مَرارة الصَبر خَصَت بِالحَلاوات

وَجَدت في مرها حُلو السَلامات

The bitterness of patience is reserved for sweetness,

And I found in its bitterness the sweetness of greetings.

صِيانَتي في كُهوف الصَبرِ أَمنَع لي

مِن حِصن كسرى وَمِن أَعماق اغمات

My chastity in the caves of patience is more impregnable for me,

Than Kisra's castle and the depths of sorrows.

كَما باتَ دَهري يُريني نَهج ترببتي

فَيَنثَني بِقَبولي وَاِمتِثالاتي

As my fate keeps showing me the path of my upbringing,

It bends me with my acceptance and obedience.

وَما اِحتِجابي عَن عَيب أَتَيتُ بِهِ

وَاِنَّما الصون من شَأنى وَغاياتي

My seclusion is not to hide a fault I committed,

But to protect my status and goals.

وَكُلَّما شَب دَهري في مُعانَدَتي

لَم يَلقَ مِني لَه اِلّا اِطاعاتي

And whenever my fate insisted on defying me,

It found nothing from me but obedience.

كَم قابَلَتني لَيال ريحُها سعر

بَطيئَة السَير تَرمي بِالشَرارات

How many nights the blowing winds met me,

Slowly creeping, throwing sparks.

لاقيتُها بِجَميل الصَبرِ مِن جَلدي

وَبت أَسفى الثَرى مِن غَيث عبراتي

I met them with the beauty of patience from my skin,

And spent the night crying, wetting the ground with tears.

كَم أَقعَدَتني أَيّامُ بصدمتها

وَقُمت بِالعَزمِ مَشهور العنايات

How many days hit me with their shocks,

And I got up determined, famous for my care.

وَكَم حَليفَة سعد اِذ تَعنفني

تَقولُ سَعيك مَذموم النِهايات

And how many times the ally of bliss rebuked me

When it said your efforts lead to doomed ends.

فَأَخفِض الطرف من حُزن أكابِده

وَاِهمِل الدَمع من تِلكَ المَقالات

So lower your gaze out of the sadness I endure,

And neglect the tears from those words.

وَكَم لَصقت بِأَرض الظُلم ناصِيَتي

فَقُمتُ من سجدَتي أَتلو تَحِيّاتي

And how many times I hit my forehead to the ground of injustice,

Then got up from my prostration reciting greetings.

وَكَم شَكَرت بِفَضل العَدلِ عاذلتي

اِن أَحسَنتَ أَو اِطالَت في اِسآتي

And how many times I thanked the justice for my rebuke,

Whether you did good or prolonged my sins.

وَما مَنَحت بِيَوم قَد اِتى غلطا

بِالانسِ اِلّا وَقامَت فيهِ غاراتي

I never granted for a day that came by mistake,

With people except my raids revolted.

وَمُذ أَتَت عذلي تَبغي مُصادَرَتي

ظُلماً مَنحتهمو أَسنى الكَرامات

And since my rebuke came to confiscate me unjustly,

I gave them the best generosities.

وَكُلَّما عددوا ذَنبا رَميت بِهِ

بَسَطت لِلعَفو راحات اِعتِرافاتي

And whenever they counted a sin I threw,

I spread for forgiveness the palms of my confessions.

وَكُلَّما حَرَّروا مَنشور مظلَمتي

وَاِثبَتوا في الوَرى ظُلما جِناياتي

And whenever they wrote a scroll of my injustice,

And proved in the world the injustice of my crimes.

اِظهَرت شُكرى لَهُم بِالرَغمِ عَن اِسفى

وَكانَ ما كانَ مِن فَرط التِهاباتي

I showed them my gratitude in spite of my sorrow,

And what happened was due to my extreme anger.

وَلَم أَفه لِذَوى رد لِمَعرِفَتي

اِنَّ الحَبيب حَبيب في المَسَرّات

I did not understand for those who recognized me,

That the beloved is the beloved even in difficulties.

أَقوم وَالضيم تَطويني تَوائِبه

طَيّ السجل وَلَم اِسمَعُه أَناتي

I get up and injustice folds me in its repentance,

A long scroll, and I did not hear its moan.

أَخفى الأَسى اِن حَسود جاءَ يَسأَلني

لِأَين تَسعى وَأَومى لاِبنِها جاتي

I hid the sorrow if an envious came to ask me,

Where are you heading? And I gestured to my lover not to come.

اِن ضَل سَعي فَهادى الصَبر يُرشِدُني

اِلى طَريقِ رَشادي وَاِستِقاماتي

If the effort went astray, patience guides me

To the path of my integrity and straightness.

وَلَم ازَل اِشتَكي بثى وَمَظلَمَتي

لِعالم الجَهر مِني وَالخفيات

I have not stopped complaining of oppression and injustice

To the knower of the apparent and hidden.

