لا تَلُومَاهُ في الهَوَى أو لُومَا

تُلفِيَا قَلبَ مُغرَمٍ مَكلُومَا

Do not blame him for passion, or blame

One whose heart is infatuated and wretched.

لَعِبَت بِإرعِوَائِهِ ذكَرَاتٌ

مَلاَتهُ زَوَافِراً وهُمُومَا

Memories played with his mind,

Filling it with delusions and worries.

تَظُنَّا المَلاَمَ لِلصَّبِّ إِيَلاَ

ما فَيسُلُو المُحِبُّ إِن هُو لِيمَا

You think blame is for the youth—how can

A lover avoid it if he is infatuated?

ألَمُ اللَّومِ لاَ يؤَثِّرُ إِن صَا

دَفَ في القَلبِ لَوعَةً وكُلُومَا

The pain of blame does not affect one whose

Heart is seized by anguish and sorrows.

دأبُ ذِى الحبِّ أن يُلاَمَ ومَن لَم

يَذُقِ الحُبِّ دَأبُهُ أَن يَلُومَا

It is the habit of a lover to be blamed, and one who

Has not tasted love, his habit is to blame.

كلَّمَا ظَنَّ ذَاكَ هَذَا مُلِيماً

ظَنَّ هَذَا المَلِيمُ ذَاكَ المَلِيمَا

Whenever one thought the other too harsh,

The other thought that harsh one to be harsher.

الشَّجِىُّ السبي مِثلَ خَلىٍّ

مُرعَوٍ قَد صَحَا وآضَ حَلِيمَا

The love of the young is like a pasture

Full of vegetation that is now empty.

إِنَّ لِلعِشقِ والمَلاَمِ أذَاةً

وعَذَاباً إِذَا ألَمَّ ألِيمَا

Love and blame both have a sting

And torment when intensely painful.

فَاثنِيَا واكفُفَا المَلاَمَةَ عني

واعذُرَا في الصِّبَا ولُومَا المَلُومَا

So refrain and stop blaming me,

And excuse my passion and blame the blamed one.

وَابكِيَا الأَربُعَ الدَّوَارِسَ والأطلاَلَ

والحِقفَ والرُّبَا والرَّسُومَا

And cry over the four ruins and remnants,

The enclosure, the well, and the vestiges.

واندُبَا المَعهَدَ المُحجِيلَ وسُحَّا

في رَجَا عَرَصَتَيهِ دَمعاً جَمُومَا

And mourn the abandoned campsite that rains

Poured down their necks a relentless downpour.

وَاسأَلاَ النُّؤءىَ والأوَارِىَ والسُّفعَ

ثَلاَثاً بجَنبِ هَابٍ جُثُومَا

And ask the camel saddle, the hilltops, and the cliffs—

Three next to a dumbfounded old man.

واذكُرَا أزمُنَ الصِّبا إِذ جَنينَا

هُ سُرُوراً ونَضرَةً ونَعِيمَا

And remember the days of my youth when I gained

Bliss, vitality, and luxury.

حِينَ لاَنَختَئِى الصُّدُودَ ولاَ الصَّرَّ

مَ ولاَ الكَاشِحَ الرَّقِيبَ النُّمُومَا

When I did not fear opponents or critics

Or a vigilant chaperone full of worries.

أذكَرَتني الربابُ يَومَ تَبَدَّت

بَينَ جَارَاتِهَا الهِلاَلَ التَّمِيمَا

The guitar reminded me of the day

The crescent appeared among its neighbors.

وائتِلاَقَ البُرُوقِ لَيلاً ولَيلَ العَاشِقِ

الدَّاجِى الطَّوِيلِ البَهِيمَا

And lightning flashed at night, and the night of a lover

Lengthened, staying awake and raving.

وَنَسِيمَ الرِّيَاضِ والعَنبَرَ الهِندِىَّ

والمِسكَ والكِبَاءَ القَضِيمَا

And the scent of flowers, Indian ambergris,

Musk and aromatic twisted wood.

