إِذا كُفَّ صِلٌّ أُفعُوانٌ فَما لَهُ
سِوى بَيتِهِ يَقتاتُ ما عَمَرَ التُربا
If a venomous serpent is restrained, it has
only its den to live on for as long as it inhabits the earth.
وَلَو ذَهَبَت عَينا هِزَبرٍ مُساوِرٍ
لَما راعَ ضَأناً في المَراتِعِ أَو سِربا
And if the eyes of a charging lion were taken away,
it would frighten neither sheep in the pastures nor a flock.
أَو اِلتُمِعَت أَنوارُ عَمرٍ وَعامِرٍ
لَما حَمَلا رُمحاً وَلا شَهِدا حَربا
Or if the light of ʿAmr’s and ʿĀmir’s eyes were snatched away,
the two would carry no spear and witness no war.
يَقولونَ هَلّا تَشهَدُ الجُمَعَ الَّتي
رَجونا بِها عَفواً مِنَ اللَهِ أَو قُربا
They say, “Why do you not attend the Friday gatherings
through which we hope for God’s pardon or nearness?”
وهَل لِيَ خَيرٌ في الحُضورِ وَإِنَّما
أُزاحِمُ مِن أَخيارِهِم إِبلاً جُربا
What good is attendance to me, when I only
jostle mangy camels among their supposed finest?
لَعَمري لَقَد شاهَدتُ عُجماً كَثيرَةً
وَعُرباً فَلا عُجُماً حَمَدتُ وَلا عُربا
By my life, I have seen many non-Arabs
and Arabs; I have praised neither non-Arabs nor Arabs.
وَلِلمَوتِ كَأسٌ تَكرَهُ النَفسُ شُربَها
وَلابُدَّ يَوماً أَن نَكونَ لَها شَربا
Death has a cup the soul hates to drink,
yet one day we must drink from it.
مِنَ السَعدِ في دُنياكَ أَن يَهلَكَ الفَتى
بِهَيجاءَ يَغشى أَهلُها الطَعنَ وَالضَربا
Among life’s good fortunes is for a young man to die
in battle, where its fighters face thrusts and blows.
فَإِنَّ قَبيحاً بِالمُسَوَّدِ ضِجعَةٌ
عَلى فَرشِهِ يَشكو إِلى النَفَرِ الكَربا
For it is shameful for a chief to lie
on his bed, complaining of anguish to those around him.
وَلي شَرقٌ بِالحَتفِ ما هُوَ مُغرَبٌ
أَيَمَّمتُ شَرقاً في المَسالِكِ أَم غربا
For me, death has an east with no west,
whether I head east along the roads or west.
تَقَنَّصَ في الإيوانِ أَملاكَ فارِسٍ
وَكَم جازَ بَحراً دونَ قَيصَرَ أَو دَربا
It hunted down the kings of Persia in the Iwan,
and how often it crossed a sea or road to reach Caesar.
Sol 6