لَعَمري لَقَد أَشرَفتُ يَومُ عُنَيزَةٍ
عَلى رَغبَةٍ لَو شَدَّ نَفسي مَريرُها
By my life! On the day of Unayzah, I yearned
For something, had I pursued my bitter desire,
وَلكِنَّ ضُعفَ الأَمرِ أَلّا تُمَرَّهُ
وَلا خَيرَ في ذي مِرَّةٍ لا يُغيرُها
But the weakness of the matter is not to go through with it
And no good is he who is spiteful and does not change it
تَبَيَّنُ أَدبارُ الأُمورِ إِذا مَضَت
وَتُقبِلُ أَشباهاً عَلَيكَ صُدورُها
The outcomes of matters become clear when they pass
And their fronts turn to you
تُرَجّى النُفوسُ الشَيءَ لا تَستَطيعُهُ
وَتَخشى مِنَ الأَشياءِ ما لا يَضيرُها
Souls desire what they cannot attain
And fear what does no harm to them
أَلا إِنَّما يَكفي النُفوسُ إِذا اِتَّقَت
تُقى اللَهِ مِمّا حاذَرَتِ فَيُجيرُها
Know that it suffices souls when they are pious
To be protected by God from what they dread, so He will protect them
وَلا خَيرَ في العيدانِ إِلّا صَلابُها
وَلا ناهِضاتُ الطَيرِ إِلّا صُقورُها
Of staffs, only their firmness is good
And of birds that hunt, only their falcons
وَمُستَنبِحٍ يَدعو وَقَد حالَ دونَهُ
مِنَ اللَيلِ سَجفا ظُلمَةٍ وَسُتورُها
A caller who calls but the darkness of night prevents him
With its heavy, black coverings
رَفَعتُ لَهُ ناري فَلَمّا اِهتَدى لَها
زَجَرتُ كِلابي أَن يَهِرَّ عَقورُها
I raised my fire for him, so when he found his way to it
I scolded my dogs lest their howling terrify him
فَباتَ وَقَد سَرى مِنَ اللَيلِ عُقبَةً
بِلَيلَةٍ صِدقٍ غابَ عَنها شُرورُها
He spent the night traveling a distance of the night
In a truthful night, free of any evil
وَقَد عَلِمَ الأَضيافُ أَن قِراهُمُ
شِواءُ المُتالي عِندَنا وَقَديرُها
The guests knew that their lodging with us
Is roasted meat and its cooking pot
إِذا اِفتَخَرَتِ سَعدُ بنُ ذيبانُ لَم يَجدِ
سِوى ما بَنينا ما يَعِدُّ فَخورُها
If Saad boasts, he will find nothing
Except what we built, which he counts as pride
وَإِنّي لَتَرّاكُ الضَغينَةِ قَد بَدا
ثَراها مِنَ المَولى فَلا أَستَثيرُها
And I hold back my hatred which has appeared
From my Master, so I do not provoke it
مَخافَةَ أَن تَجني عَلَيَّ وَإِنَّما
يَهيجُ كَبيراتِ الأُمورِ صَغيرُها
Fearing it will bring me harm, though only
Minor matters provoke momentous ones
إِذا قيلَتِ العَوراءُ وَلّيتُ سَمعَها
سِوايَ وَلَم أَسمَع بِها ما دَبيرُها
If the blind says “I wish” I hear it
By myself and do not hear her secret
وَحاجَةِ نَفسٍ قَد بَلَغتُ وَحاجَةٍ
تَرَكتُ إِذا ما النَفسُ شَحَّ ضَميرُها
I fulfilled a soul’s need and left another
When the soul was stingy and narrowed its breast
حَياءً وَصَبراً في المَواطِنِ إِنَّني
حَيِيُّ لَدى أَمثالِ تِلكَ سَتيرُها
Modestly and patiently in precarious places, I
Am modest with the likes of those and cover it
وَأَحبِسُ في الحَقِّ الكَريمَةِ إِنَّما
يَقومُ بِحَقِّ النائِباتِ صَبورُها
And restrain noble deeds, though only
The patient stand by the rights of deputies
أُحابي بِها الحَيَّ الَّذي لا تُهِمُّهُ
وَأَحسابَ أَمواتٍ تُعَدُّ قُبورُها
I befriend the living who are not concerned by them
And count the dead whose graves are their homes
أَلَم تَرَ أَنّا نورُ قَومٍ وَإِنَّما
يُبَيِّنُ في الظُلماءِ لِلنّاسِ نورُها
Do you not see that we are a people's light even though
Our light makes clear to people in the darkness?
