Sol 6.1

  1. أَعَن سَفَهٍ يَومَ الأُبَيرَقِ أَم حِلمِ

    وُقوفٌ بِرَبعٍ أَو بُكاءٌ عَلى رَسمِ

    Is it folly, on the day at al-Ubayriq, or sound judgment—

    this standing at a dwelling, or weeping over a trace?

  2. وَما يُعذَرُ المَوسومُ بِالشَيبِ أَن يُرى

    مُعارَ لِباسٍ لِلتَصابى وَلا وَسمِ

    No excuse has one marked with gray hair if he is seen

    in the borrowed garb of youthful folly, or bearing its mark.

  3. تُخَبِّرُني أَيّامِيَ الحُدثُ أَنَّني

    تَرَكتُ السُرورَ عِندَ أَيّامِيَ القُدمِ

    My recent days tell me that I

    left joy behind with my days of old.

  4. وَأولِعتُ بِالكِتمانِ حَتّى كَأَنَّني

    طُويتُ عَلى ضِغنٍ مِنَ الدَينِ أَو وَغمِ

    And I grew so devoted to concealment that I seem

    folded around a grudge over debt, or some resentment.

  5. فَإِن تَلقَني نِضوَ العِظامِ فَإِنَّها

    جَريرَةُ قَلبي مُنذُ كُنتُ عَلى جِسمي

    If you find me wasted to the bone, that is

    my heart's offense against my body, ever since I came to be.

  6. وَحَسبِيَ مِن بُرءٍ تَماثُلُ مُثخَنٍ

    مِنَ الحُبِّ يُنمي مُدَّريهِ وَلا يُصمي

    And enough healing for me is the partial recovery of one sorely wounded

    by love, which kills its stalker out of sight, not on the spot.

  7. إِذا رَجَعَت وَصلاً عَلى طولِ هَجرَةٍ

    تَراجَعتُ شَيئاً مِن بَلايَ إِلى سُقمي

    When she renews union after long estrangement,

    I recover somewhat—from utter wasting to mere sickness.

  8. وَقَد زَعَمَت أَن سَوفَ تُنجِحُ ما وَأَت

    وَظَنّي بِها الإِخلافُ في ذَلِكَ الزَعمِ

    She has claimed that she will fulfill what she promised,

    but I expect her to belie that claim.

  9. خَليلَيَّ ما في لا شِفاءٌ مِنَ الجَوى

    وَلا نَعَمٌ مَرجُوَّةُ النُجحِ مِن نُعمِ

    My two friends, no cure for love's anguish lies in 'no',

    nor from Nu'm a 'yes' with any hope of fulfillment.

  10. أَعينا عَلى قَلبٍ يَهيمُ صَبابَةً

    وَعَينٍ إِذا نَهنَهتُها طَفِفَت تَهمي

    Help me with a heart that wanders mad with longing,

    and an eye that, when I restrain it, brims and streams.

  11. حَنَت مَذحِجٌ حَولي وَباتَت عَمائِرٌ

    تُدافِعُ دوني مِن عَرانينِها الشُمِّ

    Madhhij enfolded me, and clans spent the night

    defending me, from among its proud chieftains.

  12. وَما خَفَضَت جَدّاتُ بَكرٍ أَرومَتي

    وَلا عَطِلَت مِن ريشِ أَحسابِها سَهمي

    The grandmothers of Bakr have not lowered my lineage,

    nor stripped my arrow of the feathers of their ancestral honor.

  13. وَإِنّي لَمَرفودٌ عَلى كُلِّ تَلعَةٍ

    بِنَصرِ بنِ خالٍ يَحمِلُ السَيفَ أَو عَمِ

    And I am indeed supported on every hill

    by a sword-bearing cousin's aid, maternal or paternal.

  14. وَما أَبهَجَتني كَبوَةُ الجَحشِ إِذ كَبا

    لِفيهِ لَوَ اَنَّ الجَحشَ أَقلَعَ عَن ظُلمي

    The ass-colt's stumble would not have pleased me when he fell

    onto his mouth, had the ass-colt ceased to wrong me.

  15. وَقَد هُدِيَ السُلطانُ لِلرُشدِ إِذ نَبا

    بِأَغثَرَ مِن أَولادِ قُطرُبُّلٍ فَدمِ

    The sovereign was guided aright when he cast aside

    a dull-witted lout from the offspring of Qutrubbul.

