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Seeking security in these times is hard,

طلب الأمن في الزمان عسير

1. Seeking security in these times is hard,
And talk of wishes is deceit and fraud.

١. طَلَبُ الأَمنِ في الزَّمانِ عَسِيرُ
وَحَديثُ المُنى خِداعٌ وَزورُ

2. Misfortunes expose the wise, for if fate
Has opened, it reveals what destiny ignored.

٢. تَبدهُ الحازِمَ الخُطوبُ فَإِن قَد
دَرَ أَبدَت ما أَغفَلَ التَّقديرُ

3. When the miser is stingy with his days
Squandering his life, it is extravagance uncured.

٣. وَإِذا قَتَّرَ البَخيلُ فَلِلأَي
يامِ في طَيِّ عُمرِهِ تَبذيرُ

4. Think not the lost one was singled out by separation;
No, he who stayed hastened the traveler assured.

٤. لا تَظُنَّ الفَقيدَ أَفرَدَهُ البَي
نُ فَقَد أَعجَلَ المُقيمَ المَسيرُ

5. Ask the abodes of Sulayf where their dwellers are,
And say to the gardens of Numan, where are your walls secured?

٥. سَل بِغَمدانَ أَينَ قاطِنُهُ سَي
فٌ وَقُل لِلنُّعمانِ أَينَ السَّديرُ

6. Fate was impartial in assigning their ruin-
No prosperous one remains, no populated place endured.

٦. عَدَلَ الدَّهرُ فيهِمُ قِسمَةَ الجو
رِ فَلا عامِرٌ وَلا مَعمورُ

7. O darkness of sorrows, you've persisted through days
When hearts could not contain you, all chests were obscure.

٧. يا سَوادَ الهُموم صِرتَ عَلى الأَي
يامِ لَمّا ضاقَت عَلَيكَ الصُّدورُ

8. In the tomb of the departed there is ample anguish,
And for it the graves are visited, tears outpoured.

٨. إِنَّ في جانِبِ المُقَطَّمِ مَهجو
راً وَمِن أَجلِهِ تُزارُ القُبورُ

9. A resident at Ma'arra, nights fold him in,
His mention circulated, his glory demurred.

٩. وَمُقيماً عَلَى المَعَرَّةِ تَطوي
هِ اللَّيالي وَذِكرُهُ مَنشُورُ

10. Two shrines in the great cities, neglected,
Patience over them forbidden, condolence assured.

١٠. وَضَريحَينِ بِالعَواصِمِ مَبذو
لينَ وَالصَّبرُ عَنهُما مَحظورُ

11. A stranger in a monastery who saw his livelihood dwindle,
Joy diminished, bliss died, hopes immured.

١١. وَغَريباً بِالدَّيرِ بانَ لَهُ العَي
شُ وَغاضَ النَّدى وَماتَ السُّرورُ

12. A sword whose sharp edges misfortunes have blunted
And a branch beneath the earth concealed, obscured.

١٢. صارِمٌ فُلَّتِ النَّوائِبُ حَدَّي
هِ وَغُصنٌ تَحتَ الثَّرى مَهصورُ

13. A band in whom I pretended affection-
My patience with them was much, though cruel and immatured.

١٣. عُصبَة كُنتُ أَدَّعي فيهم الود
دَ وَصَبري لُؤمٌ عَلَيهِم كَثيرُ

14. My life is an excuse, but does my remaining
Have a near term, a short life, an ephemeral duration?

١٤. وَحَياتي عُذرٌ فَهَل لِوَقائي
أَجَلٌ عاجِلٌ وَعُمرٌ قَصِيرُ

15. O neglectful ones, the phantom still has
Apparitions toward you and dawns assured.

١٥. أَيُّها الظّاعِنونَ لا زالَ لِلغَي
ثِ رَواحٌ عَلَيكُمُ وَبُكورُ

16. I am not pleased with tears shed over you. Does
Any but the seas own abundant waters immured?

١٦. لَستُ أَرضى بِالدَّمعِ فيكُم فَهَل يَم
لِكُ رِيَّ البُحورِ إِلَّا البُحورُ

17. We saw your dwellings and the vestiges
Of your virtues upon them, abandoned, demurred.

١٧. قَد رَأَينا دِيارَكُم وَعَلَيها
أَثَرٌ مِن عُفاتِكُم مَهجورُ

18. We asked their ruins, and they replied,
Though silent, preachers, warners well assured.

١٨. وَسَأَلنا أَطلالَها فَأَجابَت
وَمِنَ الصَّمتِ واعِظ وَنَذيرُ

19. Dwellings as if they were nights
That lost their full moons at perfection, obscured.

١٩. عَرَصات كَأَنَّهُنَّ لَيالٍ
فارَقَتها عِندَ الكَمالِ البُدورُ

20. They make the heedless understand how time shifts
From its epochs and comes to tyranny and injustice demurred.

٢٠. تُفهِمُ الغافِلينَ كَيفَ يَحولُ الد
دَهرُ عَن عَهدِهِ وَكَيفَ يَجورُ

21. The misery upon them wept, and for the phantom there is weeping,
And for the breeze, a sigh sincere, mournful, obsured.

