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Take the stance of doubt, neither despair nor greed,

قف موقف الشك لا يأس ولا طمع

1. Take the stance of doubt, neither despair nor greed,
Deceive life, neither patience nor panic,

١. قِف مَوقِفَ الشَكِّ لا يَأسٌ وَلا طَمَعُ
وَغالِطِ العَيشَ لا صَبرٌ وَلا جَزَعُ

2. And trick the heart that grief does not love it
If it is a heart that continues to be deceived by the past,

٢. وَخادِعِ القَلبَ لا يودِ الغَليلُ بِهِ
إِن كانَ قَلبٌ عَلى الماضينَ يَنخَدِعُ

3. And lie to yourself that hope extends to it,
Indeed, hope is cut off by the honesty of the self,

٣. وَكاذِبِ النَفسَ يَمتَدُّ الرَجاءُ لَها
إِنَّ الرَجاءَ بِصِدقِ النَفسِ يَنقَطِعُ

4. I asked my companions where they went,
Away from us, and which valleys did they ascend after us

٤. سائِل بِصَحبي أَنّى وُجهَةٍ سَلَكوا
عَنّا وَأَيَّ الثَنايا بَعدَنا طَلَعوا

5. They challenged fate with their misfortunes until it persisted with them
The guide of destinies who does not swerve with them

٥. حَدا بِأَظعانِهِم حَتّى اِستَمَرَّ بِها
حادي المَقاديرِ لا يَلوي بِهِم ظَلَعُ

6. They disappeared, so a pleasant view disappeared from the world and its inhabitants
Of the world and what it hears,

٦. غابوا فَغابَ عَنِ الدُنيا وَساكِنُها
مَرأىً أَنيقٌ عَنِ الدُنيا وَمُستَمَعُ

7. My father's sons, he lamented you with his complaint,
And this stubborn, unyielding time got what it wanted,

٧. بَني أَبي قَد نَكى فيكُم بِشِكَّتِهِ
وَنالَ ما شاءَ هَذا الأَزلُمَ الجَذَعُ

8. You were shining stars for the gloomy one,
Your lights illuminate the dark nights and armored ones,

٨. كُنتُم نُجوماً لِذي الدَهماءِ زاهِرَةً
تُضيءُ مِنها اللَيالي السودُ وَالدُرَعُ

9. If after your lights were shattered, your clothes tore the veil of darkness,
The sun's rays would be cut off,

٩. إِن تَخبُ أَنوارُكُم مِن بَعدِ ما صَدَعَت
ثَوبَ الدُجى فَلَضَوءِ الشَمسِ مُنقَطَعُ

10. Since you were shrouded in the prime of glory, it has been a burden on time
And the high have submission on their cheeks,

١٠. في غُرَّةِ المَجدِ مُذ غُيَّبتُمُ كَلَفٌ
عَلى الزَمانِ وَفي خَدِّ العُلى ضَرَعُ

11. And because of the tumult, there is confusion in the valleys and because of
The lowering of the flags, there is submission since you were evicted,

١١. وَبِالمَواضي حِرانٌ في الوَغى وَبِأَع
ناقِ الضَوامِرِ مُذ أُرحِلتُمُ خَضَعُ

12. Calamities with which the hands of death shook,
So the steadfast surrendered and the resistant submitted,

١٢. مَصاعِبٌ ذَعذَعَت أَيدي المَنونِ بِها
فَطاعَ مُعتَصِمٌ وَاِنقادَ مُمتَنِعُ

13. They did not lack a day of war under its awning,
Where the eagle of war fell on their skulls,

١٣. لَم يَعدَموا يَومَ حَربٍ تَحتَ قَسطَلِها
طَيرُ الدِخامِ عَلى لَبّاتِهِم تَقَعُ

14. They did not take off their turbans except that gray hair and pulling out sprouted from them,
We race death recklessly with our souls,

١٤. لَم يَنزِعوا البيضَ مُذلاثوا عَمائِمَهُم
إِلّا وَقَد غاضَ مِنها الشَيبُ وَالنَزَعُ

