1. حُبستَ وأيّام الملوكِ كذاكا

    تكون إِساراً مرّة وفَكاكا

    You have been imprisoned; such are the days of kings:

    sometimes bondage, sometimes release.

  2. ويحجُبُ ظلُّ الأرض غُرَّةَ شمسها

    فتنزلُ خفضاً تارةً وسُكاكا

    Earth's shadow veils the bright face of its sun,

    so it settles now below, now in the heights.

  3. وليس يضرُّ النجمَ مَهوَى غروبِهِ

    إذا عاد في أُفْق السماء سِماكا

    The star is not harmed by the plunge of its setting,

    when it returns as Simak on the sky's horizon.

  4. وما قصَّروا من خطوِ سعيك للعلا

    وإن قصَّروا بالقَيدِ رحبَ خُطاكا

    They have not shortened your striving steps toward greatness,

    though with chains they have shortened your wide stride.

  5. ومن كانت الجوزاء بالأمس نعلَه

    يكون له القيدُ الغداةَ شِراكا

    And one whose sandal yesterday was al-Jawza

    has this morning's fetter for a sandal strap.

  6. ملكتَ زماناً جائراً فقسرتَهُ

    على العدل إذ وُلِّيتَهُ فأباكا

    You ruled an unjust age and forced it

    to justice when you were set over it, but it defied you.

  7. ومن جعجع الأقدارَ عن طُرقِ كيدهِ

    عطفن عليه فاستُثرن وِشَاكا

    And whoever blocks the fates from the paths of his designs,

    they turn against him and are swiftly roused.

  8. حملتَ الذي أعيا الرجال وغيرَهم

    فخافوا على ضعف الرقاب قُواكا

    You bore what had exhausted men and others,

    so they feared your strength for their feeble necks.

  9. ونفَّر ذؤبانَ الغضا ريحُ ضيغم

    تطيح عليه نَوْشةً وعراكا

    A lion's scent put the wolves of the ghada thickets to flight,

    as they rushed upon him to grapple and fight.

  10. فدبّوا فسدّوا غابَهُ وهو خادرٌ

    فضاق عليه نهضةً وحَراكا

    So they crept in and blocked his lair while he lay within,

    and it grew too cramped for him to rise or move.

  11. وقد غرَّه أن يُعمِلَ الحزمَ سابقاً

    على الكيد أن ليس الذئابُ هُناكا

    What deceived him about deploying prudence beforehand

    against guile was the thought that no wolves were there.

  12. مشى حافياً فوق القتادة حاقراً

    لما شامَ منها أخمصَيْه وَشَاكا

    He walked barefoot over the thorn bush, scorning

    the thorns that entered and pricked his soles.

  13. فإن فَصدتْ أظفارَه فلطالما

    أراحَ بها رَدْعُ الدّماء وصاكا

    If it drew blood from his claws, how often

    had bloodstains rested upon them in combat.

  14. ولاحت به للوثبِ نفساً حميَّةً

    تردُّ الرقابَ المصمِيات رِكاكا

    And a proud spirit flared within him, poised to leap,

    that makes death-dealing necks frail.

  15. فقل للعدا لا تمضغوها تحلِّياً

    وإن هي طابت ذوقَةً ومِلاكا

    So tell the foes: do not chew on it for sweetness,

    though it proves sweet to taste and to possess.

  16. ولا تلمسوا بعد التجارب حدَّها

    فإن بني عبد الرحيم أُولاكا

    And after such trials, do not touch its edge,

    for those are the sons of Abd al-Rahim.

  17. هم اليزنيّاتُ التي إن أغبَّكم

    بها ذاعرٌ منِّي فكَرَّ دِراكا

    They are the Yazani blades: if you are visited only at intervals

    by one who alarms you with them on my behalf, he returns in swift succession.

  18. فلا تستقلُّوا مغمَداً من سيوفهم

    وقد حزَّ في أعناقكم فأحاكا

    So do not belittle a sheathed sword among their blades,

    when it has already cut into your necks and left its mark.

  19. ولا تحسبوا استهلاككم خُزنَ مالهم

    يجرُّ على غير النفوس هلاكا

    Nor suppose your squandering their stored wealth

    brings destruction upon anything other than lives.

  20. فإن الجيادَ الطيّباتِ عروقُها

    تكون هِزالاً مرّةً وتِماكا

    For fine horses whose bloodlines are pure

    are sometimes lean and sometimes well-fleshed.