٢١. بانَ ذُلُّ الأَسى عَلَيها فَلِلغَي
ثِ بُكاءٌ وَلِلنَّسيمِ زَفِيرُ

22. They reminded us of your days after nights elapsed,
And months followed them, distant and obscured.

٢٢. ذَكَّرَتنا عُهودَكُم بَعدَما طا
لَت لَيالٍ مِن بَعدِها وَشُهورُ

23. How strange that in their pleasures they did not die,
When only stony hearts remain assured.

٢٣. عَجَباً كَيفَ لَم تَمُت في مَغاني
ها أَسىً ما القُلوبُ إِلَّا صُخورُ

24. O dwellings of loved ones, time has changed you
And after matters, other matters recurred.

٢٤. يا دِيارَ الأَحبابِ غَيَّرَكِ الدَّه
رُ فَكانَت بَعدَ الأُمورِ أُمورُ

25. Where are our days in your shade when
All were fellows and life was tender, preserved?

٢٥. أَينَ أَيّامُنا بِظِلِّكِ وَالشَّم
لُ جَميعٌ وَالعَيشُ غَضٌّ نَضيرُ

26. Rapture followed by grief's stupor
But it can disperse the intoxicated obscured.

٢٦. نَشوَة أَعقَبَت خُماراً مِنَ الهَم
مِ وَلَكِن قَد يفرقُ المَخمورُ

27. A past time whose first is not known
Save by what the last has reaped assured.

٢٧. وَزَمان مَضى فَما عُرِفَ الأَو
وَلُ إِلَّا بِما جَناهُ الأَخيرُ

28. O lofty stars, you have set, and in the night after you
No blazing stars remain obscure.

٢٨. يا نُجومَ العُلى غربتُم وَما في ال
لَيلِ مِن بَعدِكُم نُجومٌ تَفورُ

29. The morn has not kept to what you knew,
No trace of it on its pattern demurred.

٢٩. طالَ عَمّا عَهِدتُموهُ وَلَم يَج
رِ عَلى رَسمِهِ الصَّباحُ المُنيرُ

30. Generosity is gone, the generous are stingy
In adversity, the wealthy destitute and immured.

٣٠. وَعَفا الجودُ فَالكَريمُ بَخيلٌ
في المُلِمّاتِ وَالغَنِيُّ فَقيرُ

31. The people are equal, none remain
Indebted for a favor, excused or demurred.

٣١. وَتَساوى الوَرى فَلَم يَبقَ مَشكو
رٌ عَلَى مِنَّةٍ وَلا مَعذورُ

32. The ground will not abuse you in your burial
For it is a miserable lodging for those interred.

٣٢. لا يُجاوِرُكُمُ الصَّعيدُ بِسوء
فَهوَ لِلنّازِلينَ بِئسَ المجيرُ

33. The rainmakers have watered you from clouds
That confer on your meadows and make them endure.

٣٣. وَسَقاكُم مِنَ السَّحابِ صَناعُ ال
كَفِّ يُسدي في رَوضِكُم وَيُنيرُ

34. Every singer the rain cuts off
Has eyes of light, radiant, assured.

٣٤. كُلُّ غَنّاء يُقطِعُ الغَيثُ عَنها
وَلَها أَعيُنٌ مِنَ النُّورِ حُورُ

35. A censurer irritates the abode, draws his sword,
Does not consider, though prominent, demurred.

٣٥. عارِض مُغضِبٌ عَلى المَحلِ لا يَخ
طُرُ إِلَّا وَسَيفُهُ مَشهورُ

36. In it the daystar's cheeks shine
And the horizons of the dawns glow obscured.

٣٦. أَشرَقَت فيهِ لِلشَّقيقِ خُدودٌ
وَأَضاءَت مِنَ الأَقاحي ثُغورُ

37. He carries water as the ostrich carries it,
As the captive looks forward to ransom assured.

٣٧. ينقلُ الماء خَطوهُ فَتُرَجِّي
هِ النُّعامى كَما يُرَجّي الحَسيرُ

38. His goodness encompasses so every valley
Has by his hands a meadow and lake immured.

٣٨. عَمَّ مَعروفُهُ فَفي كُلِّ وادٍ
مِن أَياديهِ رَوضَةٌ وَغَديرُ

39. Resolved to be generous to you, conferring bounty,
A grantor from you worthy, excelling, matured.

٣٩. وَعَلى العَزمِ أَن يَجودَ عَلَيكُم
واهِبٌ بِالنَّوالِ مِنكُم جَديرُ

40. I do not see verse as enough for your elegy
But the breast pours out what it has endured.

٤٠. ما أَرى الشِّعرَ كافِياً في مَراثي
كُم وَلَكِن قَد يَنفُثُ المَصدورُ

41. If I prolong it without alleviating anguish,
All is inadequate, truncated, demurred.

٤١. وَإِذا ما أَطَلتُ فيهِ وَلَم يُش
فِ غَليلاً فَكُلُّهُ تَقصيرُ