قَد كَشَّفَ الحِلمُ عَنّي الجَهلَ فَاِنقَشَعَت
عَنّي الضَبابَةُ لا نِكسٌ وَلا وَرَعُ
Wisdom has unveiled my ignorance and dispelled my confusion,
Neither humble nor devout am I now,
وَهَرَّني الناسُ إِلّا ذا مُحافَظَةٍ
كَما يُحاذِرُ وَقعَ الأَجدَلِ الضُوَعُ
And people disdained me but those of propriety,
As birds take heed of the falling acorns.
وَالمَوعِدِيَّ بِظَهرِ الغَيبِ أَعيُنُهُم
تُبدي شَناءَتَهُم حَوضي لَهُم تَرَعُ
My detractors glanced at me askance, their eyes betraying their rancor,
Though to my face they feigned meekness and restraint.
أَخزاهُمُ الجَهلُ حَتّى طاشَ قَولُهُمُ
عِندَ النِضالِ فَما طاروا وَما وَقَعوا
Foolishness had made them rave mindlessly when defending their words,
They flew not high nor struck true.
يُحاوِلونَ هِجائي عِندَ نِسوَتِهِم
وَلَو رَأَوني أَسَرّوا القَولَ وَاِتَّضَعوا
They would vilify me to their women, yet if they saw me themselves,
Humbly their tongues would still and their heads bow.
وَفي الرِجالِ يَراعٌ لا قُلوبَ لَهُم
أَغمارُ شُمطٍ فَما ضَرّوا وَما نَفَعوا
Among the men no hearts had they, merely foolish driveling louts,
Who neither harmed nor helped aught.
إِذا نَصَبتُ لِأَقوامٍ بِمَشتِمَةٍ
أَوهَنتُ مِنهُم صَميمَ العَظمِ أَو ظَلَعوا
If I assail a people with blame, the stalwarts among them grow frail
Or stumble along abjectly lame.
وَالمالِكِيَّةُ قَد أَبصَرتُ ما صَنَعَت
لَمّا تَفَرَّقَ شَعبُ الحَيِّ فَاِنصَدَعوا
I see what the Maliki School has wrought,
When the throngs of Hijaz fell apart and cracked.
تُسارِقُ الطَرفَ مِن دونِ الحِجابِ كَما
يَرميكَ مِن دونَ عيصِ السِدرَةِ الذَرَعُ
Your stolen glance from behind the veil is like
Pebbles cast without sling or staff.
بِعارِضَينِ يَجولُ الطيبُ فَوقَهُما
وَمُقلَةٍ لَم يُخالِط طَرفَها قَمَعُ
About them the perfume circulates, above a pair
Of cheeks, and eyes no lewdness has taint.
وَأَنا كَالسَدمِ مِن أَسماءَ إِذ ظَعَنَت
أَوهَت مِنَ القَلبِ ما لا يَشعَبُ الصَنَعُ
To them belong lips drinking sweetly the proffered kiss,
As the thirsty drink of their like, eagerly quaff.
إِذا تَنَزَّلُ مِن عُلِيَّةٍ رَجَفَت
لَولا يُؤَيِّدُها الآجُرُّ وَالقَلَعُ
The wife of rabid Ashmat,
In whose head were madness and raving unremitting.
يُروي العِطاشَ لَها عَذبٌ مُقَبَّلُهُ
إِذا العِطاشُ عَلى أَمثالِهِ كَرَعوا
Her cheeks unfettered by veils,
As if shackled to her temples were scraping platters.
زَوجَةُ أَشمَطَ مَرهوبٍ بَوادِرُهُ
قَد كانَ في رَأسِهِ التَخويصُ وَالنَزَعُ
Say, O bearer of momentous missives, does your parchment convey,
By its breadth and length of scripture, requite?
نَفى الزَعانِفَ مِنهُ حَولَ هامَتِهِ
كَأَنَّما هِيَ في أَصداغِهِ القَزَعُ
She resembles an ostrich, but for her hollowed socket,
Bare of lashes should you strip the lid back.
يا صاحِ هَل تُبلِغَنها ذاتُ مَعجَمَةٍ
بِصَفحَتَيها وَمَجرى نِسعِها وَقَعُ
She escapes the coupling of wild mountain asses, when in heat
Their hooves fall short as the paths rise steep.
مِثلُ المَحالَةِ إِلّا أَنَّ نُقبَتَها
عَيساءُ فيها إِذا جَرَّدتَها شَجَعُ
As if she were a piebald racing mare, behind her follow
Two legs whose heels in each stride land with a clap.
تَنجو نَجاءَ أَتانِ الوَحشِ إِذ ذَبَلَت
وَمَسَّ أَخفافَهُنَّ النَصُّ وَالوَقَعُ
Or a gazelle, keeping pace with her in pursuit
Is a nimble hyrax, succeeding its mate with rapid foot.
كَأَنَّها أَسحَمُ الرَوقَينِ مُنتَجِعٌ
تَتلوهُ رِجلانِ في كَعبَيهِما صَمَعُ
Close they vie as their race intensifies,
With but waste-land between them as boundary and limit.
