أَغرى بِهِ الشَوقُ لَيلَ الساهِرِ الرَمِدِ
وَنَظرَةٌ وَكَّلَت عَينَيهِ بِالسُهُدِ
Longing led the insomniac's night astray
And a glance burdened his eyes with wakefulness
أَمُنقَضٍ عَنهُ حُزنٌ ما يُفارِقُهُ
أَقامَ بَينَ الحَشى بِالسُقمِ وَالكَمَدِ
Is it sorrow departing from him
Lingering in his breast with illness and stillness?
أَم لَيسَ ناسِيَ أَيّامٍ لَهُ سَلَفَت
جَرَت عَلَيهِ بِلَذّاتٍ فَلَم تَعُدِ
Or does he not forget days gone by for him
That flowed upon him with pleasures but did not return?
أَحيا البُكا لَيلَهُ حَتّى إِذا تَلِفَت
نَفسُ الدُجى وَاِستَنارَ الصُبحُ كَالوَقَدِ
He spent the night weeping until, when the darkness waned
And dawn lit up like kindling, he rose
غادى الشَمولَ فَعاطَتهُ سَمادِرُها
طَيفاً بِهِ أَلَّفَت روحاً إِلى جَسَدِ
Wandering, so its phantoms accompanied him
Embodying a spirit for his body
كَأَنَّها وَسِنانُ الماءِ يَقتُلُها
عَقيقَةٌ ضَحِكَت في عارِضٍ بَرِدِ
As if they were the fangs of water killing him
An agate laughing in a cool cheek
حَتّى إِذا الراحُ قامَت عَنهُ فَترَتُها
ريعَ الكَرى وَأَقامَت حَسرَةُ الخَلَدِ
Until when comfort stood up from him did its visitation cease
The winds of fate blew and the sorrow of eternity remained
يَكادُ يُسليهِ مَرُّ الحادِثاتِ بِهِ
لَولا بَقايا دَواعي قَلبِهِ الكَمِدِ
The succession of events almost consoles him
Were it not for remnants of his stilled heart's impulses
لَو ساعَفَ الدَهرُ لَاِرتَدَّت غَضارَتُهُ
وَلَاِستَرَدَّ مَوَدّاتِ المَها الخُرُدِ
Had time doubly increased he would regain his verdure
And seek the friendship of maidens once more
ماذا تَراءى لَهُ نَأيُ الخَليطِ بِهِ
غَداةَ يَحمَدُ لَمّا أَو يَذُمُّ قَدِ
What did the estrangement of society seem to be to him
The next morning whether he praises or blames the past?
لِلَّهِ دَرُّ اللَواتي عِفنَ مَكرَعَهُ
حَتّى صَدَرنَ بِهِ ظَمآنَ لَم يَرِدِ
God bless the girls whose coyness spared him
Until they caused him - thirsty - to gain no want
خافَ العُيونَ وَضَمَّتهُ عَزيمَتُهُ
إِلى اِمتِناعٍ عَلى جَولانَ مُطَّرِدِ
He feared eyes and his resolve drew him
To refusal to wander free
وَرُحنَ وَالعَينُ لِلتَّوديعِ واكِفَةٌ
إِنسانُها مِن مَسيلِ الدَمعِ في صُعُدِ
And they departed - the eye coping with farewell -
Its person pouring tears on the trail
بِاللَهِ أُخلِفُ ما أَتلَفتُ مِن نَشبٍ
وَعادَةُ الجودِ في أَبياتِيَ الشُرُدِ
By God, I will make up for the wasted passions
And the habit of generosity in my nomadic verses
تَهوى بِأَشعَثَ أَعطاهُ المُنى أَمَلٌ
وَعُقدَةٌ مِن رَجاءٍ ضامِنِ العُقَدِ
He desires the unkempt one whom hope has given success
And a knot of expectation guaranteeing the covenant
فَاِستَودَعَتهُ بُطونَ البيدِ هِمَّتُهُ
وَأَودَعَتهُ السُرى في الوَعثِ وَالجَدَدِ
So his ambition deposited him in the bellies of the desert
And the journeys left him among the haircloth and the leather skins
حَتّى إِذا قَبَضَ الإِدلاجُ بَسطَتَها
وَوُقِّفَت مِن مُنى الساري عَلى أَمَدِ
Until, when darkness grasped its expanse
And the goal of his journey was appointed without end
تَمَخَّضَت عَنهُ تِمّاً بَعدَ مَحمَلِهِ
شَهرَينِ بَيداءُ لَم تُضرَب وَلَم تَلِدِ
After the burden, two barren months gave birth to him
That were neither pitched nor brought forth
أَلقَتهُ كَالنَصلِ مَعطوفاً عَلى هِمَمٍ
يَعمَدنَ مُنتَجِعاتٍ خَيرَ مُعتَمِدِ
It cast him like a blade attached to resolves
That sought resting places, the best of supports
تَخَطَّأَت نَومَهُ عَنهُ وَشايَعَهُ
دَأبُ الجَديدَينِ وَالعيدِيَّةِ الوُخُدِ
Its custom woke his sleep from him and shared him
With the new moons and the festivals, happy events
حاشى لِطالِبِ عُرفٍ أَن يَخيبَ عَلى
نَدى يَدَيكَ وَلَو حاشاكَ لَم يَجِدِ
Far be it that the seeker of prestige should fail
By the bliss before you, though without you he would not find
ظُنونُ راجي الَّذي يَرجوكَ واثِقَةٌ
أَلّا يُخَيَّبَ فيها آخِرَ الأَبَدِ
The hopes of one hopeful in you are confident
That he will not be disappointed in them until the end of time
تَأتى عَطاياهُ شَتّى غَيرَ واحِدَةٍ
مُؤَمِّليهِ وَإِن كانوا عَلى بَعدِ
Your gifts come varied, not just one,
To those who expect them, even if distant
كَحَملَةِ السَيلِ تَأتي بَعدَ عاشِرَةٍ
لَهُ قَراقيرُ بِالآذِيِّ وَالزَبَدِ
Like the torrent they come after a tenth
To him its bells with foam and turbidness
لا يَمنَعُ العُرفُ مِن إِلحاحِ طالِبِهِ
وَلا يُقَرِّبُ مِنهُ رِفقُ مُتَّئِدِ
Custom does not prevent insistence from its seeker
Nor bring him near, courteous, slowly
يَبِرُّ بِالجودِ يَحميهِ وَيَكلَؤُهُ
كَأَنَّهُ والِدٌ يَحنو عَلى وَلَدِ
He acts generously, protecting and patronizing him
As if he were a father affectionate to his son
أَغنى الصَديقَ فَعاشوا مِنهُ في رَغَدٍ
وَاِستَلَّ جودُ يَدَيهِ غِلَّ ذي الحَسَدِ
He enriched the friend so they lived comfortably through him
And the palm of his generosity extracted the spite of the envious
مُعَقِّرُ الكُومِ لِلأَضيافِ لَيسَ لَها
إِلّا المَكارِمَ مِن ذي عَقلٍ وَلا قَوَدِ
He who piles up food for the guests, they have no
Virtue but from one of reason and without zeal
تَأتي البُدورُ فَتُفنيها صَنائِعُهُ
وَما يُدَنَّسُ فيها كَفُّ مُنتَقِدِ
Misfortunes come and undo his works
And nothing polluted in them dirties the palm of the critic
لا يَعرِفُ المالَ إِلّا عِندَ سائِلِهِ
أَو يَومَ يَجمَعُهُ لِلنَهبِ وَالبَدَدِ
He does not know money except when asked
Or the day he collects it for pillage and squandering