15. As if we draw lots against generations,
I cry for them while the hand of time insists

١٥. نُسابِقُ المَوتَ تَطويحاً بِأَنفُسِنا
حَتّى كَأَنّا عَلى الأَجيالِ نَقتَرِعُ

16. On serving me the remnants of the cup they drank,
I do not doubt that I am being dragged to a term,

١٦. أَبكيهِمُ وَيَدُ الأَيّامِ دائِبَةٌ
تَدوفُ لي فَضلَةَ الكَأسِ الَّتي جَرَعوا

17. They were dragged to it the day before yesterday, or departed,
And that I am bound for the number they arrived at,

١٧. لا أَمتَري أَنَّني بُجرٍ إِلى أَمَدٍ
جَروا إِلَيهِ قُبَيلَ اليَومِ أَو نَزَعوا

18. Willingly or knocking on the door they knocked on,
The mouths of the deep graves were blocked with them,

١٨. وَأَنَّني وارِدُ العِدِّ الَّذي وَرَدوا
بِالكُرهِ أَو قارِعُ البابِ الَّذي قَرَعوا

19. And the earth has no irrigation or satisfaction,
I got used to them, I do not hope that any past

١٩. سُدَّت فَواغِرُ أَفواهِ القُبورِ بِهِم
وَلَيسَ لِلأَرضِ لا رَيٌّ وَلا شَبَعُ

20. Returns to me, nor do I have any greed for them,
So my heart does not flare up for people

٢٠. أَعتادُهُم لا أُرَجّي أَن يَعودَ لَهُم
إِلَيَّ ماضٍ وَلا لي فيهِمُ طَمَعُ

21. Who were accustomed to the days, so they returned,
It is nice that the fates graze our souls,

٢١. فَما تَوَهُّجُ أَحشايَ عَلى نَفَرٍ
كانوا عَوادِيَ لِلأَيّامِ فَاِرتَجِعوا

22. And we are all planted for the dark fates,
We play and we only crave ruin,

٢٢. نُليحُ أَن تَرتَعي الأَقدارُ أَنفُسَنا
وَكُلُّنا لِلمَنايا السودِ مُزدَرَعُ

23. And time masticates us and the earth swallows us,
Braids from the essence of glory, they never agonized

٢٣. نَلهو وَمانَحنُ إِلّا لِلرَدىأُكَلٌ
وَالدَهرُ يَمضَغُنا وَالأَرضُ تَبتَلِعُ

24. Over the like of their souls, not a day, nor agonized,
They were the guardians of the mountains of glory, so they vanished,

٢٤. ذَوائِبٌ مِن لُبابِ المَجدِ ما فَجِعوا
بِمِثلِ أَنفُسِهِم يَوماً وَلا فُجِعوا

25. And they cracked the peaks of the highest when they cracked,
Cavalrymen who undermined their predecessors,

٢٥. كانوا حَوامي جِبالِ العِزِّ فَاِنقَرَضوا
وَصَدَّعوا قُلَلَ العَليا مُذِ اِنصَدَعوا

26. So they were brought down by the stabs of fate and uprooted,
A people whose amusement was striking gleaming swords,

٢٦. فَوارِسٌ قَوَّضوا عَن سابِقاتِهِمُ
فَاِستُنزِلوا بِطِعانِ الدَهرِ وَاِقتُلِعوا

27. And under the armpits they had the tips of spears,
Whether a catastrophe came upon them from the days,

٢٧. قَومٌ فُكاهَتُهُم ضَربُ الطُلى وَلَهُم
تَحتَ العَجاجِ بِأَطرافِ القَنا وَلَعُ

28. They withstood it and bore the burden and took it on,
Hardship descending on them does not subdue them,

٢٨. إِمّا تَؤودُ مِنَ الأَيّامِ نائِبَةٌ
قاموا بِها وَأَطاقوا الحَملَ وَاِضطَلَعوا