أَو هِقلَةٌ مِن نَعامِ الجَوِّ عارَضَها
قَردُ العِفاءِ وَفي يافوخِهِ صَقَعُ
A female hare, tiring, is startled by the call
Of another male further behind, giving chase, acute.
هَيقٌ خَفيفٌ يُباريها إِذا نَهَضَت
وَهوَ لَها بَعدَ جِدٍّ مِنهُما تَبَعُ
Twenty five were counted, then she accepted the buck
As though they had reached the upper ridges again.
تَعاوَرا الشَدَّ لَمّا اِشتَدَّ وَقعُهُما
وَكانَ بَينَهُما مِن غائِطٍ وَشَعُ
By the Lord of the Christians on their feast day,
And the Muslims when convened by the crowds without,
نَعّابَةٌ بَعدَ جَهدِ الأَينِ يُفزِعُها
صَوتٌ لِآخَرَ تالٍ بَعدَها يَقَعُ
By the Lord of each monk sequestered in his abbey
Who passes evenings unconcerned by worldly wares,
خَمساً وَعِشرينَ ثُمَّ اِستَدرَعَت زَغَباً
كَأَنَّهُنَّ بِأَعلى لَعلَعٍ رِجَعُ
By the mendicants in their faded woolen robes,
In them from distant wanderings, the signs of age show clear,
إِنّي وَرَبِّ النَصارى عِندَ عيدِهِمِ
وَالمُسلِمينَ إِذا ما ضَمَّها الجُمَعُ
Their mounts' saddle-bags swelling, the necessities of the riders abound,
Be they urgent affairs or journeys far and near.
وَرَبِّ كُلِّ حَبيسٍ فَوقَ صَومَعَةٍ
يُمسي وَلا هَمُّهُ الدُنيا وَلا الطَمَعُ
I praised the Quraysh and implored them for aid,
When my companions slept and slumber snatched them away.
وَالمُلبِدينَ عَلى خوصٍ مُخَدَّمَةٍ
قَد بانَ فيهِنَّ مِن طولِ السُرى خَضَعُ
When some folks maligned me, the tribe came to my defense,
Whose lofty station with God is secure and will not decay.
حَثّوا الرَواحِلَ مَشدوداً حَقائِبُها
مِن شَأنِ رُكبانِها الحاجاتُ وَالسَرَعُ
In a Garden of spirits belonging to The Divine,
No alarm disturbs the birds along its boughs as they sway.
لَقَد مَدَحتُ قُرَيشاً وَاِستَغَثتُ بِهِم
إِذ ما أَنامُ إِذا ما صُحبَتي هَجَعوا
When storms whipped the meadows, they shared the milk
Of the nursing mothers, neglecting nor greed displaying.
وَإِذ وَشى بِيَ أَقوامٌ فَأَدرَكَني
رَهطُ الَّذي رَفَعَ الرَحمَنُ فَاِرتَفَعوا
They fed in time of hardship, while pretentious pedants
Scoffed in their distant enclaves, deceitful and feigning.
في جَنَّةٍ هِيَ أَرواحُ الإِلَهِ فَما
يُفَزِّعُ الطَيرَ في أَغصانِها فَزَعُ
Summoned I was by Bishr to a feast,
Well-known is his charity, the folk his custom obey.
كانوا إِذا الريحُ لَفَّت عُشبَ ذي إِضَمٍ
غَيثَ المَراضِعِ ما ضَنّوا وَما مَنَعوا
O Bishr, were I not so esteemed among you,
The overbearing lout would confront me to bray.
وَالمُطعِمينَ عَلى ما كانَ مِن إِزَمٍ
إِذا أَراهيطُ مَلّوا ذاكَ أَو خَدَعوا
You are the elite of Quraysh, your lineage is purest,
The lords of Mecca, of noble descent today.
إِنّي دَعاني إِلى بِشرٍ فَواضِلُهُ
وَالخَيرُ قَد عَلِمَ الأَقوامُ مُتَّبَعُ
God granted you that which you most deserved,
When kings of your calibre for themselves fortune fray.
يا بِشرُ لَو لَم أَكُن مِنكُم بِمَنزِلَةٍ
أَلقى يَدَيهِ عَلَيَّ الأَزلَمُ الجَذَعُ
Those they drive out do not thrive,
Nor can the mightiest seize what they turn away.
أَنتُم خِيارُ قُرَيشٍ عِندَ نِسبَتِها
وَأَهلُ بَطحائِها الأَثرَونَ وَالفَرَعُ
So today I exert myself to the utmost for your sake,
Though no soul tasked beyond its means can essay.
أَعطاكُمُ اللَهُ ما أَنتُم أَحَقُّ بِهِ
إِذا المُلوكُ عَلى أَمثالِهِ اِقتَرَعوا
لَيسوا إِذا طَرَدوا يَنمي طَريدُهُمُ
وَلا تَنالُ أَكُفُّ القومِ ما مَنَعوا
فَاليَومَ أَجهَدُ نَفسي ما وَسِعتُ لَكُم
وَهَل تُكَلَّفُ نَفسٌ فَوقَ ما تَسَعُ
