أَقسمتُ لا جُزْتُ الكمالَ مودَّةً

إنَّ الذي جازَ الكمال لناقصُ

I swore I would not attain perfection in love

For he who attained perfection is imperfect

أَختصُّهُ بالودِّ من دونِ الورى

فله عليهم ميزةٌ وخَصائصُ

I single him out with love apart from all people

For he has distinction and traits above them

صدَقَتْ عقيدتُهُ وعُقدةُ صدقهِ

لمّا تُحَلَّ وسِرُّهُ لي خالصُ

His faith and bonds of loyalty proved true

When it was tested and he was faithful to me

عَزَّ الصديقُ فإنْ قَنَصْتَ صداقةً

صُنْها فإنَّ الأَصدقاءَ قنائصُ

A loyal friend is rare so if you gain loyalty

Guard it for loyal friends have flaws

تَفْدِيكَ أَشخاصٌ وجوهُ ودادهم

سَفَرَتْ وأَحداقُ الحقودِ شَواخصُ

People's faces and their affection may ransom you

While the eyes of the envious peer with blame

هجّرْتُ في ظلِّ السُّكونِ إليهمُ

في الحادثاتِ وكلُّ ظِلٍ قالصُ

I isolated myself in stillness from them

In events and every disappearing shadow

أَقرضتهم حُسنَى فجاوزني بها

سوأَى وكلٌّ قارضٌ أو قارصُ

I lent them my affection yet they went past me with it

To evil, though each borrower is a withholder

كالماءِ بانَ الظلُّ معكوساً به

فبدتْ مكانَ الرُّوسِ منه أَخامِصُ

Like water it was clear the shadow was inverted in it

So the heads appeared inverted in it from the feet

قل للثّعالبِ لا تَغُركِ خلوةٌ

في الغابِ لمّا غاب عنه فُرافصُ

Tell the foxes do not be fooled by seclusion

In the forest when the hunter is absent from it

سيعودُ في طلبِ الفرائسِ ضيغمٌ

ذو سطوةٍ وستقشعرُّ فرائصُ

He will return seeking prey, powerful

And the prey will shudder in fear

كلٌّ لعَقْدِ يمينه لي ناكثٌ

كلٌّ على عَقبِ المودَّةِ ناكص

All have reneged on their oath of loyalty to me

All have turned back from affection

ولهم عقائدُ ملؤهنَّ حقائدٌ

عُقَدُ النِّفاقِ كأنهنَّ عقائصُ

They have beliefs filled with malice

The knots of hypocrisy as if bite marks

فرعُ المَعيبِ الأصلِ يحكي أصلَهُ

وله مَعايبُ مثلهُ ونقائصُ

The branch relates the defects of its origin

And it has defects just like it and blemishes

جَهْمٌ مُحيّاه خبيثٌ عِرضُه

لؤماً وعارِصهُ جَهامٌ ناشصُ

An ignoble person's praise is evil, his honor

Is disgrace and the one who censures him is unyielding

أَنتَ الذي أَنجدتَني بنصيحةٍ

إذ صَرْفُ دهري عارقٌ لي واهصُ

You are the one who helped me with advice

When the turns of fate were confusing and bewildering

ما خبتُ حينَ فحصتُ عن مكنونهِ

ظنّاً ألا إنَّ الصّديقَ لفاحصُ

I did not go astray when I probed its hidden depths

Thinking no, the loyal friend is indeed probing

وأَفاضَ لي سَجْلاً رِشاءُ وفائهِ

كرماً وأَرشيةُ الجميعِ موالصُ

And he poured me a stream of lavish loyalty

While the palms of all people are withholding

كم غصتُ حتى حزتُ ودَّكَ أَبحراً

ولربّما حازَ اليتيمةَ غائصُ

How I resented until I deemed your affection an ocean

Yet sometimes the orphan attains what is unattainable

سأزُمُّ نحوكَ للِّقاءِ قلائصاً

يا خيرَ من زُمّتْ إليه قلائصُ

I will come to you for a meeting laden with yearning

O best of those to whom the yearning flocked