On Avarice

On Avarice

By Hatim al-Tai

 

translated from the Arabic by Joseph Dacre Carlyle

 

How frail are riches and their joys!  

Morn builds the heap which eve destroys; 

Yet can they leave one sure delight—

The thought that we’ve employed them right. 

 

What bliss can wealth afford to me,  

When life’s last solemn hour I see?— 

When Mavia’s sympathising sighs  

Will but augment my agonies?

 

Can hoarded gold dispel the gloom 

That death must shed around his tomb?  

Or cheer the ghost which hovers there,  

And fills with shrieks the desert air? 

 

What boots it, Mavia, in the grave  

Whether I loved to waste or save? 

The hand that millions now can grasp 

In death no more than mine shall clasp.

 

Were I ambitious to behold 

Increasing stores of treasured gold,  

Each tribe that roves the desert knows  

I might be wealthy, if I chose. 

 

But other joys can gold impart; 

Far other wishes warm my heart;— 

Ne’er may I strive to swell the heap 

Till want and woe have ceased to weep. 

 

With brow unaltered I can see  

The hour of wealth of poverty: 

I’ve drunk from both the cups of Fate,  

Nor this could sink, nor that elate. 

 

With fortune blest, I ne’er was found 

To look with scorn on those around; 

Nor for the loss of paltry ore,  

Shall Hatem seem to Hatem poor.

 

 

حاتم الطائي

وَإِنِّي لَعَفُّ الفَقْرِ مُشْتَرَكُ الغِنَى
وَوُدُّكَ شَكْلٌ لا يُوافِقُهُ شَكْلِي

وَشَكْلِيَ شَكْلٌ لا يَقُومُ لِمِثْلِهِ
مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا كُلُّ ذِي خُلُقٍ مِثْلِي

وَلِي نِيقَةٌ في المَجْدِ وَالبَذْلِ لَمْ يَكُنْ
تَأَنَّقَها فِيمَنْ مَضَى أَحَدٌ قَبْلِي

وَأَجْعَلُ مالِي دُونَ عِرْضِيَ جُنَّةً
لِنَفْسِي فَأَسْتَغْنِي بِما كَانَ مِنْ فَضْلِي

وَلِي مَعَ بَذْلِ المالِ وَالبَأْسِ صَوْلَةٌ
إِذَا الحَرْبُ أَبْدَتْ عَنْ نَوَاجِذِهَا العُصْلِ

وَمَا سَرَّنِي أَنْ سَارَ سَعْدٌ بِأَهْلِهِ
وَأَفْرَدَنِي في الدَّارِ لَيْسَ مَعِي أَهْلِي

سَيَكْفِي ابْتِنَائِي المَجْدَ سَعْدَ بنَ حَشْرَجٍ
وَأَحْمِلُ عَنْكُمْ كُلَّ مَا حَلَّ في أَزْلِي

وَمَا مِنْ لَئِيمٍ عَالَهُ الدَّهْرُ مَرَّةً
فَيَذْكُرَهَا إِلَّا اسْتَمَالَ إِلَى البُخْلِ

 

About this Poem

 

Hatim al-Tai was a legendary figure in Arabic folklore, who was mentioned in Hadiths of Mohammed (the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) as a celebrated sixth-century poet and an enlightened tribal king, revered for the generosity he extended to his people and all others. When invoked today, the phrase ‘more generous than Hatim’ refers to those who act toward others with benevolence, magnanimity, and hospitality (attributes that are commonplace throughout the Arab world). Though Hatim lived before the Islam, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the core beliefs and practices required of Muslims, is Zakat (Charity), giving a portion of one’s wealth to the poor and needy.

Hatim’s poem “On Avarice,” as translated by Joseph Dacre Carlyle, offers a timeless meditation on the transience of wealth and the virtues of generosity and humility. Structured in rhyming couplets, the poem reflects the speaker’s contemplative tone and stoic philosophy. Hatim presents wealth as fleeting—“Morn builds the heap which eve destroys”—and argues that its only enduring value lies in how it is used to benefit others. Rather than hoarding riches, the poet asserts that righteous use of wealth provides a “sure delight,” one that transcends material gain and persists beyond death. This moral perspective sets the tone for the entire poem, encouraging readers to reject avarice and embrace a life of purpose and benevolence.

Throughout the poem, Hatim emphasizes that wealth cannot protect against death or ease the inevitable suffering that accompanies it. Gold cannot “dispel the gloom / That death must shed around his tomb” nor bring comfort to the soul. The poet further underscores his stoic attitude by claiming emotional resilience in both prosperity and hardship: “I’ve drunk from both the cups of Fate, / Nor this could sink, nor that elate.” His experiences with wealth and poverty have granted him a philosophical outlook, allowing him to view fortune and loss with equal serenity. This acceptance of life’s impermanence and the steadfast refusal to let riches define his worth reveal the poem’s central moral teaching.

The final stanzas reaffirm Hatim’s humility and moral strength. He declares that he never looked down upon the poor during times of prosperity, nor does he consider himself diminished when wealth is lost. This balance reflects not only personal virtue but also a cultural ideal. In Arab culture, especially in the pre-Islamic period, generosity (karam) was a defining attribute of nobility and honor. This reputation deeply informs the tone and themes of “On Avarice.” Rather than merely offering abstract wisdom, the poem serves as a personal creed, embodying the values for which Hatim was revered. His reflections are not philosophical musings detached from real life, but principles proven by action and legend. In this way, “On Avarice” transcends its historical setting to offer a universal message: that the true measure of a person lies not in the wealth they accumulate, but in the integrity, generosity, and humility with which they live.

 

About this Poet

Born in Ha’il, in the region that is now northern Saudi Arabia, Hatim al-Tai lived during the pre-Islamic era, a time known in Arab history as the Jahiliyyah or "Age of Ignorance." Despite the often harsh and competitive tribal environment of the time, Hatim’s virtues set him apart. His acts of selfless giving, including sharing his wealth and food even in times of scarcity, became legendary. Poets and storytellers praised him not only for his material generosity but also for his wisdom, humility, and poetic skill, which secured his place in the oral traditions of Arab culture.

Hatim’s reputation endured far beyond his lifetime. He became a symbol of karam (generosity), an essential virtue in Arab ethics, and was frequently cited as a moral exemplar in both pre-Islamic and Islamic literature. His name became synonymous with munificence; to this day, the phrase “more generous than Hatim” is used across the Arab world. Early Muslim scholars and poets, while living in a new religious context, still admired Hatim’s virtues and preserved many anecdotes and poems attributed to him. His moral legacy influenced not only Arabic literature but also wider cultural values regarding hospitality and charity, making him an enduring figure of admiration throughout Islamic history.

Later Islamic writers and theologians incorporated Hatim al-Tai into their moral teachings as an example of fitrah—the innate human disposition toward goodness that Islam recognizes even in those who lived before the Prophet Muhammad’s revelation. Though Hatim himself was not Muslim, his generosity and humility were seen as universal virtues that aligned with Islamic ethical ideals. Sufi poets in particular admired Hatim, often invoking his name as a symbol of spiritual generosity—the giving not only of material wealth but also of compassion, wisdom, and love. Through these reinterpretations, Hatim al-Tai became not just a figure of tribal legend, but a lasting moral archetype who bridged the cultural values of the pre-Islamic and Islamic worlds.

 

If only the leaders and wealthy in the United States could learn from Hatim al-Tai.

 

The image above is of the Middle Eastern gay identical twins Michael and Zak Zakar.