Sol 6.1

  1. عُج بِالمَطيِّ عَلى اليَبابِ الغامِرِ

    وَاِربَع عَلى قَبرٍ تَضَمَّنَ ناظِري

    Turn the riding camels toward the uninhabited waste,

    and halt beside a grave that holds the apple of my eye.

  2. فَسَتَستَبينُ مَكانَهُ بِضَجيعِهِ

    وَيَنِمُّ مِنهُ إِلَيكَ عَرفُ العاطِرِ

    You will recognize its place by the one who lies within,

    and from it the fragrant one's scent will make it known to you.

  3. فَلَكَم تَضَمَّنَ مِن تُقىً وَتَعَفُّفٍ

    وَكَريمِ أَعراقٍ وَعِرضٍ طاهِرِ

    For how much piety and self-restraint it contains,

    and noble ancestry and unsullied honor!

  4. وَاِقرَ السَلامَ عَلَيهِ مِن ذي لَوعَةٍ

    صَدَعَتهُ صَدعاً ما لَهُ مِن جابِرِ

    And convey peace to him from one whose burning grief

    has shattered him with a fracture no one can mend.

  5. فَعَساهُ يَسمَحُ لي بِوَصلِ في الكَرى

    مُتَعاهِداً لِيَ بِالخَيالِ الزائِرِ

    Perhaps he will grant me reunion in sleep,

    keeping me company through his visiting apparition,

  6. فَأُعَلِّلَ القَلبَ العَليلَ بِطَيفِهِ

    عَلّي أُوافيهِ وَلَستُ بِغادِرِ

    so I may soothe my ailing heart with his phantom;

    perhaps I shall join him, and I am not faithless.

  7. إِنِّي لَأَستَحيِيِهِ وَهُوَ مُغَيَّبٌ

    في لَحدِهِ فَكَأَنَّهُ كَالحاضِرِ

    Indeed, I feel shame before him, though he lies hidden

    in his burial niche, as though he were present.

  8. أَرعى أَذِمَّتَهُ وَأَحفَظُ عَهدَهُ

    عِندي فَما يَجري سِواهُ بِخاطِري

    I honor his claims upon me and preserve his covenant

    with me; no one but he passes through my mind.

  9. إِن كانَ يَدثُر جِسمُهُ في رَمسِهِ

    فَهَوايَ فيهِ الدَهرَ لَيسَ بِداثِرِ

    Though his body may decay within his tomb,

    my love for him will not decay through all time.

  10. قَطَعَ الزَمانَ مَعي بِأَكرَمِ عِشرَةٍ

    لَهفي عَلَيهِ مِن أَبَرِّ مُعاشِرِ

    He spent his days with me in the noblest companionship;

    how I grieve for him, so devoted a companion!

  11. ما كانَ إِلّا نَدرَةً لا أَرتَجي

    عِوَضاً بِها فَرَثَيتُهُ بِنَوادِرِ

    He was a rarity, and I expect no

    replacement for that rarity, so I elegized him in rare verses.

  12. وَلَو أَنَّني أَنصَفتُهُ في وُدِّهِ

    لَقَضَيتُ يَومَ قَضى وَلَم أَستَأخِرِ

    Had I done justice to his affection,

    I would have died the day he died, and not remained behind,

  13. وَشَقَقتُ في خِلبِ الفُؤادِ ضَريحَهُ

    وَسَقَيتُهُ رَبَداً بِماءِ مَحاجِري

    and hollowed out his tomb within my heart's membrane,

    and watered it continually with tears from my eye sockets.

  14. أَجِدُ الحَلاوَةَ في الفُؤادِ بِكَونِهِ

    فيهِ وَأَرعاهُ بِعَينِ ضَمائِري

    I find sweetness in my heart from his dwelling

    within it, and tend him with my inward eye.

  15. لَسَأَلتُ مَغفِرَةً لَهُ وَتَجاوزاً

    عَنهُ مِنَ الرَبِّ الجَوادِ الغافِرِ

    I would surely ask forgiveness for him and pardon

    for him from the generous, forgiving Lord.

