إنَّ خُلْقَ الشُّهودِ وًَالعُمَّالِ

مِثْلَ خُلْقِ العُشَّاقِ والعُذَّالِ

The creation of witnesses and workers

Is like the creation of lovers and tormentors

كلُّ عَدْلٍ مُضايِقِ في وُصولٍ

كَعَذُولٍ مُضايِقِ في وِصالِ

Every just person frustrated in attainment

Is like a lover frustrated in union

لَسْتُ أَدْرِي معنَى التَّباغُّضِ

ما بَيْنَ الفَرِيْقَيْنِ غيرَ حُبِّ المالِ

I do not know the meaning of hatred

Between the two groups except love of money

فإذا زالتِ المطامِعُ منهمُ

أَذَّنَ الخُلْفُ بينهمْ بالزوالِ

So if greed disappears from them

Disagreement between them heralds dissolution

سالَمتْنِي المُسْتَدَمُونَ وكانُوا

قدْ أَعَدُّوا سِلاَحَهُمْ لِقِتالِي

The servants bid me farewell and they

Had prepared their weapons for my murder

وَرَثى بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ وَقَدْ با

نَ لَكَ الآنَ شِدَّةُ الأهوالِ

Some eulogized others and it has become clear to you now

The severity of the horrors

وَرَأى ابنُ الأشَلِّ قد كانَ يبقى

كاتِباً مِثْلَ جَدِّهِ بالشِّمالِ

And the son of Al-Ashal saw that there remained

A writer like his grandfather in the north

فالتَجا لِلْعَفَافِ مَنْ كانَ يَوْماً

لا له يَخْطُرُ العَفافُ ببالِ

So he turned to chastity, he who was once

Oblivious to chastity

وَلهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ تَغُضُّ عَنْ

العَيْنِ وَأيْدٍ تُمَدُّ عِنْدَ الغِلالِ

And they have eyes that overlook the eye

And hands outstretched when shackled

بأبي حَزْمُكَ الذي طَرَّق

الأَنْذَالَ منهم طَرائِقَ الأَبْدَالِ

By your father Hazm who distinguished

The riffraff among them from the righteous

لا تُوَطِّنْ قلوبَهُمْ بِهِجَاءٍ

إنها منْ سُطاكَ في بَلْبالِ

Do not make their hearts accustomed to affection

It is from your whip in confusion

ما استوَى السِّيْفُ واللِّسَانُ مَضَاءً

أَتُساوَى حَقِيقةٌ بِمُحالِ

The sword and tongue are not equal in sharpness

Can reality equal the absurd?

إنَّ قَوْلِي هَزْلاً وَفِعْلَكَ جَدَّاً

مِثْلُ نَبْلِ الحَصَى وَرَشْقِ النِّبَالِ

My words are joking while your deeds determination

Like the throwing of pebbles and the shooting of arrows

وَلَلَهْفِي وَلِعْتَ بالضَّرْبِ في

الرَّمْلِ لأَحْظَى بأسْعَدِ الأَشْكالِ

And my craving and passion for hitting

In the sand to obtain the happiest of forms

فحَمِدْتُ الطَّرِيقَ إذا أِشْهَدَتْ لِي

حينَ عايَنْتُها بِحُسْنِ مآلِ

So I praised the path when it bore witness for me

When I saw it concluding well

وَغَدا الاجتماعُ يَضْمَنُ لِي

عَنْكَ بُلوغَ الرَّجاءِ وَالآمالِ

And the meeting tomorrow guarantees me

Attaining my hopes and aspirations from you

أنْبَتَ العِزُّ منكَ في بَيْتِ نَفْسِي

وَالغِنَى مِنْ يَدَيْكَ في بيتِ مالِي

Honor has sprouted in me from you in the home of my soul

And wealth from your hands in the home of my money

وإذا كنتَ نُصرَةً لِيَ فِيما

أَرْتَجِيهِ فَذَاكَ عَيْنُ سُؤَالِي

And if you are a supporter of me in what

I hope for, that is the essence of my request