أَبلغْ بها أُمنيَّةَ الطالبِ
فالرزقُ بين الرِّدفِ والغاربِ
Deliver her wishes, O student
Though sustenance lies between uncertainty and nightfall
ولا تُذمِّم لوجاها فما ال
راحةُ يوماً في مَطَا اللاغبِ
Do not let her radiant face frown, for no
Rest comes for a day to the sleepless
ليلتُها في الدائبِ المنتقِي
بُغامُها في السارِح العازبِ
Her nights are spent in ceaseless vigil
Her mornings in deserted awakening
حُداؤها في الرَّكب أحظَى لها
من نَعقةِ الراعي أو الراكبِ
Her conversation among a traveling company is more gratifying to her
Than the barking of a shepherd or the cries of a rider
فاوتَ بين الطيرِ حالاتُها
من باطشٍ أو فَرِقٍ هائبِ
So her circumstances vary among the birds
From violence, separation, and startled flight
فالخسفُ للجاثمِ في وكرِهِ
والخِصبُ للقاطعِ والكاسبِ
For the cowering in his den is darkness
While for the active and the earner is fruitfulness
أفلحَ من داوسَ طُرْقَ العلا
موفَّقاً للسَّنَنِ اللاحبِ
Success comes to one who travels the paths of elevation
While conforming to time-honored ways
تُعجِبُه الفضلةُ في ماله
ما لم تَشُبْها مِنّةُ الواهب
He is pleased by surplus in his money
If it is not resembled by a gift from the giver
ذلك في المولَى غَداً في الغدا
مَثلبةٌ فاسددْ فمَ الثالبِ
That will be in the morning, while tomorrow eve
Corruption spreads - so steady your steps!
خوفي من العائب لي نجوةٌ
من الأذى تُشكَرُ للعائبِ
I fear the critic, yet for me survival
From harm is owed even to the critic
والناسُ أصحابِيَ ما لم تَمِلْ
وُسوقُ أثقالي على صاحبِ
People are my comrades unless I
Weary, and my burdens rest upon their bearer
أكون ما استغنيتُ عن رفدهم
جِلدةَ بين العينِ والحاجب
I remain only while independent of their provision
A skin between the eye and the brow
فإن عَرَتْ أو حدَثتْ حاجةٌ
فالحبلُ مَلْقِيٌّ على الغاربِ
When it is exposed or need arises
The rope lies upon the absent one
وكم أخٍ غَيَّرهُ يومُه ال
مُقبلُ عن أمسِ به الذاهبِ
How often a brother's day, not the
Coming morrow, differs from his vanished yesterday!
كنتُ وإيّاه زمانَ الصدَى
كالماء والقهوةِ للشاربِ
Once he and I for a time shared sweet converse
Like water mingled with coffee by the drinker
ومَدّ باعيْه فخلَّى يدِي
نهباً لكفّ القابِض الجاذبِ
But he stretched his hands, leaving mine
Prey to the grasping, pulling palm
مرّ فلم يعطِف لحُبِّ الصِّبا ال
جاني ولا حقِّ العلا الواجبِ
He passed by, turning not for love of youth
That drew near, nor duty of knowledge that was due
كأنَّ ما أَحكمتُ من ودّهِ
أبرمتُهُ لِلمسحَلِ القاضبِ
As though the affection I fixed with him
I had pledged to the overthrowing flood
اللّهَ للمغصوبِ فيكم على
ديونِه يا شِيعة الغاصبِ
By God! For the oppressed among you, against
His debtors - O party of the unjust!
قد قلتُ للخابط خلفَ المُنَى
مباعداً قارِبْ بها قاربِ
To the misguided behind death I have said:
"Draw near with it, draw near with the ship!"
اِحبس مطاياك فما في السرى
إلا جنونُ الطمعِ الكاذبِ
Restrain your mounts, for in traveling
Is but the madness of lying greed
لا تطلبنَّ الرزقَ من معدنٍ
يَنبوعه غيرُ أبي طالبِ
Seek not sustenance from a source
Whose springs are other than my father the chosen
فالبحُ مَن خلَّفَهُ
لم يقتنع بالوشلِ الناضبِ
Whoever lags behind the sea
Will not be content with the streaming bucket
خاطَرَ في المجد فغالىَ فتىً
لم يخشَ منه قَمْرةَ الغالبِ
He who ventured in glory esteemed a youth
Who did not fear the power of the victor
وكاثرَ الناسَ بإحسانِهِ
فلم يحزْهُ عددُ الحاسبِ
He vied with the people in his benevolence
Yet was not bounded by the number of the recorder
إذا احتبى ينسبُ علياءه
دار عليه قُطُبُ الناسبِ
When he is distinguished, his lofty origin
Returns to the noble line of his ancestors
ضمّ إلى ما كسبتْ نفسُهُ
سالفةً في عرقِهِ الضاربِ
He joined to what his soul had earned
An inherited and cultivated glory
فظلَّ لا يَشْرُفُ من جانبلٍ
إلا دَعاهُ الفخرُ من جانبِ
So he continued undeterred by any side
Except that honor summoned him from that side
من معشَرٍ تضحكُ أَيمانُهم
إن آَدَ عامُ السنةِ الشاحبِ
From a company whose oaths
Laugh should the lean year of dearth arrive
تُحلَبُ أموالُهمُ ثَرَّةً
والضرعُ مبسوسٌ على الحالبِ
Their wealth is milked as a copious rain
