1. نَفِستَ قُربَها عَلَينا كَنودُ

    وَالقَريبُ المَمنوعُ مِنكَ بَعيدُ

    Kanud begrudged us her nearness;

    and one who is near but denied you is far away.

  2. وَأَبيها وَإِن تَفاحَشَ وَهيٌ

    في هَواها وَاِختَلَّ مِنها جَديدُ

    By her father, though the breach has grown grievous

    in love for her, and her fresh bond has unraveled,

  3. ما وَفى البُعدُ بِالدُنُوِّ وَلا كا

    نَ قَضاءً مِنَ الوِصالِ الصُدودُ

    distance has not matched nearness, nor has

    rejection been recompense for union.

  4. شَأنُها أَن تُجِدَّ نُقصانَ عَهدٍ

    وَفَناءٌ نُقصانُ ما لا يَزيدُ

    Her way is to renew the dwindling of a pledge;

    and the dwindling of what does not grow is extinction.

  5. وَإِذا خُبِّرَت بِظاهِرِ شَكوي

    هانَ عِندَ الصَحيحِ أَنّي عَميدُ

    And when she is told of my evident distress,

    it matters little to the healthy that I am lovesick.

  6. أَيَعودُ الشَبابُ أَم يَتَوَلّى

    مِنهُ في الدَهرِ دَولَةٌ ما تَعودُ

    Will youth return, or does there pass away

    its reign in time, never to return?

  7. لا أَرى العَيشَ وَالمَفارِقَ بيضٌ

    إِسوَةَ العَيشِ وَالمَفارِقُ سودُ

    I do not see life with white hair at the partings

    as equal to life with black hair at the partings.

  8. وَأَعُدّ الشَقِيَّ جَدّاً أُع

    طِيَ غُنماً حَتّى يُقالَ سَعيدُ

    And I deem him unlucky in fortune, though granted

    a gain that earns him the name 'fortunate':

  9. مَن عَدَتهُ العُيونُ وَاِنصَرَفَت عَن

    هُ اِلتِفاتاً إِلى سِواهُ الخُدودُ

    one whom eyes pass over, and away from whom turn

    cheeks, glancing toward someone else.

  10. وَمَعَ الغانِياتِ تَأويدُ وُدٍّ

    لِلَّذي في قَناتِهِ تَأويدُ

    And fair women show a crooked affection

    for the man whose spear-shaft is bent.

  11. طَلَبَت أَحمَدَ بنِ عَبدِ العَزيزِ العي

    سُ مَرحولَةٌ عَلَيها الوُفودُ

    The pale camels sought Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz,

    saddled, with delegations riding upon them.

  12. إِن تَرامَت بِها المَسافَةُ أَدنا

    ها وَجيفٌ إِلَيهِ أَو تَوخيدُ

    If distance takes them far, they are brought nearer

    to him by a swift trot or a brisk stride.

  13. واسِطٌ مِن رَبيعَةَ بنِ نِزارٍ

    حَيثُ تَعلو البُنى وَيَزكو العَديدُ

    A noble at the heart of Rabi'a ibn Nizar,

    where houses rise high and numbers flourish.

  14. حازَ قُطرَ البِلادِ وَاِسَغرَقَ الشَر

    قَ اِنتِظاماً لُواؤُهُ المَعقودُ

    The land's breadth was embraced, and the whole East encompassed

    in ordered ranks by his knotted banner.

  15. هِمَّةٌ أَغرَبَت بِبُشتِ زَرَندٍ

    يُحسِرُ الخَيلَ نَهجُها المَمدودُ

    An ambition that worked wonders at Busht Zarand,

    whose far-stretched path exhausts the horses.

  16. يَتَصَلّى الهَجيرَ مِن قَيظِ كَرما

    نَ كَريمٌ تُثنى عَلَيهِ البُنودُ

    He braves the midday blaze of Kirman's summer—

    a noble man above whom the banners bend.

  17. أَقعَصَ الفِتنَةَ المُضِلَّةَ حَتّى

    رَحِمَ القائِمينَ فيها القُعودُ

    He struck the deluding rebellion dead, so that

    those who sat out pitied those who rose in it.

  18. حاشِدٌ دونَ حَوزَةِ المُلكِ يَحمي

    سَيفُهُ مِن وَرائِها وَيَذودُ

    He musters before the royal domain, guarded

    from behind by his sword, which drives foes off.

  19. آلَ آلُ الدَجّالِ كَالأَمسِ لَم يَأ

    لُ اِنتِضاءً لِكُلِّ نارٍ خُمودُ

    The Dajjal's clan passed like yesterday; he never slackened

    in drawing his blade: every fire has its extinction.

  20. غابَ عَن تِلكُمُ الجَوائِحِ مَن عو

    فِيَ مِنها وَالأَخسَرونَ شُهودُ

    Absent from those calamities was whoever was spared

    them, while the greatest losers were present.

  21. فَضَّ جُمّاعَهُم بِروذانَ يَومٌ

    بادَ فيهِ مَن خِلتُهُ لا يَبيدُ

    A day at Rudhan broke their gathered host,

    when one I thought would never perish perished.

  22. لَم يَقُم صُفرُهُم عَشِيَّةَ زارَت

    هُ جِبالٌ يُضيءُ فيها الحَديدُ

    Their brass did not hold firm that evening, when it was visited

    by mountains in which iron gleamed.

  23. نَسَفَت حاضِرَ الرُمومِ فَما قا

    مَ بِتِلكَ الخِيامِ بَعدُ عَمودُ

    They swept away the camp of al-Rumum, and no

    pole stood in those tents afterward.

