وَفِّر سِهامَكَ قَد أَصَبتَ مَقاتِلي

وَاِغضُض جُفونَكَ قَد عَرَفتَ مَخاتِلي

Spare your arrows, for you have struck down my warriors,

And lower your eyelids, for you have known your contenders.

ما أَنكَرَت نَفسُ القَتيلِ مُصابَها

بَل أَنكَرَت غَضَباً بِوَجهِ القاتِلِ

The soul of the slain did not deny its wounds,

Rather, it denied out of anger the face of the killer.

أَنتَ الحَبيبُ بِعَينِهِ فَإِذا بدا

وَجهُ الصَباحِ فَأَنتَ عَينُ العاذِلِ

You are the beloved in his eyes, so when the face

Of morning appears, you are the pupil of the censurer.

وَلَقَد كُفيتُ العَذلَ فيكَ لِشيمَةٍ

غَضَّت لِحاظَ الأَشوَسِ المُتَخايِلِ

And I have been granted enough censure in you due to a trait

That irritated the glance of the coquettish and pretentious.

وَإِذا عَذَلتَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِسامِعٍ

وَإِذا سُمِعتَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِقائِلِ

When you censure, you have not gained a listener,

And when you are heard, you have not gained a speaker.

لا أَشتَكي دَهراً تَميلُ صُروفُهُ

فَكَم الشِكايَةُ مِن قَضيبٍ مائِلِ

I do not complain of a time whose circumstances shift,

For how much complaining is there of a tilted rod?

أَشَكَرتُهُ في يَومِ نَغبَةِ راشِحِ

وَأَذُمُّهُ مِن بَعدِ ديمَةِ وابِلِ

I thanked it on the day of flowing plenty,

And I blame it after a time of pouring rain.

ما كانَ يُعلى ناظِري وَيَغُضُّهُ

بِشرُ الكَريمِ وَلا عُبوسُ الباخِلِ

It did not raise my gaze or lower it -

The cheer of the generous or the frown of the miser.

وَأَصونُ آمالي صِيانَةَ مَن يَرى

عُرفَ المُؤَمَّلِ دونَ شُكرِ الآمِلِ

And I protect my hopes, guarding one who sees

The path of the hopeful, not the thanks of the hopeful.

أَمّا وَصَدرُ الدينِ مَورِدُ هيمِها

فَعَلَيهِ مَصدَرُها بِرَؤِّ الناهِلِ

As for the breast of religion being the outlet of its ardors,

Upon it is the origin with the sight of one who draws water.

وَإِذا ظَفِرتَ بِرَأيِهِ وَبِرَيِّهِ

أَمِنَت مُناكَ بِهِ خُمولَ الخامِلِ

And if you attain its opinion and its piety,

Your purpose in it secures you from the laziness of the indolent.

يَمَّتُهُ فَعَقَدتَ نِيَّةَ قاطِنٍ

أَوصافُهُ يَعقِدنَ نِيَّةَ راحِلِ

You tied its intention like one who settles,

Its traits tie the intention of one who departs.

آنَستُ نوراً مِن جَلالَةِ وَجهِهِ

حَلّى تَريبَةَ كُلَّ يَومِ عاطِلِ

I sensed a light from the majesty of its face

That adorned the blemish of every idle day.

تِلكَ اليَدُ البَيضاءُ إِلّا أَنَّها

مِن طِرسِها حَيَّت بِسِحرٍ بابِلي

That white hand, except that it

Stupefied me with Babylonian magic from its potency.

فَلَبِثتُ مِنها في أَوارِ هَواجِر

ما رُدَّ روحي في ظِلالِ أَصائِلي

So I remained from it in the shelters of passions

Until my soul was restored in the shades of my tribe.

جاءَت بِشِكَّةِ كُلِّ مَعنىً مُعجِزٍ

وَأَتَت بِشَوكَةِ كُلِّ لَفظٍ هائِلِ

It came with the complaint of every astonishing meaning

And arrived with the thorns of every formidable utterance.

رَدَّدتُها بَل خِفتُها فَرَدَدتُها

وَالغَدرُ بادٍ عِندَ دَمعِ الصائِلِ

I recited it, rather I feared it, so I recited it,

And betrayal exists at the tears of one who laments.