شهدت بإخلاصي عذول قرائحي

وبها قضت لكم قضاة نصائحي

I have sincerely witnessed my pure inspirations,

And with them I have made judgments and given you advice.

وإِذا الفؤاد أَسر وُدَّ محالم

كان اللسان عليه أَصدق نائح

And when the heart is captivated and inclined towards talks,

Then the tongue upon it is the most truthful lamenter.

وَإِذا طلبى عَلى الفؤاد شهادة

فاشهد فؤادك فهو أَخلص ناصح

And if my request upon the heart is a testimony,

Then, O heart, testify, for it is the most sincere advisor.

والوجه للحالين فيه أَدلة

عن أَصغريه لمخلص أَو كاشح

And the face, for both conditions, in it are signs

Of the smaller of the two - a sincere one or a deceitful one.

يا نازحاً بالدار عني إِن لي

قلباً وطرفاً عنك غير النازح

O one departing from the house away from me, indeed I have

A heart and glances that do not depart from you.

إِن نمت تنظرك العيون مطارحاً

أَو قمت ينظرك الفؤاد مصافحي

If I sleep, eyes keep watching over you,

Or if I stand up, the heart greets you.

شيئان إن قربت وإِن بعدت بكم

دار فأنتم ملمح للوامح

Two things - if you come near or go far with them

They are the features of the beautiful one.

فأَنا الَّذي لا خنت عهداً لا وَلا

أَضمرت وعداً أَو خدعت مناصحي

So I am the one who did not betray a pact, no,

Nor plotted a promise or deceived my advisor.

متذكر الحُسنى ولو من مفسد

بالمن حُسناه وغير مقابح

Remembering the good things even from a corrupt one

With thanks - he who did good and not ugly things.

وإِذا أَلفت غير مباين

وإِذا صرمت صرمت غير مجانح

And if I befriend, I befriend without disloyalty,

And if I become angry, I become angry without fleeing.

وإِذا نصحت نصحت غير مخامر

وَإِذا ابتليت كسرت روق الناطح

And if I advise, I advise without deception,

And if I am tested, I break the neck of the stubborn one.

اهدي لدهمان الفصيح نصائحي

ولآل نبهان الملوك مدائحي

I direct my eloquent advice to Duhman

And my praises of kings to the house of Nabhan.

فرجايَ فيه يكون عين الصالح

وبهم رجايَ أَنال غاي مصالح

So my hope in it will be the eye of righteousness,

And through them I hope to attain the ultimate of interests.

ولقد أَتى منك الكتاب فكان لي

سؤل المراد وكان قال السائح

And your letter has certainly come to me, so it was for me

A request of purpose and was an eloquent speaker.

رمحت بوارده الهموم ولم تزل

هممي به فوق السماك الرامح

I have lanced with its news the worries, and my aspirations with it

Have not ceased to be above the towering heights.

سعد السعود طلوعه بطلوعه

وعلى سوايَ طلوع سعد الذابح

Saad's rising was felicitous in its rising,

And similar to the rising of Saad the slaughterer.

سعرت سموم دبوره غير وإِن

أَهدى لنا منه نسيم البارح

The poisons of its setting flared up, even though

It brought for us from it a breeze of last night.

متضمناً سيل الخطية لو جرى

فوق الصرادح كُنَّ غير صرادح

Containing a flood of sins, if it flowed

Above the plains, they would be nothing but plains.

عودت منه وفي سواي فقد جرى

جريَ الدماء بكل عرق سارح

I have returned from it, and in my wake blood has flowed

Through every departing vein.

حتّامَ أَنتَ على نحيرة أَجذع

والآن سِنُّك سن فحل قارح

You are determined upon a bare hill,

And now your age is the age of a strong stud.

صارت جميع العالمين سقيمة

من وقع مخلبك الحديد القادح

All the worlds have become sick

From the strike of your iron hoof.

ريع البريء من السقيم كأنه

فرس تريع اذنها للصائح

The scream of the innocent one is like the scream

Of a mare whose ear is shouted to by the shouter.

دهمان بئس معيشة محلوبة

بقوارص تشوي الوجوه لوافح

Duhman, evil is a life of being robbed

By elves that burn the faces of those asleep.

الرزق من يد رازق يأتي وَلا

مستجلب رزقاً بكدح الكادح

Sustenance from the hand of the Sustainer comes, and not

A sustenance fetched through the toil of the toiler.

لا تطلبن رزقاً بهجوٌ إِنما ال

أَرزاق تدرك بالقضاء الفاتح

Do not seek sustenance anxiously, indeed only

Sustenances are attained through fate the opener.

كم مانح دلوا لينقع غلة

أَخطا فانقع غير غل المانح

How many a granter tipped a bucket to draw water,

Then missed so the water spilled was not his.

ولرُبّ مجتهد بقدح زناده

كان الضواء لغير ذاكَ القادح

And how many a diligent one with the flint of his tinder,

The light was for other than the lighter of it.

هوِّن عليك فَأَنتَ حر مبتلي

بسمائح تأتيك غير سوامح

Be easy on yourself, for you are a free man being tested

With arrows that come to you, not your own arrows.

كالبائع الأخرى وشارٍ هذه الد

دُنيا الدنية فهو غير الرابح

Like the seller of others, while a buyer is this

Base, base world, so he is not the gainer.

اقنع تجل وَإن طمعت تقل أَو

تخضع تذل ولا تكن بالشاجع

Be content, you will be revered, and if you are greedy, you will belittle,

Or be humble, you will be humiliated, and do not be with the arrogant.

جاور بني نبهان واحلم شيمة

عن هجو كل مخامر ومواتح

Live as a neighbor of Bani Nabhan and dream of the character

Of shunning all deception and evil plotting.

فندى بني نبهان مغن ساتر

عن فضل غيرهم بهجو فاضح

So the people of Bani Nabhan have aided someone covering up

The superiority of others through abusive exposure.

إِني أَخاف هجاك في هذا الوَرى

منه يبلهمُ طشاش المانح

I fear your abuse in this abode

From which disasters strike the grantor.

نصحي أَتاك بقدر ودي والثَنا

مني عليك بكل غاد رايح

My advice has come to you with kindness and affection

From me upon you with every returning emotion.

وتحية كالروض باكره الحيا

متأرجا بشذى العرار النافح

And greetings like a garden in the early morning

Fragrant with the scent of the blossoming plants.

واجعل جوابي منك أَنك لا تكن

أَملاً ثمود في اجابة صالح

And make your response to me that you will not be

A hope for Thamud in response to Saleh.

واذكر مناسبة الاخاء فإنها

لهي اللجام على الغرام الجامح

And remember the suitability of brotherhood, for it

Is the rein upon passionate love.

فإِذا قبلت نصيحتي فاعمل بها

تلقَ النجاح وإِن كرهت فسامح

So if you accept my advice, then act accordingly,

You will attain success even if you dislike it, so forgive.

إِني زرعت وإِن سعدت فحاصد

وإِذا تجحَّفُ فهو حظ الناصح

I have planted, and if it thrives, then I will harvest,

But if it withers, then that is the fortune of an advisor.

ما كل منتجح تراه موفقاً

وموفق لا تلقه بالناجح

Not everyone you see succeeding is successful,

Nor is a successful one you meet a winner.