إِلى اللَه أَشكو ما لَقيتُ مِنَ الدُجى

وَمن سوءِ حَظّي في الظَلام إِذا سَجا

I complain to God of what I have suffered from gloom

And from my ill luck in the darkness when it envelops

يَمُدُّ رواقاً وَالنُجوم كَأَنَّها

مَساميرُ في سقفٍ له قَد تَبَهرجا

Stretching a porch, while the stars are as though

Nails in a roof for it that have come unstuck

يَطول كَهمّي حينَ صاحبتُ رفقةً

لَقَد سلَكوا في مسلك اللَومِ منهجا

My anxiety grows long when I have kept company

With a group who indeed have taken the path of blame as a course

وَأَضرمَ ناراً في الحَشا خُلفُ وَعدِهم

فَمِن ذي وَذا لَم أَلقَ أَوهى وَأَوهَجا

And kindled a fire in the thickets, unlike their promise,

So from this or that I have not met one weaker or more feverish

فَما أَزهرَت مِن فَضلهم رَوضَةُ المنى

وَقَد هُدَّ مِن أَفضالِهِم حائِطُ الرَجا

No garden of wishes has blossomed from their virtue

And the wall of hope has been demolished by their virtues

فَيا طَرفُ لا تَدمَع وَأَقصر من الأَسى

وَيا قلبُ لا تَحزَن فَتَفتَقِد الحِجى

So, eye, do not weep, and be shorter in sorrow

And heart, do not grieve, so you lack prudence,

وَيا صاحبي لَم أَلقَ إِلّا بَهائِماً

فَلا تلحَني إِن رحتُ أَنحرُهُم هِجا

And my friend, I have met only brutes,

So do not blame me if I go slaughtering them angrily

وَلا تنهَ نظمي في اِنتهاجِ هِجائهم

فَما زالَ قَولُ الحقّ أَنهى وَأَنهَجا

Nor restrain my verse from pursuing their angry abuse

For the word of truth has always been most upright and direct

وَأَلجِم لِساناً قَد سَرى مدحه لَهم

وَإِن كانَ ذاكَ المَدحُ أَسرى وَأَسرَجا

And curb a tongue that has flowed in praising them

Even if that praise has always been most flowing and streaming

وَلا تَرجُ يَوماً بابَهُم عند فتحهِ

وَإِن كانَ ذاكَ البابُ ما زالَ مرتجا

And never hope for their door to open when it opens

Even if that door has never ceased creaking

وَلا يَتباهوا باِبتِهاج غناهُمُ

فَإِنّي رأيت الحَقَّ أَبهى وَأَبهَجا

And let them not boast in the joy of their singing

For I have seen truth more wonderful and joyous

وَلا عيب فيهم غيرَ إِفراط شحّهم

فَلَيسوا يُهنّون المَكارِمَ مِحوجا

No shortcoming in them but their excessive stinginess

For they do not stint the generous deeds at all

وَمِمّا شَجاني أَنَّني صِرتُ بينهم

مُقيماً وَلا أَلقى مِنَ الضيق مَخرجا

And of what has pained me is that I have come to be among them

Remaining while I meet no relief from the constriction

سأَجمَع في ذمّ الزَمان وَذمّهم

كَجمع أَبي جادِ الحروفَ من الهجا

I will gather in censuring the time and censuring them

As my father Abu Jad gathered up the letters for his ink

وَحقّيَ لَو أَنّ الزَمان مُساعِدٌ

بِأَنّي عنهم أَلتَقي سبلَ النَجا

And I have a right that, if time were favorable

I would avoid them, finding the paths of deliverance,

وَأَسري وَلَكِنَّ الظَلامَ مطيّتي

وَأَركَبُ لَكِن من ثُرَيّاه هودجا

And travel, but my steed is the darkness,

Which I mount, but made of its thickets a litter

فَلَستُ عَلى هَمّي بِعادم هِمّةٍ

فَيا رَبّ حقّق لي برحمتك الرجا

I am not lacking in resolve or purpose,

So, O Lord, fulfill for me the hope in Your mercy,

وصلِّ عَلى خير الوَرى ما شَكا اِمرؤٌ

صَديقاً بِنار البخل في البين أَو هجا

And bless the best of creation, whatever mortal may complain

Of a loyal friend with the fire of meanness in enmity or heat