أَأَيّامَنا ما كُنتِ إِلّا مَواهِبا

وَكُنتِ بِإِسعافِ الحَبيبِ حَبائِبا

Our days were nothing but gifts

And with the help of the beloved you were gifts

سَنُغرِبُ تَجديداً لِعَهدِكِ في البُكا

فَما كُنتِ في الأَيّامِ إِلّا غَرائِبا

We will become strangers again to renew your era in crying

For you were nothing in the days but wonders

وَمُعتَرَكٍ لِلشَوقِ أَهدى بِهِ الهَوى

إِلى ذي الهَوى نُجلَ العُيونِ رَبائِبا

And a battlefield for yearning that infatuation brought

To the infatuated, the tender-eyed youth were gazelles

كَواعِبُ زارَت في لَيالٍ قَصيرَةٍ

يُخَيَّلنَ لي مِن حُسنِهِنَّ كَواعِبا

Young women visited on short nights

Their beauty seemed to me to be young women

سَلَبنا غِطاءَ الحُسنِ عَن حُرِّ أَوجُهٍ

تَظَلُّ لِلُبِّ السالِبيها سَوالِبا

They took away the cover of beauty from free faces

That remain for those who stole them, plunderers

وُجوهٌ لَوَ اِنَّ الأَرضَ فيها كَواكِبٌ

تَوَقَّدُ لِلساري لَكُنَّ كَواكِبا

Faces that if the earth had planets in it

They would shine for the sublime, and be planets

سَلي هَل عَمَرتُ القَفرَ وَهوَ سَباسِبٌ

وَغادَرتُ رَبعي مِن رِكابي سَباسِبا

Ask if I inhabited the expanse while it had mirages

And I left my land from my mounts and mirages

وَغَرَّبتُ حَتّى لَم أَجِد ذِكرَ مَشرِقٍ

وَشَرَّقتُ حَتّى قَد نَسيتُ المَغارِبا

And became estranged until I did not find mention of an east

And I became eastern until I forgot the wests

خُطوبٌ إِذا لاقَيتُهُنَّ رَدَدنَني

جَريحاً كَأَنّي قَد لَقيتُ الكَتائِبا

Misfortunes, when I faced them, repelled me

Wounded as if I had faced disasters

وَمَن لَم يُسَلِّم لِلنَوائِبِ أَصبَحَت

خَلائِقُهُ طُرّاً عَلَيهِ نَوائِبا

And whoever did not surrender to adversities

His manners became rebellious adversities against him

وَقَد يَكهَمُ السَيفُ المُسَمّى مَنِيَّةً

وَقَد يَرجِعُ المَرءُ المُظَفَّرُ خائِبا

The sword named death may deceive

And the triumphant man may return defeated

فَآفَةُ ذا أَلّا يُصادِفَ مَضرِباً

وَآفَةُ ذا أَلّا يُصادِفَ ضارِبا

The affliction of that one is that he does not encounter a blow

And the affliction of that one is that he does not encounter a striker

وَمَلآنَ مِن ضِغنٍ كَواهُ تَوَقُّلي

إِلى الهِمَّةِ العُليا سَناماً وَغارِبا

And I was filled with sorrows that ambition concealed

As I inclined towards the highest resolve, setting and declining

شَهِدتُ جَسيماتِ العُلى وَهوَ غائِبٌ

وَلَو كانَ أَيضاً شاهِداً كانَ غائِبا

I witnessed the greatest heights while it was absent

And even if it were also present, it would still be absent

إِلى الحَسَنِ اِقتَدنا رَكائِبَ صَيَّرَت

لَها الحَزنَ مِن أَرضِ الفَلاةِ رَكائِبا

We emulated its processions which made

Of grief in the barren land, processions

نَبَذتُ إِلَيهِ هِمَّتي فَكَأَنَّما

كَدَرتُ بِهِ نَجماً عَلى الدَهرِ ثاقِبا

I cast my determination to it as if

I had disturbed a star in the universe, piercing

وَكُنتُ اِمرَءاً أَلقى الزَمانَ مُسالِماً

فَآلَيتُ لا أَلقاهُ إِلّا مُحارِبا

And I was a man who met time peacefully

But I came to only meet it as an adversary

لَوِ اِقتُسِمَت أَخلاقُهُ الغُرُّ لَم تَجِد

مَعيباً وَلا خَلقاً مِنَ الناسِ عائِبا

If its manners were divided, you would not find

A blemisher or a manners among people as fault-finding

إِذا شِئتَ أَن تُحصي فَواضِلَ كَفِّهِ

فَكُن كاتِباً أَو فَاِتَّخِذ لَكَ كاتِبا

If you wanted to count its generous palms

Then be a writer or employ a writer

عَطايا هِيَ الأَنواءُ إِلّا عَلامَةً

دَعَت تِلكَ أَنواءً وَتِلكَ مَواهِبا

Its gifts are the achievements except as a sign

That called those achievements and those gifts

هُوَ الغَيثُ لَو أَفرَطتُ في الوَصفِ عامِداً

لِأَكذِبَ في مَدحيهِ ما كُنتُ كاذِبا

It is the rain, if I exaggerated intentionally in describing it

I would lie in my praise of it, and I was no liar

ثَوى مالُهُ نَهبَ المَعالي فَأَوجَبَت

عَلَيهِ زَكاةُ الجودِ ما لَيسَ واجِبا

Its wealth plundered the heights so the obligatory alms

Imposed on it what was not obligatory

تُحَسَّنُ في عَينَيهِ إِن كُنتَ زائِراً

وَتَزدادُ حُسناً كُلَّما جِئتَ طالِبا

You look good in its eyes if you are a visitor

And look better whenever you come seeking

خَدينُ العُلى أَبقى لَهُ البَذلُ وَالتُقى

عَواقِبَ مِن عُرفٍ كَفَتهُ العَواقِبا

The cheek of heights made giving and piety

Consequences from a custom that consequences sufficed

تَطولُ اِستِشاراتُ التَجارِبِ رَأيَهُ

إِذا ما ذَوو الرَأيِ اِستَشاروا التَجارِبا

The consultations of experiences lengthen its opinion

When those of sound judgement consult experiences

بِرِئتُ مِنَ الآمالِ وَهيَ كَثيرَةٌ

لَدَيكَ وَإِن جاءَتكَ حُدباً لَواغِبا

I am innocent of hopes while there are many

With you, even if they come to you inclining and desiring

وَهَل كُنتُ إِلّا مُذنِباً يَومَ أَنتَحي

سِواكَ بِآمالٍ فَأَقبَلتُ تائِبا

Was I ever but a sinner the day I turned

Away from you to hopes and so I came repenting