سافِرْ إذا حاولتَ قَدْرا

سارَ الهلالُ فصارَ بَدرا

Travel if you seek your destiny

The crescent sailed and became full moon

والماءُ يكسِبُ ما جرى

طيباً ويخْبُثُ ما استقرا

And flowing water gains purity

While stagnant becomes foul soon

وبنقلة الدُرَرِ النفي

سةِ بُدِّلتْ بالبحرِ نَحْرا

With a pearl's move from depths of sea

To shore, it gained a higher boon

وَصْلاً إن امتلأتْ يدا

كَ فإن هُما خلَتا فهجْرا

Join hands when they're filled, but break away

When empty, don't despond too soon

فالبدرُ أنفقَ نورَه

لما بَدا ثمّ استَسَرّا

The moon spent its light completely

When it rose, then hid from view

زِدْ رفعةً إن قيلَ أتْرَ

بَ وانخفِضْ إن قيلَ أثْرى

Rise higher if they say you're noble

Humble yourself if called undue

فالغصنُ يدنو ما اكْتَسى

ثمَراً وينأى ما تعرّى

A branch leans when it bears fruit

And recoils when it's bare and nude

حركاتِ عيسِك إن أردتَ

مِهادَ عيشِك أن تقرّا

For your life's peace, make your morals

Like a cradle, where you rest immune

فالمهدُ أسكنُ للصغيرِ

بحيثُ جاءَ به ومرّا

You may see me pale and gloomy

In mourning clothes, all joy marooned

إما تَرَيني شاحبَ ال

وَجَناتِ قد أُلبِسْتُ طِمْرا

Time's events make people shabby

And in dust and dirt entombed

فوقائعُ الأيامِ تُخْ

رِجُ أهلَها شُعْثاً وغُبْرا

A piercing sword, when drawn

Becomes sharper as it hewed

والصارمُ المطروُ لي

سَ بجفنِه يزدادُ أثْرا

Forty stretched their hands towards me

While my vigor dropped a tenth too soon

مدّتْ إليّ الأربعو

نَ يداً وقد قهقَرْتُ عَشْرا

And my cheeks were newly dotted

With teardrops - would that they were ink!

واستحدَثَتْ في لِمّتي

نُقَطاً فهلا كُنّ حِبْرا

You need only look at me

To see a star set, its glory strewn

وكفاك أني إن نظرْ

تُ لها أرَتْني النجمَ ظُهْرا

When I say "Alas!" - it's but embers

That with an "Alas!" spark and plume again

لا قلتُ أُفٍّ فإنّها

شررٌ بأفِّ تعودُ جَمْرا

My youth was a dark night

And dawn rose as my temples grayed

كان الشبابُ الغضُّ لي

لاً فاستنارَ الشّيْبُ فجْرا

If I were a supple branch

I would bloom when buds arrayed

ولو انّني الغصنُ الرطي

بُ زُهِيْتُ حين حملْتُ زَهْرا

But my being's twisted fabric

Won't break however it's strained

لكنْ مكاسِرُ نَبعَتي

تأبى على النكَباتِ كَسْرا

Troubles tasted me and found me bitter

They judged me too harsh and crude

مرت عليّ النائبا

تُ تذوقُني فوجدْتُ مُرّا

If time tosses me around

Belly up, back, as it's inclined

فلئن تقلّب بي الزما

نُ كما اشتهى بَطْناً وظَهْرا

I have killed its turns and tosses

And it - peeled and cored me fine

فيما قتلتُ صروفَهُ

وقتلتُهُ جَلْداً وخُبْرا

Loyalty faded and excuses flowed

In rivers, treachery accrued

غاضَ الوفاءُ وفاضَ ما

ءُ العُذْرِ أنهاراً وغُدرا

People matched in talk

Secret and open, the two facets viewed

وتطابقَ الأقوامُ في

أقوالهم سرّاً وجَهْرا

Look with your own eye - do you see

Customs or strange ways accrued?