While the udder is stroked by the milker
لهم نَدِيٌّ شَرِقٌ منهُمُ
بكلِّ مخطوبٍ له خاطبِ
For them the fresh east wind blows from them
To every sought-after object of desire
لا نائمُ السامرِ في الليلةِ ال
طُّولَى ولا منتقِرُ الآدبِ
No sleepy caravan by night, and no
Settled chamber-companion left inactive
هم وَزَرُوا الدولاتِ واستنصحوا
رَعْياً على العاطفِ والساربِ
They took charge of dynasties and gave counsel
To preserve the emotional bond and the ties
وهم سيوفُ الخلفاءِ التي
تُعلِّم الضربَ يدَ الضاربِ
They are the swords of caliphs which
Instruct the hand of the striker in striking
غاروا نجوماً ووفَتْ بابنهم
شهادةُ الطالعِ للغاربِ
They rose as stars, and their son's death
Bore witness to their setting
حَذَأ وزادته قُوَى نفسِهِ
والمجدُ للموروثِ والكاسبِ
He donned ability, and his inherent strength increased,
While glory belongs to the inherited and to the earner
زيادةَ البدرِ بشَعشاعهِ
على ضياء الكوكبِ الثاقبِ
The excess of the full moon with its rays
Over the bright star's piercing beams
ليتَ عيوناً لهمُ في الثرى
مغضوضةً بالقدَرِ اللازبِ
Would that for them eyes in the earth
Were darkened by binding fate
تراك في رتبتهم جالساً
تأمُرُ في العارِضِ والراتبِ
You see yourself seated in their ranks
Commanding the concurrent and the fixed
حتى يُقِرَّ اللّهُ منها الذي
أُقذِيَ بالرامسِ والتاربِ
Until God should settle with it the one
Who was harmed by the firmly-binding cord
قد عَرَفَ القائمُ بالأمرِ مذ
سَلَّكَ أنَّ القطعَ للقاضبِ
The minister has known since
You tread the path that cutting is for the executor
ظَهَرتَ بالعفَّةِ سلطانَهُ
هذا وما الزاهدُ كالراغبِ
By your probity his authority appeared
Even as the ascetic differs from the desirous
وصنتَ وما حَسَّنَ من ذكرِهِ
عن دنَسِ القادحِ والقاصبِ
You were virtuous, and no fair renown
Was soiled by the detractor and the defamer
فلا تَزَلْ عندك من طَوْلِهِ
ما عنده من رأيك الصائبِ
So may you never lack near you from his length
What is present in him from your truthful view
ولا خَلاَ دَستُك من مركبٍ
غاشٍ ومن راحٍ ومن هائبِ
Never empty of vessels, hordes, or startled beasts
Be your hands for smiting, oar, or startling
وعام لي منك ربيع الذي
يُرضِي رياضِي بالحَيَا الساكبِ
And for me from you be a spring like that
Which contents my garden with abundant showers
وجُنَّتِي الحصداءُ إن صاحَ بي
دهريَ لا سَلْمَ فقم حاربِ
Should my barren garden cry out to me
In my life - no peace, so rise and fight!
ما ليَ في فقري إلى ناصرٍ
سواكمَنْ أحمِي به جانبي
For in my poverty what other defender have I
Besides you to guard my flanks?
في ودّك استبليتُ ثوبَ الصِّبا
وفيه أنضو بُردةَ الشائبِ
In your love my youthful garb I donned
And in it I wrap myself in the cloak of old age
قلبي لك المأمونُ تقليبُهُ
ما قام ريّانُ على ماربِ
My heart I give to your safekeeping, its
Turning is restless atop its bending peg
أبيضُ ثوبِ الودّ صافٍ على
لونَيْهِ من راضٍ ومن عائبِ
Pure white is the garment of love upon
Both its surfaces, both agreeable and blamable
وكُلَّما أُنسيتُمُ صُحبتي
ذكَّرنيكُمْ زَمنُ الصاحبِ
And whenever I forget your company
The time of companionship reminds me of you
وخُرَّداً أرسلتُها شُرَّداً
من حابلٍ منكم ومن حائبِ
Like pearls I sent them scattered
From every loving and escaping cord
كلّ فتاةٍ مَعَ تعنيسها
تفضَحُ حُسنَ الغادةِ الكاعبِ
Each maiden though concealed
Reveals the beauty of the wanton glancing eye
ضوافياً من فوقِ أعراضِكم
للمُسدِلِ المُرخِي وللساحبِ
Glances from above your honorable limits
To the lowering, the winking, the ardent admirer
سارتْ مع الشمس وعمَّت مع ال
غيث فمن ذاكٍ ومن هاضبِ
They traveled with the sun, and coupled with the
Rain, so who compares to that or this?
تعلَقُ بالآذان موصولةً
غَشْماً بلا إذنٍ ولا حاجبِ
They cling to ears connected
Shamelessly without leave or veil
تنضُبُ أعلاماً لكم سَيرُها
في الأرضِ فلتُشكَرْ يَدُ الناصبِ
They raise banners for you, the course of which
In earth - so thank the banner's raiser!
كَرَّرتِ الأعيادُ أعدادَها
والمهرجاناتُ على الحاسبِ
The seasons repeat their counts
And festivals against the calendar
حتى لقد خافت بما أكثرتْ
ملالةَ القارىء والكاتبِ
Until even the reader and the writer fear
The boredom of their excess
