الحُزنُ يُقلِقُ وَالتَجَمُّلُ يَردَعُ
وَالدَمعُ بَينَهُما عَصِيٌّ طَيِّعُ
Grief disturbs the soul, while stoic grace restrains;
Between the two, the tear is both rebel and slave.
يَتَنازَعانِ دُموعَ عَينِ مُسَهَّدٍ
هَذا يَجيءُ بِها وَهَذا يَرجِعُ
They battle for the tears of a sleepless eye;
One summons them forth, the other drives them in.
النَومُ بَعدَ أَبي شُجاعٍ نافِرٌ
وَاللَيلُ مُعيٍ وَالكَواكِبُ ظُلَّعُ
Sleep, after Abu Shuja’, has fled away,
The night is weary, and the stars limp on.
إِنّي لَأَجبُنُ مِن فِراقِ أَحِبَّتي
وَتُحِسُّ نَفسي بِالحِمامِ فَأَشجَعُ
I am a coward when facing the loss of friends,
Yet when my soul senses death, I turn brave.
وَيَزيدُني غَضَبُ الأَعادي قَسوَةً
وَيُلِمُّ بي عَتبُ الصَديقِ فَأَجزَعُ
The wrath of foes but hardens my resolve,
Yet a friend’s reproach strikes me, and I break.
تَصفو الحَياةُ لِجاهِلٍ أَو غافِلٍ
عَمّا مَضى فيها وَما يُتَوَقَّعُ
Life runs clear only for the fool or the heedless,
Blind to what has passed and what is yet to come.
وَلِمَن يُغالِطُ في الحَقائِقِ نَفسَهُ
وَيَسومُها طَلَبَ المُحالِ فَتَطمَعُ
And for him who deludes his own soul regarding truth,
Urging it to seek the impossible, until it covets.
أَينَ الَّذي الهَرَمانِ مِن بُنيانِهِ
ما قَومُهُ ما يَومُهُ ما المَصرَعُ
Where now is the builder of the Great Pyramids?
Who were his people? What was his day? How did he fall?
تَتَخَلَّفُ الآثارُ عَن أَصحابِها
حيناً وَيُدرِكُها الفَناءُ فَتَتبَعُ
The monuments linger long after their lords,
Awhile, till ruin catches them, and they follow suit.
لَم يُرضِ قَلبَ أَبي شُجاعٍ مَبلَغٌ
قَبلَ المَماتِ وَلَم يَسَعهُ مَوضِعُ
No limit ever satisfied Abu Shuja’s heart,
Before his death, nor could any space contain him.
كُنّا نَظُنُّ دِيارَهُ مَملوءَةً
ذَهَباً فَماتَ وَكُلُّ دارٍ بَلقَعُ
We thought his vaults were filled with hoarded gold,
He died, and lo—every house lies empty and bare.
وَإِذا المَكارِمُ وَالصَوارِمُ وَالقَنا
وَبَناتُ أَعوَجَ كُلُّ شَيءٍ يَجمَعُ
For behold: his honor, the sharp swords, and the spears,
And the thoroughbred steeds—these were all the wealth he gathered.
المَجدُ أَخسَرُ وَالمَكارِمُ صَفقَةً
مِن أَن يَعيشَ لَها الكَريمُ الأَروَعُ
Glory and honor are a losing trade indeed,
If the noble, magnificent soul must live for their sake.
وَالناسُ أَنزَلُ في زَمانِكَ مَنزِلاً
مِن أَن تُعايِشَهُم وَقَدرُكَ أَرفَعُ
The people of your time occupy too low a station
For you to dwell among them, when your rank is so high.
بَرِّد حَشايَ إِنِ اِستَطَعتَ بِلَفظَةٍ
فَلَقَد تَضُرُّ إِذا تَشاءُ وَتَنفَعُ
Soothe my burning heart, if you can, with a single word;
For you have power to harm, as you wish, and to heal.
ما كانَ مِنكَ إِلى خَليلٍ قَبلَها
ما يُستَرابُ بِهِ وَلا ما يوجِعُ
Never before this did you offer a friend
Anything to cause doubt, nor anything to cause pain.
وَلَقَد أَراكَ وَما تُلِمُّ مُلِمَّةٌ
إِلّا نَفاها عَنكَ قَلبٌ أَصمَعُ
I used to watch you when calamity struck,
Repelled always by a heart vigilant and sharp.
وَيَدٌ كَأَنَّ قِتالَها وَنَوالَها
فَرضٌ يَحِقُّ عَلَيكَ وَهوَ تَبَرُّعُ
And a hand whose fighting and giving seemed
A mandatory duty, though truly a gift of grace.
يا مَن يُبَدِّلُ كُلَّ يَومٍ حُلَّةً
أَنّى رَضيتَ بِحُلَّةٍ لا تُنزَعُ
O you who used to change your raiment every day,
How are you content with a robe that is never removed?
ما زِلتَ تَخلَعُها عَلى مَن شاءَها
حَتّى لَبِستَ اليَومَ مالا تَخلَعُ
You ceased not to bestow robes on all who asked,
Until today you wear what you shall never cast off.
ما زِلتَ تَدفَعُ كُلَّ أَمرٍ فادِحٍ
حَتّى أَتى الأَمرُ الَّذي لا يُدفَعُ
You ceased not to repel every heavy burden,
Until the command arrived that can never be repelled.
