سَل مَن أَقامَ مَن استَقلا

أَصُوَيحِباتُكَ هُنَّ أَم لا

Ask whoever settled, whoever became independent,

Are your female companions still there or not?

فَأرى كَأَمثالِ الدُّمى

أَمثالَها يَجفِلنَ جَفلا

I see them like dolls,

Their likes writhing in agony,

تَحتَ الهَوادِجِ كالهَوا

دِجِ أُو يَكدنَ يكُنَّ أَعلى

Under the howdahs like the darkness of night or higher,

While man has become perplexed and confused,

وَالمَرءُ قَد أَضحَى وَبا

تَ وَلَيسَ يَعلَمُ ما أَضَلا

Not knowing what he has lost,

Perplexed, not obeying the passion of love, nor enjoying pleasure,

حَيرانَ لا فيمَن أَطا

عَ هَوىً وَلا فيمَن تَسَلَّى

Until when you rouse him,

And he feels whoever turned away has turned away.

حتَّى إِذا نَبَّهتَه

وأَحَسَّ مَن وَلَّى تَولَّى

So in modesty he lowers his voice,

But when he rises in rank, he greets proudly,

في الخَفضِ يَخفضُ صَوتَه

فَإِذا عَلا شَرَفاً أَهَلا

And I followed him when I saw the female companions

Moving faster than him in departure.

وتَبِعتُه لمَّا رأَيتُ ال

عيسَ أَسرَعَ مِنه نَقلا

So I hurried him to catch up with them,

But he said, “They are lighter in burden.”

فَحثَثتُه لِلحاقِهن

نَ فَقال هنَّ أخَفُّ حَملا

Can mountains be equal to camels in love’s heaviness?

The conscience of a cup whose bitterness I conceal and I conceal my deeds from it!

وَهَلِ الجِبالُ عَلى الجِما

لِ فَتَستَوي بِالحبِّ ثِقلا

So it is as if this circulated in the cycle of fate and urged a pint,

And it distinguished me though injustice may be fear of injustice, justice.

وَضَميرِ كأسٍ بِتُّ أض

مرُهُ وأضمرُ مِنه فِعلا

To the point that I faced hardships for you, but my foot did not stand firm,

A drunkard, secluded in days, discarded in places.

فكَأنَّ ذلكَ دارَ في

خَلَدِ المُديرِ فحثَّ رَطلا

But when serious events come,

I remember our master, the most serious.

وَاختَصَّني وَلَقد يكو

نُ الجَورُ خوفَ الجَورِ عَدلا

So it is as if my remembrance of him

Answers his call as if it were a bounty and favor.

حتَّى لَقَد رُمتُ النُّهو

ضَ لَكُم فَما أَثبَتُّ رِجلا

The remembrance of him prevents catastrophes

From befalling wherever they may befall.

سكران مُعتَزلاً عَلَى ال

أَيامِ مطَّرحاً مَحَلا

And through him I ward them off, and my neglect of him

Makes Syria sick because of his distance and his glory in it.

فَإِذا أَتى الخَطبُ الأَجَل

لُ ذَكرتُ سَيِّدَنا الأَجَلا

And his most beloved came humiliated, fearing humiliation,

So time took for himself a bond and fetter,

فَكَأنَّ ذِكريَ بَذلَهُ

وَنَداهُ كانَ نَدىً وَفَضلا

Lest he violate what he forbids, so he forbade what he made lawful,

And it is he who earned tyranny, then returned and sought peace.

منعَ النَّوائِبَ ذِكرُهُ

مِن أَن تَحُلَّ بِحَيثُ حَلا

Guidance refused to block

The path and refused to lead astray,

وَبِه أدافعُها وتَر

قبُ غَفلَتي عَنه فَكلا

And he was saved since no rancor remained

In a chest like that.

مَرِضَ الشآم لبُعهدِهِ

وَلِكَونِهِ فيهِ أَبلا

Then he regained his praiseworthy qualities,

So he sought favor through what he sought.

وأَتَت أعزَّته مذل

لَلَةً مَخافة أَن تَذِلا

And they are equal in praise

When they are equal in generosity and grace.

ولِذلَكَ اتَّخذَ الزَّما

نُ لِنَفسِه قَيداً وغلا

And O Jesus, excellence in precedence

Makes you more preferable for preference.

كَي لا تُحلِّلَ ما يُحر

رِمُه فحرَّمَ ما أَحَلا

The affairs of the kingdom were carried

From you to the glorious and most high.

وهوَ الذي اكتَسبَ الضَّغي

نَةَ ثُمَّ عاوَدَ فَاستَسلا

So you entrusted them to God when

The trustee looked to the entrusted.

أبَتِ الهِدايَةُ أَن تَصُد

دَ عَنِ السَّبيلِ وأَن تُضِلا

I remember how I used to take shade

In the shadow of your power.

ولَقَد نَجا إِذ لَم يَدَع

في مِثلِ ذاكَ الصَّدر غِلا

And if I ventured and fell short,

I would return despondent, dying in jest.

ثُمَّ استَملَّ خِصالَهُ

فَقَد استَمالَ بِما استَملا

And I am frightened by the barren sands,

Which God has not watered with rain.

وتَساوَيا في الحَمدِ حي

نَ تَساوَيا كَرماً وفَضلا

And by catastrophes I cannot

Endure, while in your presence is what is little.

وَأراكَ يا عيسَى لِفَض

لِ السَّبقِ بِالتَّفضيلِ أَولى

How easy catastrophes would be

If reaching you were easy!

آوَت أُمورُ المُلكِ مِن

كَ إِلى المُجلِّي وَالمُعلَّى

فَوليتَها لِلَّهِ ما

نَظرَ المُوَلِّي في المُولَّى

إِني لأَذكُرُ كَيفَ كُن

تُ بِظلِّ عِزِّكَ مُستَظِلا

وَإذا هَمَمتُ وقَصَّرت

حالِي رَجعتُ أَموتُ هَزلا

وَيَروعُني رَملُ الجِفا

رِ فَلا سَقاه اللَّهُ رَملا

ونَوائِبٍ لا أَستَقِل

لُ بِها وعندكَ ما أَقَلا

ما أَسهَلَ النَّكباتِ لَو

كانَ الوُصولُ إِلَيكَ سَهلا