أَرَى الإِقامَةَ أَضْحَتْ في يَدِ الظَّعَنِ

أَبْدَيْتَ يا دَهْرُ ما تُخْفِي مِنَ الضَّعَن

I see that the stay has fallen into the hands of weakness

O Time, you have shown what you hide of frailty

هَبْهُمْ طوَوْا بينَ أَثناءِ الدُّنُوِّ نَوىً

أَلَمْ يَبِنْ لَكَ أَنَّ الودَّ لم يَبِنِ

Grant them, they have wandered between the sides of nearness with purpose

Did it not become clear to you that affection was not built?

وما يَضُرُّ ولِلأَرواحِ مُجْتَمَعٌ

تفريقُهُمْ بَدَناً في الحُبِّ عن بَدَنِ

And what hurts if spirits are united?

Their separation physically in love from body to body

أَشكو إِلى اللهِ شكوى تقتضي فَرَجاً

نَوًى تَرَدَّدُ بين العَيْن والأُذُنِ

I complain to God a complaint that requires relief

A yearning that repeats between the eye and the ear

سَكَّنْتُ فيه حِراكِي إِذ عَدِمْتُ قُوًى

وما سَكَنْتُ لأَنِّي فُزْتُ بالسَّكَنِ

I settled my anxiety in it when I lacked strength

And I did not settle because I won tranquility

في كلّ يومٍ يُرِيني صاحِبٌ مِحَناً

الحَمْدُ للِه لا أَخْلُو من المِحَنِ

Every day a companion shows me tribulations

Praise be to God, I am not without tribulations

هل عادَ قلبِيَ بِرْجاساً تُقَارِضُه

نَبْلُ النَّوائبِ عن إِنْبَاضَةِ الزَّمَنِ

Did my heart return with vileness that

The nobility of adversities lend from the vigor of time?

أَمْ غَرَّ مِنَّي الليالِي أَنَّها جَذَبَتْ

بِمِقْوَدِي فَرَأَتْنِي طَيَّعَ الرَّسَنِ

Or have the nights deluded me that they

Pulled me by my bridle, so they saw me compliant to the reins?

