وَهوَ ظَليم كانَ بِاليَمامه

حَديثه باق إِلى القِيامه

While he was unjust, his tale remains

spoken of until the Day of Judgment.

خلَّى سَفاها بيضه وحضنا

بيض القَطاة إِذ رآه حَسَنا

He foolishly left his eggs and nest

when he saw the beautiful eggs of a crow.

وَظنه يفقص عن رئال

أحسَن مِن رئاله في الحال

He thought he would get something better

than his eggs at that time.

فَلم يَكُن ذاكَ وَضاع فعله

وَبيضه أَيضاً وَذَم عَقله

But his deed was in vain,

and his eggs too – his mind was blamed.

فَاجتَمع القَوم عَلى عِنادي

وَعذرَهُم في ذاكَ عِندي باد

The people gathered against my obstinacy,

and their excuse with me is useless.

أَما الَّذي خَصصته ببري

فَهوَ لَئيم الأَصل غَير حُر

As for the one I singled out with innocence,

he is vile by origin, no freeman.

فَإِنَّني ظَلَمته بِذاكا

وَكانَ ما جئت لَهُ هَلاكا

For I have wronged him in that,

and what I brought him was destruction.

كَأَنني كَلفته ما لَم يطق

وَلَم يَكُن في طَبعِهِ لَما خَلق

As if I tasked him with what he could not bear,

and what was not in his nature when created.

طَلَبت مِن أَصل اللئيم شُكراً

وَمِن زَنيم وَجَهول نَصرا

I sought gratitude from a vile origin,

and aid from an ignoble, ignorant one.

وَلَيسَ في طَبع اللئيم الشُّكر

وَلَيسَ في الأَصل الدني نَصر

There is no gratitude in the nature of the vile,

nor aid in the lowly origin.

وَإِن مَن أَلزَمه وَكَلفه

ضد الَّذي في طَبعِهِ ما أَنصَفه

Whoever obligates him and tasks him

with opposite of what is in his nature has not been fair to him.

وَهوَ إِذا حَققت مثل جرول

لَما غَدا يَشتار أَرى الحَنظَل

When I look into the like of a vine,

if I go to buy, I see chickpeas.

إِذ غَرهُ صفرته وَحُسنه

فَلم يَكُن فيهِ الَّذي يَظنه

For its yellowness and beauty deceived me,

and it did not contain what I assumed.

وَمَن سَقى العَوسج يَبغي وَرده

وَمَن غَدا الذئب يَروم وده

Whoever waters a bramble hoping for roses,

and goes to befriend a wolf the next day,

وَحاضن للجهل بيض الحيه

كَفى بِذاكَ سبة وَغيه

and one who cuddles the viper’s eggs in ignorance

is sufficiently insulted and sinful.

وَكُنت في جَهلي مثل اللقلق

في حضنِهِ بيضة صل مطرق

I was in my ignorance like a lapwing

cuddling in its wings an addled egg.

من كَلَف النفوس ضَد طَبعِها

وَراضها مُجتَهداً في نَزعِها

Whoever tasks souls against their nature

and insists on forcibly changing them

أَتعبها عَن خَلقِها وَتعبا

وَلَم يَنَل مِن خَيرِها ما طَلَبا

harasses them beyond their creation and tires,

yet obtains not from their good what he seeks.

وَإِن مَن خَصَّ اللئيم بِالنَّدى

وَجَدتهُ كَمَن يُرَبي أَسَدا

Whoever singles out the vile with favours

will find him like one raising a lion.

فَإِن بر الجاهل اللئيم

مثل جَفاء الفاضل الكَريم

For good towards an ignorant vile one

is like harshness from a noble generous one.

وَكانَ في جَزيرَتي سُلطان

كَأَنَّهُ مِن جَورِهِ شَيطان

In my island there was a sultan

who was in his injustice like a devil.

لَكنه لا يظهر العُدوانا

فَيفسد القُلوب وَالأَعوانا

But he does not show aggression

corrupting hearts and supporters.

وَيتقي الذمَّ وَشر ما اِتَقى

وَيظهر النسك رِياء وَالتقى

He avoids blame and the evil of what he avoids

and shows asceticism, hypocritically pious.

وَيَعمل الكَيد الخَفي وَالحيل

تَوصلا إِلى هواه بِالعِلل

He schemes hidden plots and tricks

to attain his desires for causes.