والجَدِيلَ اللَّطِيفَ والمُكرَع الأنبُوبَ

والرُّمحَ والحِجلَّ الفَصِيمَا

And fine palm trees and hollow reeds

And a spear and polished sword.

والمَهاةَ الخَذُولَ أُمَّ الطَّلاَ والر

رَشَأَ الشَّادِنَ الأَغنَّ الرَّخِيمَا

And a she-camel, mother of rising dunes, crooning

With a long neck and a trailing mount.

والشِّهَارَ الشَّجِيجَ بالشِّبِمِ الصَّا

في ودَنًّا مُعَتَّقاً خَرطُومَا

And a stallion neighing with energy

In a cultivated meadow with a snout.

وَبَنَاتِ النَّقَى ودِعصَ النَّقَى والفَنَنَ

الغَضَّ والصَّبَا والنَّسِيمَا

And the pure maidens, chaste ladies and beauties—

The blossoms, Zephyr breeze and breeze.

كيفَ أسلُو الرَّبَابَ والقَلبُ مني

آلَ مِن حُبِّهَا جَرِيحاً كَلِيمَا

How can I entertain the guitar when my heart

Has been wounded by its love intensely?

حَسَبتني صَرَمتُهَا وَتَناءَيتُ

ومَا كُنتُ لِلحَبِيبِ صُرُومَا

You thought I became cold to it while

I was not harsh at all to my beloved.

إنَّمَا أُصرِمُ المُصَرِّمَ حَبلِى

وأُصلِّيهِ بالصُّدُودِ جَحِيمَا

I only shun the one who shuns me

And toast him with ferocious fires.

نَبَّأتني عِصَابَةٌ قَد أتَتني

نَبَاً سَرني وسَرَّ الحَمِيمَا

A group informed me of news

That delighted me and my confidant—

أنَّ شَرَّ الأنَامِ نَفساً وأصلاً

وفِعَالاَ ومُستَمَداً وخِيمَا

That the worst of mankind in self and origin

And deeds, beliefs, and morals,

وَحَيَاةً وَبرزَخاً ومَمَاتاً

وإِفَالاً وجِلَّةً وقُرُومَا

And life, grave, and death,

And consequences, groups, and customs,

وَمَقَاماً ومظعَنا وحُلُولاً

وصُدُوداً وألفَةً ونَدِيمَا

And places of stay, goals, and moves,

And opponents, friends, and companions,

وُسكُوتاً وفِكرَةً وخِطَاباً

وَمَرَاماً وَرَائِماً ومَرُوماً

And silence, reflection, and speech,

And desires, principles, and deprived ones,

رَامني بالهِجَا ولَو عَلِمَ ال

غَيب أبَى حِينَ رُمتُهُ أن يَرُومَا

Wanted to defame me, and had he known

The unseen, he would have refused to defame me.

يَا مُرِيدَ المُريدَ سَوفَ تَرَقَّى

فَتُرَى زَائِغاُ مرِيداً رَجِيمَا

O you who claim to follow my path, you will soon

Be seen deviant and banished.

عِبتَ قَولِىَ لِوَالِدَىَّ فَهَلاَّ

قُلتَ لِلَوَالِدَينِ قَولاً كَرِيمَا

You insulted my words to my father—why did you not

Say to both parents words generous?

أُمَّ يَوماً وِصَالِ أُمٍّ رَأت فِي

كَ نِفَاراً عَن وَصلِهَا وَوُجُومَا

A mother whose day of union a mother saw

Her son turn away from her union frowning.

غُودِرَت في مَذَلَّةٍِ واكتِئَابٍ

وهوَ إِنٍ وغُربِةٍ لَن تَرِيمَا

She was wronged with humiliation and melancholy

While he, alas, was in estrangement that will not pass.

