ما تُقَضّى لُبانَةٌ عِندَ لُبنى
وَالمُعَنّى بِالغانِياتِ مُعَنّى
No sorrow is resolved at the dwellings of sorrow,
And meaning with songs is given meaning.
هَجَرَتنا يَقظى وَكادَت عَلى عا
داتِها في الصُدودِ تَهجُرُ وَسنى
Our separation kept vigil, and all but abandoned
Its wont at the rejection of intimacy.
بعدَ لَأيٍ وَقَد تَعَرَّضَ مِنها
طائِفٌ طافَ بي عَلى الرَكبِ وَهنا
After no worth, when a party of them
Passed by me on the road here.
تَتَثَنّى حاجاتُ نَفسي إِتِّباعاً
لِقَضيبٍ في بُردِها يَتَثَنّى
The needs of my soul folded
To a wand, in its coolness bending.
قَدكِ مِنّي فَما جَوى السُقمِ إِلّا
في ضُلوعٍ عَلى جَوى الحُبِّ تُحنى
Your palm left me so sickness sighed
Only in ribs leaning on love's languor.
لَو رَأَت حادِثَ الخِضابِ لَأَنَّت
وَأَرَنَّت مِن إِحمِرارِ اليَرَنّا
Had she seen the event of the dye
She'd have cooed and shown softness.
خِلتُ جَهلاً أَنَّ الشَبابَ عَلى طو
لِ اللَيالي ذَخيرَةٌ لَيسَ تَفنى
I fool thought youth against the length
Of nights a provision, not to deplete.
وَأَرى الدَهرَ مُديناً ما تَناءى
لِضِرارٍ وَمُبعِداً ما تَدَنّى
And I see fate indebted, retracting
All that neared, distancing what drew nigh.
كَلَفُ البيضِ بِالمُغَمَّرِ قَدراً
حينَ يَكلَفنَ وَالمُصَغَّرِ سِنّا
The chicks in downy feathers reckoned,
When they reckoned, the small an elder.
يَتَشافَعنَ بِالغَريرِ المُسَمّى
مِن فَتاءٍ دونَ الجَليلِ المُكَنّى
They plead in a fraud given the name
Of a youth, less than the vaunted elder.
كُلُّ ماضٍ أَنساهُ غَيرَ لَيالٍ
ماضِياتٍ لَنا بِبارى وَبِنّا
Each bygone I forgot save nights
Bygone, with lightning for us and rain.
مُغرَمٌ بِالمُدامِ أُترِعُ كَأساً
ساطِعاً ضَوءُها وَأَنزِفُ دَنّا
A wine-worshipper, I clutch a gleaming cup
Its brightness spilling, I spill blood.
حَيثُ لا أَرهَبُ الزَمانَ وَلا أُل
قي إِلى العاذِلِ المُكَثِّرِ أُذنا
Where I fear no time, and lend no ear
To the constant sermonizer's ear.
يَزعُمُ البِرَّ في التَشَدُّدِ وَالأَس
مَحُ أَحجى لِأَن يُبَرَّ وَيُدنى
Professing piety in sternness, the prig's
More benighted that he show righteousness and draw near.
يَختَشي زَلَّةَ الخِطارِ وَأَرجو
عَودَةً مِن عَوائِدِ اللَهِ تُمنى
Fearing the slip of fate, I wish
A return from God's wont may come to pass.
لَم تَلُمني أَنّي سَمَحتُ وَلَكِن
لُمتَ أَنّي أَحسَنتُ بِاللَهِ ظَنّا
You blamed me not for my candor, but blamed
That I thought well of God, presumed.
إِن تُعَنِّف عَلى السَماحِ فَلا تَع
دُ عَلِيّاً مُسَيِّراً أَو مُبِنّا
If you berate openness, then cease
To count me guided or rightly-guided.
هُوَ أَجنى بِما يُنَوِّلُ مِن أَن
يَتَعَدّى لاحيهِ أَو يَتَجَنّى
He is freer in what he parcels out
Than to exceed his arms' reach, or glean from others.
يَهَبُ النائِلَ المُثَنّى وَلا يَس
تَأنِفُ الكَيدَ في العَدُوِّ المُثَنّى
He grants the dual achiever, wastes no new
plots on the dual enemy.
