نَوارٌ في صَواحِبِها نَوارُ
كَما فاجاكَ سِربٌ أَو صِوارُ
Light among her companions is light
As a flock or bells surprised you
تَكَذَّبَ حاسِدٌ فَنَأَت قُلوبٌ
أَطاعَت واشِياً وَنَأَت دِيارُ
A jealous one denied, so hearts obeyed
A slanderer, and homes parted
قِفا نُعطِ المَنازِلَ مِن عُيونٍ
لَها في الشَوقِ أَحساءٌ غِزارُ
Stop, let us give the abodes their due
For them longing has copious tears
عَفَت آياتُهُنَّ وَأَيُّ رَبعٍ
يَكونُ لَهُ عَلى الزَمَنِ الخِيارُ
Their signs have been chaste, and which quarter
Will have the choice over time?
أَثافٍ كَالخُدودِ لُطِمنَ حُزناً
وَنُؤيٍ مِثلَما اِنفَصَمَ السِوارُ
Cheeks like gifts that console sorrow
Eyes like bracelets when they are parted
وَكانَت لَوعَةٌ ثُمَّ اِطمَأَنَّت
كَذاكَ لِكُلِّ سائِلَةٍ قَرارُ
There was agony, then it was calmed
Thus for every questioner, a settlement
مَضى الأَملاكُ فَاِنقَرَضوا وَأَمسَت
سَراةُ مُلوكِنا وَهُمُ تِجارُ
The angels passed away and vanished
And our kings’ cavalcade remained merchants
وُقوفٌ في ظِلالِ الذَمِّ تُحمى
دَراهِمُها وَلا يُحمى الذِمارُ
Standing in the shadows of blame, protected
Their coins, but not protected from blame
فَلَو ذَهَبَت سِناتُ الدَهرِ عَنهُ
وَأُلقِيَ عَن مَناكِبِهِ الدِثارُ
If the years of fate left him
And the robes fell from his shoulders
لَعَدَّلَ قِسمَةَ الأَرزاقِ فينا
وَلَكِن دَهرُنا هَذا حِمارُ
He would make equal the portion of sustenance among us
But our fate, this is a donkey
سَيَبتَعِثُ الرِكابَ وَراكِبيها
فَتىً كَالسَيفِ هَجعَتُهُ غِرارُ
It will revive the riders and their mounts
A young man whose slumber roused embers
أَطَلَّ عَلى كِلا الآفاقِ حَتّى
كَأَنَّ الأَرضَ في عَينَيهِ دارُ
He looked upon both horizons until
The earth in his eyes was a house
يَقولُ الحاسِدونَ إِذا اِنصَرَفنا
لَقَد قَطَعوا طَريقاً أَو أَغاروا
The jealous say, when we move on:
“They have crossed a road or raided”
نَؤُمُّ أَبا الحُسَينِ وَكانَ قِدماً
فَتىً أَعمارُ مَوعِدِهِ قِصارُ
We entrust Abu Al-Hussein, and he was
A man whose lifetimes are brief
لَهُ خُلُقٌ نَهى القُرآنُ عَنهُ
وَذاكَ عَطاؤُهُ السَرَفُ البِدارُ
He has a nature the Quran forbade
And that is his excessive, wasteful giving
وَلَم يَكُ مِنكَ إِضرارٌ وَلَكِن
تَمادَت في سَجِيَّتِها البِحارُ
You did no harm, but
The oceans raged in their own nature
يَطيبُ لِجودِهِ ثَمَرُ الأَماني
وَتَرى عِندَهُ الهِمَمُ الحِرارُ
The fruit of hopes ripens through his generosity
And you see the passionate ambitions by him
رَفَعتُ كَواعِبَ الأَشعارِ فيهِ
كَما رُفِعَت لِناظِرِها المَنارُ
I raised the maidens of poetry about him
As the lighthouse was raised for its viewer
حَليمٌ وَالحَفيظَةُ مِنهُ خَيمٌ
وَأَيُّ النارِ لَيسَ لَها شَرارُ
Forbearing, and the angry one from him is protected
And which fire lacks sparks?
تَحِنُّ عِداتُهُ إِثرَ التَقاضي
وَتُنتَجُ مِثلَما نَتِجَ العِشارُ
His enemies grieve after the quarrel
And produce like the tithe produces
أَرى الدالِيَّتَينِ عَلى جَفاءٍ
لَدَيكَ وَكُلُّ واحِدَةٍ نُضارُ
I see the two enticers sullen
Before you, and each is blooming
إِذا ما شِعرُ قَومٍ كانَ لَيلاً
تَبَلَّجَتا كَما اِنشَقَّ النَهارُ
If the poetry of some people was gloomy at night
They glistened as the dawn split
وَإِن كانَت قَصائِدُهُم جُدوباً
تَلَوَّنَتا كَما اِزدَوَجَ البَهارُ
And if their poems were barren
They were colored as flowers doubled
أَغَرتَهُما وَغَيرُهُما مُحَلّىً
بِجودِكَ وَالقَوافي قَد تَغارُ
You seduced them and others with your munificence
And the rhymes almost envied each other
وَغَيرُكَ يَلبَسُ المَعروفَ خُلفاً
وَيَأخُذُ مِن مَواعِدِهِ الصُفارُ
While others falsely wear beneficence
And take their rations from its seats
رَأَيتُ صَنائِعاً مُعِكَت فَأَمسَت
ذَبائِحَ وَالمِطالُ لَها شِفارُ
I saw arts made cranky, so they became
Sacrifices, and the knives are their healers
وَكانَ المَطلُ في بَدءٍ وَعَودٍ
دُخاناً لِلصَنيعَةِ وَهيَ نارُ
The knife, at first, was smoke for the craft
And it was fire while it was a rod
نَسيبَ البُخلِ مُذ كانا وَإِلّا
يَكُن نَسَبٌ فَبَينَهُما جِوارُ
He forgot the lineage of stinginess since they were
Otherwise, between them would be neighborhood
لِذَلِكَ قيلَ بَعضُ المَنعِ أَدنى
إِلى كَرَمٍ وَبَعضُ الجودِ عارُ
Therefore, it was said some denial is closer
To generosity, and some giving is shame
فَدَع ذِكرَ الضِياعِ فَبي شِماسٌ
إِذا ذُكِرَت وَبي عَنها نِفارُ
Leave mention of losses, for in me are spears
If mentioned, and from them, aversion
وَما لي ضَيعَةٌ إِلّا المَطايا
وَشِعرٌ لا يُباعُ وَلا يُعارُ
I have no estate but the mounts
And poetry that is neither sold nor lent
وَما أَنا وَالعَقارَ وَلَستُ مِنهُ
عَلى ثِقَةٍ وَجودُكَ لي عَقارُ
I am not for real estate, and am not one
To trust in it - your generosity is my real estate