بَانَ عَنهَا بَنَاتُهَأ وبَنُوهَا

لَم تَجِد مِن جِمِيعِ ذَاكَ أرِيمَا

Her daughters and sons abandoned her—

She did not find any of that merciful or kind.

فَتَذكَّرتُ إِذ رَأَيتُ بَنِيهَا

عَدِمَت مِنهُمُ عَطُوفاً رَحِيمَا

So I remembered when I saw her children,

Among them I missed one gentle and compassionate.

إِنَّ مَن صَادَ عَقعَقاً لَمَشُومٌ

كَيفَ مَن صَادَ عَقعَقَينِ وَبُومَا

Truly cursed is one who hunted a bustard—

What of one who hunted two bustards and a lizard!

رُمتَ رَمَىَ الأَرُومَ مني بِسَبٍّ

ومِن الجَهلِ أن تَرُومَ الأرُومَا

You insulted the most insulted from me with disgrace,

And ignorance that you would insult the most insulted.

غَفلَةٌ مِنكَ مَا اطَّلَعتَ عَلَيهَا

فَتَنَبَّه تَجِدكَ وَغداً زَنِيمَا

An inadvertence you were unaware of

So wake up and find yourself despised tomorrow.

نَاقِصَ العَقلِ طَامِسَ الأصلِ والفَصلِ

مُرِبًّا بِكُلِّ عَارٍ مُقِيمَا

Deficient in mind, obscure in origin and ancestry,

Stuck with every shame dwelling permanently.

مستَمِرّاً على الخَنَا عَاثِرَ الجَد

دِ كَذُوباً مُذَمَّماً مَشُئوماً

Continuing in sins, violating the ancestors, lying habitually,

Despicable, inauspicious.

لم تُمَيِّز مِنَ الحَلاَلِ حَرَاماً

لاَ تُرَاعِى التَّحلِيلَ والتَّحرِيمَا

Not distinguishing halal from haram,

Not considering legal and illegal.

في الأرضِينَ جُلتَ شَرقاً وغَرباً

تَتَقفي المَشرُوبَ والمَطعُومَا

You roamed the lands, east and west,

Seeking drinks and foods.

رمتَ في إفتِخَازا فَأضحَكتَ بما

قُلتَ في الفَخَارِ الأنِيمَا

You were arrogant in empty boasts making

Fools think you a prominent poet.

وأدَّعَيتَ العُلُومَ فاشتَكَتِ الأر

ضُ وضَجَّت إِذِ أدَّعَيتَ العُلُومَا

You became arrogant and haughty as if

I were in your eyes lowly and oppressed.

وادَّعَيتَ إقتِفَاءَ نَهجٍ قَوِيمٍ

والهُدَى ما اقتَفَيتَ نَهجاً قَوِيمَا

So the lowly oppressed one is you, and I

Am not lowly or oppressed in might and valor.

إنَّمَا أنتََ لِلفَخَارِ مُعِدٌّ

لَو غَشِينَا بِكَ النَّدِىَّ العَظِيمَا

If you see me worthless debris, or

See me as fragments, I am not fragments.

حَسَباً مُخزِياً وطَبعاً غَلِيظاً

وأبَا نَاقِصَا وأُمَّاً شَرِيمَا

You, you are the debris, sluggish and vile,

And you are the fragments in meaning and appearance.

وجلاَءً وهَفوةً وجَفَاءً

والتِوَاءً عن العُلُوِّ ولُومَا

They honored a low contemptible pauper,

An ignorant lost gloomy sleepy one.

وضلاَلاً مُخَامِراً واعتِلاَلاً

واختِلاَلاً ابَنَّ فِيكَ قَدِيمَا

A debauched one who abandoned all virtues completely,

Proceeding in misguidance condemned.

وَانتِاءً عن الهُدَى وأنزَواءً

وجُنُوحاً ِإلَى الهَوَى وهُجُومَا

Betrayer of pacts, violator of promises, tough-palmed

For betrayers—he was their adversary.