علت ولاة الصفا اِشهى نَجائِبها

لتقنص الفوز مِن وادي المودات

The governors of loyalty set their most inner depths

To hunt victory in the valley of affection.

وَبت بِاليَأسِ في بَطحاء متربتي

وَكان شغلي لضيمي دق راحاتي

And I spent the night in despair in the expanse of my turban,

While my occupation for injustice was beating my palms.

أَقول لِلصَّبرِ لا عتب عَلى زَمَن

أَعطى لِأَبنائِه أَسمى العطيات

I say to patience, no reproach upon a time

That gave its children the highest gifts.

فَقال مَهلا وَلا تَغررك شَوكَتِهِم

فَالصَحو يَعقُبه سود الغَمامات

It said wait, do not let their power deceive you,

For soberness is followed by the blackness of clouds.

فَلَيسَ كُل ملوم دام مُكتَئِباً

وَما السَعيدُ سَعيد لِلمُلاقاة

Not every blamed one remains dejected,

Nor is every happy one happy to face.

فَدَهرِهِم غرهم جَهلا وَما عَلِموا

اِنَّ الزَمانَ قَريب الاِلتِفاتات

Their fate deceived them in ignorance and they did not know,

That time is quick to change.

فَما تَوارَت بغاة الغَم من أَسفى

حَتّى أَناخوا بِاِجبال النكايات

So the oppressors of sorrow did not disappear from my sight

Until they camped on the mountains of vengeance.

تَذكر الدَهر عادات لَه سَلَفَت

وَقَد نَسوها بِحانات الخَلاعات

It reminded time of habits it had in the past

And forgot amidst the taverns of depravity.

وَرد دَهرى سِهام الحِقد صائِبَة

اليَهمو فَغَدوا في شَرَّ حالات

And it returned the arrows of hatred precise

To them, so they became in the worst conditions.

فَما اِستَطابوا أَمانيهِم وَلا قَنَصوا

حَتّى اِستَوينا بِكَهف الاِعتِكافات

They did not enjoy their wishes nor hunted

Until we became equal in the cave of isolation.

قالَ الدهاة سِهام الدَهر قَد وَقَعَت

مِن ذلِكَ الجمع في كَشح وَلبات

The wise said: The arrows of fate has fallen

Upon that group into humiliation and hardship.

فَقُلت أَنعم بِهِ مِن حاذِق فَطن

وَاِنه لَحقيق بِالعدالات

I said: I am blessed with the precise and perceptive one,

And he is truly deserving of justice.

ظَنّوا الزَمانَ اِباح السَعد طالعهم

وَاِنَّهُ اِختَصَّ تحمى بِالنحوسات

They thought time allowed their luck to rise

While it was specified with misfortunes.

وَالصَبر أَشهَدَني ما كنت اِغبطهم

عَلَيهِ عاد اِعتِبارا في العبارات

Patience witnessed me, I did not envy them

Upon it, reconsideration returned in expressions.

فَلا يَهولنك حرمان بليت بِهِ

وَلا يغرنك اِقبال غَدا آتي

So do not let deprivation I am tested with frighten you,

Nor let the prosperity tomorrow brings deceive you.

كِلاهُما وَالَّذي اِنشاكَ من علق

يَفنى وَبعدم في بَعض اللَميحات

They both, by the one who created you from a clot,

Will perish, in some of the blinks.

اِينَ المُلوكِ الاولى كانَت اِوامِرُهُم

مَحدودَة كَسُيوفِ مُشرفيات

Where are the early kings whose orders

Were limited like the swords of the honorable.

تَمحى وَتثبت ما رامَت وَما رَفَضَت

بَينَ الاِنامِ بِاِقوالِ سميات

It erases and enforces what it wants and refuses

Among the people through the words of authorities.

قَد اِحكُم الدَهر مرماهُم فَما لَبِثوا

حَتّى اِنطَووا في الثَرى طي السجلات

Fate has judged their goal, so they did not last long

Until they were folded into the ground, a scroll folded.

فَكَم مَضى عَزمُهُم في عِز سَطوَتِهِم

قَولا وَفِعلا بِتَسديد الرِياسات

So many their resolves went in the glory of their power,

In words and deeds with the guidance of leadership.

وَكَم سَرى في الوَرى مَنشور سلطتهم

شَرقا وَغَربا بِاِنواعِ السِياسات

And how much spread in the land their authority’s decree,

East and west through politics.

يَؤوب بِالعَجزِ اِقواهُم اِذا الم

بِهِ أَلَم وَيبدى شَر حَسرات

Their strongest comes back powerless if pain touches him,

And the worst of sorrows appears.

يَلوذ ضَعفا بِأَذيالِ الطَبيب وَما

يَغنى الطَبيب لَدى فَتكِ المنيات

Seeking refuge weakly in the tails of the doctor, and the doctor

Is no avail during the termination of fates.