فانظر بعينكَ هل ترى

عُرْفاً وليس تراهُ نُكْرا

A race that flowed from Adam

In generations that keep accruing

خَلْقٌ جرى من آدمٍ

في نسلِه وهلمّ جَرّا

Reproach your brother for what

He earns or give him a wider clew

فاعتَبْ أخاكَ على الذي

يَجْنِيه أو أوسِعْهُ جَرّا

And they frighten me with the sea

Thinking I fear oceans blue!

ومُروّعي بالبحرِ يح

سَبُ أنّني أرتاعُ بَحْرا

It chases my will relentlessly

With blame, attacking anew

أضحى يُطاردُ عزْمَتي

بملامةٍ كرّاً وفَرّا

And with its Edens and Siqqs

And up the Nile - to battle Egypt anew!

وبواديَيْ عدن وسق

على السُرى لقتالِ مِصْرا

What is it that it wants to destroy

Flying about, not capturing prey?

كم ذا يُريدُ يُبيدُه

طيّاً وليس يُبيدُ نَشْرا

The sea, desert, Nile bends, and plains -

What does it know? That in facing troubles, I'm more versed in every way!

البحر والصحراء والن

يل المعرج والمقرّا

I ready Yasser's gaze towards me

And soon it will return, I'm assured

أو ما دَرى أني بتس

هيلِ المصاعبِ منهُ أدرى

By He who ordained destinies

Breaking and mending as He preferred

أعددتُ نظرةَ ياسرٍ

نحوي وسوفَ يعودُ يسرّا

And used days in His wisdom

With bans and orders as He deferred

من صرّفَ الأقدارَ في

آرائهِ كسْراً وجَبْرا

His first gaze revived me

And His second will confirm, I'm convinced

واستخدم الأيامَ في

أحكامِه نهياً وأمْرا

And it sped like the clouds

That strove behind it, spent

وانتاشَني في نظرةٍ

أُولى سيشفَعُها بأخْرى

Lightning returned its breaths

Tired and dazed, thunder rent

وجرى الى شأوِ السما

حِ مع الرياحِ فكان أجرى

Lightning - its heart flew

In fright of what it might face, appalled

فالسُحْبُ ترشَحُ إذ جرتْ

في إثْرِه بالجهدِ قطْرا

The crafts planted in his care

Bore praise and thanks when they germinated

والرعدُ يرجِعُ جاهداً

أنفاسِه تَعَباً وبهْرا

And he saw the hands had risen

With grandeur and pride elevated

والبرقُ طارَ فؤادُه

خوفاً لِما يلْقى وذُعْرا

Awake if you rouse them, ages

Or seek help in times belated

غُرْسُ الصنائعِ في الرقا

بِ فأنبتَتْ حمَداً وشُكرا

And a minister of a kingdom became

A burden, while others bore the weight

ورأى الأياديّ اعتلتْ

شُرُفاتِها شرَفاً وفَخْرا

His hands carried his bowl

After being forbidden to drink wine

يقظانَ إنْ نبّهَتْه

عُمَراً أو استنجَدْتَ عُمْرا

For many a battle's dark teardrop

Prepares it with care to make it shine

ووزيرَ مملكةٍ غدا

وَزَراً لها وسِواهُ وِزْرا

It spread from the lofty pulpits

A porch adorned and bedight

راشَتْ يداهُ قدحَها

من بعدِ ما قد كان يُبْرَى

As if the sun therein

Rested guarded, polite

فلرُبّ طُرّةِ معْركٍ

سوداءَ قد أعدتْهُ طُرّا

I marched his warriors

And destroyed them with killing and imprisoning

مدّتْ من النقْعِ المثا

رِ به رواقاً مُشْمَخِرّا

As if they were birds prey

When the falcon swooped, striking

حتى كأنّ الشمسَ فيه

غادةٌ تحتلُّ حَذْرا

