ألا سَمَح الزمانُ بِهِ كِتابا

دَرَى بِوُرودِه أُنسِي فآبا

Oh how time allowed this book

Its blossoming brought me joy

فَلا أَدري أَكانا تَحتَ وَعدٍ

دَعَا بِهما لبُرئي فاستَجَابا

I know not if it was a promise

That summoned it, so it responded

وَقَد ظَفِرَت يَدي بِالغُنمِ مِنهُ

فَلَيتَ الدَّهرَ سَنَّى لِي إِيَابا

And my hand attained spoils from it

Would that time had allowed me a return

فَلو لَم أَستَفِد شَيئاً سِوَاهُ

قَنِعتُ بِمِثلِهِ عِلقاً لُبَابا

For if I gained naught but it

I'd be content with it, a drink to quench my thirst

إِذَا أَحرَزتُ هَذَا فِي اغتِرَابِي

فَدَعنِي أَقطَعُ العُمرَ اغتِرَابا

When I secure this in my estrangement

Let me spend my life in estrangement

رَجَمتُ بِأُنسِهِ شَيطَانَ هَمِّي

فَهَل وَجَّهتَ طِرساً أَم شِهَابا

With its companionship I pelted

The devil of my worries, so was it a missile or a shooting star?

رَشَفتُ بِهِ رُضَابَ الودِّ عَذباً

يُذَكِّرُنِي شَمَائِلَكَ العِذَابا

With it I sipped the gentle sweetness of affection

Reminding me of your tormenting charms

وَكِدت أَجُرُّ أَذيَالِي نَشَاطاً

وَلَكِن خِلتُ قَولَهُمُ نِصَابا

And I almost let down my train in delight

But their words proved meager

فَضَضتُ خِتَامَهُ عِندِي كَأَنِّي

فَتَحتُ بِفَضِّهِ لِلرَّوضِ بَابا

So I broke its seal by me as though

With its breaking I opened the garden's gate

فَكِدتُ أَبُثُّهُ فِي جَفنِ عَينِي

لِكَي أَستَودِعَ الزَّهرَ السَّحابا

And I almost scattered it in the lid of my eye

That I may entrust the flowers to the clouds

وَكُنتُ أَصُونُهُ فِي القَلبِ لَكِن

خَشِيتُ عَلَيهِ أَن يَفنَى التِهَابا

I was protecting it in my heart but

I feared for it that ardour would destroy it

وَلَو أَنَّ الليالي سَامَحَتنِي

لَكُنتُ عَلَى كِتَابِكُمُ الجَوَابا

If only the nights had allowed me

I'd have replied to your letter

فَأُبدِي عِندَكُم فِي الشُّكرِ عُذراً

وَأُجزِلُ مِن ثَنَائِكُمُ الثَّوَابا

So I offer my apology for gratitude

And give copiously of your praise

ولَكِنَّ اللَّيالي قَيَّدتني

وَهَدَّت عَزمَتِي إِلا الخِطَابا

But the nights shackled me

And shook my resolve save for writing

فَمَا تَلقَانِيَ الأَحبَابُ إِلا

سَلاماً أو مَنَاماً أَو كِتَابا

So I meet loved ones only with

Greetings, dreams, or letters

لأَمر ما يَقُصُّ الدَّهرُ رِيشِي

لأَنَّ السَّهمَ مَهمَى رِيشَ صَابا

For something the days pluck my feathers

For the arrow is fletched with feathers

وَعَاذِلَةٍ تَقُولُ ولَستُ أُصغِي

وَلَو أَصغَيتُ لَم أُرجِع جَوَابا

And a blamer who says I do not listen

And if I listened I would not respond

تُخَوِّفُنِي الدَّوَاهِي وَهيَ عِندِي

أَقَلُّ مِنَ ان أَضِيقَ بهَا جَنَابا

She frightens me with calamities but they

Are too petty for me to narrow my eyebrows

إِذَا طَرَقَت أَعُدُّ لَهَا قِرَاهَا

وَقَاراً وَاصطِبَاراً وَاحتِسَابا

When they approach I prepare their hosting

With composure, patience, and acceptance of destiny

وَمَا مِثلِي يُخَوَّفُ بِالدَّوَاهِي

عَرِينُ اللَيثِ لا يَخشَى الذُّبَابا

And the likes of me is not frightened by calamities

The lion's den fears not the flies

تُعَاتِبُنِي فَلا يَرتَدُّ طَرفِي

وَهَل تَستَرقِصُ الرِّيحُ الهِضَابا

You reproach me but my gaze does not turn

Does the wind exact all from the plateaus?

