Sol 6.1

  1. ذَهَب الرَّئِيسُ فَنِيط عِبْءُ مَقَامِه

    بِالأَنْزَهِ الأَوْفَى مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ

    The president has gone; the burden of his office was laid

    Upon the most upright, most faithful of the supporters.

  2. أَفَرِيدُ هَذَا الشَّأوُ قَدْ أَدْرَكْتَهُ

    وَسَبَقتَ مَنْ جَارَاكَ فِي الْمِضمَارِ

    O Farid, you have attained this goal

    And outstripped those who raced you on the course.

  3. فَتقاضَ أَضْعَافَ الَّذِي قَدَّمْتَهُ

    وَاسْتَسْقِ صَوْتَ العَارِضِ المِدْرَارِ

    So demand many times what you have given,

    And seek rain from the voice of the downpouring cloud.

  4. إِنْ تَلْتَمِسْ جَاهاً أَصِبْ مَا تَشْتَهِي

    مِنْ مَنْصِبٍ وَاذْخَرْ كُنُوزَ نُضارِ

    If you seek prestige, attain what you desire

    Of office, and hoard treasures of pure gold.

  5. وَالشَّرْقُ يَقْبَلُ قَدْ علِمْتَ مِنَ الأُولَى

    يَتَمَحَّلونَ غَرَائِبَ الأَعْذَارِ

    And the East accepts, as you know, from those

    Who devise them, the strangest of excuses.

  6. أَلْشَّعبُ شِبْهُ الْبَحْرِ لاَ تَأَمَنْ لَهُ

    مَا أَمْنُ مُقْتَعِدٍ مُتُونَ بِحَارِ

    The people are like the sea: put no trust in them.

    What safety has one riding the backs of seas?

  7. فَغَداً وَيَا حَذَراً لِمِثْلِكَ مِنْ غَدٍ

    قَدْ تَسْتَفِيقُ وَلاَتَ حِينَ حِذَارِ

    So tomorrow—oh, how one like you should fear tomorrow!—

    You may awaken when it is too late for caution.

  8. يَسْلُو الأُولَى عَبَدُوكَ أَمْسِ وَرُبَماَ

    كُوفِئْتَ مِنْ عُرْفٍ بِالاسْتِنْكَارِ

    Those who worshipped you yesterday grow indifferent, and perhaps

    You will be repaid for kindness with repudiation.

  9. فَتَبِيتُ صِفْرَ يَدٍ وَكُنْتَ مَلِيَّها

    وَتَذُوقُ كُلَّ مَرَارَةِ الإِقْتَارِ

    So you spend the night empty-handed, though your hand was once full,

    And taste all the bitterness of poverty.

  10. لَكِنْ أَبَيْتَ العِرْضَ إِلاَّ سَالِماً

    وإِنْ ابْتُلِيتَ بِشِقْوَةٍ وَضِرارِ

    Yet you insisted that your honor remain unscathed,

    Even if afflicted with misery and harm.

  11. لَمْ تَعْتَقِدْ إِلاَّ الْوَلاءَ وَقَدْ أَبَى

    لَكَ أَنْ تُلَبِّي دَاعِيَ الإِخْفارِ

    You embraced nothing but loyalty, and it forbade

    You to answer the summons to break faith.

  12. وَسَمَوْتَ عَنْ أَنْ يَسْتَمِيلَكَ خَادِعٌ

    بِالْمَنْصِبِ المُزْجَى أَوْ الدِّينارِ

    And you rose above being enticed by a deceiver

    With a proffered office or a dinar.

  13. فَظَلِلْتَ مَبْدَؤُكَ الْقَوِيمَ كَعَهْدِهِ

    عِندَ الْوَفاءِ وَفَوْقَ الاسْتِئْثَارِ

    So you remained, your upright principle unchanged,

    Firm in loyalty and above self-seeking.

  14. تَزْدَادُ صِدْقَ عَزِيمَةٍ بِمِرَاسِهِ

    وَرُسُوخَ إِيمَانٍ بِالاسْتِمْرَارِ

    You gain firmness of resolve through practicing it,

    And steadfastness of faith through perseverance.

  15. تَصِلُ العَشَايَا بِالْغَدَايَا جَاهِداً

    وَمُجَاهِداً فِيهَا بِلاَ اسْتِقرَارِ

    You join evenings to mornings, laboring,

    And striving through them without rest.

  16. حَتَّى إِذَا أَيْقنْتَ أَنَّ الْقَوْلَ لاَ

    يَعْلُو وَدُونَ الْحَقِّ طَوْقُ حِصَارِ

    Until, when you were certain that speech could not

    Rise while truth was hemmed in by a ring of siege,

  17. رُمْتَ الشُّخوصَ إِلى شُعُوبٍ طَلْقَةٍ

    تَرْثِي لِشَعْبٍ فِي أَسَى وَإِسَارِ

    You sought to journey to free peoples

    Who pity a people in sorrow and captivity.

  18. إِنَّ الْحُكُومَةَ قَدْ تُدَارِي مِثْلَهَا

    وَالشَّعبُ قَدْ يَأْبَى فلَيْسَ يُدَارِي

    A government may indeed appease another like itself,

    But the people may refuse; they will not appease.