  16. أَخلِق بِمِثلي أَن يُرى مُتَطَلِّباً

    حَوراءَ ذاتَ غَدائِرٍ وَأَساوِرِ

    How fitting for one like me to be seen seeking

    a dark-eyed maiden with tresses and bracelets,

  17. مَقصورَةً في قُبَّةٍ مِن لُؤلُؤٍ

    ذُخِرَت ثَواباً لِلمُصابِ الصابِرِ

    secluded in a pavilion of pearls,

    reserved as a reward for the patient sufferer.

  18. لَخَلت ذِراعي وَاِنفَردَتُ فَإِن أَكُن

    تاجَرتُ فيها كُنتُ أَربَحَ تاجِرِ

    Indeed, my arm is empty and I am alone; if I have

    traded for her, I shall be the trader who profits most.

  19. وَلَئِن حُرِمتُ وَلَم يَفُز قِدحي بِها

    فَأَنا لَعَمرُ اللَهِ أَخسَرُ خاسِرِ

    But if I am denied, and my lot-arrow fails to win her,

    then, by God's life, I am the greatest loser of all.

  20. مَن جاوَزَ السِتينَ لَم يَجمُل بِهِ

    شُغلٌ بِجُملٍ وَالرَبابِ وَغادِرِ

    It is not fitting for one who has passed sixty

    to be preoccupied with Juml, al-Rabab, and Ghadir.

  21. بَل شُغلُهُ في زادِهِ لِمَعادِهِ

    فَالزادُ آكَدُ شُغلِ كُلِّ مُسافِرِ

    Rather, his concern is provision for his final return,

    for provisions are every traveler's most pressing concern.

  22. وَالشَيخُ لَيسَ قَصارُهُ إِلّا التُقى

    لا أَن يَهيمَ صَبابَةً بِجَآذِرِ

    An old man's ultimate aim is nothing but piety,

    not to wander in lovesick passion for wild-ox calves.

  23. نَفَرَت طِباعُ الغِيدِ عَنهُ كَراهَةً

    وَمِنَ العَناءِ عَلاقَةٌ بِمُنافِرِ

    Graceful maidens instinctively recoil from him in aversion,

    and attachment to one who recoils is torment.

  24. هَل يَلتَقي قِرنٌ بِقِرنٍ في الوَغى

    إِلّا بِأَزرَقَ أَو بِعَضبٍ باتِرِ

    Does a warrior meet his match in battle

    except with a blue-steeled spear or a keen, cleaving sword?

  25. وَإِذا تَقَحَّمَ أَعزَلٌ في مَأزِقٍ

    كانَ الأَسيرَ وَلَم يَكُن بِالآسِرِ

    And when an unarmed man plunges into a tight battle,

    he becomes the captive, not the captor.

  26. ما يَشتَهي نَهداً وَلَحظاً فاتِراً

    إِلّا خَلِيٌّ في زَمانٍ فاتِرِ

    None desires a swelling breast and a languid glance

    except a carefree man in a languid age.

  27. حَسبيَّ كِتابُ اللَهِ فَهُوَ تَنَعُّمي

    وَتَأَنُّسي في وَحشَتي بِدَفاتِري

    God's Book suffices me; it is my delight,

    and my solace in loneliness is in my books.

  28. أَفتَضُّ أَبكاراً بِها يَغسِلنَ مَن

    يَفتَضُّهُنَّ بِكُلِّ مَعنى طاهِرِ

    There I deflower virgins, who cleanse whoever

    deflowers them, with every pure meaning.

  29. وَإِذا أَرَدتُ نَزاهَةً طالَعتُها

    فَأَجولُ مِنها في أَنيقٍ زاهِرِ

    And when I seek recreation, I read them,

    and roam through their lovely, flowering gardens.

  30. وَأَرى بِها نَهجَ الهِدايَةِ واضِحاً

    يَنجو بِهِ مَن لَيسَ عَنهُ بِجائِرِ

    In them I see the path of guidance clearly,

    by which those who do not stray from it are saved.

