صَارَ ظلمُ الصَّديقِ غيرَ عَجيب

وَتَزَيَّا بالغَدْرِ كلُّ عزيبِ

Injustice from a friend is no surprise,

And every weakling is now treacherous.

فتبدلتُ من جِوَارِ عَدِيٍّ

مَعْشَرٌ ليس جارُهم بغَريبِ

So I have parted from wicked neighbors

Whose ilk is rarely seen among the virtuous.

خَلَطُوني بأَهلهم وحَموني

من صُروفِ الزمانِ والتلقيبِ

They confused me with their kinsfolk and protected me

From the vicissitudes of time and changing fortunes,

آخذاً من أَبى الحسينِ حِبَالاً

ضَمِنَتْ للشَّبابِ ذَنْبَ المَشِيبِ

Grasping the ropes of Abu al-Husayn

Which guaranteed my youthful sins when I grew old.

في نَدىً غامرٍ وخُلقٍ رفيعٍ

أَنا مِنهُ في أَكرمِ المصحُوبِ

In generous company and noble character,

I am the choicest of their companions.

بعتُ حظّي من كل ما يُتَمَنَّى

غير حَظّى من الصديقِ اللبيبِ

I sold all that I owned to acquire

A wise and loyal friend.

الذي انْ حَضَرتُ أَو غبتُ عَنْهُ

كانَ زَينى في مَحضرى ومَغيبي

Whether I am present or absent from him

He is my glory whether I am seen or concealed.

يُضْمِرُ النصحَ في اختصَاصِ أَعاد

يَ وقد قام لي مَقامَ المريبِ

He holds sincere advice among those close to him

And he takes the place of one who finds fault with me.

كابنِ قاضى القُضاةِ وهو عن التَّع

ريفِ أَغنى من وابلٍ عن ذَنُوبِ

The son of the Chief Justice, without any exaggeration,

Is more free of blemish than heavy rains are free of sins.

مَنْبهِ فَخْرُهُ ومن جَلَّ أَنْ تُنْ

سبَ أَفعالَهَ الى مَنْسوبِ

His pride warns against attributing his deeds

To his lineage however glorious it may be.

بَهَرَ الناسَ هيبةً وجَمَالاً

فَهوَ في العينِ مِثلهُ في القُيُوبِ

His awe and beauty dazzled people

So that he is their hearts as he is in their eyes.

قد رَضينا به وان جَلَّ دهرٌ

حاكماً بيننا وبين الخُطوبِ

We are content with him, though the days

Have judged between us and misfortune.

وشكرنا صَنيعةً لابيهِ

فدعوناه مِنْ مكانٍ قَريبِ

We thanked his father

And invoked blessings on him from nearby.

نَفْثَةً نَفّسَتْ عن الصدرِ كرباً

وسَقاماً وصفتُهُ للطبيبِ

A breath that relieved an anxious heart

And an illness which I described to the physician.

لم يكِلنى الى خِداعِ الأَمانيْ

ي ولم يَعْتَلِلْ بوعدٍ كَذوبِ

He did not abandon me to the deceit of hopes

Or disappoint me with false promises,

وشَفاني من الضَّغِينَةِ غضبا

نٌ وما ذَاْدَ مثلُ الغَضُوبِ

And cured me of rage and wrath

For nothing soothes wrath like forgiveness.

هِمَّةٌ تقصُرُ الكواكبُ عنها

وذكاءٌ يُغنى عن التَّجريبِ

An aspiration diminishing the stars by comparison,

And an intellect independent of testing.

أَلمَعِىٌ كأَنَّه يَتعاطى

بصَوابِ الظنونِ عِلْمَ الغُيوبِ

A brilliance as if he possessed

Knowledge of the unseen by the light of reason.

وأَديبٌ لم يَعْلِم العلمَ بالتع

ليم من دَهْرهِ ولا التأدِيبِ

A man of letters who gained no knowledge

Through schooling or teaching.

قَصَّرَ المدحُ عن بُلوغِ مَدَاهُ

فَعَدَدْنَاهُ من كبارِ الذنُوبِ

Eulogy falls short of reaching his merits

So we counted that among the greatest sins.

