وَعاذِلٍ عَذَلتُهُ في عَذلِهِ
فَظَنَّ أَنّي جاهِلٌ مِن جَهلِهِ
And one who reproached me for my reproach of him,
He thought me ignorant because of his ignorance.
ما غَبَنَ المَغبونَ مِثلُ عَقلِهِ
مَن لَكَ يَوماً بِأَخيكَ كُلِّهِ
None is more duped than one whose mind dupes him,
Who blames you one day for loving your brother wholeheartedly.
لَبِستُ رَيعاني فَدَعني أُبلِهِ
رَأيَ اِبنِ دَهرٍ غَرَقاً في خَبلِهِ
I wore my youth so let me act foolishly,
The son of time saw clearly when drowned in his confusion.
أَعلَمَ مِنهُ بِحُداءِ إِبلِهِ
قَد لَعِبَت أَيدي النَوى بِشَملِهِ
He knows more than me about the sterility of his she-camels,
The hands of fate have played games with his cloak.
مُمَتَّعاً مُضطَلِعاً بِحِملِهِ
مُنصَلِتاً كَالسَيفِ عِندَ سَلِّهِ
Finding joy, bearing his burden,
Unsheathing like a sword during battle.
مَولودَةٌ هِمَّتُهُ مِن قَبلِهِ
قَد دانَ ذو الفَضلِ لَهُ بِفَضلِهِ
His ambition was born before him,
The virtuous bowed to him for his virtue.
كَالصابِ مَن يَذُقهُ لا يَستَحلِهِ
إِلّا بِأَن يَسكُنَ تَحتَ ظِلِّهِ
Like nectar, he who tastes it finds it irresistible,
Unless he stays in its shade.
مُفيدُ جَزلِ المالِ مُعطي جَزلِهِ
يَحويهِ مِن حَرامِهِ وَحِلِّهِ
Beneficial, bestowing abundant wealth, giving generously of it,
Containing the lawful and unlawful.
وَيجعَلُ النائِلَ أَدنى سُبلِهِ
وَبَلَدٍ نائي المَحَلِّ مَحلِهِ
And makes the attainers walk the easiest paths,
And a land faraway the place of his abode.
رَمَيتُهُ مِنَ السُرى بِنَبلِهِ
بِبازِلٍ مُقابَلٍ في بُزلِهِ
I shot him from Sura with my arrows,
With a loose string against his looseness.
مِثلي سَرى في مِثلِهِ بِمِثلِهِ
وَمَلِكٌ في كِبرِهِ وَنُبلِهِ
The like of me proceeded against the like of him, with the like of it,
And a king despite his arrogance and nobility,
وَسوقَةٍ في قَولِهِ وَفِعلِهِ
بَذَلتُ مَدحي فيهِ باغي بَذلِهِ
And leadership despite his words and actions.
I exerted myself in praising him desiring his generosity,
فَحَذَّ حَبلَ أَمَلي مِن أَصلِهِ
مِن بَعدِ ما اِستَعبَدَني بِمَطلِهِ
So he cut the rope of my hopes from its root,
After enslaving me with his procrastination,
ثُمَّ أَتى مُعتَذِراً بِجَهلِهِ
ذا عُنُقٍ في المَجدِ لَم يُحَلِّهِ
Then he came apologizing for his ignorance,
With a neck unbowed by glory,
يَعجَبُ مِن تَعَجُّبي وَبُخلِهِ
يَلحَظُني في جَدِّهِ وَهَزلِهِ
Amazed at my amazement and stinginess,
Glancing at me seriously and jokingly,
لَحظَ الأَسيرِ حَلَقاتِ كَبلِهِ
حَتّى كَأَنّي جِئتُهُ بِعَزلِهِ
Like a prisoner glancing at his shackles,
As if I had come to remove him from power.
يا واحِداً مُنفَرِداً بِعَدلِهِ
أَلبَستَهُ الغِنى فَلا تُمَلِّهِ
O One, singled out by His justice,
You clothed him in wealth so do not burden him,
ما أَضيَعَ الغِمدَ بِغَيرِ نَصلِهِ
وَالشِعرَ ما لَم يَكُ عِندَ أَهلِهِ
The sword sheath is not wasted save without its blade,
Nor is poetry except with its people.
