تأَمل أَيُّها الطَّرْفُ المُعَارُ

أَعيشٌ في لحاظِكَ أَم صوارُ

Observe, O glancing eye, am I living in your eyelids or a picture?

We used to wish we could see them

وكنا قبلُ نَسأَلُ أَنْ نراها

عليها من نواظرنا نَغَارُ

And our glances were jealous over them

If we hadn’t been far away for long

مَدىً لو لم نَذُذْ بالبعْدِ عَنهُ

لذَادَتْ عنه أَدمُعنا الغِزَارُ

Our plentiful tears would have protected them

The place of my loved ones had lacked them

محلُّ الحَىّ كانَ بهم ضَنيناً

فكيفَ أَقامَ بَعْدَهُمُ وسَارُوا

So how did it stay after they left?

Yes, when the memories of Layla’s houses awoke,

ألامُ اذا ذَكراتُ دِيارَ ليلى

وَهَمُّ الصَّبِّ شَوقٌ وادِّكَارُ

And the passion of youth was longing and wakefulness,

And why wouldn’t I yearn for a country

ومالى لا أَحِنُّ الى بِلادٍ

تَلَذُّ بها مواقِعِها القِطَارُ

Where its beautiful scenes delighted the caravans?

And ruins neighboring Layla’s house

وأَطلالٌ تجاورُ دارَ ليلى

سُقينَ لها فقد نَفَعَ الجِوَارُ

Were watered, so proximity was beneficial.

Her imagination visits me every night

يزورُ خيالُها في كلِّ ليلٍ

وذلكَ لو قَنَعْتُ بهِ مَزَارُ

And I would have been satisfied with that pilgrimage.

Now that her beauty was perfect, what more

وقد كَمُلَتْ مَحَاسِنُها فَماذا

عسى الخَلخَالُ يَصْنَعُ والسِّوَارُ

Could a bracelet or necklace do?

The pearls were put to shame the day they appeared,

فَضَحْنَ الدرَّ يومَ بَرَزْنَ فيهِ

وَيَفْضَحُ أَنجُمَ الليلِ النَّهَارُ

And the stars of the night shame the daylight.

I ransom the one whose reserve and resolve

فدتْ كافي الكفاة نُهىً وَحَزْماً

جبالُ الأَرضِ طُراً والبِحَارُ

Were sufficient for the mountains of the earth and the seas.

For no lord of the world but Him,

فلا مَلَكَ الوَرى ربٌّ سِوَاهُ

ودامَ له التمجُّدُ والفَخَارُ

His glory and pride last forever.

In the land of sight, I am disgusted with the time

بأَرض الرى مُمتَعِضٌ أَبيُّ

يُجيرُ على الزمانِ ولا يُجَارُ

That does not pity and is not pitied.

When the sun sees me looking sad she turns away

أَغرُّ اذا رأَتُه الشمسُ صَدَّتْ

صُدُودَ الطَّرفِ عنها اذْ يَحَارُ

Her glance turns away from me confused.

He is tall with palaces on his shoulders,

طويلٌ في حَمائِلهِ قُصُورٌ

رَفُولٌ في ذَلاذِلِهِ الشّمَارُ

Smooth with youths crowning his head.

The impossible goals attempt to outrun him

له وسوابقُ الغاياتِ تَجرى

عليها الخارجيةُ والنّجارُ

While the possibilities and probabilities try to catch up.

We hoped to inspire him but he has no need

هَمَمْنا أَنْ نُؤَمِّلَهُ فأَغنى

عن التأميل والأملِ انتظَارُ

For wishes or waiting for inspiration.

His steeds measure the enemy’s land,

تَقيسُ جيادُه أَرضَ الأعادى

ولولا الجُرحُ لم يكن السِّبارُ

And were it not for wounds, there would be no rewards.

His arrows mark a place with no guide,

خَطَتْ سِمْنَانَ ليس لها دَليلٌ

ولا عَلَمٌ يلوحُ ولا مَنَارُ

No banners waving and no minarets rising.

The brightness of his front teeth guides them

تُراعى الجَدْيَ غُرتُها سَنَاهُ

وضوءُ الفرقدينِ لها عِذَارُ

And the light of his front teeth grants them success.

