خلِّ عنها مَنيحةً للّئامِ

واِسلُ عمّا يُسيلُ سُحْبَ المِلامِ

Leave her be, a respite for the blamers

And ask about what the clouds of blame pour

وتعلّمْ كلَّ الّذي أنت مُحتا

جٌ إليه في هذه الأيّامِ

And learn all that you need in these days

Where do I miss its rightness and bargaining

أين أُخطِي صوابَها والتّجاري

بُ جُثومٌ خلفي ومن قُدّامي

With a rugged path behind me and in front of me

With clear proof, proper opinion

بِبيانٍ يسري بِرأيٍ مُصيبٍ

كالسُّرى بالمصباحِ في الإظلامِ

Like Sirius with a lantern in the darkness

Man was created imperfect and he aspires

خُلِقَ المرءُ ناقصاً وهو يُدمِي

أَظهُرَ العِيسِ في اِبتغاءِ التَّمامِ

To demonstrate maturity in seeking perfection

Whoever God has decided to entrust with responsibility

من رأى اللَّهُ أَن ينوط به الحا

جَ فليس الغِنى له بِمرامِ

Wealth is not enough for his goals

And preoccupied with blocking the paths of death

ومُعنّىً بسدِّ طُرْقِ المنايا

وهو ملقىً على طريقِ الحِمامِ

While he is resting on the path of the dovecote

My ignorance has passed and dissipated from me

قد مضى باطلي وأقشع عنّي

وتجلّتْ جهالتي وعُرامي

And my foolishness and bareness have been revealed

And I forgot what old age and hoary hair

وتناسيتُ ما تقولُ لِيَ الشّر

رةُ والشيبُ لامعٌ في ظلامِي

Tell me, shining in my darkness

So my desisting from passion and my earnestness

فعدولِي عن الهوى وصُدوفي

وعكوفي على النُّهى ومُقامي

And my devotion to prohibition and my standing

And I obeyed advice after having been

وأطعتُ النَّصيحَ من بعد أن كُنْ

تُ على النُّصْحِ خالعاً لِلجامي

Renouncing advice, doffing my cloak

And I turned away willingly from God's racecourse

وتجافيتُ طائعاً مَسْرَحَ اللّهْ

وِ ومجنَى المُنى ومخبَى اللِّئامِ

And the place of wishes and the shelter of the blamers

And I made the chiefs hope through status and money

وأَعَدْتُ العُفاةَ بالجاهِ والما

لِ يجرّون بُردَةَ الإنعامِ

To pull the gown of favor

And I learned that the delusion of wealth within us

وتعلّمتُ أنّما زَوْرَةُ الآ

مالِ فينا كزَوْرَةِ الأحلامِ

Is like the delusion of dreams

And my position among the caliphs one day

ومُقامي من الخلائف في يو

مِ اِجتماعِ الوفود خيرُ مقامِ

When delegations gather is the best position

None but me has the likes of what I have from them

ما لِغيري مثلُ الّذي لِيَ منهمْ

من صنوفِ الإعظامِ والإكرامِ

Of types of glorification and honor

They always have and always will extol my status

لم يزالوا ولن يزالوا مُشيدي

نَ محلّي ومُجْزلي أَقسامي

And recompense me abundantly

And stand in awe of me, and the poets

ومُهيبين بي وقد عَنَتِ الشُّو

رى إلى الرّأي في الأمورِ الجسامِ

Have inclined toward my opinion in weighty matters

And when I judge a matter they close off

وإذا ما حكمتُ في الأمر سدّوا

طرُقاتِ الخروجِ عن أحكامي

The ways of departing from my judgments

And they turn away any visitor with whom

ويَعافون كلَّ وِرْدٍ به الري

يُ إذا كان لا يَبُلُّ أُوامِي

There is no grant of mine

And they release their palms from the fruits of the lush

ويردّون سَرْحَهُمْ عن جميع ال

قاعِ ما لم يكن به أَنْعامِي

Unless my protection is upon them

They possessed my lead due to what they enabled

وتُخَلّي أَكفُّهمْ مُحْصَداتِ الش

شرِّ ما لم يكن بهنّ اِعتِصامي

