أَتَظُنَّ الوُرقَ في الأَيكِ تُغَنّي
إِنَّما تُضمِرُ حُزناً مِثلَ حُزني
Do you think the leaves in the branches sing for you?
No, they harbour sorrow like my sorrow
لا أَراكَ اللَّهُ نَجداً بَعدَها
أَيُّها الحادي بِنا إِن لَم تُجِبني
May Allah not let you see joy after this
O you who led us, if you do not answer me
هَل تُباريني إِلى بَثِّ الجَوى
في دِيارِ الحَيِّ نَشوى ذاتُ غُصنِ
Do you want to compete with me in expressing my love
In the land of the living, a branch with blossoms aroused my yearning
هَب لَنا السَّبقَ وَلَكِن زادَنا
أَنَّنا نَبكي عَلَيها وَتُغَنّي
Excuse us though we have outrun you
For we cry over it while you sing
يا زَمانَ الخيفِ هَل مِن عَودَةٍ
يَسمَحُ الدَّهرُ بِها مِن بَعدِ ضَنِّ
O time of my disgrace! Will there ever be
A time when fate allows return after abandonment?
أَرَضِينا بِثَنِيّاتِ اللِّوى
عَن زَرودٍ يا لَها صَفقةَ عَبنِ
Console us with the twigs of the bent branches
Of a willow tree - oh what a slapping of branches!
سَل أَراك الجَزع هَل جادَت بِهِ
مُزنَةٌ رَوَّت ثَراء مِثلَ جَفني
Ask sorrow - has it been generous to me
With a misfortune that narrated prosperity like my eyelids?
وَأَحادِيثُ الغَضا هَل عَلِمَت
أَنَّها تَملِكُ قَلبي قَبلَ أذني
And the talks of the youth - do they know
That they possess my heart before my ears?
لَستُ أَرتاعُ لِخَطبٍ نازِلٍ
إِنَّما الخَوفُ لِقَلبٍ مُطمَئنِّ
I am not afraid of impending misfortunes
Rather, I fear a heart that feels safe
وَكَريمُ القَوم لا أَسأَلُهُ
فَلِماذا يَعرِضُ الباخِلُ عَنّي
I do not ask the generous one of the people
So why does the stingy one shun me?
قَد رَضينا بإِباء عَن غِنىً
وَيعِزّ اليأس عَن ذُلِّ التمَنّي
We have agreed to refuse wealth
And despair prevents the humiliation of wishing
صاحِبِ الدَّهرَ قَليلاً تَعتَرِف
فيهِ بِالسَّجلينِ مِن سَهلٍ وَحَزنِ
Befriend fate a little and admit
In it the two registers of ease and sorrow
يُخبِرُ الصّاحِبُ عَن إِخوانِهِ
فَاسأَلِ الصّارِمَ ما يَعرِفُ مِنّي
A friend tells about his brothers
So ask the executioner what he knows of me
وَذَليلٍ موعِدٍ لي بِالرَّدى
إِنَّما يَطمَعُ أَن يُحسَبَ قِرني
A wretch destined for misery hopes
Only to be counted as my peer
نَم عَلى ضِلعِكَ ما رُعتَ بِها
إِنَّما قَعقَعتَ لِلطَّودِ بِشَنِّ
You slept on your side protected by it
You only rattled the cooking pots with evil
لَستُ أَرضاكَ لِحَربي فَاحتَرِز
بِزمام الهونِ مِن ضَربي وَطَعني
I will not please you with my war, so beware
Lest I restrain you with the bridle from my blows and stabbing
مَيسِمٌ يُشهِرُ قَدراً خامِلاً
أَنتَ مِن لَذعَتِهِ في شَرِّ أَمنِ
A drawn sword that reveals a dormant potency
You are in the worst safety from its sharpness
كُن مَعَ الأَيّام أَلباً إِنَّما
صُلتُ في الدَّهرِ بكَفٍّ لَم تَنَلني
Be with the days a foe; my relationship in fate
Was only with a palm that did not reach me
بِعَزيزِ الدَّولَةِ امتَدت يَدي
فَعَلى فَرعِ السُّها أَسحَبُ رُدني
With the mighty ruler my hand extended
So above the boughs of Suhā I pull my quiver
سَل صُروفَ الدَّهرِ عَنّي عِندَهُ
أَيُّ آباء وَفي أَيِّ مجنِّ
Ask the turns of fate about me in his presence
What fathers, and in what social class?
