أَما وَهَذا الزَمانُ يَمتَحِنُه

أَما وَهَذا الزَمانُ يَمتَحِنُه

بِصَرفِهِ تارَةً وَيَمتَهِنُه

بِصَرفِهِ تارَةً وَيَمتَهِنُه

Indeed, this age puts him to the test,

with its reversals at times, and humiliates him.

إِذا جَرى نَحوَ غايَةٍ عَبَأَت

إِذا جَرى نَحوَ غايَةٍ عَبَأَت

لَهُ الرَدى مِن زَمانِهِ إِحَنُه

لَهُ الرَدى مِن زَمانِهِ إِحَنُه

Whenever he races toward a goal, they marshal

death against him—the rancors of his age.

فَلا مَلومٌ عَلى دَنيأَتِهِ

فَلا مَلومٌ عَلى دَنيأَتِهِ

عَمّا سَمَت لِإِدِّراكِهِ فِطَنُه

عَمّا سَمَت لِإِدِّراكِهِ فِطَنُه

So he is not to blame for his low station,

below what his wits aspired to attain.

مَن ذا مِنَ الدَهرِ باتَ مُستَتِراً

مَن ذا مِنَ الدَهرِ باتَ مُستَتِراً

أَم مَن وَقَتهُ سِهامَهُ جُنَنُه

أَم مَن وَقَتهُ سِهامَهُ جُنَنُه

Who has ever spent a night hidden from time,

or whose shields have kept its arrows from him?

هَيهاتِ أَعيا فَما تُرَدُّ يَدٌ

هَيهاتِ أَعيا فَما تُرَدُّ يَدٌ

لَهُ لِما سارَ فيهِ يَحتَجِنُه

لَهُ لِما سارَ فيهِ يَحتَجِنُه

Impossible! It has proved intractable; its hand cannot be stayed

from what it sets out to draw into its grasp.

أَما وَمَن ما ذَكَرتُ فُرقَتَهُ

أَما وَمَن ما ذَكَرتُ فُرقَتَهُ

إِلّا يَرى القَلبَ حاشِداً شَجَنُه

إِلّا يَرى القَلبَ حاشِداً شَجَنُه

Indeed, by him whose parting I never recall

but grief for him finds my heart thronged;

وَمَن رَضيتُ السَقامَ في بَدَني

وَمَن رَضيتُ السَقامَ في بَدَني

مِنهُ إِذا كانَ سالِماً بَدَنُه

مِنهُ إِذا كانَ سالِماً بَدَنُه

and by him for whom I accept sickness in my body,

if only his own body is sound;

وَمَن كَأَنَّ القَضيبَ قامَتُهُ

وَمَن كَأَنَّ القَضيبَ قامَتُهُ

وَالبَدرَ يَحكي ضِياءَهُ سُنَنُه

وَالبَدرَ يَحكي ضِياءَهُ سُنَنُه

and by him whose stature is like a slender bough,

and whose face mirrors the full moon's radiance;

وَمَن بِخَدَّيهِ رَوضَتانِ وَمَن

وَمَن بِخَدَّيهِ رَوضَتانِ وَمَن

يَنفُثُ سِحراً مِن طَرفِهِ فِتَنُه

يَنفُثُ سِحراً مِن طَرفِهِ فِتَنُه

and by him whose cheeks hold two gardens, and by him

whose charms breathe magic from his gaze;

إِذا رَنا خِلتَ أَنَّهُ ثَمِلٌ

إِذا رَنا خِلتَ أَنَّهُ ثَمِلٌ

يَكسِرُ أَجفانَ لَحظِهِ وَسَنُه

يَكسِرُ أَجفانَ لَحظِهِ وَسَنُه

when he gazes, you think him drunk,

his drowsiness making his eyelids droop:

لَقَد حَلَبتُ الزَمانَ أَشطُرَهُ

لَقَد حَلَبتُ الزَمانَ أَشطُرَهُ

طَبّاً بِما تَنتَحي لَهُ مِحَنُه

طَبّاً بِما تَنتَحي لَهُ مِحَنُه

I have indeed milked time's every teat,

well versed in what its trials aim at.

فَما نَأى المُستَقيمُ مِنهُ وَلا

فَما نَأى المُستَقيمُ مِنهُ وَلا

عَلَيَّ أَعيَت جَهالَةً أُبَنُه

عَلَيَّ أَعيَت جَهالَةً أُبَنُه

Thus its straight course has not eluded me, nor

have its faults baffled me through ignorance.

وَأَعلَمُ الناسَ بِالزَمانِ فَتىً

وَأَعلَمُ الناسَ بِالزَمانِ فَتىً

أَهدى أَعاجيبَهُ لَهُ زَمَنُه

أَهدى أَعاجيبَهُ لَهُ زَمَنُه

The man who knows time best is a youth

to whom his age has offered its marvels.

لِسَيِّئٍ مِنهُ نُصبَ مُقلَتِهِ

لِسَيِّئٍ مِنهُ نُصبَ مُقلَتِهِ

وَما بَعيدٌ عَن لَحظِها حَسَنُه

وَما بَعيدٌ عَن لَحظِها حَسَنُه

For its ill stands before his very eye,

and its good is not far from his gaze.

فَما فُؤادي بِجازِعٍ أَسَفاً

فَما فُؤادي بِجازِعٍ أَسَفاً

ما أَخلَفَ ذا مَطامِعٍ ظِنَنُه

ما أَخلَفَ ذا مَطامِعٍ ظِنَنُه

So my heart is not distraught with grief

whenever a hopeful man's expectations fail him.