  16. إِذا عارَضَت دُنياهُ في جَنبِ رَأيِهِ

    شَهِدتَ بِأَنَّ الجَهلَ أَحظى مِنَ العِلمِ

    When his worldly fortune is set beside his judgment,

    you attest that ignorance is luckier than knowledge.

  17. وَقَد أَقتَرَ المَلعونُ يُبساً وَعِندَهُ

    ذَخائِرُ كِسرى أَو زُها مالِهِ الجَمِّ

    The accursed man lives meanly out of stinginess, though he has

    Kisra's treasures, or something near his vast wealth.

  18. إِذا المَرءُ لَم يَجعَل غِناهُ ذَريعَةً

    إِلى سُؤدُدٍ فَاِعدُد غِناهُ مِنَ العُدمِ

    If a man does not make his wealth a means

    to noble standing, count his wealth as poverty.

  19. وَسيطُ أَخِسّاءِ الأُصولِ كَأَنَّما

    يُعَلّونَ ناجودَ المُدامَةِ بِالذَمِّ

    He is foremost among men of the basest stock, who seem

    to top up the wine-flagon with reviling.

  20. خُلوفُ زَمانِ السوءِ لَم يُؤثِروا العُلا

    وَلَم يَنزِلوا لِلمَكرُماتِ عَلى حُكمِ

    Degenerate heirs of an evil age, they have not prized nobility,

    nor submitted to the rule of noble deeds.

  21. وَقَد رُفِعَت عَن نَجرِهِم آيَةُ النَدى

    كَما رُفِعَت مَنسِيَّةً آيَةُ الرَجمِ

    The verse of generosity has been removed from their stock,

    as the verse of stoning was removed, forgotten.

  22. تَأباهُمُ نَفسي وَتَقبُحُ فيهِمِ

    ظُنوني وَيَعلو عَن مَقاديرِهِ هَمّي

    My soul rejects them, and ugly, where they are concerned, are

    my thoughts; my ambition rises above his worth.

  23. فَلَولا أَبو الصَقرِ الأَغَرُّ وَجودُهُ

    رَضيتُ قَليلي وَاِقتَصَرتُ عَلى قِسمي

    Were it not for illustrious Abu al-Saqr and his bounty,

    I would accept my little and content myself with my share.

  24. هُوَ المَصقَلِيُّ في صِقالِ جَبينِهِ

    جِلاءُ الظَلامِ حينَ يُسدِفُ وَالظُلمِ

    He is al-Masqali: in the gleam of his brow lies

    the dispelling of darkness as it gathers, and of injustice.

  25. بِهِ نِلتُ مِن حَظّي الَّذي نِلتُ أَوَّلاً

    وَأَدرَكتُ ما قَد كُنتُ أَدرَكتُ مِن خَصمي

    Through him I gained the fortune I first won,

    and secured what I had secured against my adversary.

  26. تَصُدُّ بَناتُ الدَهرِ عَن بَغَتاتِ ما

    يُنيلُ صُدودَ الدَهمِ فوجِئَ بِالدَهمِ

    The daughters of Time recoil from the suddenness of what

    he grants, as a great host recoils when surprised by a great host.

  27. وَيَعرِفُني مَعروفُهُ حينَ مَعشَرٌ

    يَرونَ عُقوقَ المالِ أَن يَعلَموا عِلمي

    His kindness knows me, while a certain company

    deem it disloyalty to wealth to know my circumstances.

  28. مَواهِبُ لا تَبغي اِبنَ أَرضٍ يَدُلُّها

    عَلَيَّ وَلا طَبّاً يُخَبِّرُها بِاِسمي

    Gifts needing no son of the land to guide them

    to me, nor an expert to tell them my name.

  29. إِذا وَعَدَ اِرفَضَّت عَطاءً عِداتُهُ

    وَأَعرِفُ مِنهُم مَن يَحُزُّ وَلا يُدمي

    When he promises, his promises pour forth as gifts;

    and I know one among them who cuts but draws no blood.

  30. وَما كَشَفَت مِنهُ الوِزارَةُ أَخرَقَ ال

    يَدَينِ عَلى الجُلّى وَلا طائِشَ السَهمِ

    The vizierate has not revealed him as clumsy of

    hand in grave affairs, nor as one whose arrow strays.

  31. كَثيرُ جِهاتِ الرَأيِ مُفتَنَّةٌ بِهِ

    إِلى عَدَدٍ لا يَنتَهي صُوَرُ الحَزمِ

    He is many-sided in counsel; varied within him,

    beyond all counting, are the forms of prudence.