Friends of the night flow through him

أَوانسُ بالدجى تنسابُ فيه

كما يَنْسَابُ في الأذنِ السِّرَارُ

As secrets flow into the ear.

Seekers who are not discouraged by enemies

طلاب لا يُنَهْنِهُهُ الأَعادى

وسعيٌ لا يُتَعْتِعُهُ العِثَارُ

And effort that is not hindered by obstacles.

When they saw the darkness of night on the battlefield

فلما أَنْ رأينَ على طَميس

سَوامَ الليلِ يطردُه النَّهَارُ

Chasing away the daylight,

The spies turned away angry

تنكبنَ الخَبارَ منافِقَاتٍ

شَبا الصَّوَّان ينشدُها الغُبَارُ

Like the whistling arrow driven by the dust.

When feet stumbled and eyes stared

ولما هُزَّتِ الأَقدامُ فيها

وأُطلقتِ الأَعِنَّةُ والغِوَارُ

And reins were let loose,

Confusion mingled with joy and fear

خلطنَ المَعْجَ من مَرحٍ بذُعْرٍ

كما قطعت حبائِلَها النُّوَارُ

As if their ropes were cut by saws.

Charms are dissolved in his assailment

تُناط بها التمائمُ في طُلاها

ويُغلى السومُ فيها والخِطارُ

And poison is boiled and sorcery nullified.

The lord of Iraq harbored enmity against it

جَفَا ربُّ العِراق لها كَراه

وأَوجسَ خيفةً منها نِزَارُ

And the weak feared it would be their end.

He imagined its armor was smoke

تَوَهَّمَ أَنَّ قَسْطَلَها دُخَانٌ

وأَنَّ وثوبَها فيهِ شَرَارُ

And that its clothes contained embers.

It did not harm the stars when they rose

وما ضرَّ الكواكبَ حينَ تَبدو

لعينِك أَنَّها فيها صِغَارُ

To your eyes though they seemed small in it.

Victory doubted when he saw it

ونصرٌ شَكَّ فيها اذْ رآها

على آثارها الرَّهْجُ المُثَارُ

Following its tracks raising the dust.

He exchanges insults and does not know

يناجزُ بالطعان وليس يدري

بأن الكرَّ أَوَّلُه فِرَارُ

That the shame of insult is in fleeing.

Why are the tips of each sword made

فَلِم طُبِعَتْ مضاربُ كلِّ نصلٍ

تَراه العينُ ماءً وهو نَارُ

To seem like water to the eye when it is fire?

He regained consciousness biting his hand in regret,

أَفاق يَعَضُّ من ندم يديهِ

وآفةُ لذةِ الخَمرِ الخُمَارُ

For the misery of wine is intoxication.

Whenever cups were passed around

وكانَ اذا حُميا الكأسِ دارتْ

وَدَبَّتْ في مفاصِلهِ العُقَارُ

And joints were burdened with burdens,

He consulted his passions in his decisions

يُشاورُ في عَزائمهِ هَواهُ

وكلُّ هَوَىً عدوٌّ مُسْتَشَارُ

And every passion consulted is an enemy.

The gloom of pleasures was removed from him

تجلَّتْ غَمْرَةُ اللذاتِ عنه

وليس له سِوى اللذاتِ ثَارُ

And he had no reward but pleasures.

Sleepers who had good expectations of fate

نيامٌ أَحسنوا بالدَّهْرِ ظنّاً

وبعض الظنَّ ضَعفٌ واغترَارُ

But some doubt is weakness and deception.

They forgot, though patience is evidence for them,

تَناسَوا والأناةُ لهم دليلٌ

ذُنوباً ليسَ يَمْحُوها اعتذَارُ

Sins that no apology can erase,

And promises whose response in speech

وُعُوداً في المقالِ لها جَواب

تَجافى الحِلمُ عنها والوَقَارُ

Is shunned by forbearance and dignity.

By God, they were not forced into it,

ولا واللهِ ما ضطروا اليها

وغن كانَ البلاءُ لهُ اضطِرَارُ

Though affliction itself is compulsion.

You have tasted slight injury so you belittled it

لُسِعْتُم لسْعَةَ فَحَقَرتُموها

وساري السُّم ليس له احْتِقَارُ

Though the sting of a snake is not to be belittled.

