أَثَرتَ هِزَبرَ الشَرى إِذ رَبَض
وَنَبَّهتَهُ إِذ هَدا فَاغتَمَض
You aroused the feelings of the noble one as he rested,
And alerted him as he guided then shut his eyes.
وَما زِلتَ تَبسُطُ مُستَرسِلاً
إِلَيهِ يَدَ البَغيَ لَمّا انقَبَض
You continued to extend the hand of tyranny to him
Whenever it contracted with withdrawal.
حَذارِ حَذارِ فَإِنَّ الكَريمَ
إِذا سيمَ خَسفاً أَبى فَاِمتَعَض
Beware, beware, for the generous one,
If he is extorted, refuses and is discontent.
فَإِنَّ سُكونَ الشُجاعِ النَهوسِ
لَيسَ بِمانِعِهِ أَن يَعَضّ
Verily, the stillness of the spirited, impetuous one
Does not prevent him from biting.
وَإِنَّ الكَواكِبَ لا تُستَزَلُّ
وَإِنَّ المَقاديرَ لا تُعتَرَض
And verily the stars cannot be made to swerve,
And verily what is destined cannot be averted.
إِذا ريغَ فَليَقتَصِد مُسرِفٌ
مَساعٍ يُقَصِّرُ عَنها الحَفَض
When the spiller spills, let the spendthrift be moderate
In efforts that fall short of grasping.
وَهَل وارِدُ الغَمرِ مِن عِدِّهِ
يُقاسُ بِهِ مُستَشِفُّ البَرَض
Can one who visits the deep sea in number
Be compared to one testing the shore?
إِذا الشَمسُ قابَلتَها أَرمَداً
فَحَظُّ جُفونِكَ في أَن تُغَضّ
When the sun faces you with bleary eyes,
How fortunate for your eyelids to blink!
أَرى كُلَّ مُجرٍ أَبا عامِرٍ
يُسَرُّ إِذا في خَلاءٍ رَكَض
I see every resolute father of honor
Delighted when alone he gallops.
أُعيذُكَ مِن أَن تَرى مِنزَعي
إِذا وَتَري بِالمَنايا انقَبَض
I seek refuge for you from seeing any weakness in me
When the appointing of death contracts.
فَإِنّي أَلينُ لِمَن لانَ لي
وَأَترُكُ مَن رامَ قَسري حَرَض
For I am gentle to whoever is gentle to me
And I abandon whoever sought my forced submission.
وَكَم حَرَّكَ العُجبُ مِن حائِنٍ
فَغادَرتُهُ ما بِهِ مِن حَبَض
How much pride did the treacherous one stir up in me,
Yet I left him, along with his twisted ways!
أَبا عامِرٍ أَينَ ذاكَ الوَفاءُ
إِذِ الدَهرُ وَسنانُ وَالعَيشُ غَضّ
Tell me, did I not exert myself, rising
To bear the burdens of your righteousness upon those who rose?
وَأَينَ الَّذي كُنتَ تَعتَدُّ مِن
مُصادَقَتي الواجِبَ المُفتَرَض
Did the scent of my courtesy not exude a fragrance
You deemed to be precious incense that pours forth?
تَشوبُ وَأَمحَضُ مُستَبقِياً
وَهَيهاتَ مَن شابَ مِمَّن مَحَض
Were you not made happy by my noble manners,
Strolling to a meadow that made you laugh?
أَبِن لي أَلَم أَضطَلِع ناهِضاً
بِأَعباءِ بِرِّكَ فيمَن نَهَض
Were it not for our special bond, I would not have cared
For your condition, whether of health or sickness.
أَلَم تَنشَ مِن أَدَبي نَفحَةً
حَسِبتَ بِها المِسكَ طيباً يُفَضّ
No joy from loyalty came over me,
No sorrow from estrangement pained me.
أَلَم تَكُ مِن شيمَتي غادِياً
إِلى تُرَعٍ ضاحَكَتها فُرَض
The young man is honored when the cool, sweet drink
Offers him a draft that quenched his thirst.
وَلَولا اختِصاصُكَ لَم أَلتَفِت
لِحالَيكَ مِن صِحَّةٍ أَو مَرَض
You set upon my poetry but did not repent,
Matching its essence with superficiality.
