صَدَدتِ ولي في النَّاسِ أهلٌ وجِيرانُ
فَصَدَّهمُ عنِّي ملامٌ وعِصيانُ
My people and neighbors turned against me,
Driven away by blame and defiance.
فَما لِعزيزٍ منكِ قد هانَ مِنهُمُ
أما كلُّه لولا الصَّبابةُ هِجرانُ
What can the mighty do when they spurn him?
Is not all, without youthfulness, estrangement?
رَأَوني شَديداً في هَواكِ فَشَدَّدُوا
عَليَّ فلمَّا لَم ألِن لهُمُ لانُوا
Seeing my devotion for you, they hardened
Against me, but when I would not yield, they softened.
ذَرِيني فإنِّي شَرُّ من تَملِكِينَهُ
وكالشرِّ عندي حينَ لم يَك إحسانُ
Leave me be, for I am worse when possessed,
And to me, without kindness, evil is the same.
ألستِ تَريني إذ وَفَوا بنَصِيحَتي
فعلتُ بهم ما كنتُ أفعلُ أو خانُوا
Do you not see me, when they broke their word,
I did to them what I would have done, or they betrayed?
ومَوقِف تَوديعٍ عجبتُ لِنارِه
وقد غُرِسَت فيها مِن البانِ أغصانُ
At a farewell I marveled at its fire,
Though branches of acacia were planted in it.
وقد حَملَت أقمارَ كلِّ دُجُنَّةٍ
ولكن لشَحطِ البَينِ ما حَملَ البانُ
It bore the moons of every starry night,
But for the distance between us, the acacia did not.
فَواحَرَّتا ما بالُ نارِ وَداعِهم
أقامَت مَعي ألا تَبِينَ كما بانُوا
How amazing a fire of farewell it was,
Remaining with me, not revealing itself as they did.
أما كانَتِ الأيَّامُ فيما تَشُبُّها
تَخافُ عَليها أن يَجودَ سُليمانُ
Were not those days, in their similarities,
Afraid that Sulayman in his generosity
فيُخمِدَها من جُودِ كفَّيهِ عارِضٌ
له هَملانٌ لا يَزالُ وتَهتانُ
Would quench them in the palms of his hands,
Whose pavilions persist and wander?
أخو فِتنَةٍ قد صارَ للنَّاسِ فتنةً
بِها وكَذا المَفتونُ بالمَجدِ فَتَّانُ
A brother of strife has become for people strife,
As does the one infatuated with glory, the seducer.
وبينَهما ما لم تُكدِّرهُ فُرقَةٌ
ولم يَعترِض فيه وإن طالَ سِلوانُ
Between them is what no separation has troubled
Nor a diversion interrupted, however long the indifference.
علاقَةُ حُبٍّ فارَقَتها مَسرَّةٌ
وما فارَقَت قَطُّ المحسِّنَ أحزانُ
A loving bond parted from it is happiness,
And no sorrows ever part from one who does good.
إذا كنتَ يوماً قائلاً كان فاعِلاً
يُصدِّقُني والفِعلُ للقَولِ بُرهانُ
If one day you say, “He was a doer,”
Believe me, deeds prove words true.
فليسَ يَقومُ البيتُ ما لم يَقُم لَه
أساسٌ من المَمدُوح باقٍ وأركانُ
No home stands unless a foundation for it
Exists, of the praised one, lasting and pillars.
أبا البِشرِ قِف حيثُ انتهيتَ من النَّدى
فَما جازَ هذا فهوَ جَورٌ وعُدوانُ
O Father of humankind, stop where you ended with dew,
For what goes beyond this is injustice and aggression.
فإن كنتَ تَقفُو الأكرَمينَ وتَقتَدي
بهِم في الذَّي تأتي فما هكَذا كانُوا
If you stand with the noble and follow
Their path in what you do, it was not thus they were.