قامَ يا حَاجَتي بحَقِّكِ وافٍ

وَنَفى عنكِ ريبةَ المُستريبِ

He fulfilled my needs through you, removing

Any doubts held by the suspicious.

كانَ منه ذاكَ التأملُ للحُرْ

رِ وذاكَ البِعَادُ للتْقريبِ

He examined thoroughly, keeping aloof,

Seeking the point of agreement and awarding shots to the successful archer.

طالباً موضعَ الاصابةِ منها

والرميات حظُّها للمُصيِبِ

A guidance which set affection right

Both in its principles and details.

صَعْدَةٌ قَوَّمَ التأودَ بالتص

عيدِ في متنهَا وبالتَّصويبِ

Without those principles the branches

Would change the nature of construction.

وأُصُولٌ لولا الفروعُ عليها

لاستحالتْ طبيعةُ التَّركيبِ

If al-Rudayni had relied on anything but the rules of prosody

His pipes would have had different joints.

ولما استَمسَكَ الرُدينيّ لو كا

نت أَنابيبُهُ بغيرِ كُعُوبِ

He mounted difficulty - indeed meaning rides

Easily on the vehicle of meter.

لم يحاسبْ بها مِطالَ القَوافى

ليس رِفْدُ الكريم بالمَحسُوبِ

The portion of his enemies when they mention him

Is a breath that kindles the fire of anguish.

ركبَ الصَّعبَ انَّما يركبُ السَّهْ

لَ المُعَنَّى بلذةِ المركُوبِ

They are content to slander his actions

And intimate the quickness of his impulse.

حظُّ أَعدَائِهِ اذا ذَكَرُوه

نَفَسٌ يسْتثيرُ نارَ الكُروبِ

They have done no harm but like the harm

Of a slave, vainly beating one who is invulnerable.

قَنعوا من فعالِهِ بالأَقاوِيْ

لِ وَمِنْ وشْكِ وَثْبِهِ بالدَّبِيبِ

Men have not seen one more forgiving before us,

One who invites like an inviter who summons.

لم يضرُّوا الاَّ كاضرارِ عبد ال

لهِ لغواً بزيدهِ المضرُوبِ

One day he grants me audience and another I silence

Those seeking favor who have none to grant it.

ما رأَى الناسُ قبلَنا مُسْتثيباً

كمثيبٍ وداعياً لمجِيبِ

Knowing that the generosity of the nights

Is a gift that does not last for the gifted.

أَتقاضى يوماً وأَسكتُ حَولاً

كلُّ ذا رغبة عن المَرغُوبِ

What will make me covetous after people

Whose glory the breeze of youth has scattered?

ولعِلمي بأَنَّ جُودَ الليالي

هِبَةٌ ما تدوم للموهُوبِ

They pitched camp on the plain of the dust and stayed

After long wandering and long labor.

فبماذا أُغّرُّ بعدَ أُنَاسِ

نَسَفَتْهُمُ ريحُ الصَّبا والجَنُوبِ

Would that I had never been, but if I were,

I would not have sought food or drink,

نَزلوا عَرْصَةَ الثَّرى فأَقاموا

بعدَ طُولِ السُّرى وطُولِ الدَّؤوُبِ

Tormenting myself or indulging myself,

So the flea rejoiced in the kindling flame.

ليتني لم أكنْ وانْ كنتُ لم أَحْ

وَجْ الى مَطْعَمٍ ولا مَشْرُوبِ

We are in an abode of exile, stripped

Of its beloved reins by none.

أَتَعَنَّى بهِ ولا أَتَهَنَّى

فَرَحَ البقِّ باضطِرَامِ اللهيبِ

One youth sold his fortune for other than it

And another said "I obtained no share."

نحنُ في دَارِ غُربَةٍ لا يُعرَّى

أَحدٌ من عِنانِها المحبوبِ

Every striver in it has, with perseverance,

An ambition he hopes will be fulfilled.

فَفَتىً باعَ حَظهُ بِسِواها

وفتى قالَ ما أَخذتُ نَصيبي

كلُّ سَاعٍ له على الجَهدِ فيها

طَلَبٌ صَابِرٌ الى مَطْلُوبِ