هيهاتَ يمنعها عزمٌ تَعَوَّدَ أَنْ

يُمْطِي إِلى اللينِ ظهْرَ المَرْكَبِ الخَشِنِ

Never! He is prevented by a will accustomed to

Ride with the spine of the rough ship to gentleness

يهيمُ بالنَّجمِ لا السَّارِي على قَدَحٍ

ويَعْشَقُ البَدْرَ لا السَّارِي على غُصنِ

It raves with the star, not the one raised on a goblet

And loves the full moon, not the one raised on a branch

ويَجْتَنِي ثمراتِ العِزِّ يانِعَةً

في مَغْرِسِ الحَرْبِ من مُنْآدةِ اللُّدُنِ

And it collects the ripe fruits of honor

In the planted field of war from the flanks of mildness

طوراً تراهُ على هَوْجَاءَ ضارمَةٍ

طوراً وَيَعْدُو بأَعلَى سابِقٍ أَرِنِ

Sometimes you see it in formidable commotion

And sometimes it gallops at the highest predecessor

تحاولُ الحالُ منهُ ذُلُّ جانِبِهِ

والعِزُّ شَىْءٌ تَغَذَّاهُ مع اللَّبَنِ

The state tries to humiliate its side from it

And honor is something it was fed with milk

إِنْ كانَ كالَّنبْعِ عُرْيَاناً بلا ثَمَرٍ

فمثلُهُ هُوَ طَلاَّعٌ عَلَى القُنَنِ

If it is like the bare spring without fruit

Then its like is a scout over spears

وقد أَساءَ إِلَيْهِ الدهرُ مجتهداً

حتى دَعَا فأَجِبْهُ يا أَبا الحَسَنِ

And time has wronged it, exerting effort

Until he called, so answer him O Abu Al-Hassan

أَوْرِدْهُ عندَكَ عّذْبَ الماءِ سَلْسَلَهُ

واحْرُسْهُ بالوُدِّ عن تكديرِهِ الأَسنِ

Quench his thirst with fresh sweet water from you

And guard him with love from troubling him the burdensome

وقد أَقامَكَ رَبًّا لا شريكَ لَهُ

وما أَظُنُّكَ تثنيهِ إِلى الوَثَنِ

And your Lord has made you a lord without a partner

And I don't think you will incline him to idols

يخونُه اللُّه في سَمْع وفي بَصَرٍ

إِنْ كانَ خانَكَ في سِرٍّ ولا عَلَنِ

May God betray him in hearing and vision

If he betrayed you in secret or openly

يهواكَ للدِّينِ والدنيا فأَنْتَ له

نعم المُقَرِّبُ من عَدْنٍ ومن عَدَنِ

He inclines you for religion and world, so you are for him

The best one brought near from Eden and from settlements

ملكْتَهُ بأَيادِيكَ التي سَلَفَتْ

فأَضْعَفَتْهُ بما أَضْعَفْتَ في الثَّمَنِ

You possessed him with your hands that went before

So you weakened him with what you weakened in the price

فاجْذِبْ بكفِّكَ منه غير مُطَّرَحٍ

وانظُرْ بعينيكَ فيه غَيْرَ مُمْتَهَنِ

So pull him with your palm without rejection

And look at him with your eyes without disgrace

ولا تَظُنَّ به ما لَيْسَ يعرِفُه

فَظَنُّ رَبِّكَ مرفوعٌ عَنِ الظَّنَنِ

And do not assume about him what he does not know

For your Lord's assumption is raised above assumptions

الناسُ في العَيْنِ أَشخاصٌ لها شَبَهٌ

والعَقْلُ يَفْرِقُ بين النَّفْخِ والسِّمَنِ

People in the eye are forms that resemble

And the intellect differentiates between breath and fat

عُذْرِي لمجدِكَ أَني غَيْرُ مُتَّهَمٍ

فإِنْ شَكَكْتَ على الإِيمانِ فامْتَحِنِ

My excuse for your glory is that I am not accused

So if you doubted the faith, then test

عاهَدْتُ فيكَ ضَمِيرِي عَهْدَ ذِي ثِقَةٍ

لو نازَعَتْهُ المَنَايَا فيهِ لم يَخُنِ

I have pledged in you the pledge of a confident conscience

If the fates disputed it, it would not betray

رَفَعْتُ كفِّيَ أَستجديكَ مغفرةً

فاسمَحْ بها يا شقيقَ العارِضِ الهَتنِ

I raised my palm asking your forgiveness

So allow it O brother of the visiting discord

وما هززتُكَ إلا بعد مخبرةٍ

بأَنَّ كفِّيَ هَزَّتْ نَبْعَةَ اليَمَنِ

And I only shook you after being informed

That my palm shook the spring of Yemen

وما أَظُنُّكَ تَنْسَى كّلَّ سائِرَةٍ

مُقِيمَةٍ غَرَّبَتْ لِلْحُسْنِ في الوطَنِ

And I don't think you forget every departing woman

Settled, who went west to beauty in the homeland

حَبَّرْتُهَا فيكَ والأَلفَاظُ هاجِعَةٌ

فَنَابَ ذِكْرُكِ لِي فيها عن الْوَسَنِ

I composed them in you and the words are passionate

So your memory alternated in them from intimacy

أَوْضَحْتَ مَنْهَجَها إِذْ كُنْتَ غايَتَهُ

فّضَلَّ مَنْ ضَلَّ واسْتَوْلَتْ عَلَى السُّنَنِ

You clarified their approach when you were their goal

So one who strayed succeeded and took over the ways

وقارَنَتْ مِنْكَ معروفًا بمَعْرِفَةٍ

ولم تَزَلْ تقرِنُ الإِحْسانَ بالْحَسَنِ

And it continued to pair kindness with recognition

And it never stopped pairing benevolence with beauty

من ماهر فاضلٍ علاَّمَةٍ لَسِنٍ

في ماهرٍ فاضلٍ علامةٍ لَسِنِ

From a skillful, outstanding, eloquent learned man

To a skillful, outstanding, eloquent learned man

يقولُ سامِعُهَا مِمَّا يُدَاخِلُهُ

مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي قالَها أَو حُبِّرَتْ لِمَنِ

The one who hears them says from what intermingles with him

Who is the one who said them or were they composed for whom?