Sol 6.1

  1. سَأَطلُبُ لا بِأَلسِنَةِ اليَراعِ

    سِوى ذا الحَظِّ مِن أَيدي الزِماعِ

    I shall seek—not with the tongues of reed pens—

    A fortune other than this, from the hands of resolve.

  2. وَأَخبطُ بِالسُرى ورقَ الدَياجي

    وَوَجه المَوتِ مَحدور القناعِ

    And beat down the leaves of dark nights with night travel,

    While death's face has its veil cast down.

  3. وَأَمرُقُ مِن أَساريرِ المَواضي

    كَما مَرَقَ الهِلالُ مِنَ الشُعاعِ

    And dart out from the streaks of keen swords,

    As the crescent darted out from the rays.

  4. فَسَلني عَن مُلوكِ الأَرضِ تَسأَل

    خَبيراً فَاِقضِ حَقَّ الإستِماعِ

    So ask me about the kings of the earth: you will ask

    One who knows; so give listening its due.

  5. عَرَضتُ عَلَيهِمُ نَفَسي وَنَفسي

    لِأوضِحَ غبنَهُم عِندَ البياعِ

    I offered them my breath and myself,

    To make plain their loss in the sale.

  6. فَما اِتَّبَعوا دَليلاً في اِجتِنابي

    وَلا سَلَكوا سَبيلاً في اِصطِناعي

    Yet they followed no guide in shunning me,

    Nor followed a path in taking me under their patronage.

  7. كَأَعضاءٍ بِها أَلَمٌ فَقَلبٌ

    عَلى ضَمَدٍ وَرَأسٌ في صُداعِ

    Like body parts afflicted with pain: a heart

    Harboring rancor, and a head racked with headache;

  8. وَمِن عَصَبٍ إِذا سُئِلت حِراكاً

    شَكَت بِسُكونِها نُحلَ النُخاعِ

    And among them are sinews that, when asked to move,

    Complain through their stillness of wasting in the spinal marrow;

  9. وَيُمنى لا تَجودُ عَلى شمالٍ

    وَلا تُصفي المَوَدَّةَ لِلذِراعِ

    And a right hand ungenerous to the left,

    Nor offering sincere affection to the arm;

  10. وَعَينٌ لا تُغمِّضُ عَن قَبيح

    وَأَذنٌ لا تَأَلَّمُ مِن قَذاعِ

    And an eye that never closes against ugliness,

    And an ear that feels no pain from foul abuse.

  11. فَما أَبقَوا وَلا هَمّوا بِبُقيا

    وَنَقلُ الطَبعِ لَيسَ بِمُستَطاعِ

    So they spared nothing, nor even thought of mercy;

    And changing one's nature is impossible.

  12. فَلَو سقت السَماء الشَريَ أَرياً

    لَما اِحلَولَت مَراعيهِ لِراعِ

    For even if the sky watered colocynth with honey,

    Its pastures would not grow sweet for a shepherd.

  13. بِدَهرٍ ضاعَتِ الأَحسابُ فيهِ

    ضَياعَ الرَأيِ في السِرِّ المُذاعِ

    In an age when ancestral honors have been lost,

    As judgment is lost in a secret made public.

  14. فَبِعتهم بَتاتاً لا بِثُنيا

    وَلا شَرطٍ وَلا دَركِ اِرتِجاعِ

    So I sold them outright, with no reservation,

    Nor condition, nor recourse for taking them back.

  15. وَلَم أَجعَل قرابي غَيرَ بَيتي

    فَحَسبي ما تَقَدَّمَ مِن قراعِ

    And I made my home my only scabbard;

    So the combat that has gone before is enough for me.