إِنّي نَصَحتُكَ فَاِتَّهَمتَ نَصيحَتي
وَزَعَمتَ أَنَّكَ ذو تَجارِبَ حُوَّلُ
Indeed, I advised you, but you mistrusted my counsel.
And you claimed to be a shrewd man of experience.
وَذَهَبتَ تَركَبُ كُلَّ رَأيٍ جامِحٍ
حَتّى طَحا بِكَ ما تَقولُ وَتَفعَلُ
You went on embracing every headstrong opinion,
until your words and deeds carried you away.
يا شُؤمَ رَأيِكَ حينَ تَزعُم أَو تَرى
أَنّا عَلى مَكروهِ حُكمِكَ نَنزِلُ
How disastrous your judgment when you suppose or believe
that we will submit to the hateful dictates of your rule.
اغلُل عَصاكَ إِلى لِسانِكَ إِنَّما
يَلقى الهَوانَ الفاحِشُ المُتَبَذِّلُ
Restrain your staff, along with your tongue; for only
the foulmouthed and shameless meet humiliation.
لَسنا إِذا أَخَذَت يَمينُكَ بِالعَصا
مِمَّن تَهُشُّ بِها عَلَيهِ فَيَجفَلُ
When your right hand takes up the staff, we are not
among those you drive with it and make bolt.
إِنَّ المُؤَدِّبَ لا يُصادِفُ طاعَةً
حَتّى يَراهُ القَومُ مِمَّن يَعقِلُ
A disciplinarian will find no obedience
until the people see that he is reasonable.
أَرَأَيتَ ما صَنَعَ الَّذينَ زَعَمتَهُم
لا يَجرُأونَ عَلَيكَ ساعَةَ تُقبِلُ
Have you seen what those people did—the ones you claimed
would not dare oppose you—the moment you approached?
أَخَذَتكَ بَينَ المَوكِبَينِ نِعالُهُم
وَالجُندُ يَنظُرُ وَالصَوافِنُ تَصهلُ
Their sandals caught you between the two processions,
while the soldiers watched and the poised steeds neighed.
وَرَدَتكَ أَرسالاً تَطوفُ ظِماؤُها
بِدَمِ الجَبينِ تُعَلُّ مِنهُ وَتُنهَلُ
They came upon you in companies, their thirsty ones circling,
drinking freely and deeply from the blood of your brow.
صَدَرت تُحَدِّثُ عَن جَوانِبِ صَخرَةٍ
تَهفو القُوى عَنها وَيَنبو المِعوَلُ
You returned speaking of the flanks of a rock
from which strength recoils and the pickaxe glances off—
صَمّاءَ لَو قُذِفَ الزَمانُ بِمِثلِها
باتَت جَوانِبُهُ العُلى تَتَهَيَّلُ
a solid rock: if Time itself were struck with its like,
Time’s lofty sides would crumble overnight.
مَولايَ إِنَّ مِنَ الأناةِ لَجُنَّةً
يُرمى العدوُّ بِها وَيُحمى المَقتَلُ
My lord, there is surely a shield in deliberation:
with it the enemy is struck and the vulnerable spot protected.
وَالحَقُّ ما شَرَعَ الهُداةُ فَما عَسى
يَتَطَلَّبُ الغاوي وَيَبغي المُبطِلُ
Truth is what the guides have ordained; what, then, could
the wayward seek or the champion of falsehood desire?
إِنّي نَصَحتُ وَلاتَ حينَ نَصيحَةٍ
وَأَرى المُضَلَّلَ بِالمَلامَةِ يَعجِلُ
Indeed, I gave counsel—but the time for counsel is past,
and I see the deluded man hastening to cast blame.
كُن كَيفَ شِئتَ فَلَو هَمَمتَ بِتَوبَةٍ
لَثَناكَ عَمّا رُمتَ بابٌ مُقفَلُ
Be as you wish; even if you resolved to repent,
a closed door would turn you back from what you sought.
فِرعَونُ آمَنَ حينَ حُمَّ قَضاؤُهُ
وَجَرى بِمَهلَكِهِ العُبابُ المُرسَلُ
Pharaoh believed only when his doom became inevitable,
and the unleashed flood swept him to destruction.
أَتَرى القُبولَ أَتاهُ في إيمانِهِ
أَم أَنتَ تَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ لا يُقبَلُ
Do you think his faith brought him acceptance,
or do you know that it is not accepted?
آتاكَ أَعيانُ المَدينَةِ نُصحَهُم
وَنَهاكَ عالِمُها الأَبَرُّ الأَمثَلُ
The city’s notables brought you their counsel,
and its most righteous, exemplary scholar warned you.
فَزَعَمتَهُم فَوقَ المَقاعِدِ نِسوَةً
وَسَفِهتَ إِذ حَلُموا وَعَفَّ المَحفَلُ
Yet you called them women sitting upon the benches,
and acted foolishly when they showed restraint and the assembly kept its dignity.
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