وَراءَكَ عَنّي يا عَذولَ الأَشايِبِ

بِكُلفَةِ عَذلٍ بَعدَ شَيبِ الذَوائِبِ

Behind you leave me, O fickle one of hoary locks,

With the blame of one who tarries after the locks have turned hoary.

أَلَم تَعلَمي أَن لَيسَ في الأَرضِ مَرأَةٌ

تَقومُ عَلى حَدِّ اِعتِدالِ المَذاهِبِ

Do you not know that there is no woman on earth

Who equals the poise of varied creeds?

أَعاذِلَ ما نَيلي مَكانَ الكَواكِبِ

بِأَبعَدَ عِندي مِن وِصالِ الكَواعِبِ

I shun those who attain the place of stars

With remoteness from me beyond the union of yearning ones.

وَعَذلُكِ عِندي مِثلُ عُذرٍ فَأَقصِري

وَلَومُ القَعودِ الفَحلَ إِحدى العَجائِبِ

And your blame to me is like the excuse of one who lingers behind,

So make your rebuke brief, though the stallion's lingering is one of wonders.

أَلَستِ إِذا مُيِّزتِ نَفساً وَعُنصُراً

مِنَ الواعِداتِ المُخلِفاتِ الكَواذِبِ

Are you not, when you single out a soul and lineage

From among the promising ones, the truant liars,

فَلَيسَ لِمِثلي لَومُ مِثلِكِ جائِزاً

لَقَد ساءَ مَسموعاً خِطابُ المُخاطِبِ

So for one like me blaming one like you is not allowed,

Indeed, the words of the describer have been ill-heard.

تَرَكتُ الصِبا وَالغَيَّ قَبلَ مَداهُما

وَتَركُهُما إِيّايَ بَينَ النَوائِبِ

I relinquished youth and love songs before reaching their limit,

And they relinquished me amidst vicissitudes.

عَلى حِفظِ عَهدِ الحُبِّ في كُلِّ مَوطِنٍ

يُنَسّي المُحِبّينَ اِدِّكارَ الحَبائِبِ

To keep the covenant of love in every abode

Which makes lovers forget the mention of loved ones.

فَيا أَيُّها الخِلُّ الَّذي لَيسَ تارِكي

وَمَكروهَ دَهري مِن صُدودِ المُجانِبِ

So, O naughty one, whom I do not cease to avoid

And who is hateful to me from warding off intimates,

فَما أَبصَرَ الدُنيا بِعَينِ دُنوِّهِ

وَلا وِزرَ فيها لِلمُحِبِّ المُصاقِبِ

You have never perceived the world with its baseness,

Nor has one who loves and endures had a part in it.

ظَلَمتُكَ إِن شَبَّهتُكَ البَدرَ طالِعاً

وَبِالشَمسِ يَومُ الدَجنِ بَينَ سَحائِبِ

I wronged you when I likened you to the rising full moon,

And to the sun on a clouded day amidst clouds,

لِأَنَّ لِكُلٍّ مِنهُما وَقتَ غَيبَةٍ

وَأَنَّكَ لا غُيِّبتَ لَستَ بِغائِبِ

Because each of them has a time of absence,

While you, you are not absent, you are not absent.

وَأَنَّ بِوَجهِ البَدرِ مَحواً وَلَطخَةً

وَوَجهَكَ ما فيهِ مَعابٌ لِعائِبِ

That the full moon has defects and blemishes,

While your face has no shame in it to be veiled.

وَأَنَّكَ إِن قيسَت مَحاسِنُ جَمَّةٌ

إِلَيكَ تَناهَت أَتعَبَت كُلَّ حاسِبِ

And that if your beauties are compared,

Every counter tires and falters.

وَلَستُ بِناسٍ عَيشَنا وَاِغتِباطَنا

بِعِزِّ شَبابٍ لِلحَوادِثِ غالِبِ

And I am not of the people whose life and joy

Lie in the pride of youth victorious over vicissitudes,

وَإِدراكَنا في ظِلِّهِ كُلَّ بُغيَةِ

مِنَ العَيشِ فاقَت سامِياتِ المَطالِبِ

And in reaching, in its shade, every object of desire,

Beyond the highest aspirations.

