طَلَبَتهُ أَيّامٌ وَطالَبَ مِثلَها
أُخرى فَأَصبَحَ طالِباً مَطلوبا
Days pursued him, while he pursued their like—
other days—so he became both pursuer and pursued.
هِيَ عَزمَةٌ كَالسَيفِ إِلّا أَنَّها
جُعِلَت لِأَسبابِ الزَمانِ قَضوبا
It is a resolve like a sword—except that it
was made a cutting blade against the cords of Time.
خَطَبَت خُطوبَ الدَهرِ مِنهُ خُطَّةً
نَتَجَت عَلَيهِ تَجارِباً وَنُكوبا
Born of him, it courted the calamities of Time in a venture
that bore him experience and affliction.
صَرَمَت حِبالَ الدَهرِ مِنهُ صَرمَةً
تَرَكَت بِقَلبِ النائِباتِ وَجيبا
It severed Time’s ropes from him with such a stroke
that it left the heart of calamities pounding.
وَلَرُبَّما اِستَبكَتهُ نَكبَةُ حادِثٍ
نَكَأَت بِباطِنِ صَفحَتَيهِ نُدوبا
Often some calamity of chance would make him weep,
reopening scars deep within his two sides—
لا أَنَّهُ خَذَلَتهُ أَسبابُ الغِنى
أَو راحَ مِن سَلَبِ المُلوكِ سَليبا
not because the means to wealth had failed him,
nor because he came away bereft of kings’ spoils.
لَكِنَّهُ عَجَبٌ وَلَيسَ بِمُعجِبٍ
أَن شامَ مِن حُكمِ الزَمانِ عَجيبا
Yet it is a wonder—though no cause for wonder—
that he discerned in Time’s decree this strange thing:
يَوماً بِمُنقَطِعِ الشُروقِ مُقامُهُ
وَيُقيمُ يَوماً بِالغُروبِ غَريبا
one day his dwelling at the farthest verge of sunrise,
another day he dwells a stranger in the sunset-west.
لا كانَتِ الآمالُ يَكفُلُ نُجحَها
كَرَمٌ يُريكَ تَجَهُّماً وَقُطوبا
May hopes never be whose fulfillment is guaranteed
by generosity that meets your eye with scowl and frown.
Sol 5.6