سَرَت بِمَلامٍ حينَ هَوَّمَ عُذَّلي

مَلامَةَ لا قالِ وَلا مُتَبَدِّلِ

My destiny reproached me when misfortunes assailed,

Reproaches that admit no words nor change,

رَأَت رَجُلاً خاضَ الغِنى ثُمَّ أَعقَبَت

حَوادِثُ تُفني عِفَّةَ المُتَجَمِّلِ

I saw a man who enjoyed riches, then reverses befell him,

Events that ruin the virtue of one who dresses finely,

كِليني إِلى هَمٍّ كَفى العَذلَ أَهلُهُ

قَرينَةِ عَزمٍ بِالهُمومِ مُوَكَّلِ

Lean me toward a care that suffices one so reproached,

The mate of a purpose attended by worries,

يُصيبُ أَخو العَجزِ الغِنى وَهُوَ وادِعٌ

وَيُخطِئُ جُهدَ القُلَّبِ المُتَحَيِّلِ

The brother of weakness attains wealth while tranquil,

Yet the striving of the crafty plotter goes astray,

دَعيني أَقِف عَزمي مَعَ العُدمِ قانِعاً

وَوَجهي جَديدُ الصَونِ لَم يَتَبَذَّلِ

Let me stand, my resolve content with poverty,

My face newly guarded, not debased,

فَإِنَّ الفَتى ما عاشَ رَهنُ تَقَلُّبٍ

مُدالٌ بِصَرفى دَهرِهِ المُتَحَوِّلِ

For the youth lives not unless host to vicissitude,

Buffeted through his fortune’s caprice,

أَقولُ لِمَأفونِ البَديهَةِ طائِرٍ

مَعَ الحِرصِ لَم يَغنَم وَلَم يَتَمَوَّلِ

I say to the keen-witted bird, bad luck go with you,

For with greed you have gained nothing and owned nothing,

سَلِ الناسَ إِنّي سائِلُ اللَهَ وَحدَهُ

وَصائِنُ عِرضي عَن فُلانٍ وَعَن فُلِ

Ask people. I ask God alone,

And guard my honor from So-and-so and from So-and-so,

إِذا رَكِبَ اللَيلُ الضِعافَ رِكبتُهُ

زَميلي السُرى وَالرِدفُ عَزمي وَمُنصُلي

When night rides the weak, I ride it,

My companions being travel and my ready mount,

وَقَد عَجَمَت مِنّي الخُطوبُ اِبنَ هِمَّةٍ

مَتى ما يُرِبهُ مَنزِلُ السوءِ يَرحَلِ

Misfortunes have hastened from me, son of resolve,

Whenever the abode of evil startles him, he departs,

إِذا ضافَهُ هَمُّ قَراهُ عَزيمَةً

هِيَ الهَمُّ ما لَم يَغشَ وِرداً فَيَنزِلِ

When cares guest him, his purpose hosts them;

As long as they have not pitched camp, they do not alight,

أَخو العَزمِ لا يَبني عَلى الهَونِ بَيتَهُ

عَروفَ السُرى في كُلِّ بَيداءَ مَجهَلِ

The brother of resolve builds not his home on baseness;

Well known on the roads in every desolate waste,

إِذا شاءَ قادَتهُ إِلى حَمدِ ماجِدٍ

عَزائِمُ لَم تُزجَر بِطائِرِ أَخيَلِ

When he desires, his resolutions lead him

To the praise of glorious deeds, not deterred by cowards,

بَلَغنا بِسَهلِ ثَروَةٍ وَوَسيلَةٍ

إِلى وَفرِ مالٍ واسِعٍ وَتَفَضُّلِ

We attained, through an easy abundance and means,

A copious wealth and overflowing plenty,

كَفى غَيرَ أَنَّ الحادِثاتِ تَخَرَّمَت

طَريفَ الغِنى وَاِستَأثَرَت بِالمُؤَثَّلِ

It suffices—save that reversals have pierced

The sweetness of wealth and monopolized the feeble one,

وَعِندَ أَبي يَحيى غِناً لا يَمُنُّهُ

وَعَودٌ مَتى ما يُدبِرِ المالُ يُقبِلِ

And my father possesses wealth that none denies him

And a habit—whenever goods run short—of returning,

عَرَضتُ لَهُ عَرضَ الإِخاءِ فَرَبَّهُ

بِنِعمَةِ مَحمودِ الصَنائِعِ مُجمِلِ

I proposed to him the pact of brotherhood; so he reared me

Through the blessing of his praised craftsmanship,

جَوادٌ تَغاواهُ العَواذِلُ بَينَها

وَيُقصِرنَ عَنهُ هَيبَةَ المُتَذَلِّلِ

A generous man whom coquettes vie over

And from whom they fall short in awe of one who grovels,

يَرَينَ مَكانَ اللَومِ ثُمَّ يَهَبنَهُ

فَيُمسِكنَ عَن غاوٍ لَدَيها مُعَذَّلِ

They see the place of blame, then he grants it;