فَمِنها إِذا ما الجِدُّ كانَ أَوانُهُ

بُلوغُ المَعالي الطَيِّباتِ المَكاسِبِ

Of them, when seriousness is its time,

Is attaining the pure, wholesome heights.

وَمِنها إِذا ما الهَزلُ حانَت هَناتُهُ

مُنى النَفسِ في سِترٍ عَنِ الفُحشِ حاجِبِ

And of them, when play is its season,

The soul's delight in covering decency's veil.

كُؤوسٌ مِنَ الصَهباءِ تَأبى اِجتِماعَها

إِذا اِنتُشِحَت الهَمَّ في صَدرِ شارِبِ

Goblets of silver unwilling to join together

If worries expand in a drinker's breast.

جَمَعنا وَأَطيارُ الصَباحِ نَواطِقٌ

لَنا وَلَها بَينَ الذُرى وَالحَواجِبِ

Our gathering and the tuneful birds of morn

Speak to us and to them between homes and brows.

فَكُلِّ سُرورٍ بِالغِناءِ وَبِالغِنى

وَبِالفَضلِ وَالجَدوى عَلى كُلِّ راغِبِ

Every gladness, with singing and riches,

And merit and benefit over every aspirant.

أَعاذِلَ إِنَّ اللَومَ مِنكَ غَضاضَةٌ

عَلَيَّ وَإِنّي لائِمٌ كُلَّ جانِبِ

O fickle one, blame from you is hurtful to me

While I blame every side.

عَرَفتُ زَماني فَاِعتَذَرتُ لِحَربِهِ

وَلَمّا أَضَع عَنّي ثِيابَ المُحارِبِ

I knew my time so I apologized for its war,

And did not cast off the clothes of a fighter.

وَجَرَّبتُ حَتّى ما أَرى الدَهرَ مُغرِباً

عَلَيَّ بِصَرفٍ لَم يَكُن في تَجارِبي

And I tried until I did not see time turn

Upon me with a change that was not in my trials.

وَما غَرَّني حُسنُ المَبادي لِأَنَّهُ

مِنَ الدَهرِ مَحتومٌ بِسوءِ العَواقِبِ

And I was not tempted by the good beginnings,

Because with time comes the evil outcomes.

وَلَو لَم يَكُن إِلّا تَوَقَّعَ هابِطٍ

إِذاً لَكَفاني مُنكَراتُ النَوائِبِ

Had it only been the expectation of a decline

That would suffice to make me hate vicissitudes.

لَقَد أَحدَثَت فيهِ اللَيالي غَريباً

مُصَدَّرَةً في أُمَّهاتِ الغَرائِبِ

In it, nights have brought about strange things,

Innovating in their origins the strangest things.

تَوَلّى فَصارَ الدَهرُ شَرّاً بِأَسرِهِ

صُراحاً بِلا شَوبٍ مِنَ الخَيرِ شايِبِ

It turned hostile so time became evil in its entirety,

Frankly without any goodness, graying.

فَإِن نُحصِ بِالتَفصيلِ مِنهُ مَثالِباً

تَناهَينَ نَعجَز قَبلَ جَمعِ المَثالِبِ

If we enumerate its faults in detail,

They will elude us before gathering the faults.

وَإِن نَقتَصِر مِنهُ عَلى وَصفِ جُملَةٍ

تَدُلُّ عَلى التَفصيلِ نَعمَل بِواجِبِ

And if we limit ourselves to describing an overview

That indicates the detail, we do our duty.

عَلى أَنَّ أَدنى القَولِ فيهِ مُضَيَّعٌ

فَكَيفَ بِأَقصى القَولِ فَاِصدُق وَقارِبِ

Because the lowest words about it are wasted,

So what of the highest words? So be truthful and draw near!