عَمَّ مَعروفُهُ فَأَلحَقَ فينا
بِعُمومِ المَعروفِ مَن لَيسَ مِنّا
His goodness being general, he joined in us
By the whole of goodness those who aren't ours.
عَبَّدَتهُ الحُقوقُ وَالحُرُّ مَن أَص
بَحَ عَبداً في طاعَةِ الجودِ قِنّا
Rights enslaved him, and the freeman has woken
A slave in obeying the spring of bounty.
وَتَأَبّى مِن أَن يُقالَ كَريمٌ
لِسِواهُ إِلّا شِحاحاً وَضِنّا
And refused it be said generous
but for him, deeming others tight and mean.
عَزَماتٌ إِذا قَسَطنَ عَلى الدَه
رِ رَآهُ أَو عَدَّهُ الدَهرُ قِرنا
Firm resolutions, if dealt to fate
It deemed him an age-mate, two spans.
يَتَأَنّى بُغى التَعَجُلِ وَالأَع
جَلُ في بَعضِ شَأنِهِ مَن تَأَنّى
Covetous haste shunned by the deliberate; some
business impatient to the deliberative.
مُدرِكُ بِالظُنونِ ما طَلَبوهُ
بِفُنونِ الأَخبارِ فَنّاً فَفَنّا
Achieving by conjectures what they sought
Through crafted news, artist excelling artist.
لا تُرِد عِندَ مَن تَخَيَّرَ رَأياً
وَإِطلُبِ الرَأيَ عِندَ مَن يَتَظَنّى
Seek not counsel from those who chose an opinion,
And seek opinion from those who conjecture.
وَدَّ قَومٌ لو ساجَلوهُ وَلَو سو
جِلَ قَد خابَ جاهِلٌ وَتَعَنّى
Some men wished that if contended with he'd contend,
Then a fool is disappointed and chagrined.
مِن تَمَنّي الحَصيفِ عِندَ التَمَنّي
أَن يَكونَ الخِيارُ فيما تَمَنّى
From the judicious in wishing, while wishing,
That the elect be in what's wished.
رَدَّ مُلكَ العِراقِ عَفواً إِلَيها
فَرَساً في رِباعِها وَإِطمَأَنّا
He gently restored Iraq's rule to it,
A steed in its paddocks, gave it rest.
كَم مُعَزّىً عَنهُ وَقَد سارَ عَنها
عادَ في عَودِهِ إِلَيها مُهَنّا
How often dissuaded from it, though it left him,
Returned in returning, humbled.
يَرذُلُ البَحرُ في بِحورِ بَني الفَي
ياضِ إِذ جَشنَ بِالنَوالِ فَفَضنا
The sea runs aground in the shallows of Bani Fayyad,
When our hands drew it churning and gushing.
واسِطوا سُؤدُدٍ فَلَيسَ يُنادو
نَ إِلى المَجدِ مِن هُناكَ وَهَنّا
Mediating worthlessness, they summon not
To glory from there, or from here.
تَزَلوا رَبوَةَ العِراقِ إِرتِياداً
أَيُّ أَرضٍ أَشَفُّ ذِكراً وَأَسنى
They left Iraq's sure ground, exploring -
What land is kinder recalled or more hale?
بَينَ دَيرِ العاقولِ مُرتَبَعٌ يُش
رِفُ مُحتَلُّهُ إِلى دَيرِ قُنّى
Between Dayr al-Aqul, settled, its shaded
Occupant gazing toward Dayr Qunna.
حَيثُ باتَ الزَيتونُ مِن فَوقِهِ النَخ
لُ عَلَيهِ وُرقُ الحَمامِ تَغَنّى
Where the olive overnighted, above it the palm
Leaf over it singing its song.
ما المَساعي إِلّا لمَكارِمُ تُرتا
دُ وَإِلّا مَصانِعُ المَجدِ تُبنى
No works but for noble ends pursued,
And works of glory constructed.
وَالكَريمُ النامي لِأَصلٍ كَريمٍ
حَسَنٌ في العُيونِ يَزدادُ حُسنا
The generous scion of generous stock
Is fair in eyes, his fairness enhanced.