  21. ألا يا بشيرَ الخير قل غيرَ متّقٍ

    متى نلتَ من رؤيا الوزير مناكا

    O herald of good tidings, speak without fear,

    whenever you attain your wish of seeing the minister,

  22. وأمكنك الحرَّاسُ من بَسط قولةٍ

    تبوحُ بها جَهراً وتفتحُ فاكا

    and the guards permit you to utter a word

    that you speak aloud, opening your mouth:

  23. توكَّلْ على مَن غَمَّها في سِفارها

    فكم كنتَ في أمثالها فكفاكا

    Trust in Him who has muzzled it in its halter;

    how often you have faced its like, and He has seen you through.

  24. وإن هذه طمَّتْ على أخواتها

    فوكِّل بها الصبرَ الجميلَ أخاكا

    And if this one has overwhelmed its sisters,

    set your brother, gracious patience, to attend it.

  25. ولا تحسبنَّ الشرّ ضربةَ لازبٍ

    وإن طال في هذا المطالِ مَداكا

    And never think adversity an unalterable decree,

    though your time in this delay stretches long.

  26. فقد يخطىءُ الجَلدُ المصيبُ بغدرةٍ

    وكم وألتْ من عثرةٍ قدَماكا

    For even the steadfast, unerring man may err through treachery,

    and how often your feet have escaped a stumble!

  27. ستخلُص من أدناسها نازعاً لها

    ولم يتعلَّقْ عارُها بِرداكا

    You will emerge from its stains, casting it off,

    with none of its shame clinging to your cloak.

  28. كأنّك بالإقبال قد هبَّ ثائراً

    فناشَك فيها ثم ردَّك ذاكا

    You seem already to see good fortune spring to action,

    reaching you amid it, then restoring you as you were.

  29. وقد زادك التخميرُ عَبْقاً وضَوعةً

    ونشراً كأنَّ الحبسَ كان مُداكا

    Being kept covered has increased your fragrance and perfume,

    and the spread of your scent—as though prison were a grinding stone.

  30. وسُلِّمَ سهمُ الانتقام مفوَّقاً

    إليك لترمي من بغَى فرماكا

    And the arrow of vengeance is handed over, nocked,

    to you, to shoot whoever wronged you and shot at you.

  31. فودَّ إذاً لو شُقَّ عنه إهابُهُ

    وما شَقَّ بالغدرِ المصَرِّ عصاكا

    Then he would wish his hide had been torn from him,

    and that he had not split your staff through stubborn treachery.

  32. فعاذرُ ركنِ الدين في الحفظِ أنه

    جناه عليك ما عليه جناكا

    What excuses Rukn al-Din for keeping you in custody is that

    it is his offense against you, not yours against him.

  33. فما زال معْ إلمامِهِ لك بالأذى

    إذا أُقرِضَ الإنعامَ منك قضاكا

    For despite the harm he has brought you, he has never ceased,

    when lent your kindness, to repay you.

  34. يزيدك علماً بالرجال وفطنةً

    ويكره قوماً بِغضة وفِرَاكا

    He increases your knowledge of men and your discernment,

    and loathes certain people with hatred and aversion.

  35. ويعلم أنْ ما زلتَ في كلّ حالةٍ

    سِناداً له في مُلكهِ ومِلاكا

    And he knows that in every circumstance you have remained

    a support for him in his kingdom and a mainstay.

  36. وتمشي بكم وخْداً وجَمْزاً أمورُهُ

    وتمشي بأقوامٍ سِواك سِواكا

    Through you all, his affairs stride swiftly and bound forward;

    through men other than you, they move unsteadily.

  37. فعَطفاً على المألوفِ من بِرِّ عهدهِ

    وإن هو في هذا المقام جفاكا

    So return to the familiar kindness of his covenant,

    though on this occasion he has treated you harshly.

  38. وسمعاً وإن لم تستمع لعيافتي

    وزجري وإن لم تُصْغِ لي أُذُناكا

    And give ear, even if you have not heeded my bird omens

    and my augury, even if your ears have not listened to me.

  39. وحاشاك أن تخلو من اسمك مدحةٌ

    ويُقفِرَ من وفد الثناءِ ذَراكا

    And far be it from you that a praise-poem should lack your name,

    or your shelter stand empty of praise's visiting delegations.

  40. وأن لا أَرَى في الصدر وجهَك طالعاً

    وعينُ القوافي والرَّجاء تراكا

    Or that I should not see your face rising in the seat of honor,

    while the eye of rhyme and hope beholds you.

  41. وحاشاك من يومٍ جديدٍ وموقفٍ

    أقوم إليه منشداً لسواكا

    And far be it from you that a new day or occasion should come

    when I rise to recite for someone other than you.