  31. قَد آنَ لي أَن أَستَفيقَ وَأَرعَوي

    لَو أَنَّني مِمَّن تَصِحُّ بَصائِري

    The time has come for me to awaken and mend my ways,

    if only I were one whose inward sight was sound.

  32. فَلَكَم أَروحُ وَأَعتَدي في غَمرَةٍ

    مُتَرَدِّداً فيها كَمِثلِ الحائِرِ

    For how often I go about and transgress in confusion,

    wandering back and forth within it like a bewildered man!

  33. وَأَرى شَبابي ظاعِناً في عَسكَرٍ

    عَنّي وَشَيبي وافِداً بِعَساكِرِ

    I see my youth departing in a troop

    from me, while my gray hair arrives in armies.

  34. فَغَدَت مُظَفَّرَةً عَلَيَّ وَلَم تَزَل

    قِدماً مُعَلّاةً قِداحُ الظافِرِ

    Thus they have triumphed over me; and ever

    since olden times, the victor's lot-arrows have been raised high.

  35. وَلَقَد رَأَيتُ مِنَ الزَمانِ عَجائِباً

    جَرَّبتُها بِمَوارِدي وَمَصادِري

    Indeed, I have seen wonders wrought by time;

    I experienced them in my arrivals and departures.

  36. فَوَجَدتُ إِخوانَ الصَفاءِ بِزَعمِهِم

    يَلقاكَ أَمحَضُهُم بِعَرضٍ سابِري

    I found those claiming sincere brotherhood:

    even their sincerest greets you with courtesy as thin as Sabiri cloth.

  37. وَلَرُبَّما قَد شَذَّ مِنهُم نادِرٌ

    وَأُصولُنا أَن لا قِياسَ بِنادِرِ

    Yet sometimes a rare exception stands apart among them,

    and our principles allow no analogy based on a rare exception.

  38. وَإِذا نَبا بِيَ مَنزِلٌ أَو رانَبي

    صَفَّقتُ عَنهُ كَالعُقابِ الكاسِرِ

    And when a dwelling is harsh to me or weighs me down,

    I beat my wings away from it like a swooping eagle.

  39. فَأَجوبُ أَرضاً سَهلُها كَحُزونِها

    عِندي وَأَوَّلُ قَطرِها كَالآخَرِ

    So I traverse a land whose plains are like its rugged ground

    to me, its first stretch no different from its last.

  40. وَلَقَد عَجِبتُ لِمُؤمِنٍ في شِدقِهِ

    جَرَسٌ كَناقوسٍ بِبَيعَةِ كافِرِ

    Indeed, I marvel at a believer whose mouth contains

    a clang like a bell in an unbeliever's church.

  41. لَيسَ يُهَينِمُ دائِباً وَلَم يَرى

    أَنَّ اللِسانَ كَمِثلِ لَيثٍ هاصِرِ

    He never murmurs softly, yet speaks on, and fails to see

    that the tongue is like a lion that crushes its prey.

  42. وَلَو أَنَّني أَدعو الكَلامَ أَجابَني

    كَإِجابَةِ المَأسورِ دَعوَةَ آسِرِ

    If I summoned speech, it would answer me

    as a captive answers his captor's call.

  43. لَكِن رَأَيتُ نَبِيَّنا قَد عابَهُ

    مِن كُلِّ ثَرثارٍ وَأَشدَقَ شاعِرِ

    But I saw that our Prophet had censured it

    in every babbler and loud-mouthed poet.

  44. فَصَمَتُّ إِلّا عَن تُقىً وَلَرُبَّما

    قَذَفَت بِحارُ قَريحَتي بِجَواهِرِ

    So I kept silent except on piety; yet sometimes

    the seas of my poetic gift cast up jewels.

  45. ما اِستَحسَنوا طولَ الخَطابَةِ بَل رَأَوا

    تَقصيرَها مَهما اِرتَقوا بِمَنابِرِ

    They did not approve of lengthy oratory; rather, they favored

    keeping it short whenever they mounted pulpits.