  32. فَروعُ الثَنايا ما يُغِبُّ فِجاجَها

    تَطَلُّعَ مَضّاءٍ عَلى أَوَّلِ العَزمِ

    A scaler of mountain passes, he ever scouts their paths,

    with a bold man's gaze, steadfast in his first resolve.

  33. مَتى يَحتَمِل ضِغناً عَلى القَومِ يَجنَحوا

    إِلى السِلمِ إِن نَجّاهُمُ الجَنحُ لِلسَلمِ

    Whenever he bears a grudge against a people, they incline

    toward peace, if turning to peace can save them.

  34. وَلَو عَلِموا أَنَّ المَنايا تُنيلُهُم

    رِضاهُ إِذاً باتوا نَدامى عَلى السَمِّ

    If they knew that death would win them

    his approval, they would spend the night drinking poison together.

  35. أَخو البِرِّ أَقصى ما يَخافُ مُنازِلاً

    مِنَ السَيفِ أَدنى ما يَخافُ مِنَ الإِثمِ

    A brother to righteousness: his greatest fear in combat

    of the sword is his slightest fear of sin.

  36. وَلَم يَنتَسِب مِن وائِلٍ في وَشيظَةٍ

    وَلا باتَ مِنها ضارِبَ البَيتِ في صِرمِ

    He has not traced his descent from Wa'il through hangers-on,

    nor dwelt with his tent pitched in a splinter band of theirs.

  37. أَبوكَ الَّذي غالى عَلِيّاً مُساوِماً

    بِسامَةَ لَمّا رَدَّ سامَةَ في جَرمِ

    Your father was the one who offered Ali a high price, bargaining

    for Sama, when he returned Sama to Jurm.

  38. وَلَولا يَدٌ مِنهُ لَصاحَ مُثَوِّبٌ

    عَلى عُجُزٍ وُقِّفنَ في مَجمَعِ القَسمِ

    But for a favor from him, a herald would have cried out

    over old women made to stand at the gathering for apportionment.

  39. فَمَن يَكُ مِنها عارِياً فَقَدِ اِكتَسى

    بِها الجَهمُ بَزّاً ظاهِراً وَبَنو الجَهمِ

    Whoever may be bare of it, clothed indeed are

    al-Jahm and al-Jahm's sons, in its conspicuous robe.

  40. وَما أَنتَ عِندَ العاذِلاتِ عَلى النَدى

    بِمُنتَظِرِ العُتبى وَلا هَيِّنِ الجُرمِ

    Before the women who chide your bounty, you are not

    one to wait for pardon, nor one whose offense is slight.

  41. كَأَنَّ يَداً لَم تَحلُ مِنكَ بِطائِلٍ

    يَدُ الأَرضِ رَدَّتها السَماءُ بِلا شُكمِ

    It is as though a hand gaining no bounty from you

    were the earth's hand, turned back by heaven unrewarded.

  42. كَأَنَّكَ مِن جِذمٍ مِنَ الناسِ واحِدٍ

    وَسائِرُ مَن يَأتي الدَنِيّاتِ مِن جِذمِ

    As though you were of one stock of mankind,

    and all who do base things of another stock.

  43. وَكَم ذُدتَ عَنّي مِن تَحامُلِ حادِثٍ

    وَسَورَةِ أَيّامٍ حَزَزنَ إِلى العَظمِ

    How often you have warded off a calamity's assault upon me,

    and the fury of days that cut to the bone.

  44. كَأَنّا عَدُوّاً مُتَقاً ما تَقارَبَت

    بِنا الدارُ إِلّا زادَ غُرمُكَ في غُنمي

    As though we were dreaded foes: never has

    our dwelling drawn us near without your loss increasing my gain.

  45. أُحارِبُ قَوماً لا أُسَرُّ بِسوئِهِم

    وَلَكِنَّني أَرمي مِنَ الناسِ مَن تَرمي

    I fight people in whose misfortune I take no joy,

    yet I shoot at those among men at whom you shoot.

  46. يَوَدُّ العِدى لَو كُنتَ سالِكُ سُبلِهِم

    وَأَينَ بِناءُ المُعلِياتِ مِنَ الهَدمِ

    The enemies wish you would follow their paths,

    but how far apart are building lofty structures and tearing down!

  47. وَهَل يُمكِنُ الأَعداءَ وَضعُ فَضيلَةٍ

    وَقَد رُفِعَت لِلناظِرينَ مَعَ النَجمِ

    Can enemies bring down a virtue

    already raised for all to see beside the stars?