ومُتَيَّمٍ زَهَرَتْ بواقِصَةٍ لهُ

مَشْبوبَةٌ تَقْتادُ طَرْفَ العاشي

With a tamyim flower that bloomed for him

Coquettish, leading the glance of the night companion

وتُضيءُ أحْوَرَ يَسْتَفِزُّ إِلى الصِّبا

نِضْوَ المَشيبِ مُحالِفَ الإرْعاشِ

And lighting up the dark that provokes youth

The grayness of age conforming to trembling

ألِفَ الكَرى لمّا اطْمأنَّ فِراشُهُ

وهَجرْتُهُ قَلِقاً عليَّ فِراشي

When the fates were settled, his bed calmed

And I abandoned him restless upon my bed

يا مَنْ يُؤرِّقُني هَواهُ ومَدْمَعي

هَطِلٌ كَصَوْبِ العارِضِ الرّشّاشِ

O he who disturbs me, his love and my tears

Pouring like the rain of the passing cloud

لمْ يَثْوِ حُبُّكَ في فؤادي وَحْدَهُ

لكنْ جَرى في أعْظُمي ومُشاشي

Your love did not diminish in my heart alone

But it flowed in my inner self and my mind

لا تَحْسَبِ السِّرَ الذي استَوْدَعْتَني

ممّا يَفُرُّ حَشايَ عنهُ الواشي

Do not think the secret I confided in you

Is what the slanderers' hearsay escapes from

والشّوقُ يحلُمُ عنهُ لولا ناظِرٌ

سُلِبَ الوَقارَ بواكِفٍ طَيّاشِ

And longing dreams of it, were it not for a watcher

Who lost dignity frequenting the frivolous

كالعُرْفِ يَكْتُمُهُ الأغَرُّ وعرْفُهُ

أرِجٌ تَنُمُّ بهِ المَدائِحُ فاشِ

Like well known fragrance concealed by the unblemished

A scent by which praises thrive and multiply

نَشَزَتْ عَرانينُ العُداةِ على البُرى

فأذَلّها بأزِمّةٍ وخِشاشِ

The forelocks of the enemies rose against the land

So he humiliated them with a firm and decisive blow

يَجلو دَياجيرَ الأمورِ برأيهِ

والدّهْرُ أغْبَرُ والخُطوبُ غَواشِ

His opinion clears the unknown of matters

And time is dusty, and calamities raging

وتُظِلُّ منهُ السّمْهَريّةُ ضَيْغَماً

قَلِقَ الصّوارِمِ مُطمَئِنَّ الجاشِ

The swords gleam under its shade

Disturbed, settled, ready to unsheathe

وكأنّ حائِمَةَ النّسورِ إذا غَزا

تأوي منَ القَتْلى إِلى أعْشاشِ

And it is as if the circle of eagles, when they invaded

Swooped on the slain to their nests

يا سَعْدُ إنّ الصِّلَّ عِندَكَ مُطْرِقٌ

فاحْذَرْ سُؤورَ مُنَضْنِضٍ نَهّاشِ

Oh Saad, reconciliation with you has vanished

So beware the evils of a grumbling backbiter

واجْنُبْ أخاكَ كُلَّ حادِثِ نِعْمَةٍ

آنَسْتَهُ فَجَزاكَ بالإيحاشِ

And avoid, for your brother, any change of blessing

You thought him a friend, yet he rewarded you with rejection

جَهِلَ الفَضيلَةَ فهْوَ يُنْكِرُ أهْلَها

والشّمْسُ تُعْشي ناظِرَ الخَفّاشِ

He is ignorant of merit, so he denies people of merit

And the sun becomes dark to the eyes of bats

ويَشُبُّ ناراً لا يَرُدُّ زَفيرُها

والليلُ مُعْتَكِرٌ طَنينَ فَراشِ

He kindles a fire whose flames cannot be extinguished

And the night is camping, echoing with the sounds of mattresses

طارَتْ بهِ الخُيلاءُ إذْ جَذَبِ الغِنى

ضَبْعَيْهِ والطّيرانُ للمُرْتاشِ

Haughtiness carried him away when wealth pulled

His forearms, and flying is for bats

ولقد بُليتُ بهِ بَلاءَ مُهَنَّدٍ

بأبَلَّ لا وَرَعٍ ولا بَطّاشِ

And I was certainly afflicted with him an affliction of degradation

With recklessness, neither dignity nor composure

فسَدَ الأنامُ فكُلُّ مَنْ صاحَبْتُهُ

راجٍ يُنافِقُ أو مُداجٍ خاشِ

People are corrupt, so everyone I accompanied

Was either a pretender or a rude lowlife

وإذا اخْتَبَرْتُهُمُ ظَفِرْتُ بباطِنٍ

متجهِّمٍ وبِظاهِرٍ نَشّاشِ

And when I tested them, I found inside

A scowling face, and outside, a smiling one

لا شِمْتُ بارِقَةَ اللّئيمِ وإنْ غَدَتْ

إبِلي تَلوبُ على صَرًى نَشّاشِ

I do not gloat at the gleam of the miserable one, even if

My camels stumble over rocky terrain

والشّمسُ راكِدةٌ يَذوبُ لُعابُها

والظِّلُّ يَكْنِسُ تارَةً ويُماشي

And the inactive sun, its spittle melting

While shade sweeps, sometimes its sweeps slowly

وكأنّهُنَّ وهُنَّ يأْلَفْنَ الصّدَى

مِنْ صَبْرِهنَّ عليهِ غَيْرُ عِطاشِ

And it is as if they, while they adapt to the echo

With their patience upon it, not thirsty

فتبَرُّضُ العافي عُفافَةَ مِنْحَةٍ

يَحْبو بِها اللّؤَماءُ شَرُّ مَعاشِ

So the lofty overlook the granting of gifts

By which the despicable thrive, the worst livelihood

رُفِعَ الأظَلُّ على السّنامِ وأوطِئَتْ

قِمَمَ السُّراةِ أخامِصَ الأوْباشِ

The heights were raised over the idols and the

Tops of the mountains were lowered to the pits of lowlives