وَلَو أَنَّ العِتَابَ يُفِيدُ شَيئاً

مَلأتُ مَسَامِعَ الدُّنيَا عِتَابا

If reproach could avail something

I'd have filled the ears of the world with reproach

وقَد وَصيَّتُهَا بِالصّمتِ عَنِّي

فَما صَمَتَت وَمَا قَالَت صَوَابا

I advised it to stay silent about me

Yet it was silent nor spoke right

تُعَنِّفُنِي عَلَى تَركِي بِلاداً

عَهِدتُ بِها الغَرَارَةَ والشَّبَابا

You blame me for leaving a land

Where I knew vitality and youth

تَقُولُ وَهَل يُفَلُّ السَّيفُ إِلا

إِذا مَا فَارَقَ السَّيفُ القِرَابا

You say, does the sword not rust

Unless the sword parts from the scabbard?

وَقُلتُ وَهَل يَضُرُّ السَّيفَ فَلٌّ

إِذا قَطَّ الجَمَاجِمَ والرِّقَابا

I said, does rust harm the sword

If it severs skulls and necks?

بِخَوضِ الهولِ تُكتَسَبُ المَعَالِي

يَحُلُّ السَّهلَ مَن رَكِبَ الصِعَابا

With delving perils, glories are attained

He who mounted rigours solves ease

فَلَيثُ الغَابِ يَفتَرِسُ الأنَاسِي

وَلَيثُ البَيتِ يَفتَرِسُ الذِئَابا

The jungle's lion preys on people

The house's lion preys on flies

وَلَو كَانَ انقِضَاضُ الطير سَهلاً

لَكَانَت كُلُّ طَائِرَةٍ عُقَابا

If birds' swooping were easy

Every bird would be an eagle

دَعِيني والنَّهَارَ أَسِيرُ فِيهِ

أَسِيرَ عَزَائِمٍ تُفرِي الصِلابا

Leave me, by day I roam it

With resolves that tear through firmnesses

أُغَازِلُ مِن غَرَابَتِهِ فَتَاةً

تَبَيَّضَ فَودُهَا هَرَماً وَشَابا

I flirt with one of its mysteries

Whose cheek whitened with age and youth

إِذا شَاءَت مُواصَلَتِي تَجَلَّت

وَإِن مَلَّت تَوَارَت لِي احتِجَابا

If she wished my company she would reveal herself

If she tired she'd hide herself from me in veil

وَأسرِي اللَّيلَ لا أَلوِي عِنَانا

وَلو نَيلُ الأمَانِي بِمَن أَصَابا

By night I wander unrestrained

Though wishes are attained by the fortunate

أُطالِعُ مِن كَوَاكِبهِ حَماما

وَأَزجُرُ مِن دُجُنَّتِهِ غُرَابا

I glimpse a dove in its stars

And drive a raven from its darkness

وَأَركَبُ مَتنَهَا غُبراً كَبَاعِي

وَخُضراً مِثلَ خَاطِرِيَ انسِيَابا

I ride its expanse murky as my thoughts

And verdant like my serene imaginings

وَآخُذُ مِن بَنَاتِ الدَّهرِ حَقِّي

جِهَاراً لَستُ أَستَلِبُ استِلابا

And take what's my due from fate's daughters

Openly, I do not rob by force

وَلَستُ أُذِيلُ بِالمِدَحِ القَوافِى

وَلا أَرضَى بِخُطَّتِهَا اكتِسَابا

Nor tag rhymes with praise

Or accept its blueprint as livelihood

أَأَمدَحُ مَن بهِ أَهجُو مَدِيحِي

إِذَا طَيَّبتُ بِالمِسكِ الكِلابا

Shall I praise one whose praise I lampoon?

If I scent dogs with musk?

سَأَخزنُها عَنِ الأسمَاعِ حَتَّى

أَرُدَّ الصّمتَ بَينَهُما حِجَابا

I will conceal it from ears until

I return silence between us as a veil

فَلَستُ بِمَادِحٍ مَا عِشتُ إِلا

سُيُوفاً أَو جِيَاداً أَو صِحَابا

I'll never praise while I live

Save swords, steeds, or comrades

أبا مُوسَى وَأَي أَخِي وِدَادي

أُنَاجِي لَو سَمِعتُ إِذَا أَجَابا

Abu Musa - O brother of my love and affection

I converse, if only you would answer

وَلَكِن دُونَ ذَلِكَ مَهمَهٌ لَو

جَرَتهُ الرِّيحُ لَم تَرجُ الإِيَابا

But without that a fancy - if the wind

Blew it, it would not waft a reply

أَخٌ بَرَّ المَوَدَّةَ كُلَّ بَرٍّ

إِذَا بَرَّ الأَشِقَّةُ الانتِسَابا

A brother of outstanding kindness

When relatives excel in affinity

بَعَثتُ إِلَيكَ مِن نَظمِي بِدُرٍّ

شَقَقتُ عَلَيهِ مِن فِكرِي عُبَابا

I sent you a pearl of my verse

Which I brooded from my thoughts like clouds

عَدَانِي الدَّهرُ أَن يلقاكَ شَخصي

فأغنَى الشِّعرُ عَن شَخصي وَنَابا

Time denied that my person would meet you

But poetry sufficed for my person as deputy