Of my adherence to loving them and my commitment

So if I pardon a sin one day it is for their sake

ملكوا رِبْقَتِي لِما سيّروهُ

من لُصوقي بودّهمْ واِلتزامي

And for their sake my revenge will be

And toward them, if hostile tribes show

فلهمْ إنْ عفوتُ يوماً عن الذّنْ

بِ وَمِن أَجلهمْ يكونُ اِنتِقامي

Hostility, will be my alignment and conjunction

And I specialized the kings, they answer

وَإليهمْ إِذا تحيّز أقوا

مٌ بقومٍ تحيُّزي واِنضمامي

My call and listen to my speech

And if I blame them one day for some

وتخصّصتُ بالملوكِ يلبُّو

ن نِدائي ويسمعون كلامي

Grave mistake, they carry out my reproach there

And when perils happened that enfeebled

وإذا ما ذممت يوماً عليهمْ

في عظيمٍ أمضَوْا هناك ذِمامي

The order of kings, or weakness befell the regime

They make me their guide in fiery chaos

ومتى أعْضَلَتْ خطوبٌ صِعابٌ

أَو وَهى للملوك سِلْكُ نظامِ

Or they make me their morning in darkness

How often my word held back the hotheads

جعلوني دليلَهمْ في ضَلالٍ

مُوقَدٍ أو صباحَهمْ في ظلامِ

And restrained the swords with the pens

For they saw the day they provoked the king of al-Basrah

كم كفيتُ الكُلومَ بالكلمِ الغُر

رِ وحدَّ السُّيوفِ بالأقلامِ

My keeping him from attacking

After the battle was intent, and swooping

قد رأَوْا يومَ هيّجوا ملك البَصْ

رَةِ كَفِّي له عن الإقدامِ

Down to snatch the dearest plunder was rushing headlong

And there appeared to the people a dreadful, deaf

بعد أنْ أزمعَ اللّقاءُ وأهوى

لاِقتِناصِ الطُّلى هَوِيَّ القَطامِي

Commotion roaming the darkness without a bridle

They charged me with rectifying it, and put me forward

وتراءتْ للنّاسِ شنعاءُ صَمّا

ءُ تجوبُ الدُّجى بغير خِطامِ

To seek peace in the most perilous exploits

So I warded it off by my moderation

قلّدوني إصلاحَها ورَمَوْا بي

طلبَ السِّلمِ في صعابِ المرامي

And propped up its distortion with my pillars

And I gave back clarity after it was being dragged

فَتَلافيتُ دَرأَها باِعتِدالي

وَدَعمت اِعوِجاجها بدِعامي

By the fist of the dominant

How can my glory ebb when chance stumbled

وَأَعَدْتُ الصّفاءَ من بعد أنْ كا

ن مسوقاً من قبضةِ المُستامِ

On the error of the scantily ambitious?

And ignorant is he who imagines while behind me

كَيفَ يَبغِي شَأوي وقد ملك الفو

تَ عَثورُ الخُطا قصيرُ المَرامِ

That he is ahead of me in merit

My fault against him is none but my surplus

وغبيٌّ يَخال وهو ورائي

أنّه من فضيلةٍ مِن أمامي

Over him and his falling short of my wholeness

I contended against those who reached out to possibility

لَيس ذَنبي عليه غيرَ زيادا

تي عليه ونقصَه عن تمامي

Ambitiously trying to cut off all dispute

No embittered one has defamed me, and how many have I poisoned

قد خصمتُ الّذين مدّوا إِلى الفخ

ر طماحاً بقطع كلِّ خصامِ

And laid low with what would shame the embittered!

My roots were implanted in clay of pottery

لم يُصبني بالسُّوءِ رامٍ وكم أصْ

مى وأَردى بما يُعابُ الرّامي

And my green branches flourished, growing

So leave to the brave his nighttime bed and leave the lair

غُرِسَتْ في ذُرا الفخار أُصولي

وفورعي خُضْرُ الغصونِ نوامِ

To the snarling wolf!

For if my silence tempts you, how many torrid

فَدَعُوا للشّجاع مَطْواه في الوا

دي وخلّوا العرينَ للضِّرْغامِ

Deserts rage after slumber!