وَلا عادَني مِن وَفاءٍ سُرورٌ
وَلا نالَني لِجَفاءٍ مَضَض
Have the styles of this ode narrowed,
Or has its design vanished and become extinct?
يَعِزُّ اِعتِصارُ الفَتى وارِداً
إِذا البارِدُ العَذبُ أَهدى الجَرَض
By my life, you have surpassed the arrow of struggle
And would have hit the target if you had aimed for the goal.
عَمَدتَ لِشِعري وَلَم تَتَّئِب
تُعارِضُ جَوهَرَهُ بِالعَرَض
You have rolled up your sleeves for plunging into an abyss,
Which is an ocean whose coast has not been explored.
أَضاقَت أَساليبُ هَذا القَريضِ
أَم قَد عَفا رَسمُهُ فَاِنقَرَض
A mirage presented itself to you from a covenant of birth,
Flickering lightning that flashed then disappeared.
لَعَمري لَفَوَّقتَ سَهمَ النِضالِ
وَأَرسَلتَهُ لَو أَصَبتَ الغَرَض
You assume loyalty in it while assumptions
Speak against those who took it as duty.
وَشَمَّرتَ لِلخَوضِ في لُجَّةٍ
هِيَ البَحرُ ساحِلُها لَم يُخَض
It is the water that refuses the gripper
And prevents its foam from being ladled.
وَغَرَّكَ مِن عَهدِ وَلّادَةٍ
سَرابٌ تَراءى وَبَرقٌ وَمَض
I informed her of my secret inclination toward you
For a purpose that was obscured and vague.
تَظُنُّ الوَفاءَ بِها وَالظُنونُ
فيها تَقولُ عَلى مَن فَرَض
Abu Amir, take a stumble as independence
So you may sever what soured of our love.
هِيَ الماءُ يَأبى عَلى قابِضٍ
وَيَمنَعُ زُبدَتَهُ مَن مَخَض
Do not cling to an error with argument,
Rather, many arguments have been refuted.
وَنُبِّئتُها بَعدِيَ اِستُحمِدَت
بِسِرّي إِلَيكَ لِمَعنىً غَمَض
Otherwise, the armies of reproach will assail you
Stubbornly with biting and stabbing remarks.
أَبا عامِرٍ عَثرَةً فَاِستَقِل
لِتُبرِمَ مِن وُدِّنا ما اِنتَفَض
And warn your friend of the expert one
With madness’ cure if it presents itself.
وَلا تَعتَصِم ضَلَّةً بِالحِجاجِ
وَسَيِّم فَرُبَّ اِحتِجاجٍ دُحِض
A guarantor for collecting heavy taxes,
Bold in slicing a throbbing vein.
وَإِلّا اِنتَحَتكَ جُيوشُ العِتابِ
مُناجِزَةً في قَضيضٍ وَقَضّ
He takes the branding iron before the bandage
And stings with poison instead of poultices.
وَأَنذِر خَليلَكَ مِن ماهِرٍ
بِطِبِّ الجُنونِ إِذا ما عَرَض
Inform him I have lamented having no substitute
And let him know I have sought a replacement.
كَفيلٌ بِبَطِّ خُراجٍ عَسا
جَريءٌ عَلى شَقِّ عِرقٍ نَبَض
Thus, my watering place is not for his camels to drink
Nor my resting place for his sheep to graze.
يُبادِرُ بِالكَيِّ قَبلَ الضَمادِ
وَيُسعِطُ بِالسَمِّ لا بِالحُضَض
Verily, the hand of separation is appreciated
For removing dishonor and erasing stains.
وَأَشعِرُهُ أَنّي اِنتَحَبتُ البَديلَ
وَأُعلِمهُ أَنّي اِستَجَدتُ العِوَض
It is enough that I gained success
In clarifying and revealing the separation.
فَلا مَشرَبي لِقِلاهُ أَمَرَّ
وَلا مَضجَعي لِنَواهُ أَقَضّ
Fortunate are you, my master,
That you have become equal to that sublime position.
وَإِنَّ يَدَ البَينِ مَشكورَةٌ
لِعارٍ أَماطَ وَوَصمٍ رَحَض
وَحَسبِيَ أَنّي أَطَبتُ الجَنى
لِإِبّانِهِ وَأَبَحتُ النَفَض
وَيَهنيكَ أَنَّكَ يا سَيِّدي
غَدَوتَ مُقارِنَ ذاكَ الرَبَض
