1. My angels, it is a near covenant
And a misfortune from which the wounds have not healed
١. مَلامَكَ إِنَّهُ عَهدٌ قَريبُ
وَرُزءٌ ما عَفَت مِنهُ النُدوبُ
2. The delusions of wishes make excuses for me
Of a life after Caesar that does not taste good
٢. تُعَلِّلُني أَضاليلُ الأَماني
بِعَيشٍ بَعدَ قَيصَرَ لا يَطيبُ
3. Life has turned away since the loved ones turned away
And love died when the beloved died
٣. تَوَلّى العَيشُ إِذ وَلّى التَصابي
وَماتَ الحُبُّ إِذ ماتَ الحَبيبُ
4. My fortune from my life has turned away
So neither life feels good, nor fortune
٤. نَصيبي كانَ مِن دُنيايَ وَلّى
فَلا الدُنيا تُحَسُّ وَلا النَصيبُ
5. Lying down, leaning, in the blasphemy of Tuwa
Silently like the fading of drinking
٥. ضَجيعُ مُسَنَّدينَ بِكَفرِ توثى
خُفوتاً مِثلَ ما خَفَتَ الشُروبُ
6. Slumbering whom no guard asked about
And for their lying down no sides were tossed
٦. هُجودٌ لَم يَسَل بِهِمِ حَفِيٌّ
وَلَم تُقلَب لِضَجعَتِهِم جُنوبُ
7. Their houses are locked to them in the evening
Though they had made it prosper for a time and feared
٧. تُغَلَّقُ دورَهُم عَنهُم عِشاءً
وَقَد عَزّوا بِها زَمَناً وَهيبوا
8. The sighs of passion break my ribs
For one blossoming as the rod blossomed
٨. تُقِضُّ أَضالِعي أَنفاسُ وَجدٍ
لِمُختَضَرٍ كَما اِختُضِرَ القَضيبُ
9. I would elegize him, if my choice were true
My cousin would have been in place of my elegy
٩. أُرَثّيهِ وَلَو صَدَقَ اِختِياري
لَكانَ مَكانَ مَرثِيَتي النَسيبُ
10. And I would be the bandages rubbed on them
Like the incurable patient abandoned by the doctor
١٠. وَكُنتُ وَتُربُهُم يُحثى عَلَيهِم
كَنِضوِ الداءِ آيَسَهُ الطَبيبُ
11. It is enough of sorrow that grief subsides
The live coal from it and the flames
١١. كَفى حَزَناً بِأَنَّ الحُزنَ يَخبو
ذَكِيُّ الجَمرِ عَنهُ وَاللَهيبُ
12. Shall I forget whom he reminds me not even
A substitute nor a ransom takes his place
١٢. أَأَنسى مَن يُذَكِّرُنيهِ أَلّا
نَديدَ يَنوبُ عَنهُ وَلا ضَريبُ
13. And leave to the earth whom I used to fear
The eye hints at or harms him
١٣. وَأَترُكُ لِلثَرى مَن كُنتُ أَخشى
عَلَيهِ العَينَ تومِئُ أَو تَريبُ
14. And pardon decay the radiance of a face
Whose paleness frightened me
١٤. وَأَصفَحُ لِلبَلى عَن ضَوءِ وَجهٍ
غَنيتُ يَروعُني مِنهُ الشُحوبُ
15. It is the right of loved ones even if
Their souls and hearts did their worst
١٥. وَمِن حَقِّ الأَحِبَّةِ لَو أَجَنَّت
رَمائِمَها الجَوانِحُ وَالقُلوبُ
16. God watered the peninsula not for anything
Except to quench that heart
١٦. سَقى اللَهُ الجَزيرَةَ لا لِشَيءٍ
سِوى أَن يَرتَوي ذاكَ القَليبُ
17. Deaf to the call of the road and does not
Respond to the woes of the road or answer
١٧. مُلَطٌّ بِالطَريقِ وَلَيسَ يُصغي
لِأَنجِيَةِ الطَريقِ وَلا يُجيبُ
18. The weeping women, his neighbors, return
And the weeping and lamenting stops for him
١٨. تَعودُ الباكِياتُ مُجاوِريهِ
وَيُزوى النَوحُ عَنهُ وَالنَحيبُ
19. And which of them loans you a tear
While your family and homes are desolate
١٩. وَأَيُّهُمُ يُعيرُ عَلَيكَ دَمعاً
وَآلِسُ دونَ أَهلِكَ وَالدُروبُ
20. No eye would have stayed far from you
Floods of tears if I were near
٢٠. وَما كانَت لِتَبعُدَ عَنكَ عَينٌ
سَفوحُ الدَمعِ لَو أَنّي قَريبُ
21. Fate shows you to me furtively yet how
Can I see whom absence makes absent
٢١. يُرينيكَ المُنى خَلساً وَأَنّى
بِرُؤيَةِ مَن تُغَيِّبُهُ الغُيوبُ
22. How can one who passes away return
When youth passes away and does not return
٢٢. وَكَيفَ يَؤوبُ مَن تُمضي المَنايا
وَقَد يَمضي الشَبابُ فَما يَؤوبُ
23. My pains when I remember you the sunsets
