لا ماء عندي لَها ولا عُشُبَا

انْ لم تَدعْ كل مَارِنٍ ذَنَبَا

I have no water for her, nor grass

Unless you forgive every white-flagged sinner

دَأبُ المَهارى ودأبُنا أَبداً

أَو يَتَقَطَّعْنَ خلفها عُصَبَا

The way of the skilled and our way forever

Is to have our ties severed behind her

اِنَّ عَدِيّاً عَدوا عليكَ وسا

موكَ قَبولَ الهَوانِ فالهَربَا

Indeed, an enemy has trespassed against you and tempted

Your acceptance of disgrace, so flee

غَرُّوكَ فاستَبدِ لي بهم بَدَلاً

يَعرِفُ عِرنينُ وجهِهِ الغصَبَا

They fooled you, so take vengeance on them for me

The cheek of his oppression recognizes severity

خُطَّةُ ضيمٍ قد سُدَّ مطلعُها

اذا أتاها غيرُ الجموحِ كبَا

A plan of injustice has been blocked at its beginning

When anything but impetuousness attains it

يا نَفرةً خالطتكَ لا يَملِكُ ال

جاذبُ طُغيانَها اذا جَذَبَا

O you who were mixed with those who cannot restrain

Their tyranny when they pull

عجبتُ لما عَصيتِ أَمرهُمُ

كيفَ أَطَعْتِ الزمامِ والقَتَبَا

I am amazed that you disobeyed their command

How did you obey the bridle and the foam?

أَيَّ فتىً تحملينَ لا يعلمُ النْ

اسُ ولا تعلمينَ ما طلبَا

What young man do you carry who does not know the people

Nor do you know what he sought?

قاسٍ على نبوةِ الخُطوبِ فما

يَرحَمُ الا من خَافَ أو رَغِبَا

Harsh concerning the occurrence of misfortunes, so he has no mercy

Except for one who feared or was tempted

مِنْ أَبصرِ الناسِ بالمطامعِ لو

كانَ الى الرزقِ يَبتغي سَببَا

Of the most clear-sighted of people for gain, if only

He were to seek the means of sustenance

هل هي الا العروضُ زَاهية

تَفنى وتُبقي الأعراضَ والحَسبَا

Is it not but great appearances

That perish and leave behind lineage and merit?

ما لي اذا ما تركتُ منزلةً

غردَ فيها الحَمَامُ أَو طَربَا

What is it to me if I left a place of dwelling

Where doves cooed or was delighted?

وما على شَجوهِ وحُرقتهِ

عاتبتُ يوماً فقلتُ قد عَتَبَا

And for his burning passion and his agony

I have never blamed him and said he blamed

أَستغفرُ اللهَ لا أَلومُ فَتَىً

عَذَّبَ في الحبِ قلبَه وَصَبَا

I ask God's forgiveness. I do not blame a young man

Who tortured his heart in love and poured

انْ عَذُبَتْ عندَهُ مَرارتُهُ

فانما يُستَلَذُّ ما عَذُبَا

If its bitterness was sweet to him

Then only the most bitter is relished

ليتَ الذي لا يزالُ يُنكِرُني

يَسأَلُ عني من لانَ أَو صَعُبَا

I wish he who still denies me

Would ask after me - is it easy or difficult?

