أيُترَكُ سرٌّ بعدَ سرِّي لكاتِم

لقد جُرتَ يا فَيضَ الدُّمُوع السَّواجمِ

Shall a secret be left after my secret to a confidant

You have been unfair, O torrent of pouring tears

خُذِ النَّاسَ جَمعاً بالبُكاءِ لنَستَوي

وإلا فَلِم أفرَدتَني باللَّوائِمِ

Take all people together with weeping so we become equal

Otherwise why have you singled me out for blame?

عَلى أنَّ حَبسَ الدَّمع في عَينِ مُدنفٍ

حَزينٍ كَمِثلِ الغَيظِ في صَدرِ كاظِمِ

Indeed, holding back tears in the eye of a grieving,

melancholic person is like suppressing rage in the breast of one who holds it in

أَقولُ لركبٍ اقفِلُوا إن سَلِمتُموا

فقُولوا تَركناهُ وليسَ بسالِمِ

I say to a caravan, turn back if you are safe

And say: we left him, though he is not safe

إذا نحنُ داوَيناهُ زادَ انتِقاضُهُ

عَلينا كأنَّ الحبَّ بَعضُ السَّمائِمِ

When we tried curing him, his relapse upon us increased

As if love were some of the poisons

ألا ليتَ مُلاكَ الهَوى يَزجرُونَهُ

كما أمرُوهُ بانتِهاكِ المَحارِمِ

Oh, if only the masters of passion would restrain him

As they commanded him to violate taboos

فما غَرَّني إلا فُتُورُ لَواحِظٍ

لَها فتكات كالقَنا والصَّوارِمِ

Nothing tempted me except the indifference of glances

That have lethal blows like spears and swords

يَحُولونَ دُونَ الصَّبر والحربُ خدعَةٌ

ولا سِيمَا حَربُ الحِسانِ النَّواعِمِ

They hinder patience, and war is deception

Especially the war of beautiful gazelles

لَئِن رَكضَت خَيلُ الخُطوبِ تُريدُني

فأيدي العَطايا قابِضاتُ الشَّكائِمِ

If the steeds of misfortunes race toward me

Then the hands of gifts will be grabbing the bridles

ليَحبِسنَها عَنِّي وذلكَ أنَّني

قَصَصتُ ظُلاماتي عَلى ابنِ المَظالِمي

To withhold them from me, for I

Have recounted my darknesses to the son of injustices

أبا الحَسَنِ السَّاعي بجِدٍّ وعَزمَةٍ

إلى حَسَنٍ من ذكرِهِ في المَواسِمِ

O Abu Al-Hasan, striving with all earnestness and resolve

Toward benevolence, from the mention of which is joy in seasons

يروحُ إلى كَسبِ الثَّناءِ وَيغتَدي

إذا كانَ هَمُّ النَّاسِ كَسبَ الدَّراهِمِ

He is quick to earn praise and is aggressive

When people's concern is earning money

وإن جلسَ الأقوامُ عَن واجِبِ النَّدى

وحقِّ العَطايا كانَ أوَّلَ قائِمِ

And if people neglect the duty of munificence

And the right of gifts, he is the first to stand

فَتىً ظَهرَت مِن قبلِ رُؤيةِ وَجههِ

لِقاصِدِه العافي وجُوهُ المكَارِمِ

A young man whose good health and noble countenance

Appeared, for the one seeking him, the faces of generous deeds

يَزيدُ ابتِهاجاً كلَّما زادَ قاصِداً

كأنَّ بهِ شَوقاً إلى كلِّ قادِمِ

He increases in joy whenever one comes seeking

As if he has a longing for every newcomer

كأنَّ الذي يَلقاهُ مِنه عُفاتُهُ

لإفراطِه في جُودِه حُلمُ حالِمِ

As if his chastity which meets the one seeking him

Is, from his exceeding generosity, a dreamer's patience

كأنَّ العُلى مِيراثُه فَمُحمَّدٌ

أخوهُ عَليها كالشَّرِيكِ المُقاسِمِ

As if nobility is his inheritance, so Muhammad

Is his brother in it, like a partner dividing shares

إذا ما بَنَى مَجداً بناهُ مُتابعاً

ويا رُبَّ بانٍ باتَ يُبلَى بهادِمِ

When he builds glory, he builds it pursuing

While many a builder wears away with a demolisher

رأيتُ العُلى بابنَي عليٍّ تعلَّقَت

بِذا وبِهَذا كالغَريمِ المُلازِمِ

I saw glory clinging to the two sons of Ali

To this one and that, like a creditor insisting

يُزاحِمُ ذا هذا عَلى كلِّ قاصِدٍ

ليَحظَى به فِعلَ النَّظِير المُقاوِمِ

This one rivals that in seeking every desirer

To have the equal of its peer's defiance

وقَد نَزلَ النَّاسُ المَعالي فَمن سَعَى

لَها سَعيَها أمسَىقليلَ المزاحِمِ

And the people have abandoned high ambitions, so whoever strives

For them has the fewest rivals in his striving