Thus he checks himself from one to whom he accorded favor,

لَهُ بَدَهاتٌ مِن فِعالٍ وَقَولُهُ

هُوَ الفِعلُ إِلّا رَيثَ وَعدٍ مُعَجَّلِ

He has spontaneous boons and his words

Are action unless appointment of a promise accelerated,

فَتى كَرَمٍ يُعطي وَإِن قَلَّ مالُهُ

وَلا يَتَّقي طُلّابَهُ بِالتَعَلُّلِ

A noble man gives though his money be little

And seeks no pretext against those who ask of him,

طَليقٌ إِذا المَعروفُ أَصبَحَ أَهلُهُ

كَأَنَّ بِهِم مِن حَملِهِ مَسَّ أَفكَلِ

Unconstrained, when beneficence has met its people,

As if, through them, some of its burden touched him,

تَرى الجودَ يَجري في صَفيحَةِ وَجهِهِ

وَإِن كانَ في جَدبٍ مِنَ الأَرضِ مُمحِلِ

You see generosity flowing on the platter of his face

Though the land be arid where he dwells,

تَضَيَّفَني مَعروفُهُ فَقَرَيتُهُ

ذَخيرَةَ مَضمونِ الثَناءِ المُنَخَّلِ

His bounty hosted me, so I embraced it—

A treasury guaranteed as praised storehouses,

هُوَ المَرءُ إِن تُرهِقهُ يَرجِعكَ شَأوُهُ

بَهيراً وَإِن تَنزِل عَلى القَصدِ يَنزِلِ

He is the man: if straits should crush him, his repute returns you

A sea, and if you alight at moderation, he alights,

يَقولُ فَيَعلو قَولُهُ وَهوَ مُنصِفٌ

وَيَمنَعُ مَحموداً وَإِن يُعطِ يُجزِلِ

He speaks, so his words rise high, and he is equitable,

He refuses praise though he give generously,

وَإِن خَصَّ لَم تَعدُ الصَنيعَةُ أَهلَها

وَإِن عَمَّ أَعطى غَيرَ نَزرٍ مُقَلَّلِ

If he singled out, the benefaction sought not its people,

And if he generalized, he gave beyond a meager measure,

فَجاوِر بَني الصَبّاحِ تَعقِد بِذِمَّةٍ

وَتَأوِ إِلى حِصنٍ مَنيعٍ وَمَعقِلِ

So dwell as Bani Sabah’s neighbor, pledged

And take refuge in an unassailable, guarded fortress,

تَعَلَّم بِأَنّي لَم أُغالِكَ مِدحَةً

وَلَم أَتَعَرَّض نائِلاً مِن مُمَوَّلِ

Know that I have not flattered you with praise

Nor approached you seeking largesse from a patron,

وَلَستُ بِهَجّاءٍ إِذا السَيبُ راثَني

وَلا حامِلٍ مَدحي عَلى غَيرِ مَحمِلِ

I am no railer if past deeds should rail against me

Nor one who carries my praise of what bears it not,

سَبَقتَ إِلى شُكري وَكُنتَ مُفَوَّهاً

فَلَم أَجحَدِ النُعمى وَلَم أَتَقَوَّلِ

You preceded me in thanks and were forthcoming,

So I did not deny blessings or act miserly,

أُقَصِّرُ عَن أَشياءَ وَالشُكرُ جاهِدٌ

وَحَسبُكَ مِن شُكرِ اِمرِئٍ غَيرَ مُؤتَلِ

I fall short of things, but gratitude struggles on,

And it suffices you from one thanking who is not derelict,

حَلَفتُ لَقَد أَعطَيتَني غَيرَ سائِلٍ

وَأَعذَرتُ في المَعروفِ غَيرَ مُبَخَّلِ

I swear you have given me without my asking

And pardoned in kindness without being grudging,

وَإِنّي لَمَغبوطٌ بِقُربِكَ ذو غِنىً

وَإِن عَرَكَتني الحادِثاتُ بِكَلكَلِ

Happy am I to be near you, rich man,

Though mishaps pelt me with gravel,

مَعاريضُ لا الشَكوى يُحاوِلُ رَبُّها

وَلا أَنتَ فيها لِلثَناءِ بِمَعزِلِ

They are purebreds whose Lord trials do not court

Nor are you among them for praise set apart,