وَكَم لِفَقد عَزيز مَنهمو سكبت

مَدامِعَ كُن بِالنعما مَصونات

And how many tears they shed for the loss of a loved one,

While the blessings were protected from tears.

وَطالَما أَحرَقت حَسراتِهِم كَبدا

تَضعضعت مِنهُ أَركان بِالنُعما مَصونات

And how long did their regrets burn a liver,

It shook from it the pillars with the blessings protected.

فَلا تَقُل لي مَتاع وَهو عارِيَة

وَاليَأس عِندي راحات اِستِراحاتي

So do not tell me it is belongings while it is borrowed,

And despair for me is the rest of my rests.

وَقَد بَسَطت أَكف الذل ضارِعَة

لِخالِق الخَلق جبار السموات

I have spread the palms of humiliation praying

To the Creator of creation, Compeller of the skies.

وَبت أَدعو عَليم السر قائِلَة

يا غافِرَ الذَنب جدلى بِاستِجابات

And I spent the night praying the All-Knowing, saying:

O Forgiver of sins, reward me with response.

يا كاشِف الضُر عَن أَيوب مرحمة

حينَ اِستغاثَك من مس المَضَرّات

O Reliever of harm from Job when he implored You

From the touch of afflictions.

وَصاحِب الحوت قَد أَنحببته كرما

لِما دَعا بِاِبتِهال في الضَراعات

And the companion of the whale, You cherished him generously

When he prayed insistently in supplication.

أَنقذته يا اله العَرش مِن ظُلم

لِظُلمَة النَفس لاقته بِاِعنات

You saved him, O God of the Throne, from injustice

To the darkness of the soul that met him with hostility.

وَاِبيضت العَين من يَعقوب وَاِنسَكَبَت

حُزنا عَلى سُيوف في فَيض عِبرات

And the eyes of Jacob whitened and poured

With sorrow upon swords in a stream of tears.

وَمُذ شَكا البث لِلرحمن عادَ لَهُ

نور العُيونِ قَرينا بِالمَسَرّات

And since the separation complained to the Merciful,

The light of eyes returned, paired with bliss.

وَيوسف السَيد الصَديق حينَ دَعا

في ظُلمَة السِجن من بَعد الغِيابات

And Joseph the honest friend when he prayed

In the darkness of prison after disappearance.

أَوليته الحُكم وَالمُلك العَظيم كَما

آتَيتُهُ العِلم مِن اِسنى العِنايات

You gave him rule and great kingship as

You gave him knowledge from the best care.

وَمُذ عَلِمت بِاِخلاص الخَليل غَدا

وَالنار من حَولِهِ في رَوض جنات

And since You knew the sincerity of the Friend, he became

While fire was around him in a garden of heavens.

عادَت سَلاما وَبَردا بَعد ما اِشتَعَلَت

وَلَم يَفه من يَقين بِالشِكايات

It returned safety and coolness after it ignited

And he did not understand with certainty and lament.

وَقَد رَفَعَت يَمينَ الذُل داعِيَة

اِلَيكَ يا رَب أَرجو غَفر زلاتي

And I have raised the right hand of humiliation praying

To You O Lord hoping to forgive my errors.

رَبّي اِلهي مَعبودي وَمُلتَجىء

اِلَيكَ أَرفَعُ بثى وَاِبتِهالاتي

My Lord, my God, my worshiped One and my refuge,

To You I raise my distress and prayers.

قَد ضَرَّني طَعن حسادي وَأَنتَ تَرى

ظُلمي وَعِلمُكَ يَغنى عَن سُؤالاتي

The stab of my envious enemies has harmed me and You see

My injustice, and Your knowledge suffices my questions.

فَاِمنُن عَلى بِالاف لِتُخرِجُني

مِنَ الضَلالِ اِلى سبل الهِدايات

So favor me to bring me out

From misguidance to the path of guidance.

أَنت الخَبير بِحالي وَالبَصيرُ بِهِ

فَاِفتَج لِهذا الدعا بابَ الاِجابات

You are aware of my state and seeing it

So open for this prayer the door of response.

فَكَيفَ أَشكو لِمَخلوق وَقَد لَجَأت

لَكَ الخَلائِق في يسر وَشدات

For how can I complain to a creature when I have resorted

To You the creation in ease and difficulties?

فَيا لَها من جراح كُلَّما اِتسعت

أَعيت طبيب رُغما عَن مُداواتي

O what wounds that whenever expanded

Exhausted the doctor despite treatment.

أَنتَ الشَهيد عَلى قَول أَفوه بِهِ

ما دُمت عائِشة فَالحَمدُ غاياتي

You are witness to the words of mouths they said

As long as you live Aisha, praise is my goal.