ولم أَرَ مِثْلِي ما له مِن مُعاصِرِ

ولا كمَضائِي ما له مِن مُضافِرِ

I have not seen anyone like me, who has no contemporary,

Nor anyone flashing like me, who has no equal.

ولَوْ كانَ لِي في الجَوِّ كِسْرٌ أَؤمُّهُ

رَكِبْتُ إِلَيْه ظَهْرَ فَتْخاءَ كاسِرِ

If I had a fracture in the air, I would ride

To it on the back of a sturdy, strong-winged bird.

وهَمَّتْ بإِجْهاشٍ عليّ وقد رَأَتْ

مُصابيَ في آثار إِحْدى الكَبائِرِ

She was about to collapse on me when she saw

My wounds from one of the major disasters.

فقُلْتُ لها إِنْ تَجْزعِي مِن مَخَاطِرٍ

فإِنَّكِ لن تَحْظَيْ بغَيْرِ الْمَخَاطِرِ

I said to her, "If you panic because of dangers,

Then you will never gain anything but dangers."

تَشَهَّتْ ثِمارَ الوَفْرِ مِني وإِنَّها

لَدَى كُلِّ مُبْيَضِّ العَنانِيز وافِرِ

She craved the ripe fruits of abundance from me, though she

Has plenty at the watering places of the white-foreheaded camels.

له في بَياضِ اليَوْمِ يَقْظةُ فَاجِرٍ

وتَحْتَ سَوادِ اللَّيْلِ هَجْعةُ كافِرِ

By day he is awake with wicked vigilance,

And by night beneath the darkness he sleeps the sleep of the unbeliever.

رُويْدَكِ حتَّى تَنْظُرِي عَمَّ تَنْجَلي

غَيابةُ هَذا العارِضِ المُتَناثِرِ

Restrain yourself until you see the outcome

Of the dispersal of this transient event.

ودُونَ اعْتِزامِي هَضْبةٌ كِسْرَويّةٌ

مِن الحَزْمِ سَلْمانِيّةٌ في المَكاسِرِ

Beneath my resolve is a hill, like a cypress grove,

Made of prudence, Solomon-like in disasters.

إِذا نَحْنُ أَسنَدْنا إِلَيْها تَبَلَّجَتْ

مَوارِدُنا عن نَيِّراتِ المَصادِرِ

When we lean upon it, our resources gush forth

From the springs of destiny.

وأَنْتَ ابْنَ حَزْمٍ مُنْعِشٌ مِن عِثَارِها

إِذا ما شَرقْنا بالجُدُودِ العَواثِرِ

You, son of wisdom, are a reviver from its stumbling

When we rise at dawn, stumbling.

وما جَرَّ أَذْيالَ الغِنى نَحْوَ بَيْتِهِ

كأَرْوَعَ مُعْرَوْرٍ ظُهُورَ الجَرائِرِ

Wealth has never dragged its train

Toward his house, like the backs of excellent horses.

إِذا ما تَبَغَّى نَضْرةَ العَيْشِ كَرَّها

لَدَى مَشْرَعٍ للمَوْتِ لمحة ناظِرِ

When he craves the freshness of life, it spurns him

At the place where death's glimpse awaits the onlooker.

فَسَلَّ مِن التَّأوِيلِ فيها مُهَنَّداً

أَخُو شافِعِيّات كَرِيمُ العَناصِرِ

So ask him gently to interpret it -

A brother of the Shafi'ites, noble in origin.

لِمُعْتَزِليِّ الرّأَىِ ناءٍ عن الهُدَى

بَعِيدِ المرامِي مُسْتَمِيتِ البَصَائِرِ

For the Mu'tazilite of opinion, remote from guidance,

Lost in purpose, blinded of insight.

يُطالِبُ بالهنْدِيِّ في كُلِّ فَتْكَةٍ

ظُهُورَ المَذاكِي عن ظُهورِ المَنابِرِ

In every battle he calls for help

From the backs of the pulpits, not the backs of the horses.