  46. وَلَمّا رَأَوا سَردَ الكَلامِ بِسائِغٍ

    إِلّا لِعَبدٍ قارِئٍ أَو ذاكِرِ

    And when they deemed a stream of speech acceptable

    only for a servant reciting or remembering God,

  47. فَالعَيُّ في الإِكثارِ لا في مَنطِقٍ

    يُهدي إِلى الأَلبابِ نَفثَةَ ساحِرِ

    then ineptitude lies in excess, not in speech

    that bears a sorcerer's breath to discerning minds.

  48. وَلَقَد أَقولُ لِبَعضِ مَن هُوَ عاذِلي

    في القَصدِ في شَأني وَلَيسَ بِعاذِري

    Indeed, I tell some of those who reproach me

    for moderation in my affairs, and will not excuse me:

  49. لَمّا رَأَيتُ الأَرضَ أَصبَحَ ماؤُها

    رَنقاً كَفَتني مِنهُ حَسوَةُ طائِرِ

    When I saw that the earth's water had become

    murky, a bird's sip of it sufficed me.

  50. وَلَو أَنَّني أَرضى القَذا في مَشرَبي

    لَكَرَعتُ كَرعَةَ ظامِئٍ بِهَواجِرِ

    Had I accepted impurities in my drink,

    I would have gulped like a thirsty man in midday heat,

  51. وَعَبَرتُ بَحرَ الرِزقِ أَلتَمِسُ الغِنى

    حِرصاً عَلَيهِ وَكُنتُ أَمهَرَ ماهِرِ

    and crossed the sea of livelihood in search of wealth,

    eager for it, and been the most skillful expert.

  52. لَكِنَّني عَوَضتُ مِنهُ عِنايَةً

    بِقَناعَةٍ وَتَجَمُّلٍ في الظاهِرِ

    But I exchanged my concern for wealth

    for contentment and dignity in outward bearing.

  53. فَمِنَ الغِنى ما قَد يَضُرُّ بِأَهلِهِ

    وَالفَقرُ عِندَ اللَهِ لَيسَ بِضائِرِ

    For some wealth may harm its possessors,

    whereas poverty is no harm in God's sight.

  54. وَلَقَد أَصَبتُ مِنَ المَطاعِمِ حاجَتي

    وَمِنَ المَلابِسِ فَوقَ ما هُوَ ساتِري

    I have indeed obtained the food I need,

    and clothing beyond what covers me.

  55. وَأَنا لَعَمرُكَ مُكَرَّمٌ في جيرَتي

    وَمُعَظَّمٌ وَمُبَجَّلٌ بِعَشائِري

    By your life, I am honored among my neighbors,

    and esteemed and revered among my kin.

  56. وَغَداً بِمَيدانِ السِباقِ سَنَلتَقي

    فَيُرى الثَقيلُ مِنَ الخَفيفِ الضامِرِ

    Tomorrow we shall meet upon the racecourse,

    and the heavy will be distinguished from the light and lean.

  57. وا سَوأَتا إِن كُنتُ سُكَّيتاً بِهِ

    أَرجو اللِحاقَ عَلى هَجينٍ عاثِرِ

    Oh, my shame if I am last there,

    hoping to catch up on a stumbling crossbred horse!

  58. وَالوَيلُ كُلُّ الوَيلِ لي إِن لَم يَكُن

    مَولايَ في تِلكَ الشَدائِدِ ناصِري

    Woe, utter woe to me, unless

    my Lord is my helper in those hardships!

  59. إِنّي لَأَشكُرُهُ عَلى آلائِهِ

    فَهُوَ الوَفيُّ بِعَهدِهِ لِلشّاكِرِ

    Indeed, I thank Him for His blessings,

    for He is faithful to His promise to the thankful.

  60. وَإِلَيهِ أَضرَعُ في إِنابَةِ مُخلِصٍ

    فَهُوَ الَّذي أَرجو لِسَدِّ مَفاقِري

    To Him I supplicate, turning back with sincere devotion,

    for He is the one I hope will meet my needs.