With regiments the Lord decreed

Victory and triumph in His inscribing

أسرى الى أبطالها

فأبادَهُمْ قتلاً وأسْرا

Of each adorned with robes

Over the briny sea, a river writhing

فكأنّهم كانوا بغا

ثَ الطير لما انقضّ صَقْرا

Each atop the hill's summit

Black-clad, pacing, watching

بكتائب كتبَ الإل

هُ أمامَها فتحاً ونَصْرا

Each expert combatant

Marching forth precisely as an arrow riving

من كلِّ مُتّشحٍ على

بحرِ الدلاصِ الزُعْفِ نَهرا

They dragged behind them white and brown locks

As the sword strikes between them and the guest is hosted

ومعرّضٍ من فوقِ ها

دي الطّرف مُسْودّاً مُمِرّا

Oh you who relate of Yasser

Without knowing him or his ways the most!

ومطاولِ الأنواعِ يُقْ

دِمُ صائباً كالصلِّ شَرّا

Read his face's innocence

Pages of demise if you can boast

جرّوا الذوائبَ والذوا

بِلَ خلفَهم بيضاً وسُمْرا

Touch his right cheek gently

And say "Peace be upon you", at his coast

فالسيفُ يُقرعُ بينَهُم

بشقيقِه والضيفُ يُقْرى

You erred in comparing it

To the sea - God forgive that misplaced toast!

يا راوياً عن ياسرٍ

خِبْراً ولم يعرفْهُ خُبْرا

Did you not attain his bounty,

A bashful handsome bridegroom

اقرأ بغُرّةِ وجهِه

صُحْفَ المُنى إن كنتَ تَقْرا

And find in that, only poverty?

As his cheek gives abundantly

والثِمْ بَنانَ يمينِه

وقلِ السلامُ عليك بَحْرا

The sea returns the same courtesy

God is Greater in this sign

وغلِطْتَ في تَشبيهِها

بالبحرِ فاللهمّ غُفْرا

A great verse in generosity

This is a drink, though it

أو ليس نِلْتَ بذي غنًى

جمّاً ونلتَ بذاك فَقْرا

Makes the sea seem a dewdrop

And the Pleiades obtain

وكما يُفيدُ بنانُه

غَمْراً يُعيدُ البحرَ غَمْرا

With eyes watching, words and poetry

Or have you not seen his odes

اللهُ أكبرُ عندَ ه

ذي آية في الجودِ كُبرى

Excel in prose and verse modes free?

From every maiden pleased

هذي شرابٌ وهي تج

عَلُ فيه مثلَ البحرِ دُرّا

By none but the Most High as in-law

You dressed in ink one pleased

وتُنيلُه الشِعْرى على

بصَرٍ به ليكونَ شِعْرا

To claim while alive from your pen joy

And pressed as wine that circulates

أوَ ما تراهُ يُجيدُ في

أمداحِه نظماً ونَثْرا

In cups, bringing thanks and coy

Pleased - nothing sweeter!

من كلِّ بِكْرٍ ما ارتَضَيْ

تَ لها سوى عَلياهُ صِهْرا

Wrathful - nothing more bitter!

Me who spills in generosity

ألبستَها الحِبَرَ التي

أدعى لها ما عشتَ حَبْرا

Calling it "sun" and "sorcery"

With windows overlooking

وعصَرتَها خَمْراً تدو

رُ كؤوسُها شُكْراً وسُكْرا

The Pleiades, evil spying

Relating his resolves

أرضى فما أحلى وأغْ

ضَبُ في عِداهُ فما أمَرّا

That released worry's shackled binding

Still looking for their return

وأنا الذي بالبَذْلِ ينْ

فُثُ قائلاً شمساً وسِحْرا

Green after green in every finding

بنوافذٍ ترنو الرّما

حُ لها بطرفِ الحِقْدِ شَرا

تحكي عزائمهُ التي

فكّتْ رِقابَ الخَطْبِ قَسْرا

لا زالَ ينظُرُ عودَها

بنداهُ لدنَ المَتْنِ نَضْرا