Followed by sunsets began to set
٢٣. أُلامُ إِذا ذَكَرتُكَ فَاِستَهَلَّت
غُروبُ العَينِ تَتبَعُها الغُروبُ
24. If the mountains lost a friend
A frozen one among them would melt
٢٤. وَلَو أَنَّ الجِبالَ فَقَدنَ إِلفاً
لَأَوشَكَ جامِدٌ مِنها يَذوبُ
25. By my life, a lifetime was unfaithful to my friendship
And woe to us, we have become outcasts
٢٥. لَعَمري إِنَّ دَهراً غالَ إِلفي
وَمالي لِلخَؤونُ لَنا الشَعوبُ
26. Sixty-six years gained independence
And events no longer returned
٢٦. فَإِن سِتٌّ وَسُتّونَ اِستَقَلَّت
فَلا كَرَّت بِرَجعَتِها الخُطوبُ
27. The enemies rejoiced about me that I am
Sorrowful, depressed, and in gloom
٢٧. لَقَد سَرَّ الأَعادي فِيَّ أَنّي
بِرَأسِ العَينِ مَحزونٌ كَئيبُ
28. Today I am exiled from my homeland
Without crime, dispossessed of my money
٢٨. وَأَنّي اليَومَ عَن وَطَني شَريدٌ
بِلا جُرمٍ وَمِن مالي حَريبُ
29. Great events surrounded my fortune
And wars bloomed without my enmity
٢٩. تَعاظَمَتِ الحَوادِثُ حَولَ حَظّي
وَشُبَّت دونَ بُغيَتِيَ الحُروبُ
30. While weakness permeated my bones
And old age passed judgment on me
٣٠. عَلى حينِ اِستَتَمَّ الوَهنُ عَظمي
وَأُعطِيَ فِيَّ ما اِحتَكَمَ المَشيبُ
31. One who is refused may gain springs
And one who is disappointed may gain
٣١. وَقَد يَرِدُ المَناهِلَ مَن يُحَلّا
عَلى ظَمَإٍ وَيَغنَمُ مَن يَخيبُ
32. The easiest loss to replace quickly
Are bonds of money, scorned by making
٣٢. وَأَيسَرُ فائِتٍ خَلَفاً سَريعاً
رِقابُ المالِ يُرزَؤُها الكَسوبُ
33. So who will ask the wanderer about
What I dislike in my choice or fault
٣٣. فَمَن ذا يَسأَلُ البَجَلِيَّ عَمّا
يَذُمُّ مِنَ اِختِياري أَو يَعيبُ
34. He reproaches me for my whims of determination
Though no critic reproached me
٣٤. يُعَنِّفُني عَلى بَغَتاتِ عَزمي
وَكُنتُ وَلا يُعَنِّفُني الأَريبُ
35. The right has insisted on me until
I wish that the one hitting the target were I
٣٥. وَقَد أَكدى الصَوابُ عَلَيَّ حَتّى
وَدِدتُ بِأَنَّ شانِيَّ المُصيبُ
36. Perhaps your brother watches in case
Misfortunes from me strike him when they come
٣٦. لَعَلَّ أَخاكَ يَرقُبُ هَل تُطاطي
لَهُ مِنّي النَوائِبُ إِذ تَنوبُ
37. So where is the soul with abundant merit from
What it wanders in and the vast chest
٣٧. فَأَينَ النَفسُ ذاتُ الفَضلِ عَمّا
تَسَكَّعُ فيهِ وَالصَدرُ الرَحيبُ
38. It would be better for the unjust soul if
It felt goodwill toward him
٣٨. فَأَولى لِلظَلومِ لَوَ أَنَّ نَفسي
بِشَيءٍ مِن مَوَدَّتِهِ تَطيبُ
39. Will he be angry to be blamed in verse
When in it is honor and enough merit
٣٩. أَيَغضَبُ أَن يُعاتَبَ بِالقَوافي
وَفيها المَجدُ وَالحَسَبُ الحَسيبُ
40. How many a hopeful lampooner wishes
To gain a mention from it ascending or aiming
٤٠. وَكَم مِن آمِلٍ هَجوي لِيَحظى
بِذِكرٍ مِنهُ يَصعَدُ أَو يَصوبُ
41. So how about the excellent smooth-flowing
Poems that roam with wanderings
٤١. فَكَيفَ بِسُيَّرٍ مُتنَخَلّاتٍ
تَجوبُ مِنَ التَنائِفِ ما تَجوبُ
42. A listener competes against his father in them
When they make his arrogance tremble
٤٢. يُنافِسُ سامِعٌ فيها أَباهُ
إِذا جَعَلَت بِسُؤدُدِهِ تُهيبُ
43. They have reached the ends of earth without failing in it
And some poetry is reached by ignoramuses
٤٣. بَلَغنَ الأَرضَ لَم يَلغُبنَ فيها
وَبَعضُ الشِعرِ يُدرِكُهُ اللُغوبُ
44. So unless good deeds are counted for
Their owner, sins are not counted
٤٤. فَإِلّا تُحسَبِ الحَسَناتُ مِنّا
لِصاحِبِها فَلا تُحصَ الذُنوبُ
45. I repent from wrongdoing if it touched me
And I acknowledge him who wrongs and does not repent
٤٥. أَتوبُ مِنَ الإِساءَةِ إِن أَلَمَّت
وَأَعرِفُ مَن يُسيءُ وَلا يَتوبُ