lamenting the loss of loyalty and the prevalence of insincerity. Ali reflects on friends who are loyal in times of abundance but turn their backs when adversity strikes. He emphasizes the transient nature of wealth and poverty, underscoring that true friendship and love are only pure when rooted in faith in God. The poem also conveys wisdom about the inevitability of life’s ups and downs and the difficulty of finding remedy for poor character, contrasting with the healing that can be found for physical wounds.