من غيرِ ضَعفٍ وغيرِ مَنْقصَة

أُعطي ولا آخذُ الذي وَجَبَا

Without any weakness or shortcoming

I give and do not take what is obligatory

وما ثَنائي الاَّ لمحتجبٍ

يرفع بَيني وبينَه الحُجبَا

My praise is only for an absent one

Elevations rise between him and I

فالدهرُ من غيرِ أَنْ أُغاضبه

يَزْعُمُ أَني مَلأتُهُ غَضَبَا

So time, without my provoking it

Claims that I filled it with anger

لا يَتعاطى سَعى العَلاءِ أَبي

سعدٍ نجيبٌ الاَّ كَبا وَنَبَا

None undertakes the effort of superiority, my father

Saʿd, except the debased and outcast

يا راحةً في الرهانِ يُحرِزُهَا

عفواً اذا الربوُ أَحرزَ التَّعبَا

O ease in the pledge, which

Is freely gained when hardship gains fatigue

يَلُذُّ فيها الحسودُ زفرتَه

كما يلذ المُمَاعِكُ الجَرَبَا

In it, the envious gulp their sighs

As scabies enjoys scratching

جَزلُ العَطَايا لولا بَدائِعه

في الجودِ كنا لا نعرِفُ العَجَبا

The abundance of gifts - were it not for their novelties in

Generosity - we would not recognize wonder

نلقُطُ حبَّ الجُمانِ من فيهِ انْ

قالَ ومِنْ راحتيهِ انْ كَتَبَا

We pick the love of beautiful women if

One says - and by my life if he wrote

لحظٌ كوقعِ السهامِ يستعملُ الرْ

رُعْبَ ولفظٌ يستوعبُ الخُطَبَا

A glance like the fall of arrows, using

Fright, and a saying encompassing speeches

لا يَستَعيرُ السُّرورُ بَهْجَتَهُ

ولا تَراهُ للرزءِ مكتَئِبَا

Joy does not borrow its splendor

Nor is it seen bowed in grief

مختلطٌ بالصِّحَابِ ممتزجٌ

اذا تحاميتَ جِدَّهُ لَعِبَا

Mixed with companions, blended

When its seriousness competes, it plays

لا يمنعُ البِشرُ من مهابتِهِ

كالسيفِ يُخفي فِرِنْدُهُ العَطَبا

Pleasantness does not prevent awe of it

Like a sword hiding its blade’s edge

عَرّضْ لنا مازِحاً بمبسَمِهِ

انَّ لنا في ابتسامهِ أَربَا

Exposing to us a joke in his smile

Since for us in his smile is profit

كالغَيْثِ لا يصدُقُ المخيلَةَ أَو

يَختلِبُ البرقُ ماءَهُ خَلَبَا

Like rain whose advent is not believed by the imagination

Or lightning steals its water by trickery

أَبلغ اذا جئتَ فارساً وبني ال

أَصفرِ عنّي وأَبلِغِ العَرَبَا

Inform, if you come to a horseman and the sons of

Yellow, from me and inform the Arabs

من قَرُبَتْ دَارُهُ ورؤيتُهُ

وَمَنْ نأَى في البلادِ واغتربَا

Whoever's abode was near his and saw him

And whoever was far in the towns and an expatriate

أَنّي تَخيَّرتُ للاباءِ فَتىً

تَخَيَّرَ المكرُمَاتِ والرُّتَبَا

That I have chosen for the fathers a young man

Who chose the most honorable ranks

كالليثِ لا يقصف الوعيدَ لمن

عادى وانْ هم بالرَّدى وثبا

Like a lion who does not diminish threats to one who

Opposed him, even if resolved to harm and attacked

للهِ مَولى طَلَبتُ نائِلَهُ

فَراحَ يهتزُّ للندَى طَرَبَا

I asked my Master, hoping for His gift, so

He began swaying from the dew, delighted

لا تاركٌ حَظَّ يومِهِ لِغَدٍ

ولا على العيشِ يأمنُ النوبَا

Not leaving a share of his day for tomorrow

And not feeling safe from calamity

يَعلم أَنَّ الفَتى يكون لَهُ

ما نالَ من مالهِ وما وهبَا

He knows that a man will have

What he attained of his money and what He granted

لا تَغبِطَنْ جَامِعاً لِثَروتِهِ

ولا لَئِيْماً بعِرضِهِ كَسَبَا

Do not envy a gatherer of wealth

Nor a miserable man who earned dishonor

يَعَافُ كأسَ الردى ويشربها

لو أنه عائفٌ لما شَرِبَا

He avoids the cup of misery and drinks it

If he were weak, he would not have drunk

وفَى لعَمري وحاطَ ذمتَه

ماضٍ اذا سَلَّ سيفَه ضَرَبَا

He kept his word, by my life, and protected

His guarantee, a goer when his sword struck

نالَ بأدنى فِعَالِهِ قُحَم ال

مجدِ فما سعيهُ لمنْ دَأَبَا

With the slightest of his actions, he attained the thickness of

Glory, so his efforts were not for one who strove

متى أَراهُ يقودُ أَرعنَ كال

طود برَيْطِ العَجَاجِ منتقبَا

Whenever I see him leading a white-blazed stallion like

A towering mountain of sturdy frame and covered face

تَخَالُ من فضَّةٍ أَسنَّتَهُ

يوماً ويوماً تَخَالُها ذَهَبَا

As if his teeth were silver

One day and silver another day

مُلتهباتُ الوميضِ قد خَلَعَتْ

على العَوالي من مائِها عَذَبَا

The sparks of the flash put upon the highlands

From his clear water a drink

انّي لعتب الخَليلِ مُحْتَملُ

أَصدُقُ في حُبِّهِ وانْ كَذَبَا

I endure the blame of a friend

Truest in his love, even if he lied

لا أَحقِر النَّظرةَ السَّليمةَ في ال

وُدِّ ولا استقلُّها عجبَا

I do not scorn an unblemished look in

Affection, nor consider it pride

ولا أَرى طالباً لزلَّتهِ

خُلِقْتُ أقلي السؤالَ والطَّلبَا

I was not created to accuse

Or ask little about a slip

أَحسُدُ قوماً عليكَ قد غلَبوا

وكلُّ مَنْ بَادَرَ المدى غلبَا

I envy a people who surpassed you

And all who raced ahead won

دنوا ولم ندنُ منكَ فاعتَقَدُوا

أمُاً رَؤُوماً عليهم وأَبَا

They drew near while we did not draw near you, so they believed

A caring and loving father to them

وكنتَ كالكَرْمِ من تكَرُّمِهِ

تَلْتَفُّ أوراقُهُ بما قَرُبَا

While you were like a vine whose leaves wrap

Around what drew nearer to it