غَنيتُ بِاللَهِ فَإِستَرَحتُ مِنَ ال

غَنيتُ بِاللَهِ فَإِستَرَحتُ مِنَ ال

موفي عَلى نَزرِ مِنِّهِ مِنَنُه

موفي عَلى نَزرِ مِنِّهِ مِنَنُه

I have enough in God, and so am free of the man

whose boasts of favors exceed his paltry giving,

وَمِن بَخيلٍ بُروقُ زَبرِجِهِ

وَمِن بَخيلٍ بُروقُ زَبرِجِهِ

كَخُلَّبِ البَرقِ خانَهُ مُزُنُه

كَخُلَّبِ البَرقِ خانَهُ مُزُنُه

and of a miser whose glittering flashes

are like rainless lightning, betrayed by its clouds;

مُتَّسِعِ الصَدرِ لِلمَقالِ وَإِن

مُتَّسِعِ الصَدرِ لِلمَقالِ وَإِن

رامَ فَعالاً فَدَيِّقٌ عَطَنُه

رامَ فَعالاً فَدَيِّقٌ عَطَنُه

his breast is broad for speech, but if

he seeks to act, his watering-ground is cramped.

وَالحُرُّ لا يَرأَمُ الصِغارَ إِذا

وَالحُرُّ لا يَرأَمُ الصِغارَ إِذا

سيمَ الأَذى أَو نَبا بِهِ وَطَنُه

سيمَ الأَذى أَو نَبا بِهِ وَطَنُه

The freeborn man does not embrace abasement when

harm is forced upon him, or his homeland spurns him.

لَكِنَّهُ يَخرِقُ الخُروقَ وَلا

لَكِنَّهُ يَخرِقُ الخُروقَ وَلا

يَستَصعِبُ الصَعبَ مُهوِلاً عَنَنُه

يَستَصعِبُ الصَعبَ مُهوِلاً عَنَنُه

Rather, he cleaves the wide wastes, and does not

find hardship hard, however dreadful its onset.

حَليفُهُ المَشرَفِيُّ لَيسَ لَهُ

حَليفُهُ المَشرَفِيُّ لَيسَ لَهُ

خِلٌّ سِوى المَشرَفِيِّ يَأتَمِنُه

خِلٌّ سِوى المَشرَفِيِّ يَأتَمِنُه

His ally is the Mashrafi sword; he has

no friend he trusts except the Mashrafi.

صاحِبُ صِدقٍ تَكفيهِ بَدأَتُهُ

صاحِبُ صِدقٍ تَكفيهِ بَدأَتُهُ

عَودُ شَفيعٍ نَبَت لَهُ أُذُنُه

عَودُ شَفيعٍ نَبَت لَهُ أُذُنُه

A true companion: its first stroke spares him

another appeal to an intercessor whose ear turns from him.

إِذا إِنتَضى فَالرُؤوسُ مَغمَدُهُ

إِذا إِنتَضى فَالرُؤوسُ مَغمَدُهُ

يَأمَنُ مِنهُ المُلوكَ مُمتَحِنُه

يَأمَنُ مِنهُ المُلوكَ مُمتَحِنُه

When he draws it, heads become its sheath;

through it, the man who tries it is safe from kings.

طَلائِعُ المَوتِ في تَلَألُؤِهِ

طَلائِعُ المَوتِ في تَلَألُؤِهِ

يَعوقُها لِلشَقاءِ مُرتَهِنُه

يَعوقُها لِلشَقاءِ مُرتَهِنُه

Death's vanguards lie in its glitter;

its holder in pledge checks them, to his own misery.

كَالبَرقِ يَفري الطُلى كَأَنَّ بِهِ

كَالبَرقِ يَفري الطُلى كَأَنَّ بِهِ

ذَحلاً عَلى المُقصَدينَ يَضطَغِنُه

ذَحلاً عَلى المُقصَدينَ يَضطَغِنُه

Like lightning it cleaves throats, as though it bore

a blood-feud it nurses against those it strikes dead.

فَالوَفرُ بِالنَصلِ يُستَفادُ إِذا

فَالوَفرُ بِالنَصلِ يُستَفادُ إِذا

ضاقَت عَلى ذي بَصيرَةٍ مُدُنُه

ضاقَت عَلى ذي بَصيرَةٍ مُدُنُه

Wealth is gained by the blade when

a discerning man's cities grow too narrow for him.

وَإِنَّما العارُ أَن يُرى حَذِراً

وَإِنَّما العارُ أَن يُرى حَذِراً

يُزَيِّنُ الفَقرَ عِندَهُ خَنَتُه

يُزَيِّنُ الفَقرَ عِندَهُ خَنَتُه

The only disgrace is to be seen afraid,

his faintheartedness making poverty seem fair to him.

يُقَلِّبُ الرَأيَ دَهرَهُ فِرَقاً

يُقَلِّبُ الرَأيَ دَهرَهُ فِرَقاً

لا خَفضُهُ دائِمٌ وَلا حَزَنُه

لا خَفضُهُ دائِمٌ وَلا حَزَنُه

All his life he turns his thoughts over in fear,

yet neither time's ease nor its hardship endures.

فَذا قريبٌ يَأوي إِلى سَكَنٍ

فَذا قريبٌ يَأوي إِلى سَكَنٍ

وَذاكَ ناءٍ يَهوى لَهُ سَكَنُه

وَذاكَ ناءٍ يَهوى لَهُ سَكَنُه

So this one is near, seeking shelter with a loved one;

and that one is far, his loved one yearning for him.