29. Nor do greed and tranquility lead them,
How many disgraces in which glory had a shelter,

٢٩. لا تَستَلينُهُمُ الضَرّاءُ نازِلَةً
وَلا تَقودُهُمُ الأَطماعُ وَالنُجَعُ

30. And times of hunger in which shame and destitution dwelled,
From every conqueror looking down on a fiery horse,

٣٠. كَم خَمصَةٍ كانَ فيها العِزِّ آوِنَةً
وَشَبعَةٍ كانَ فيها العارُ وَالضَرَعُ

31. For him there is a banner above the noble that is followed,
The crown is hidden by the brilliance of his youthfulness

٣١. مِن كُلِّ أَغلَبَ نَظّارٍ عَلى شَوَسٍ
لَهُ لِواءٌ عَلى العَلياءِ مُتَّبَعُ

32. Upon a forehead shining with the light of glory,
One with determination that inspires the world and its inhabitants,

٣٢. يَخفى بِهِ التاجُ مِن لَأَلاءِ غُرَّتِهِ
عَلى جَبينٍ بِضَوءِ المَجدِ يَلتَمِعُ

33. And ambition encompassing the world and what it encompasses,
He meets censure unveiled, his warriors appear

٣٣. ذو عَزمَةٍ تُلهِمُ الدُنيا وَساكِنَها
وَهِمَّةٍ تَسَعُ الدُنيا وَما تَسَعُ

34. And terrorizes blame one day while armored,
Indeed calamities make one forgetful when they come,

٣٤. يَلقى الظُبى حاسِراً تَبدو مَقاتِلُهُ
وَيَرهَبُ الذَمَّ يَوماً وَهوَ مَدَّرِعُ

35. He takes the path to what comforts and what troubles,
Until when their covers are removed from him,

٣٥. إِنَّ المَصائِبَ تُنسي المَرءَ مُقبَلَةً
قَصدَ الطَريقِ لِما يُسلي وَما يَزَعُ

36. Man discerns what comes and what leaves,
The breeze anchored in your valley and did not leave

٣٦. حَتّى إِذا اِنكَشَفَت عَنهُ غَياطِلُها
تَبَيَّنَ المَرءُ ما يَأتي وَما يَدَعُ

37. The burdens of sorrow pregnant in your intestines,
And the seedling of plants continues to suckle

٣٧. أَرسى النَسيمُ بِواديكُم وَلابَرِحَت
حَوامِلُ المُزنِ في أَجداثِكُم تَضَعُ

38. Upon your graves the dewy whimper
Do you know that with your distance the conscience longs for you

٣٨. وَلا يَزالُ جَنينُ النَبتِ تُرضِعُهُ
عَلى قُبورِكُمُ العِرّاصَةُ الهَمِعُ

39. And clings, and from our livers for fate there are flames
Of anguish, and what is pushed back from our depths,

٣٩. هَل تَعلَمونَ عَلى نَأيِ الدِيارِ بِكُم
أَنَّ الضَميرَ إِلَيكُم شَيِّقٌ وَلِعُ

40. Torments my tears have pronounced that my entrails and ribs
Almost stammer with, I shed my tears until I did not leave

٤٠. لَكُم عَلى الدَهرِ مِن أَكبادِنا شُعَلٌ
مِنَ الغَليلِ وَمَن آماقِنا دُفَعُ

41. An abundance that flows down to a cheek when it falls,
Then I was compelled to my patience, so I sought refuge in it,

٤١. لَواعِجٌ أَفصَحَت عَنها الدُموعُ وَقَد
كادَت تُجَمجِمُها الأَحشاءُ وَالضِلَعُ

42. And patience expressed when grief stammered,

٤٢. أَنزَفتُ دَمعِيَ حَتّى ما تَرَكتُ لَهُ
غَرباً يَفيضُ عَلى رُزءٍ إِذا يَقَعُ

٤٣. ثُمَّ اِضطُرِرتُ إِلى صَبري فَعُذتُ بِهِ
وَأَعرَبَ الصَبرُ لَمّا أَعجَمَ الجَزَعُ