Sol 6.1

  1. أَرِقتُ وَهاجَتني الهُمومُ الحَواضِرُ

    وَهَمُُّ الفَتّى سارٍ عَليهِ وَباكِر

    I lay sleepless, and the cares at hand stirred me.

    And a young man's worry visits him by night and early morning.

  2. وَلي صاحِبٌ قَد رابَني أَو ظَلَمتُهُ

    كَذَلِكَ ما الخَصمانِ بَرٌّ وَفاجِر

    I have a friend who has aroused my suspicion—or I have wronged him.

    Such are two disputants: one righteous, the other wicked.

  3. إِذا قالَ يَلحاني وَيعذُرُ نَفسَهُ

    وَفي اللَهِ لِلمَظلومِ عِزٌّ وناصِرُ

    When he speaks, he blames me and excuses himself.

    And in God the wronged has strength and a defender.

  4. وَإِنّي امرؤٌ عِندي وَعمداً أَقولُهُ

    لآتي الَّذي يَأتي امرؤٌ وَهوَ خابِرُ

    And I am a man who has—and I say this deliberately,

    To do what a man does knowingly—

  5. لِسانانِ مَعسولٌ عَليهِ غَراوَةٌ

    وَآخَرُ مَذروبٌ عَليهِ الشَراشِرُ

    Two tongues: one honeyed, to which I am attached,

    And another, keen-edged, on which my whole heart is set.

  6. يَبيتانِ عِندي ثُمَّ كُلٌّ إِذا غَدا

    بِكُلِّ كَلامٍ قالَهُ الناسُ ماهِرُ

    Both spend the night with me; then each, when it goes forth in the morning,

    Is adept at every word that people have spoken.

  7. وَكانَ الَّذي يَلقى الوُعوثَةَ مِنهُما

    عَلى سُبُلٍ قَد أنهَجَتهَا العَيائِرُ

    And the one of them that encountered rough going was

    On paths that asses had already opened up.

  8. فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَبخَل عَلَيهِ نَصيحَتي

    وَلِلمَرءِ ناهٍ لا يَراهُ وَزاجِرٌ

    So I said—and did not withhold my counsel from him—

    And a man has an admonisher he does not see, and a restrainer:

  9. إِذا أَنتَ حاولتَ البَراءَةَ فاجتَنِب

    حَرا كُلِّ أَمرٍ تَعتَريهِ المَعاذِرُ

    If you seek freedom from blame, then avoid

    The vicinity of every affair attended by excuses.

  10. فَقَد تُسلِمُ المَرءَ المَعاذيرُ لِلرَدى

    فَيردى وَقَد تُردي البَريءَ الجَرائِرُ

    For excuses may hand a man over to destruction,

    So he perishes; and offenses may destroy the innocent.

  11. وَشاعِرِ سَوءٍ غَرَّهُ أَن تَرادَفَت

    لَهُ المُفخِمونَ القَولَ إِنَّكَ شاعِرُ

    And a bad poet, deluded by a succession

    Of those who inflated their words for him: 'You are a poet!'

  12. عَطَفتُ عَليهِ مَرَّةً فَتَرَكتُهُ

    لِما كانَ يَرضى قَبلَها وَهوَ حاقِرُ

    I turned upon him once, and left him

    Scorning what he had been content with before,

  13. بِقافِيَةٍ حَذّاءَ سَهلٍ رَوِيُّها

    كَسَردِ الصَناعِ لَيسَ فيهِ تَواتُرُ

    With a swift-running verse, easy in its rhyme,

    Like an artisan's stitching, without any gaps.

  14. نَطَقتُ وَلَم يَعجِز عَليَّ رَوِيُّها

    وَلِلقَولِ أَبوابٌ تُرى وَمَخاصِرُ

    I spoke, and its rhyme did not defeat me;

    And speech has visible gateways and shortcuts.

  15. يُعَدّي الكَرى عَن عَينِهِ وَهوَ ناعِسٌ

    إِذا اِنتَصَفَ اللَيلَ المُكِلُّ المُسافِرُ

    He keeps sleep from his eye, though drowsy—

    The weary traveler, when he reaches the middle of the night.

  16. إِذا ما قَضاها عادَ فيها كَأَنَّهُ

    لِلَذَّتِهِ سَكرانُ أَو مُتَساكِرُ

    Whenever he finishes it, he returns to it, as though

    Drunk with his delight, or feigning drunkenness.