وَأَعظَمُ مِمّا خَصَّني مِن أَذاتِهِ

عَلَيَّ بِقَولٍ صادِقٍ غَيرَ كاذِبِ

And greater than what afflicted me of its pains

Upon me, in truthful words, not lies,

جِنايَتُهُ في عِدلِ نَفسي وَواحِدي

عَلَيَّ فَقَد كانَت أَجَلَّ المَصايِبِ

Is its crime in the justice of my soul and my one,

Myself - indeed it was the greatest calamity.

شَقيقي أَبي إِسحاقَ نَفسي فِداؤُهُ

وَرَأسُ بَقايا كُلِّ حُرٍّ وَكاتِبِ

My brother Abu Isaac - myself his ransom -

And the summit of the relics of every freeman and writer.

كَذَلِكَ كانَت نِعمَةُ اللَهِ تُمِّمَت

بِتَخليصِهِ عِندي أَجَلَّ المَواهِبِ

Just so, God's blessing upon him was complete

By saving him in my view, the greatest of gifts.

فَهَنّاهُ ما أَولاهُ مَولاهُ مُسبِغاً

عَلَيهِ مَزيداً جامِعاً لِلرَغائِبِ

So his Master made him happy with what he granted him,

Adding abundantly, gathering wishes.

وَأَسعَدَهُ بِالصَومِ وَالفِطرِ تالِياً

وَكُلِّ زَمانٍ بَعدُ جاءٍ وَذاهِبِ

And blessed him with fasting and feasting in succession,

And every time thereafter, coming and going.

وَقُل لِأَخي عَنّي مَقالَةَ مُخلِصِ

لَهُ وُدَّهُ مِن دونِ أَدنى الأَقارِبِ

And say to my brother from me the words of a loyal one,

His affection for him, apart from the nearest kin.

لَعَمري لَقَد صادَقتَ لي مَن يَوَدُّني

وَعادَيتَ لي الأَعداءَ غَيرَ مُراقِبِ

By my life, you have been true to me, one who loves me,

And hostile to me, to enemies without vigilance.

فَإِن أَنتَ والَيتَ الصَديقَ فَوالِ بي

وَإِن أَنتَ عادَيتَ العَدُوَّ فَعادِ بي

So if you patronize a friend, then patronize me,

And if you oppose a foe, then oppose for me.

وَلا يَخلُ فيما بَينَنا مِن سِفارَةٍ

مَكانُ اِبنِ إِسماعيلَ أُنسي وَصاحِبي

And let no mediation remain between us,

The place of the son of Ishmael, my familiar and companion.

فَنِعمَ اِختِيارُ العالَمينَ كِلاهُما

بِما حَصَّلا مِن كُلِّ غَضِّ الضَرائِبِ

Excellent indeed is the choice of both worlds for them,

For what they gained from every rough calamity.

عَلى قَصدِ دَهرِ السوءِ إِيّاهُما مَعاً

لِفَهمِهِما إِيّاهُ فِعلُ المُناصِبِ

For understanding it while it targets them both,

The actions of the exalted.

وَإِعطائِهِ الكَلبَينِ ما حَظِيا بِهِ

عَطاءَ المُحابى لا عَطاءَ المُحاسِبِ

And for granting the two dogs what they obtained,

The gift of a loving one, not the gift of an evaluator.

وَما كانَ عَبدونُ الدَنِيُّ وَهابِطٌ

سِوى آيَةٍ في الأَرضِ مِن كُلِّ جانِبِ

Abdoun the Base was only a sign on earth, from every side,

Informing us of the world's great disdain for it beyond the like of that entourage.

تُنَبِّئُنا الدُنيا بِفَرطِ هَوانِها

عَلى اللَهِ في أَضعافِ تِلكَ المَواكِبِ

Had the days heard censure in speech,

I would have pained it with the limit of reproaches.

