أَرِقتُ وَهاجَتني الهُمومُ الحَواضِرُ

وَهَمُُّ الفَتّى سارٍ عَليهِ وَباكِر

Sleeplessness troubled me, and pressing cares possessed my thoughts,

A young man's concerns march on, both early and late.

وَلي صاحِبٌ قَد رابَني أَو ظَلَمتُهُ

كَذَلِكَ ما الخَصمانِ بَرٌّ وَفاجِر

I have a friend who wronged me, or I did him wrong,

Thus disputants, neither innocent nor guilty.

إِذا قالَ يَلحاني وَيعذُرُ نَفسَهُ

وَفي اللَهِ لِلمَظلومِ عِزٌّ وناصِرُ

He pleads and makes excuses for himself,

But God upholds the wronged and brings them victory.

وَإِنّي امرؤٌ عِندي وَعمداً أَقولُهُ

لآتي الَّذي يَأتي امرؤٌ وَهوَ خابِرُ

And I'm a man who says openly and intentionally

I will do as men do, discreetly and openly.

لِسانانِ مَعسولٌ عَليهِ غَراوَةٌ

وَآخَرُ مَذروبٌ عَليهِ الشَراشِرُ

Two tongues visit me, one slick with deceit,

The other rough and harsh in what it utters.

يَبيتانِ عِندي ثُمَّ كُلٌّ إِذا غَدا

بِكُلِّ كَلامٍ قالَهُ الناسُ ماهِرُ

They stay the night with me, then leave at dawn,

Saying all the eloquent things people say.

وَكانَ الَّذي يَلقى الوُعوثَةَ مِنهُما

عَلى سُبُلٍ قَد أنهَجَتهَا العَيائِرُ

And whichever met mishap from them

On roads the holy pilgrims' steps once traced,

فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَبخَل عَلَيهِ نَصيحَتي

وَلِلمَرءِ ناهٍ لا يَراهُ وَزاجِرٌ

I offered him sincere advice, withholding nothing,

Though to the heedless man no counsel comes, however wise.

إِذا أَنتَ حاولتَ البَراءَةَ فاجتَنِب

حَرا كُلِّ أَمرٍ تَعتَريهِ المَعاذِرُ

When you seek to prove innocence, then shun

Any excuse till proofs on every side appear.

فَقَد تُسلِمُ المَرءَ المَعاذيرُ لِلرَدى

فَيردى وَقَد تُردي البَريءَ الجَرائِرُ

Excuses may surrender the excused to ruin,

And calumny destroy the truly innocent.

وَشاعِرِ سَوءٍ غَرَّهُ أَن تَرادَفَت

لَهُ المُفخِمونَ القَولَ إِنَّكَ شاعِرُ

A poet, thinking himself exalted, his high-flown words

Lavished on him, "You are most eloquent!"

عَطَفتُ عَليهِ مَرَّةً فَتَرَكتُهُ

لِما كانَ يَرضى قَبلَها وَهوَ حاقِرُ

I indulged him once, then left him be,

Since he was pleased before with less, though paltry.

بِقافِيَةٍ حَذّاءَ سَهلٍ رَوِيُّها

كَسَردِ الصَناعِ لَيسَ فيهِ تَواتُرُ

Rhyming in facile, slack, and easy measures,

No crafted verse, but rambling prose in rhyme.

نَطَقتُ وَلَم يَعجِز عَليَّ رَوِيُّها

وَلِلقَولِ أَبوابٌ تُرى وَمَخاصِرُ

I spoke in verse, and his rhyme could not defeat me,

For speech has doors both wide and narrow ways.

يُعَدّي الكَرى عَن عَينِهِ وَهوَ ناعِسٌ

إِذا اِنتَصَفَ اللَيلَ المُكِلُّ المُسافِرُ

He counts the stars' slow journey, and he sleeps,

When midnight rests the anxious traveller.

إِذا ما قَضاها عادَ فيها كَأَنَّهُ

لِلَذَّتِهِ سَكرانُ أَو مُتَساكِرُ

When it is done, he takes the road again, as if

Drunk with delight, or bent on dissipation.