You slept feeling safe from men

ونِمْتِّمْ في المخافة عن رجالٍ

سُباتهم اذا أَمنوا غِرَارُ

Whose sleep when they feel safe is deception.

Either death is sweet or

هما اما ورودُ الموتِ عذباً

واما الذُّل مراً والصَغَارُ

Humiliation is bitter and trivial.

So you have not recognized short ambitions,

فلا الهممُ القِصارُ عرفتموها

ولا ما تطلبُ الهِمَمُ الكَبارُ

Nor what lofty ambitions seek.

And everything you hid was exposed

وأَظهرَ كلَّ ما أَخفيتموه

فتىً سِرُّ العَدوِّ له جِهَارُ

By a young man whose enemy’s secret is announced.

Every neighbor of anything

مَخَشُ الكيدِ كلُّ وجارِ شَيءٍ

من الحَشَراتِ فهو له وِجَارُ

Is a plotter against it and its neighbor.

Some of you have cast aspersions at others

رمى أَضغانَ بعضكم ببعْضٍ

فنام الأَمنُ وانتبهَ الحذَارُ

So safety fell asleep and caution woke up.

Judicious opinion was enough for him in battle

وأَصبح قد كفاه الرأىُ حرباً

تحوم الهام فيها والنِّسَارُ

Where worries whirl and eagles swoop.

Free from needing you, O summits,

غنياً عن صُدُوْركِ يا عوالى

وعنْ سَفَهٍ بجدكِ يا شِفَارُ

Or from foolishness in your ruggedness, O cliffs.

Or from an army that says to him, “We were victorious,”

وعن جيشٍ يقولُ له ظَفِرنا

فأينَ لجينُ مالِكَ والنُّضارُ

Then where are the brigades of Malik and the elite force?

When your might fails you and you are persecuted,

اذا فَقَدَتْكَ بأسُكَ واستُضيمَتْ

فليس بها من الضيمِ انتصَارُ

Then there is no triumph in persecution.

Your patience before your authority is wisdom,

فحلمُك قبلَ ما ستمكنتَ حزْمٌ

وعفُوكَ بعدَ قَدرتِك اقتدَارُ

And your pardon after your power is capability.

I think time has brought us

أَظُنُّ الدهرَ فيما قد جَنَاهُ

أَرادَ النَّفْعَ وهو بنا ضِرَارُ

What it intended as harm.

So there is no requester that we say has succeeded

فلا مستوهبٌ فنقولُ أَجدَى

بما أَعطى ولا هو مُستعَارُ

In what he was given or borrowed.

What can we rely on from one who is unreliable

على ماذا نَعَوّلُ من مَلُولٍ

لياليه وانْ طالتْ قِصَارُ

Whose nights, however long, are short?

Its beginnings are confusion and deception

أَوائلُه ذهولٌ واغترَارٌ

وآخرُهُ حديثٌ واعتبَارُ

And its outcome advice and lesson.

The sorrowful of the earth return to it smooth

تَعُودُ به حُزونُ الأَرضِ سَهْلاً

وتنضُبُ بعدَ جمتها البحارُ

And after its bounty the seas run dry.

Things that perplexed minds,

أمورٌ حارتِ الأَلبابُ فيها

وغيرها على الناسِ الغُبَارُ

And others that covered people in ignorance.

They say, “Thus the stars decide,”

يقولونَ النجومُ بذاكَ تَقْضي

ويقضى اللهُ لا الفلكُ المُدَارُ

Yet God decides, not the rotating celestial sphere.

We are equal in His will,

كلانا في مشيئتهِ سَواءٌ

وليس لنا من الأمرِ الخَيَارُ

And we have no choice in the matter.

Convey to a people who sought our downfall

فأبلغْ معشراً طلبوا عُلانا

وظنوا أَنَّ همتنا تُعَارُ

And thought our resolve was to be disgraced,

We have triumphed over your time with a life

ظفِرنا من زَمانِكُمُ بعيشٍ

تساوى العُسْرُ فيه واليَسَارُ

Where hardship is equal to ease.

For man is not rich unless he is self-sufficient,

فانَّ المرءَ ما استغنى غنيٌّ

وحاجتُه الى الشىءِ افتقَارُ

And his need for something is want.