وَلَو سَمِعَ الدَهرُ العِتابَ بِمَنطِقٍ

لَأَوجَعتُهُ مِنّي بِحَدِّ المُعاتِبِ

But days gone by empowered the vile descender,

Its easts connected to its wests.

وَلَكِنَّ دَهراً مَلَّكَ الوَغدَ هابِطاً

مَشارِقَها مَوصولَةً بِالمَغارِبِ

So evil spread among its people and lands,

And afflicted those of high ranks with disaster.

فَعَمَّ بِشَرٍّ أَهلَها وَبِلادَها

وَخَصَّ ذَوي أَقدارِها بِالمَعاطِبِ

It is time that raised Abu Jahl, who was obeyed,

In the land of the most generous, the purest.

هُوَ الدَهرُ قَد أَعلى أَبا جَهلٍِ الَّذي

أُطيعَ بِأَرضِ الأَكرَمينَ الأَطايِبِ

So it did not stop dictating until it took him

To hellfire after the penetrating swords.

فَما زالَ في الإِملاءِ حَتّى أَصارَهُ

إِلى النارِ مِن بَعدِ السُيوفِ القَواضِبِ

You see people obey the sons of Nizār when in fact

You see the sons of Nizār obey the victors and conquerors.

تَرى الناسَ طَوعَ اِبنى نِزارٍ وَإِنَّما

تَرى اِبنى نِزارٍ طَوعَ فِهرٍ وَغالِبِ

Of the lofty Hāshimīs, whenever they draw near

Hāshim, they are endowed with the highest honors.

مِنَ الهاشِمِيِّينَ الأُلى كُلَّما دَنَوا

إِلى هاشِمٍ خُصّوا بِأَعلى المَناقِبِ

And if they descend in lineage, after Hāshim,

To an ancestry, they rise high in glory.

وَإِن نَزَلوا في النَسبِ مِن بَعدِ هاشِمِ

بِبَطنٍ عَلَوا في المَجدِ أَعلى المَراتِبِ

And if they attend to giving, they attain the furthest extent,

And win the bowl of uninterrupted success without disappointment.

وَإِن حَضَروا الأَيسارَ حازوا مَدى العُلا

وَفازوا بِقَدحِ مُنجِحٍ غَيرَ خائِبِ

And their bowl is none but the Exalted, so whoever refuses,

His share is only the bowl of hardships.

وَما قِدحُهُم إِلّا المُعَلّى فَمَن أَبى

فَلَيسَ لَهُ إِلّا مَنيحُ الضَوارِبِ

They are the first of starters, but their enemy

Is silence, when courage's race quickens.

وَهُم سُبَّقُ السُبّاقِ لَكِن عَدُوُّهُم

سُكَيتٌ إِذا ما جَدَّ جَريُ الحَلائِبِ

Are we not their partisans with the loyalty of their sons,

And not their partisans with the loyalty of fighters?

أَلَسنا مَواليهِم وَلاءَ بَنِيِّهِم

وَلَسنا مَواليهِم وَلاءَ المُحارِبِ

For we are the progeny of Ḥusayn and Ṭāhir

As a banner, and to the enemies the progeny of calamities.

فَنَحنُ لَهُم نَسلُ الحُسَينِ وَطاهِرٍ

لَباناً وَلِلأَعداءِ نَسلُ المَصاعِبِ

When people's nobility elevated through their rule,

And merit and lineage during occasions,

إِذا ما كِرامُ الناسِ ساموا بُمُلكِهِم

وَبِالفَضلِ وَالأَعراقِ عِندَ المَناسِبِ

Hāshim thereafter ascended the pinnacle of glory,

Above humankind and the preying birds.

عَلَت هاشِمٌ مِن بَعدِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ

سَنامَ العُلا فَوقَ الذُرى وَالغَوارِبِ

For them is the rugged glory they ascend its back,

And none but them will the rider humiliate.

لَهُم ذَلَّ صَعبَ المَجدِ يَعلونَ ظَهرَهُ

وَيَأبى سِواهُم أَن يَذِلَّ لِراكِبِ

And their just rule is newly competing

With their deeds with the ancient positions.

