قلتُ للخَفضِ والخُمولِ استَقيما

لا علَت هِمَّةٌ تَجرُّ هُموما

I said to sadness and despair: be upright

No ambition draws worries

أيُّها القاعِدونَ عَنها اقعِدوني

مَعكُم قَد سَئِمتُ مِن أَن أَقوما

O you who sit back from it, make me sit

With you, for I am tired of standing

يَسمَعُ الناسُ لي حَديثاً حَميداً

أفَلا يُبصِرونَ عَيشاً ذَميما

People hear good talk from me

Do they not see a miserable living?

وأَرى حالَتي تُصحِّفُ ما تَك

تُبُه هِمَّتي نُحوماً نُجوما

And I see my state distorting what it writes

My ambition turns nights into stars

ثمَّ قالوا بَنَى لَه الشِّعرُ مَجداً

وأَطافَ الوَرى بِه تَعظيما

Then they said poetry built glory for him

And esteem circulated him in the land

ولَو اسطَعتُ كلَّما قُلتُ بَيتاً

مادِحاً قُلتُ وليكُن مكتُوما

And if I shone whenever I said a verse

Praising, I said - and let it be concealed

حِشمَة مِن جَميعِ ما سارَ عنِّي

غيرَ ما كانَ في ابنِ إبراهيما

A shyness from all that went from me

Other than what was in the son of Ibrahim

ما عَفت عِندَه ربوعُ المَعالي

فَيُبينُ الثناءُ مِنها رُسوما

Its glories did not disappear from him

So praise appears from them as landmarks

ذو غَناءٍ عَنِ الثَّناءِ فإِن جا

دَ عَلى المادِحينَ جادَ كَريما

One with singing voice above praise, so if he

Gave to praisers, he gave generously

أيُّها المُدَّعي مكانَ أَبي عَم

رٍو لَقَد عَزَّ ما تَرومُ مَروما

O you who claim the place of Abu Amr

Indeed, what you seek is difficult to attain

ذاكَ يَلقَى جَور اللَّيالي خُصوصاً

ويُلاقي إنصافَهنَّ عُموما

That one meets the injustice of nights, specifically

And meets their justice generally

وإِذا ما لَقيتَه فتَعَلَّم

ربَّما تُؤخَذُ العُلى تَعليما

And if you meet him, then learn

Perhaps the heights are taken through teaching

وإِذا صُرِّفَت بَنانُ بَنانٍ

في يَراعٍ فالصَّبر والتَّسليما

And if the fingers of fingers are turned

In a pasture, then patience and resignation

فَهيَ لا تَبعَثُ الكلامَ عَلى مِث

لِكَ مِن حاسِدِيه إِلا كُلوما

So it does not provoke talk the like of

From his enviers except silent

شِيَمٌ مِن أَبيكَ فيكَ أَبا عَم

رٍو وقَد يلحقُ الحَديث القَديما

A manners from your father in you, father of Amr

And sometimes old talk accompanies the new

أنا في السائِرينَ عنكَ وودِّي

في المُقيمينَ لا يَزالُ مُقيما

I am among those who went from you and my love

In those who stayed does not cease to stay