فَظَلِلتَ تَنظُرُ لا رِماحُكَ شُرَّعٌ
فيما عَراكَ وَلا سُيوفُكَ قُطَّعُ
You lay gazing, your spears no longer leveled,
Against what befell you, your swords no longer keen.
بِأَبي الوَحيدُ وَجَيشُهُ مُتَكاثِرٌ
يَبكي وَمِن شَرِّ السِلاحِ الأَدمُعُ
My father be ransom for the lonely one, surrounded by armies,
Who weeps now—for tears are the most wretched of weapons.
وَإِذا حَصَلتَ مِنَ السِلاحِ عَلى البُكا
فَحَشاكَ رُعتَ بِهِ وَخَدَّكَ تَقرَعُ
If, of all weaponry, you are left only with weeping,
You but terrify your own heart and strike your own cheek.
وَصَلَت إِلَيكَ يَدٌ سَواءٌ عِندَها ال
بازي الأُشَيهِبُ وَالغُرابُ الأَبقَعُ
A hand has reached you that treats as equal
The noble grey falcon and the spotted crow.
مَن لِلمَحافِلِ وَالجَحافِلِ وَالسُرى
فَقَدَت بِفَقدِكَ نَيِّراً لا يَطلَعُ
Who now for the assemblies, the armies, the night-journeys?
In losing you, they lost a sun that shall not rise again.
وَمَنِ اِتَّخَذتَ عَلى الضُيوفِ خَليفَةً
ضاعوا وَمِثلَكَ لا يَكادُ يُضَيِّعُ
And whom have you appointed successor for your guests?
They are lost—though one like you would never let them be lost.
قُبحاً لِوَجهِكَ يا زَمانُ فَإِنَّهُ
وَجهٌ لَهُ مِن كُلِّ قُبحٍ بُرقُعُ
May your face be cursed, O Time, for truly
It is a face masked by every kind of ugliness.
أَيَموتُ مِثلُ أَبي شُجاعٍ فاتِكٌ
وَيَعيشُ حاسِدُهُ الخَصِيُّ الأَوكَعُ
Does a hero like Abu Shuja’ Fatik die,
While his envier lives on—that flat-footed eunuch?
أَيدٍ مُقَطَّعَةٌ حَوالي رَأسِهِ
وَقَفاً يَصيحُ بِها أَلا مَن يَصفَعُ
Cut-off hands hang about his head,
And a nape that cries out through them: "Is there no one to slap me?"
أَبقَيتَ أَكذَبَ كاذِبٍ أَبقَيتَهُ
وَأَخَذتَ أَصدَقَ مَن يَقولُ وَيَسمَعُ
You spared the most deceitful of liars—you spared him!
And took the most truthful man who ever spoke or heard.
وَتَرَكتَ أَنتَنَ ريحَةٍ مَذمومَةٍ
وَسَلَبتَ أَطيَبَ ريحَةٍ تَتَضَوَّعُ
You left behind the foulest, most wretched stench,
And stole away the sweetest scent that ever breathed.
فَاليَومَ قَرَّ لِكُلِّ وَحشٍ نافِرٍ
دَمُهُ وَكانَ كَأَنَّهُ يَتَطَلَّعُ
Today the blood of every fleeing beast settles calm,
Which once throbbed as if watching in constant fear.
وَتَصالَحَت ثَمَرُ السِياطِ وَخَيلُهُ
وَأَوَت إِلَيها سوقُها وَالأَذرُعُ
The tips of the whips have made peace with his horses;
Their shanks and limbs have found rest at last.
وَعَفا الطِرادُ فَلا سِنانٌ راعِفٌ
فَوقَ القَناةِ وَلا حُسامٌ يَلمَعُ
The chase is over; no spear-point drips with blood
Atop the shaft, nor does any sharp sword gleam.
وَلّى وَكُلُّ مُخالِمٍ وَمُنادِمٍ
بَعدَ اللُزومِ مُشَيِّعٌ وَمُوَدِّعُ
He has departed, and every friend and drinking companion,
Who once clung close, is now but a mourner bidding farewell.
مَن كانَ فيهِ لِكُلِّ قَومٍ مَلجَأً
وَلِسَيفِهِ في كُلِّ قَومٍ مَرتَعُ
He, in whom every people found a sanctuary,
And in whom every people found a pasture for his sword.
إِن حَلَّ في فُرسٍ فَفيها رَبُّها
كِسرى تَذِلُّ لَهُ الرِقابُ وَتَخضَعُ
If he dwelt among Persians, he was their lord,
A Chosroes to whom necks bowed down in submission.
أَو حَلَّ في رومٍ فَفيها قَيصَرٌ
أَو حَلَّ في عُربٍ فَفيها تُبَّعُ
If he dwelt among Byzantines, he was their Caesar;
If among Arabs, he was their Tubba’.
قَد كانَ أَسرَعَ فارِسٍ في طَعنَةٍ
فَرَساً وَلَكِنَّ المَنِيَّةَ أَسرَعُ
He was the swiftest horseman to land a thrust,
Yet Death proved swifter still.
لا قَلَّبَت أَيدي الفَوارِسِ بَعدَهُ
رُمحاً وَلا حَمَلَت جَواداً أَربَعُ
May the hands of horsemen never wield a spear after him,
Nor four legs ever bear a steed again.
