سليمُ الزمان كمنكوبِهِ
وموفورُهُ مثلُ محروبِهِ
The peace of time is like its afflicted one
And its abundant like its war-torn one
وممنوحهُ مثلُ ممنوعِهِ
ومكسوُّهُ مثلُ مسلوبِهِ
And its granted like its forbidden one
And its clothed like its plundered one
ومحبوبُهُ رَهْنُ مكروهِهِ
ومكروهُهُ رهنُ محبوبِهِ
And its loved one is hostage to its hated one
And its hated one is hostage to its loved one
ومأمونُهُ تحت محذورِهِ
ومرجوُّهُ تحت مرهوبِهِ
And its safe is under its hazardous one
And its hoped for is under its feared one
وريبُ الزمان غداً كائنٌ
وغالبُهُ مثلُ مغلوبِهِ
And the doubt of time tomorrow will happen
And its conqueror is like its conquered one
فلا تهربنَّ إلى ذِلَّةٍ
ذليلُ الزمانِ كمنكوبِهِ
So do not flee to disgrace
The disgraced of time is like its afflicted one
أمَا في الزمان فتىً ماجدٌ
ينفِّسُ كربةَ مَكْرُوبِهِ
Is there not in time a glorious youth
Who relieves the anguish of its anguished one
سأستُر نفسي أجادَ اللئيـ
ـمُ أم ضنَّ عنّي بموهوبِهِ
Shall I conceal my soul, did he who is generous
Withhold from me his gifted one
فَحَظِّي وإن كنتُ مغصوبَهُ
فَسِتْرِيَ لستُ بمغصوبِهِ
And if my lot was usurped
My concealment, I'm not usurped
ويَنْبُوتِ أرضٍ ترى شوكَهُ
يُطيلُ حماية خَرُّوبِهِ
And it grows on land you see its thorns
Prolonging the protection of its blighted one
ترفَّعتُ عن لؤْمِ مَجنِيِّهِ
بنفسي وعن لؤم محطوبِهِ
I rose above the stigma of its stainer
By myself and the stigma of its felled one
وآكِلُ أطعمةِ الأدنيا
ء رهنٌ بأن يستخفُّوا بِهِ
And the eater of the foods of the lowly
Is hostage to being derided by it
ألم تَرَ صاحبَهُمْ لا يزا
لُ فيهم شقيّاً بمصحوبِهِ
Have you not seen their companion still
Among them wretched with his accompanied one
إذا امتاحهم أكْلَةً عبَّدُو
هُ تعبيدَ ربٍّ لمربوبِهِ
When a meal makes them full they worship it
Like worshipping a Lord for its worshipped one
يخالون أنهمُ بَلَّغُو
هُ بالقوتِ أفضلَ مطلوبِهِ
They think that with sustenance they have given it
The best of its sought one
وأنَّهمُ حرسوا نفسَهُ
بِهِ من غوائلِ مرهوبِهِ
And that they have protected it
From the perils of its feared one
يُذيل مُضيفُهُمُ ضيفَهُ
كملبوسِهِ وكمركوبِهِ
Their host trails his guest
Like his dressed one and his mounted one
فلا يُؤتِغَنَّ امرُؤٌ عرضَهُ
لمأكولِهِ ولمشروبِهِ
So let no man give his dignity
For his eaten one and his drunk one
ولا يلتمسْ من خسيسِ الرجا
لِ ما خسَّ من فضل مكسوبِهِ
Nor seek from the meanest of men
What is inferior from his earned one
كملتمسٍ من خسيسِ الجذو
عِ قَطْرَ إهالةِ مصلوبِهِ
Like one seeking from the meanest palm tree
A drop to revive his crucified one
ووغدٍ وهبتُ له حُكْمَهُ
وأمَّلتُ منكودَ موهوبِهِ
And a rude one I gave him wisdom
And hoped for the bestowed of its gifted one
فكنتُ كعابِدِ منحوتِهِ
ومسترزقٍ رزقَ منصوبِهِ
So I became like the worshipper of his idol
And the bread-seeker of his appointed one
ولو قد ألحَّ عليه الهجا
ءُ جَرْجرَ من عضِّ كلُّوبِهِ
And if insult had insisted on him
The snarling of every molared one
ولمَّا غدا كلُّ هذه الورى
وممدوحُهُ مثلُ مندوبِهِ
And when all of these realms become
And its praised one like its tasked one
مدحتُ إلهاً جميلَ الثنا
ءِ مصدوقُهُ غيرُ مكذوبِهِ
I praised a God of beautiful praise
Its truthful one, not its lying one
ألا يا فراسِيُّ خذها إليـ
ـكَ من ثاقب الحدّ مشبوبِهِ
Oh, take it Farasiy from the insightful poet
Its poured one from the piercing of its pouring one
حليمٍ تَعَوَّذُ من جهلِهِ
إذا ما حُصِبْتَ بِشُؤبوبِهِ
Forbearing, seeking refuge from its ignorant one
When afflicted by the misfortune of its misfortuning one