Between me and the first of my people is nothing

فَلئن غرّكمْ صُموتي فكم صِل

لِ فَلاةٍ يَهُبّ بعد مَنامِ

But righteousness or a messenger or an imam,

Or a great worthy man for tremendous, formidable

ليس بيني وبين أوّلِ قومي

غيرُ بَرٍّ أوْ مُرْسَلٍ أو إِمامِ

Mishaps or momentous events,

With bodies like boulders, staid,

أوْ عظيمٍ مؤهَّلٍ لخطوبٍ

شامساتٍ أوْ حادثاتٍ عِظامِ

And faces like full moons, perfect,

I want my sweet-smelling fame to spread through

بحُلومٍ مثل الصُّخورِ رِزانٍ

ووجوهٍ مثلَ البُدورِ تَمامِ

Champions from every courageous cavalier

None but the chief above the rabble is there

أَرِجي الذِّكرِ طيّبي النَّشرِ بسّا

مين من كلِّ باسلٍ بسّامِ

A jump and a leap in youth like a boy

They left rain in the most desolate place and they were

ليسَ فيهمْ إِلّا الرئيسُ على الأش

ياخِ طُرّاً والسِّنُّ سِنُّ الغُلامِ

The spirits in the wilds, in bodies

And if blood was split and the elite

خَلَفوا الغيثَ في المحولِ وكانوا

في البرايا الأرواحَ في الأجسامِ

Were about to die, fallen in disaster

They relinquished life to death and turned away

وَإِذا ما الدّماءُ سِلْنَ وأَطرا

فُ العوالي هَمَتْ بموتٍ زُؤامِ

With piercing noses, disdainful of compulsion

And they took amusement while their honor remained

وَهَبوا العيشَ لِلمَماتِ وآبوا

بأُنوفٍ شُمٍّ عن الإرغامِ

Unstained, the everlasting mantle undefiled by grit

And their striking nowhere but the throat of slaughter and smiting

وتسلَّوْا والعِرْضُ أَمْلَسُ لم يُدْ

مَ بِقَرْفٍ عن الجلودِ الدَّوامِي

Of the swords, none but the Hot and Cold Springs

And if you compared them with others besides them

وأَبى طعنُهمْ سوى ثُغرةِ النّحْ

ر وضربُ السُّيوفِ غير الهامِ

The difference between foul and pure would be clear

Sometimes my guardianship flows over furious

وإذا ما قرنتَهمْ بسواهمْ

بان ما بين تَلْعةٍ وشَمامِ

As flooding water and an ocean of eloquence

And meanings refined more delicately than perceptions

كان لَولايَ غائضاً مكرعُ الفق

هِ سحيقَ المدا وبحرُ الكلام

Which I brought near to the perceptions

And fine details which I presented boldly

ومعانٍ شَحَطْن لُطفاً عن الأف

هامِ قرّبتُها من الأفهامِ

And licit things which I explicated from prohibited

How often I crushed an unsavory adversary in debate

ودقيقٌ أبرزتُهُ بجليلٍ

وحلالٌ أبَنْتُهُ من حرامِ

As if I star-blazed him with stars

And a stubborn one I guided after he had been

كم لَدودٍ خصمتُهُ بجدالٍ

فكأنّي كَعَمْتُهُ بكَعامِ

Straying from the Sunna of Islam

And the loose-tongued, there poured upon him

وعنودٍ هديتُهُ بعد أنْ كا

نَ شَروداً عن سُنّةِ الإسلامِ

Through my speech the clouds of silencing

And through my scattering and arranging, expeditions spread

وطويلِ اللّسانِ صُبَّتْ عليه

بمقالي غمائمُ الإفحامِ

To the horizons unfurling the surplus of the lead rope

Indeed, I have attained what I intended

وبنثري والنَّظْمِ سارتْ إلى الآ

فاقِ شوسٌ يمدُدْن فضلَ زمامِ

And surpassed greatly what the tribes desired

I care not, seeing with my own eyes

قَد بَلغتُ الّذي أردتُ وَجاوَز

تُ طَويلاً تَمَنِّيَ الأقوامِ

What noble circles hoped of me

And if I were in a high place of glory

ما أُبالي وقد رأيتُ بنفسي

ما ترجّتْ منّي بُدورَ حِمامِي

Above the dust of dreams

And if my skirt and train were exposed

وإذا كنتُ في يَفاعٍ من العِز

زِ منيفٍ على ذُرا الأحلامِ

For censured faults and sins

Then an inert life and a departure

وتعرَّتْ مآزري وذُيولي

من عيوبٍ مذمومةٍ وأثامِ

Are impending, soon to come

فحياةٌ كميتةٍ ورحيلٌ

إنْ تدانى وشيكُهُ كمُقامِ