وَعَدلُهُمُ مِن آخِرِ المَجدِ حادِثٌ

بِأَفعالِهِم يَحدو قَديمَ المَناصِبِ

And they were deprived of a kingdom for eighty arguments,

And their glory makes weary the hands of every usurper.

وَقَد غُصِبوا مُلكاً ثَمانينَ حِجَّةً

وَمَجدُهُمُ يُعيِي يَدَي كُلِّ غاصِبِ

Eulogies of them in every direction and destination

The travelers sing atop the mounts.

مَدائِحُهُم في كُلِّ أَوبٍ وَوِجهَةٍ

يُغَنّي بِها الرُكبانُ فَوقَ الرَكائِبِ

The house of prophethood settled them in an abode

Its caliphate among the piercing stars.

أَحَلَّهُمُ بَيتُ النُبُوَّةِ مَنزِلاً

خِلافَتُهُ بَينَ النُجومِ الثَواقِبِ

The homes of people's kings are built in ruins

While Hāshim, the home of its house is in the stars.

بُيوتُ مُلوكِ الناسِ يُبنَينَ في الرُبى

وَهاشِمُ مَبنى بَيتِها في الكَواكِبِ

Their lives are devoted to every praiser

And their deaths are devoted to every mourner.

حَياتُهُمُ وَقفٌ عَلى كُلِّ مادِحٍ

وَمَوتُهُمُ وَقفٌ عَلى كُلِّ نادِبِ

Had God the Glorified - great is His Ordainment -

Deprived them while they ruled those wooden bows,

وَلَو حَرَمَ اللَهُ المُعَظَّمَ قَدرُهُ

وَكانوا بِهِ حُكّامَ تِلكَ الأَخاشِبِ

And had they been the elite of the whole Era of Ignorance

Their platforms in glory are the highest platforms.

وَكانوا خِيارَ الجاهِلِيَّةِ كُلِّها

مَناكِبُهُم في المَجدَ أَعلى المَناكِبِ

And Islam gave them every leadership

And from them the banners above the watchers were hoisted.

وَوَلّاهُمُ الإِسلامُ كُلَّ رِياسَةٍ

وَمِنهُم سَنا الأَعلامِ فَوقَ المَراقِبِ

And they were protectors of people in every panic

And their most generous at war's onset are the firmest allies.

وَكانوا حُماةَ الناسِ في كُلِّ فَزعَةٍ

وَأَجوادَهُم في الحِصبِ أَوفى اللَوازِبِ

They give overflowing what Dabūr and Shammal stirred up,

And what they witnessed of the course of Sirius and Canopus.

يُفيضونَ ما هَبَّت دَبورٌ وَشَمأَلٌ

وَما عايَنوا مَجرى الصَبا وَالجَنائِبِ

For them is an established banner above creation

Raised by the hands of the generous one who platforms nobilities.

لَهُم عَلَمٌ فَوقَ البَنِيَّةِ ثابِتٌ

بِكَفَّي كَريمٍ لِلمَكارِمِ ناصِبِ

But the days of evil empowered over their rising glory

The hands of a vile descender - oh for the wings and the platforms!

فَمَلَّكَ دَهرُ السوءِ صاعِدَ مَجدِهِم

يَدَي هابِطٍ يا لِلقَنا وَالمَقانِبِ

Until God shows him His Power which

Destroys the strongholds of firmly rooted mountains.

إِلى أَن أَراهُ اللَهُ قُدرَتَهُ الَّتي

تَهُدُّ مَنيعاتِ الجِبالِ الرَواسِبِ

So to God belongs increasing praise that does not cease,

And to the dog, power that is depleting, not lasting.

فَلِلَّهِ حَمدٌ زائِدٌ غَيرُ زائِلِ

وَلِلكَلبِ عِزٌّ زائِلٌ غَيرُ راتِبِ