ألا مَنْ لنَفْسٍ لا تزالُ مُشيحَةً
على كَمَدٍ لمْ يَبْقَ إلا ذَماؤُها
Alas for the soul that constantly grieves
Over a body that has nothing left but its wailing.
أرى هِمّتي هَمّاً تَخَوَّنَ مُهْجَتي
فَقُلْ يا شَقيقَ النّفْسِ لي ما شِفاؤُها
I see my worries worryingly betray my intellect,
So say, O intimate of the soul, what is its remedy?
ومَنْ رامَ ما أسْمُو إلَيْهِ أزارَهُ
صَوارِمَ تَرْوى بالنّجيعِ ظِماؤُها
Whoever desires what is beyond his reach
His swords crave water at Mirage's wells.
وطُلاّبِ مَجْدٍ دونَ ما يَبْتَغونَهُ
أعالِي رُباً لا يُسْتَطاعُ امْتِطاؤُها
And seekers of glory, not finding what they seek,
Summits of rubbish no one can scale.
عَلَوْنا ذُراها كالبُدورِ تألّقَتْ
فجَلّى دَياجِيرَ الظّلامِ ضِياؤُها
We rose despite it like shining full moons
That unveiled the thick curtains of darkness.
ونحنُ مُعاوِيّونَ يَرْضى بِنا الوَرى
مُلوكاً وَفينا مِنْ لُؤَيٍّ لِواؤُها
And we are Mu'awiyah's followers, pleased with us
As kings, and we have lions among our cubs.
وأخْوالُنا ساداتُ قَيْسٍ ووائِلٍ
وأعْمامُنا مِنْ خِنْدِفٍ خُلفاؤُها
Our uncles are the chiefs of Qais and Wa'il
Our paternal uncles are the successors of Kindaf.
وقدْ عَلَمَتْ عُلْيا كِنانَةَ أنّنا
إذا نَقَض الطّيشُ الحُبا حُلَماؤُها
The nobility of Kenanah know that we
When rashness shreds politeness are its menders
وما بَلَغَتْ إلا بِنا العَرَبُ العُلا
وقد كانَ منّا عِزُّها وثَراؤُها
Only through us did the Arabs attain supremacy
Their glory and wealth were ours to bestow.
وأيُّ قَريضٍ طبّقَ الأرْضَ لمْ يَرُضْ
قَوافيَهُ في مَدحِنا شُعَراؤُها
What bard whose compositions encompassed the world
Was not satisfied with our praise in his rhymes?
ولما انْتَهَتْ أيّامُنا عَلِقَتْ بِها
شَدائِدُ أيامٍ قَليلٍ رَخاؤُها
And when our days came to pass
The woes of a few easy days clung to them.
وكان إلَيْنا في السّرورِ ابْتِسامُها
فَصارَ علَيْنا في الهُمومِ بُكاؤُها
Smiles were upon us in joy
In worries, it was tears.
أُصِيبَتْ بِنا فاسْتَعْبَرَتْ وضُلوعُها
على مِثْلِ وَخْزِ السّمْهَريِّ انْطِواؤُها
It was wounded on our account and its chests
Sighed over the stab wounds of fate's caprice.
ولو عَلِمَتْ ماذا تُعانيهِ بَعْدَنا
لما شَمِتَتْ جَهْلاً بِنا سُفَهاؤُها
Had it known what was to befall it after us
The ignorant would not have exulted over us.
إذا ما ذَكَرْنا أوَّلِينا تَولَّعَتْ
بنا مَيْعَةٌ يُطْغي الفَتى غُلَواؤُها
When we remember our forebears it is seized with
A madness whose heat overcomes the young man.
وقد ساءَ قَوْماً مِنْ نِزارٍ ويَعْرُبٍ
فَخاري وهُمْ أرضٌ ونحنُ سَماؤُها
Some people from Nizar and Yarbub have fared badly
So their dimwits felt belittled while we were their heaven.
وهَلْ تَخْفِضُ الأُسْدُ الزَّئيرَ بمَوْطِنٍ
إذا لَجَّ فيهِ مِنْ كِلابٍ عُواؤها
Does the roaring lion abase his roar in a lair
When the howling of dogs dwells within it?
ملَكْنا أقاليمَ البِلادِ فأذْعَنَتْ
لَنا رَغْبَةً أو رَهْبَةً عُظَماؤها
We ruled the regions of the countries which then
Bow in fear or desire to its magnates.
وجاسَتْ بنا الجُرْدُ العِتاقُ خِلالَها
سَواكِبَ منْ لَبّاتِهِنّ دِماؤُها
The bejeweled retinues walked humbly by us
Planets whose blood was shed by their swords.
فصِرْنا نُلاقي النّائِباتِ بأوْجُهٍ
رِقاقِ الحَواشي كادَ يَقْطُرُ ماؤُها
We used to meet catastrophes with faces
Like the cheeks of pages, dripping water.
إذا ما أرَدْنا أن نَبوحَ بما جَنَتْ
عَلينا اللّيالي لمْ يَدَعْنا حَياؤُها
When we wanted to reveal what the nights
Inflicted on us, shame would not allow us.
وأنتمْ بَني مَنْ عِيبَ أوْلادُهُ بهِ
ذَوو نِعْمَةٍ يَضْفو علَيْكُمْ رِداؤُها
While you, sons of those who find fault with their children
Are blessed with favor who robes you in its cloth.
فلَمْ تَسألُوا عمّا تُجِنُّ نُفوسُنا
وتَمْنَعُنا مِنْ ذِكْرِهِ كِبْرياؤها
Yet you did not ask what our souls conceal
And pride prevents us from confessing.
ولا خَيْرَ في نَفْسٍ تَذِلُّ لحادِثٍ
يُلِمُّ ولا يَعْتادُها خُيَلاؤُها
No good is in a soul that cowers before events
Arrogance accustomed neither to injustice nor justice.
فلا كانَ دَهْرٌ نِلْتُمُ فيهِ ثَرْوَةً
وتبّاً لِدُنيا أنتُمُ رؤَساؤُها
You attained no wealth in times of prosperity,
Woe to a world of which you are the heads.
