War Is Ugly

Imru ul-Qays says in an ancient poem:

الحربُ أوّلٌ ما تكونُ فُتيَّةً
تسعى بزينتها لكلِّ جَهولِ
حتى إذا استَعَرَت وشَبَّ ضِرامُها
عادت عجوزاً غيرَ ذاتِ خليلِ
شمطاءَ جَزَّت رأسَها وتَنَكَّرَت
مكروهةً للشَّمِّ والتقبيلِ

“In the beginning,
war appears as a beautiful young woman,
seducing every ignorant fool!
When the fire bursts into flames,
she becomes like an old hag.
grey-haired and detestable,
like an unkissable stinking corpse!”

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War is ugly – but when it starts, it looks appealing.
Zealous youth run towards it.
The elders, who are deeply rooted in knowledge, approach these things with caution.
They often oppose these conflicts.
The ignorant youth, who are emotional and lack wisdom, think that these elders are cowards and traitors.
Only after the dust settles, and they see the destruction, do they see the ugly face of war and realise that the elders were right.

ستعلمُ إذا انجلى الغبارُ
أفرسٌ تحتك أم حمار
‘you will realise when the dust settles,
whether under you was a horse or a donkey.’