واغتِرَافاً مِنَ الخَنَا واعتِرَافاً

بالمَعَاصِي التِي تُشِيبُ الفَطِيمَا

All whose traits are as you have

Do not deserve reverence and esteem.

إِن تَكُن عَظَّمَتكَ يَوماً إِمَاءٌ

وَدَجَاجِيلُ إِذ قَدِمتَ قُدومَا

I will roast you in fires of invective blazing,

Scorching meat, skin and bones.

وأصَاخُوا لِسَردِ شِعرِكَ حتى

خَالَكَ الجَاهِلُونَ حَبراً زَعِيمَا

With rhymes that if gathered will disperse

And tear apart whatever they find intact.

وتَكَبَّرتَ وانتَفَختَ إِلَى أن

خِلتني في المَدَى لَطِيفاً مَضِيمَا

And if understood will ease up

And go right, keeping away from sins.

فاللَّطِيمُ المَضِيمُ أنتَ فَإني

لَستُ في الشَّأوِ والحَطيمِ لَطِيمَا

And if recited you will waver though you are

Heavily robed in great confusion.

لَستُ إِن خِلتني أضَاةً أضَاةً

لا أو خِلتني هَشِيماً هَشِيمَا

Wise sayings that will shame pearls

And out-sagacity the sagacious.

أنتَ أنتَ الأَضَاةُ والرَّاكِدُ الرَّن

قُ وأنتَ الهَشِيمُ مَعنًى وِسيمَا

They long for you awake and asleep

Until they allow of you the unlawful.

فَلَقَد عَظَّمُوا حَقِيراً فَقِيراً

جَاهِلاً ذَاهِلاً نَمُوماً نَئُومَا

Each journey speaks to a journey with them

And with them the wise man gifts the wise.

فَاجِراً هَاجِرَ المَكَارِم هَجراً

سَادِراً في غِوَايةٍ مذمُومَا

So answer them when they come to you

With a healing, covering answer from me.

خَائِنَ العَهدِ مُخلِفَ الوَعدِ جَعدَ ال

كَفِّ لِلخَائِنِينَ كَانَ خَصِيمَا

Do not neglect it as is your habit for a year

Then come with it feeble and frail.

كُلُّ مَن في صِفَاتِكَ تِى لَم

يَستَحِقِّ الإجلالَ والتَّعظِيمَا

Each travel converses with a journey

And with it the wise man gifts the wise one.

سَوفَ أُصلِيكَ نَارَ هَجوٍ تَلَظَّى

تَسفَعُ اللَّحمَ والحَشَا والأَدِيمَا

So answer it when it comes to you

With a healing reply silencing my blame.

بِقَوَافٍ إِذَا اجتَمَعنَ تَفَرَّق

نَ فَمَزَّقنَ مَا وَجَدنَ سَلِيمَا

Do not neglect it as is your habit for a year

Then come with it despised and frail.

وإِذَا مَا عُقِلَن فَأَيسَر

نَ وأيمَنَّ وَاجتَرَ منَ الجَرِيمَا

وإِذَا أُنشِدَت غَدوتَ وإِن كُن

تَ طَرُوباً على اضطِرَابٍ كَظِيمَا

حِكَمٌ اُحكِمَت فَأخجَلَتِ الدُّر

رَ نَثِيراً وأخجَلَتهُ نَظِيمَا

تَتَوَخَّاكَ في المَقَاظِ وفي المَش

تاةِ حتى تُبِيحَ مِنكَ الحَرِيمَا

كُلُّ سَفرٍ بها يُسامِرُ سَفراً

وبِها يُتحِفُ الحَكِيمُ الحَكِيمَا

فَأجِبهَا إِذَا أتَتكَ جَواباً

شَافِياً كَاسِياً لِسَاني مُومَا

لا تُعَطِّلهُ مِثلَ دَأبِكَ عَاماً

ثُمَّ تَأتِى بِهِ رَكِيكاً سَقِيمَا