  24. وَرَذايا أَخلافِ موسى بنِ مَهرا

    نَ عَلى مَنظَرِ المَنايا هُمودُ

    And the spent stragglers of Musa ibn Mahran's successors

    lie motionless before the spectacle of death.

  25. شَرِقوا بِالحَديدِ إِمّا سُيوفٌ

    أَثخَنَت فيهِمُ وَإِمّا قُيودُ

    They choked on iron—either swords

    that wounded them grievously, or fetters.

  26. يَرقُبُ القائِمُ المُؤَجَّلُ مِنهُم

    ما اِبتَداهُ المُعَجَّلُ المَحصودُ

    The survivor among them, whose end is delayed, awaits

    what the one swiftly reaped has already begun.

  27. وَقَديماً سَما بِرَأيِ أَبي العَبّ

    اسِ عَزمٌ ماضٍ وَرَأيٌ سَديدُ

    And long since, Abu al-Abbas's counsel was raised high

    by a resolute will and sound judgment.

  28. واقِفٌ عِندَ نُهيَةٍ مِن نَداهُ

    يَبتَغي أَن يُزادَ فيها مَزيدُ

    He stands at the utmost limit of his bounty,

    seeking that yet more be added to it.

  29. شِيَمٌ كُلُّهُنَّ عِبءٌ يُعَنّى

    حامِليهِ مِن سَأمَةٍ وَيَؤودُ

    Virtues, all of them a burden that wearies

    its bearers with fatigue and weighs them down.

  30. لَو يُكَلَّفنَ بِالخُلودِ لَقَد كا

    نَ قَميناً بِبَعضِهِنَّ الخُلودُ

    If they were charged with immortality, surely

    immortality would be fitting for even some of them.

  31. شَدَّ ما فُرِّقَت طَرائِقُ هَذا ال

    ناسِ المَذمومُ وَالمَحمودُ

    How far apart are the ways of these

    people—the blameworthy and the praiseworthy!

  32. كُلُّ ذَوبٍ مِن فارِسٍ مِن عَطاءٍ

    فَهُوَ في تُستَرٍ وَجُبّى جُمودُ

    All the bounty that melts forth from Fars

    is frozen in Tustar and Jubba.

  33. أَصبَحَت أَرَّجانُ مِن دونِها البُخ

    لُ وَمِن دونِ لابَتَيها الجودُ

    Arrajan now has miserliness standing before it,

    and generosity stopped short of its two lava-fields.

  34. يا أَبا يوسُفٍ وَمِثلُكَ عَن نَي

    لِ المَعالي مُؤَخَّرٌ مَبلودُ

    O Abu Yusuf, one like you, from attaining

    high honors, is held back and slow-witted.

  35. لَو رَأَينا اليَهودَ أَدَّت نَفيساً

    لَعَجِبنا أَن خَسَّتكَ اليَهودُ

    If we had seen the Jews produce something precious,

    we would marvel that the Jews had made you base.

  36. وَإِذا ما اِحتَظَيتَ غُلمانَكَ الأَع

    فارَ بَيَّنتَ فيهِمُ ما تُريدُ

    And when you favor your tawny boys,

    you make plain what you want of them.

  37. مَذهَبٌ في البَلاءِ بَرَّزتَ فيهِ

    قَد يُسادُ الشَريفُ ثُمَّ يَسودُ

    A practice of affliction in which you have excelled:

    a nobleman may be mastered, then become master.

  38. نِقمَةٌ أَحرَضَتكَ نَعتَدُّ مِنها

    نِعمَةً لا يَموتُ مِنها الحَسودُ

    A scourge has wasted you; from it we count

    a blessing that the envious will not die of.

  39. قُل لَنا وَالنُجومُ مِنكَ بِبالٍ

    لِم أَخَلَّت بِطالِعَيكَ السُعودُ

    Tell us, since the stars are on your mind,

    why did the lucky stars forsake your two ascendants?

  40. وَقَفَت لِلرُجوعِ في الثامِنِ الزُه

    رَةُ فَاِبتَزَّ سِترَهُ المَولودُ

    Venus halted for retrograde motion in the eighth house,

    and the newborn was stripped of his veil.

  41. وَمَتى ما أَنشَدتَ شِعرَكَ لَم يُعدِم

    كَ قَذفاً لِوالِدَيكَ النَشيدُ

    And whenever you recite your poetry, the recital never fails

    to earn you slurs against both your parents.

  42. وَإِذا قيلَتِ القَوافي تَهاوى

    رَجَزٌ مِن بُيوتِها وَقَصيدُ

    And when the rhymes are spoken, down tumble

    rajaz verse and odes from their houses.

  43. طَلَبَ الذِكرَ فائِتاً وَتَسَمّى

    بِالبَريدِيِّ حينَ ماتَ البَريدُ

    He sought fame after it had passed him by, and styled himself

    al-Baridi when the post was dead.

  44. أَوقَدَ اللَهُ في ضَريحِ أَبي الفَت

    حِ ضِراماً إِذا تَقَضّى يَعودُ

    May God kindle in Abu al-Fath's tomb

    a blaze that returns whenever it dies out.

  45. لَم أَكُن أَمدَحُ البَخيلَ وَلا أَق

    بَلُ نَيلَ المَمدوحِ وَهُوَ زَهيدُ

    I have never praised a miser, nor do I accept

    the praised man's gift when it is paltry.