قادَني بَعدَ شِماس بِشرُهُ
لَو بَغاني بِسِواهُ لَم يَقُدني
After the new moon his good omen led me
Even if others than him tried, they would not lead me
سَبَقَ النّاسُ إِلَيها صَفقَةً
لَم يَعُد رائِدُها عَنّي بِغُبنِ
The people outstripped me making a deal with it
Its guide did not cheat me
قَصَّرَت آمالُنا عَن جودِهِ
فَعَلَيهِ لا عَلى الآمالِ نُثني
Our hopes fell short of his generosity
So we blame the hopes, not him
لا تَلوموهُ عَلى إقتارِهِ
يَهدِمُ المُترِبُ وَالمُنفِضُ يَبني
Do not blame him for his lack
The squanderer destroys and the hoarder builds
فَكَأَنَّ المالَ آلى حِلفَةً
لأَهينن بَخيلاً لَم يُهِنّي
So it is as if the money has allied
To disgrace a stingy man who did not disgrace me
مِن كِرام أَدَّبَ الدَّهرُ بِهِم
بَعدَ ما كانَ عَلى الأَحرارِ يَجني
Of the generous ones fate disciplined them
After it used to harvest the noble
نَقَلوا سُمرَ القَنا يَومَ الوَغى
بِسياط مِثلِها في الطّعنِ لُدنِ
They moved the thick wine on the day of battle
With swords the likes of which pierce deep in stabbing
كُلُّ مَيّاسٍ جَرَت أَعطافُهُ
وَعَواليهِ عَلى حُكمِ التَّثنِّي
Every drawn sword whose scabbard
And sheath are ruled by the doubling
هِزَّة لِلجودِ صارَت نَشوَة
لَم يُكَدِّر عِندَها العُرفُ بِمَنِّ
An arousal to generosity became an intoxication
Which etiquette did not turbid with blaming
طَلَبوا الشَّأوَ فَوافى سابِقاً
جَذَعٌ غَبَّرَ في وَجهِ المُسِنِّ
They sought eminence, so there came preceding
A stalwart who roughened the face of the old man
صيغَ لِلفَضلِ مِثالاً شَخصُهُ
إِنَّما مادِحُهُ لِلفَضلِ يَعني
His personality was molded as an ideal of virtue
The one praising him means to praise virtue
هُوَ في اللأواء رُكني لاهَفَت
ريحُكَ النكباء يا دَهرُ بِرُكني
He is my pillar in adversities, the contrary winds
Did not shake my pillar, O fate
يا ابنَ فَخرِ المُلكِ فَخراً إِنَّهُ
نَسَبٌ يَقنَعُ في المَجدِ وَيُغني
O son of the pride of kingship, pride that
Is a lineage that suffices for glory and enriches
قُدتَ مَدحي بَعدَ ما كانَت بِهِ
عِزَّةُ السِّرَّينِ مِن صَدري وَجَفني
You have led my praise after it was
The honor of the two intimate friends of my chest and eyelids
وَأَبى دونَ لِئام تَبِعوا
سُنَّةَ الأَيّامِ في بُخلٍ وَجُبنِ
And the villains who pursued
The course of time in stinginess and cowardice
كُلَّ مَن يُسفِرُ لي مِن بِئرِهِ
لَمعَةُ الخُلبِ في المَحلِ المُبِنِّ
All who uncover for me from his well
The shine of deceit in the obvious place
يُتبِعُ الجودَ إِذا ما غَلَطَت
كَفُّهُ بِالجودِ يَوماً قَرعَ سِنِّ
He follows generosity if his palm
Erroneously stinted one day it struck flint
مِن بَني الدَّهرِ لَهُم مِن لُؤمِهِ
نَسَبٌ ألحِقَ فيهِ الأَبُ بابنِ
Of fate's sons, they have from its meanness
A lineage in which the father joins the son
بَذلُكَ المَعروفَ مَعَ بُخلِهِمُ
مَنظَرٌ ما شِئتَ مِن قُبح وَحُسنِ
With that kindness despite their stinginess
A spectacle - whatever you wish of ugly and beautiful
صَرَفَت عَنكَ اللَّيالي ناظِراً
لَم يَزَل يَرنو إِلى الفَضلِ بِضِغنِ
The nights turned you away looking
At glory which never ceases to yearn intensely
وَسَمَت بي أَن يُرامى جانِبي
بِرَعاديدٍ مِنَ الأَقوام لُكنِ
And it was destined that my side be pelted
With bits and pieces from the people, degraded
