قَد تَرى دارِساتِ الرُسومِ
وَغَرامَ المَعذولِ فيها المَلومِ
You may see those fascinated by poetry
And the one blamed for his passion therein standing
واقِفاً يَسأَلُ المَغاني وَيَستَغ
رِزُ فَيداً مِن واكِفٍ مَسجومِ
Asking for songs and drawing
A handful from a tattooed palm
إِنَّ أَوهى الحِبالِ حَبلُ وِدادٍ
أَوشَكَت صَرمَةُ مَهاةُ الصَريمِ
Indeed the weakest ropes are those of love
The twists of passionate madness are about to snap
تابَعَت ظُلمَها ظُلومُ وَلَولا
شافِعُ الحُبِّ هانَ ظُلمُ ظَلومِ
Its darkness has persisted, and were it not
For the intercession of love, the darkness of the oppressive would have persisted
وَيَقِلُّ اِنتِصارُ مَن هَضَمَتهُ
ذاتُ كَشحٍ مَهَفهَفٍ مَهضومِ
And the triumph of one who has been wronged by
A crude and glittering tyrant is diminished
آمِري بِاِبتِذالِ عِرضي وَعِرضي
رُقعَةٌ مُستَعارَةٌ مِن أَديمي
Commanding me to dishonor myself when my honor
Is a borrowed patch from my own leather
مُكبِرٌ أَنَّني عَدِمتُ وَعُدمي
لِإِفتِقادِ التَكَرُّمِ المَعدومِ
Magnifying that I am worthless and my worthlessness
Is from the loss of vanishing nobility
كَيفَ تَقضي لِيَ اللَيالي قَضاءً
يُشبِهُ العَدلَ وَاللَيالي خُصومي
How can you decree my nights with a decree
That resembles justice when the nights dispute me
وَعَجيبٌ أَنَّ الغُيوثَ يُرَجّي
هِنَّ مَن لا يَرى مَكانَ الغُيومِ
And it is wondrous that rain is hoped for
When its clouds are not seen in their place
مَنَعَ الدَهرُ أَن يُسَوَّى في القِس
مَةِ بَينَ المَحظوظِ وَالمَحرومِ
Fate has prevented equality in dividing
Between the fortunate and deprived
أَلِحَتمٍ مُقَدَّرٍ أَم بِحَقٍّ
واجِبٍ ما إِدَّعاهُ أَهلُ النُجومِ
Is it destined or a right
That the astrologers claim?
وَمَرامُ المَعروفِ صَعبٌ إِذا لَم
تَلتَمِسهُ لَدى الشَريفِ الأُرومِ
And the goal of kindness is difficult if
You do not seek it from a noble Arab
وَمَتى تَستَعِن بِيونُسَ تُرفَد
بِعَظيمٍ يَكفيكَ شَأنُ العَظيمِ
And if you ask for the aid of Jonas you will be granted
Greatness sufficient for the affair of the great
كَرَمٌ يَدرَأُ الخُطوبَ وَلا يَد
رَءُ لُؤمَ الخُطوبِ غَيرُ الكَريمِ
Generosity that wards off disasters, and nothing
Wards off the evils of disasters but the generous
في العُلا مِن مُلوكِ غَسّانَ وَالصي
دِ الصَناديدِ مِن مُلوكِ الرومِ
Apparent in the beauty of his fame
Which was not concealed
فارِسٌ يُحسِنُ البَقِيَّةَ إِن أو
طِئَ أَعقابَ عَسكَرٍ مَهزومِ
Kind acts pause, not inclining
To any face except where it leans
ما اِستَماحَ العافونَ جَدواهُ إِلّا
كانَ عِدّاً لَهُم عَتيدَ الجُمومِ
We are of his divided horses given to us
In a living rain pouring upon us
نابِهٌ في مَحاسِنِ شُهرَتِهِ
لَم يَكُن فَضلُهُنَّ بِالمَكتومِ
Of the assets of a bankrupt that you see him
Embarrassed in repaying an old debt
تَقِفُ المَكرُماتُ لا يَتَوَجَّه
نَ لِوَجهٍ إِلّا إِلى حَيثُ يُمي
The enemy of bankruptcy appeals to the covenant
Of the covenants of Azdi other than the blemished
نَحنُ مِن سيبِهِ المُقَسَّمِ فينا
في حَيا وابِلٍ عَلَينا مُقيمِ
A master whose rhymes speak of his blessings
Whereas before they were sullen
مِن إِماراتِ مُفلِسٍ أَن تَراهُ
موجِفاً في إِقطِضاءِ دَينٍ قَديمِ
Oh boy of Azd, oh pillar, oh Abu Al-Abbas
Oh Ahmad ibn Ibrahim
وَعَدُوُّ الإِفلاسِ ناشِدُ عَهدٍ
مِن عُهودِ الأَزدِيِّ غَيرِ ذَميمِ
We only praise the Doer of good
When he receives the act of the atrocious
سَيِّدٌ أَنطَقَ القَوافي بِنُعماهُ
وَكانَت مِن قَبلُ ذاتِ وُجومِ
If your palm dried up, we would ask
About the absent slow to arrive from it
يا فَتى الأَزدِ سُؤدُداً يا أَبا العَبّا
سِ يا أَحمَدَ بنِ إِبراهيمِ
If what I sought is right, it obligates itself
To satisfy a creditor
إِنَّما نَحمَدُ الفَعالَ مِنَ الحُرِّ
إِذا ما اِستَلامَ فِعلَ المُليمِ
Or to pardon abundantly, for abundant
Is the poverty that the noble pardons
لَو جَفَت كَفَّكَ النَدى لَسَلَونا
مِنهُ عَن غائِبٍ بَطيءِ القُدومِ
إِن يَكُن ما طَلَبتُ حَقّاً يُطالِب
نَفسَهُ بِالوَفاءِ أَرضى غَريمِ
أَو تَغابى مُسامِحاً فَكَثيراً
ما أَرانا الغِنى تَغابى الكَريمِ