أما عَدوي فَخشوا أَن يَفطنا

لِسَعيهم بي فيقولوا قَد جَنى

As for my enemies, they feared that if they noticed

their plotting against me, they would be exposed.

إِن العَدو قَولهُ مَردود

وَقلَّ ما يصدق الحَسود

An enemy’s word is refuted,

and the envious are seldom believed truthful.

وَهوَ وَإِن كانَ ظَلوماً ناقِد

لَيسَ تَجوز عِندَهُ المَكايد

Though he be unfair in criticism,

he does not approve plots.

وَالأَصدِقاء كَرِهوا أَن يَنسِبوا

فيهِ إِلى اللوم وَأن يُؤنبوا

And my friends disliked being blamed

and rebuked for him in any case,

وَأن يُقال إِنَّهُم أَشرار

وَكُلهم بِعَهدِهِ غَدار

and that it be said they are wicked

and all of them violating their promise to him,

وَسَعيهم عَلى الصديق الصادق

بَعد النوال الجم وَالمرافق

and their efforts against the sincere, loyal friend

after intimate company and friendship.

هبكم صدقتم في الَّذي حَكيتُم

وَقُلتُم من ذاك ما رَأَيتُم

You spoke truly in what you told

and said of that what you saw.

هَلا سَتَرتم وَكَتَمتم ما جَرى

لأَيما حال ترادون ترى

Why did you not conceal and suppress what happened

no matter what state you want to see?

فموجب الصداقة المُساعده

وَمُقتَضى المَودة المعاضده

For the duty of friendship is aiding,

and the implication of affection is supporting,

لا سيما في النوب الشدائد

وَالمحن العَظائم الأَوابد

especially in times of dire straits

and great lasting afflictions.

لَو أَنكم أَفاضل أحرار

ما ظَهَرَت بينكم الأَشرار

Had you been nobles and freemen,

the wicked would not have appeared among you.

قالوا فَما نَصنع حَتّى نُهلكه

قيل انصبوا مِن المحال شَبكه

They said, "What can we do till we destroy him?"

It was said, "Set snares of the impossible."

فَجَلَسوا في مَسجد وَسوق

وَمجمع النسك أَو الفسوق

So they sat in a mosque and market

and gathering place of piety or sin,

وَغَيرهُم لَما يَقول يسمَع

هَل صَحَّ عَن صبيح تِلكَ البدع

and made others hear something he said not,

"Is it true that Sabeeh has come up with those innovations?"

وَقالَ بَعضٌ مِنهُم في خفيه

لِبَعضهم بحيلة وفريه

Some of them said to others secretly,

through a trick and cunning,

إِن كانَ ذا فَإِنَّهُ جسور

وَقُربهُ لِشَرهِ مَحذور

"If that is so, he is bold,

and being near him for evil is dangerous."

قالَ لَهُ الآخر لَيسَ ما حَكى

أَول كَيد دَسه للملك

The other said to him, "It is not as he claims.

The first is a plot he devised for the king."

وَقالَ ثان كَم لَهُ مَكيده

في مُلكِهِ خافية شَديده

And a second, "How many a plot he has

secretly against his kingdom!"

وَهوَ بِلا شَك يَتم أَمره

فَقَد سَرى بَينَ الجُنود مَكره

Without doubt he is completing his matter,

for his deception has spread among the soldiers.

وَحالفوه كُلهُم وَعاقدوا

وَوعدوه نَصرهُم وَعاهَدوا

They have all allied with him and contracted

and promised to aid him."

قالَ لِمَن يَطلبه لِنَفسه

أَو غَيره مِن قَومِه وَجنسه

He said, "For whom does he seek it for himself,

or another of his people and kind?"

فَقالَ شَيخ مِنهُم موقر

المال أَطغاه وَيَبغي المكثر

So an elder among them, esteemed, said,

"Wealth has made him arrogant, and he seeks more.

بقوة المال وَعز شانه

سَعى بِلا شَك عَلى سُلطانه

With the power of wealth and glory of status,

he has without doubt moved against his sultan."

أَما سمعتم قصة الحجام

وَملك الأَهواز في الحَمام

"Have you not heard the story of the barber

and King of Ahvaz in the bath?"