  19. أَزْمَعْتَ تِلكَ الْهِجْرَةَ الأُولَى إِلى

    إِنْجَاحِ قَصْدٍ أَوْ إِلى إِعْذارِ

    You resolved upon that first emigration, seeking

    To achieve a purpose, or to earn vindication.

  20. فِي نُخبَةٍ مَهْمَا يُسَامُوا يَبْذُلُوا

    لِذيَادَ مُجْتَاحٍ وَصَوْنِ ذِمَارِ

    Among a chosen band who give whatever is asked,

    To repel an invader and guard all they hold sacred.

  21. يَبْغُونَ دُسْتُورَاً يُوَطِّيءُ حُكْمُهُ

    سُبُلَ الْجَلاَءِ لأَمْكَثِ الزُّوَّارِ

    They seek a constitution whose rule paves

    The way out for the longest-staying visitors.

  22. الْحُكْمُ شُورَى لاَ تَفَرُّدَ صَالِحٌ

    فِي غَيْرِ حُكْمِ الْوَاحِد القَهَّارِ

    Rule is consultation; sole rule is not fitting

    Except in the rule of the One, the All-Subduing.

  23. وَالظُّلمُ رِقُّ عَشِيرَةٍ لِعَشِيرَةٍ

    بِقَضَاءِ جُنْدٍ عِنْدُهُا وَجَوَارِي

    And oppression is one tribe's bondage to another,

    By decree of the troops and ships at its disposal.

  24. عَصْبُ الْجِوَارِ أَشَدُّ فِي أَيَّامِنَا

    مَمَّا دَعَوْا قِدْماً بِسَبْيِ جَوَارِي

    Binding neighbors is harsher in our days

    Than what they called of old the capture of maidens.

  25. وَالعَدْلُ لَوْ فِي النَّاسِ عَدْلٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ

    يَوْماً حَلِيفَ سِيَاسَةٍ اسْتِعْمَارِ

    And justice—were there justice among people—would not be

    For a single day an ally of colonial policy.

  26. مُوسَى وَعِيسَى بَعْدَهُ وَمُحَمَّدٌ

    فَرُّوا مِنَ الظُّلاَّمِ أَيَّ فِرارِ

    Moses, and Jesus after him, and Muhammad

    Fled from the oppressors—what a flight!

  27. بِالْهِجْرَة اتَّسقَتْ لَهُمْ أَسْبَابُ مَا

    أُوتُوهُ مِنْ نَقْضٍ وَمِنْ إِمْرَارِ

    Through emigration, the means were marshaled for them

    To exercise their granted powers to undo and bind fast.

  28. فِي كُلِّ مَا جَلَّ اجْتِماعاً شَأْنُهُ

    شَفَعَتْ نَوَىً لِدُعَاتهِ الأَطْهَارِ

    In everything of great importance to society,

    Distance has interceded for its pure advocates.

  29. وَمِنَ ابْتِدَاءِ الدَّهْرِ أَعْلَتْ غُرْبَةٌ

    كَلِمَ الثِّقاتِ عَلَى قُوَى الفُجَّارِ

    And since the beginning of time, exile has raised

    The words of the trustworthy above the forces of the wicked.

  30. تِلْكَ العَوَامِلُ يَا فَرِيدُ هِي الَّتِي

    لَبَّيتَ دَعْوَتَهَا عَنِ اسْتِبْصَارِ

    Those forces, O Farid, are the ones

    Whose summons you answered with clear insight.

  31. أَخْفَقْتَ فِي الأُوْلَى فَلَمْ تَكُ قَانِطاً

    وَالنُّجحُ تَدْرِي لاِمْرِئٍ نَظَّارِ

    You failed in the first attempt, but did not despair,

    And success, you know, belongs to a far-seeing man.

  32. وَرَجَعْت تَرْقُبُ نَهْزَةً لَمْ تَتَّسقْ

    قَبْلاً وَلَمْ تَحْفِلْ بِقَوْلِ الزَّارِي

    And you returned, watching for a chance that had not arisen

    Before, and paid no heed to the detractor's words.

  33. مُتَمَادِياً عَزْماً تَمَادَى أَرْوَعٍ

    لاَ وَاهِنٍ يَوْماً وَلاَ خَوَّارِ

    Persisting in resolve as a noble man persists,

    Never weak, nor ever faint-hearted.

  34. مَا إِنْ تُبَالِي سَاهِرَاً مُتَرَصِّدَاً

    يَرْنُو إِلَيْكَ بِمُقْلَةٍ الْغَدَارِ

    You heed no sleepless watcher lying in wait,

    Who gazes at you with a traitor's eye.

  35. يَجْنِي عَلَيْكَ لِغَيْرِ ذَنْبٍ باغِياً

    وَالْبَغْيُ جَنَّاءٌ عَلَى الأَطْهَارِ

    He wrongs you for no fault, acting unjustly,

    And injustice ever wrongs the pure.

  36. مَنْ كَانَ جَارُ السُّوءِ يَوْمَاً جَارَهُ

    عُدَّتْ فَضَائِلُهُ مِنَ الأَوْزَارِ

    Whoever has ever had an evil neighbor

    Has his virtues counted among sins.