أَقِم عَلَّها أَن تَرجَعَ القَولَ أَو عَلّي

أُخَلِّفُ فيها بَعضَ ما بي مِنَ الخَبلِ

Insist that she return my words, or blame me,

Leaving behind some of my nonsense.

هِيَ الدارُ إِلّا ما تَخَوَّنَةَ البِلى

وَعَفّى لَجاجُ الريحِ وَالرائِحِ الوَبلِ

This is the house, but for what decay has marred,

And the rubbing of harsh winds and pouring rains.

فَإِن لَم تَقِف مِن أَجلِ نَفسِكَ ساعَةً

فَقِفها عَلى تِلكَ المَعالِمِ مِن أَجلي

If you do not stop for a moment for yourself,

Then stop for those ruins, for my sake.

وَإِن شِئتَ فَاِعذُلني فَإِنَّ صَبابَتي

إِذا نَفِدَت بِالدَمعِ عادَت عَلى العَذلِ

And if you wish, then blame me, for my passion,

When tears run out, returns to blame.

رَمَيتُ العُيونَ النُجلَ أَمسِ فَلَم أُصِب

وَأَقصَدَني الرامونَ بِالأَعيُنِ النُجلِ

I shot my eyes at the gazelles yesterday, but missed,

And the archers struck me with the gazelle eyes.

فَما قَدرُ ما أَبقى إِذا كانَ مَوضِعي

مِنَ الحُبِّ أَن أَبلى عَلَيهِ وَلا أُبلي

I care not what remains when my place is

To be worn down by love, and not to wear down.

وَلَو كُنتُ مِن قَبلِ الهَوى لَم أَقُم لَهُ

فَكَيفَ اِنتِصافي وَالهَوى كانَ مِن قَبلي

Had I been first in love, I'd not have stood for it,

So how can I get even when love came first?

عَذيرِيَ مِن داءٍ قَديمٍ تَغَوَّلَت

غَوائِلُهُ في الدَهرِ أَلفَ فَتىً مِثلي

My excuse is an old sickness that has twisted

Its coils through time around a thousand like me.

أَماتَ عَلى عَفراءَ عُروَةَ مِن هَوىً

وَبَدَّدَ نَفساً مِن جَميلٍ عَلى جُملِ

It killed a cheek mole on a blushing red camel,

And wasted away a beautiful soul on a camel.

رَأى بَعضُهُم بَعضاً عَلى الحُبِّ أَسوَةً

فَماتوا وَمَوتُ الحُبِّ ضَربٌ مِنَ القَتلِ

Some saw the other in love as an example,

So they died - and death from love is a kind of murder.

وَلَيسَ لِساني لِلَّئيمِ وَلا يَدي

وَلا ناقَتي عِندَ البَخيلِ وَلا رَحلي

My tongue is not for the mean, nor my hand,

Nor my camel for the stingy, nor my saddlebags.

أَمُبلِغَتي أَيدي الرَواسِمِ جَعفَراً

فَأَحمَدَ في قَولٍ وَيُحمَدَ في فِعلِ

My hands delivered me to the graceful writers,

So Ja'far was praised in word and deed.

وَأَعهَدَ كَفّاً غَيرَ مَعقودَةِ النَدى

وَعِقدَ وِدادٍ ثَمَّ لَيسَ بِمُنحَلِّ

He pledged an open palm, with no dew gathered,

And a loyalty never to be undone.

وَما كُلُّ مَن يُدعى كَريماً لَدَيهِمِ

بِنِدٍّ لَهُ في المَكرُماتِ وَلا مِثلِ

Not all called generous with them have parity

In noble deeds, or anything like.

وَتِلكَ سَحاباتٌ مَرَرنَ وَقَد تَرى

تَفاوُتَ ما بَينَ الرَذاذِ إِلى الهَطلِ

Those were clouds that passed by, and you can see

The range between sprinkling and downpour.

فَإِن تَنفَرِد عَنّا قُشَيرٌ بِمَجدِهِ

فَلَم تَنفَرِد عَنّا بِنائِلِهِ الجَزلِ

If some separate from us in their glory,

They do not separate in their copious bounty.

وَكُنّا نَرى بَعضَ النَدى بَعدَ بَعضِهِ

فَلَمّا اِنتَجَعناهُ دُفِعنا إِلى الكُلِّ

We used to see some drops after the others,

But when we gathered them we passed them to the whole.

وَجَدناهُ في ظِلِّ السَماحَةِ مُشرِقاً

بِوَجهٍ أَرانا الشَمسَ في ذَلِكَ الظِلِّ

We found it in the shade of generosity shining,

A face that showed us the sun in that shade.

عُلاً حُزتَها بِالجودِ وَالبَذلِ لِلُّهى

نَأَيتَ بِها عَن هِمَّةِ الحاسِدِ الوَغلِ

Nobility whose party you joined in generosity and giving freely

You avoided the aim of the envious backbiter.

تَبيتُ عَلى شُغلٍ وَلَيسَ بِضائِرٍ

لِمَجدِكَ يَوماً أَن تَبيتَ عَلى شُغلِ

You stay up working but nothing damages

Your glory if you stay up working.

كَما لَم يَنَل إِبليسُ آدَمَ إِذ سَعى

وَلَم يَمحُ مِن نورِ النَبِيِّ أَبو جَهلِ

Just as Satan never touched Adam though he tried,

Nor did Abu Jahl blot out the Prophet's light.

وَكَم لَكَ مِن وَسمِيِّ عُرفٍ تُعَرِّفَت

لَهُ سِمَةٌ زَهراءُ في طالِبٍ غُفلِ

How many distinguishing marks of honor you have been given,

A radiant mole on a Talib who was heedless.

وَمِن نِعمَةٍ في مَعشَرٍ لَو دَفَعتَها

عَلى جَبَلٍ لَاِنهَدَّ مِن فادِحِ الثِقلِ

And how much blessing in a tribe - if you had cast it

On a mountain, it would have collapsed from the tremendous weight.

شَكَرتُكَ شُكري لِامرِئٍ جادَ ساحَتي

بِأَنوائِهِ طُرّاً وَلَمّا أَقُل جُد لي

I thank you with my thanks, to one who opened my field

With his gifts, and I have not given nearly enough.