إِنَّ الأَميرَ حِمامُ الجارِعِ الجاني
وَمُستَرادُ أَماني الموثَقِ العاني
The prince is a dove of the hungry granary,
And fulfiller of the wishes of the bound prisoner,
إِذا ثَوى جارُ قَومٍ في بِلادِهِمِ
فَجارُهُ نازِلٌ في رَأسِ غُمدانِ
When a neighbor dwells unjustly in the land of a people,
His neighbor descends at the top of scabbards.
كَم صامِتٍ صامِتِيِّ الضَربِ فُزتُ بِهِ
مِنهُ وَحَليٍ مِنَ المَعروفِ حَلّاني
How often have I remained silent, my silence hitting
Him and fine gifts from goodwill sustaining me,
يُعطى فَيَكسِبُني حَمداً بِنائِلِهِ
وَتالِدي وافِرٌ باقٍ وَقُنياني
He gives me so I earn praise through his gifts
And my successive offspring remain enduring and multiplying.
فَمَن رَآني مِنَ الأَقوامِ كُلِّهِمِ
فَقَد رَأى مُحسِناً مِن غَيرِ إِحسانِ
So whoever of all people has seen me,
Has seen one who does good without doing good.
جاني نَخيلٍ سِواهُ كانَ أَلَّفَها
غَرساً وَساكِنُ قَصرٍ غَيرُهُ الباني
He has associated palm trees whose planter other than him
Was their cultivator and resident of a palace not built by him.
هَل أَنتَ صائِنُ عِرضي لي وَمُفلِتي
بِماءِ وَجهي سَليماً مِن سُلَيمانِ
Are you slandering my honor, O you who are slipping away
With the water of my face safe from Sulayman?
فَتى فَتاءٍ وَفِتيانِيَّةٍ وَأَخو
نَوائِبٍ وَمُلِمّاتٍ وَأَزمانِ
A young man, young and brother
Of misfortunes, gathering clouds and times!
مِسَنُّ فِكرٍ إِذا كَلَّت مَضارِبُهُ
يَوماً وَصَيقَلُ أَلبابٍ وَأَذهانِ
A mature mind, when its lightnings flash
A day, polishing intellects and minds.
ذو الوُدِّ مِنّي وَذو القُربى بِمَنزِلَةٍ
وَإِخوَتي أُسوَةٌ عِندي وَإِخواني
One affectionate to me, and close kin are to me
As good examples, and my brothers, comrades.
لا تُخلِقَن خُلُقي فيهِم وَقَد سَطَعَت
ناري وَجَدَّدَ مِن حالي الجَديدانِ
Do not create my manners in them, and my
Fire has blazed, and the two new moons have renewed my state.
في دَهرِيَ الأَوَّلِ المَذمومِ أَعرِفُهُم
فَالآنَ أُنكِرُهُم في دَهرِيَ الثاني
In my first, blameworthy time, I knew them,
And now I deny them in my second time.
لاقى إِذَن غَرسُهُم أَكدى ثَرىً وَجَرَت
مِنّي ظُنونُهُم في شَرِّ مَيدانِ
So the roots they planted met barren soil, and their
Suspicions of me flowed in the worst field.
عِصابَةٌ جاوَرَت آدابُهُم أَدَبي
فَهُم وَإِن فُرِّقوا في الأَرضِ جيراني
A gang whose manners neighbored my manners
And so they are my neighbors though dispersed in the land.
أَرواحُنا في مَكانٍ واحِدٍ وَغَدَت
أَبدانُنا في شَآمٍ أَو خُراسانِ
Our spirits are in one place, and our
Bodies became in Syria or Khurasan.
وَرُبَّ نائي المَغاني روحُهُ أَبَداً
لَصيقُ روحي وَدانٍ لَيسَ بِالداني
And many a compatriot in exile, his soul forever
Clinging to my soul, close though not intimate.
أَفي أَخٍ لِيَ فَردٍ لا قَسيمَ لَهُ
في خالِصِ الوُدِّ مِن سِرّي وَإِعلاني
Is there for me an unmatched, peerless brother
In the essence of affection, my secret and my proclamation?
تُرَدُّ عَن بَحرِكَ المَورودِ راجِعَةً
بِغَيرِ حاجاتِها دَلوي وَأَشطاني
It turns back from your abundant sea, returning
Without its needs, my water-bucket and pulley.
مُسَلَّطٌ حَيثُ لا سُلطانَ لي وَيَدي
مَغلولَةُ النَفعِ وَالسُلطانُ سُلطاني
One empowered where I have no power, and my hand
Is useless in benefit and empowerment is my empowerment.
كَالنارِ بارِدَةً في عودِها وَلَها
إِن فارَقَتهُ اِشتِعالٌ لَيسَ بِالواني
Like fire, cold in its wood, which has,
If it leaves it, a blaze not lasting.
ما أَنسَ لا أَنسَ قَولاً قالَهُ رَجُلٌ
غَضَضتُ في عَقبِهِ طَرفي وَأَجفاني
I do not forget, I do not forget, the saying a man spoke
At which I lowered my eyelids and lids after it.
نَلِ الثُرَيّا أَوِ الشِعرى فَلَيسَ فَتىً
لَم يُغنِ خَمسينَ إِنساناً بِإِنسانِ
Attain glory or poetry, and you will not be a young man
Unless you enrich fifty people through one person.
