تَصَدَّق عَلى الأَعمى بِأَخذِ يَمينِهِ
لِتَهدِيَهُ وَاِمنُن بِإِفهامِكَ الصُمّا
Be charitable to the blind by taking his right hand
To guide him, and have faith in making the deaf hear,
وَإِنشادُكَ العَودَ الَّذي ضَلَّ نَعيُهُ
عَلَيكَ فَما بالُ اِمرِئٍ حَيثَما أَمّا
And your singing to the lute that its loss was lamented
Is upon you, so why does man complain wherever he goes?
وَأَعطِ أَباكَ النَصفَ حَيّاً وَمَيِّتاً
وَفَضِّل عَلَيهِ مِن كَرامَتِها الأُمّا
And give your father half while he's alive and dead,
And prefer him with the highest of his mother's honor.
أَقَلَّكَ خِفّاً إِذا أَقَلَّتكَ مُثقِلاً
وَأَرضَعَتِ الحَولَينِ وَاِحتَمَلَت تِمّا
She carried you lightly when heaviness burdened you,
And suckled you two years bearing you completely.
وَأَلقَتكَ عَن جَهدٍ وَأَلقاكَ لِذَّةً
وَضَمَّت وَشَمَّت مِثلَما ضَمَّ أَو شَمّا
She cast you off with effort and cast you for pleasure,
She held you and smelled you as any mother would hold or smell.
وَأَحمَدُ سَمّاني كَبيري وَقَلَّما
فَعَلتُ سِوى ما أَستَحِقُّ بِهِ الذَمّا
I thank my elders who raised me though I have rarely
Done anything but what deserves blame.
تُلِمُّ اللَيالي شَأنَ قَومٍ وَإِن عَفَوا
زَماناً فَإِنَّ الأَرضَ تَأكُلُهُم لَمّا
Nights blame a people's condition even if they pardon
For a time, for the earth swallows them up eventually.
يَموتونَ بِالحُمّى وَغَرقى وَفي الوَغى
وَشَتّى مَنايا صادَفَت قَدَراً حُمّا
They die of fever, drowning, in tumult and war,
And various deaths that met an appointed fate.
وَسَهلٌ عَلى نَفسي الَّتي رُمتُ حُزنَها
مَبيتُ سُهَيلٍ لِلرَكائِبِ مُؤتَمّا
It is easy for my soul that I have saddened with sorrow
To pass the night with Suhail for the riders in gloom.
وَما أَنا بِالمَحزونِ لِلدارِ أَوحَشَت
وَلا آسِفٌ إِثرَ المَطِيِّ إِذا زُمّا
I am not saddened for a house that has become desolate
Nor grieving the departure of a mount if it became unsaddled.
فَإِن شِئتُم فَاِرموا سُهوباً رَحيبَةً
وَإِن شِئتُم فَاِعلوا مَناكِبَها الشَمّا
If you wish then traverse the open plains,
And if you wish then traverse its lofty summits.
وَزاكٍ تَرَدّى بِالطَيالِسِ وَاِدَّعى
كَذِمرٍ تَرَدّى بِالصَوارِمِ وَاِعتَمّا
A spurious man attacked with swords and claimed
Like a piercing darkness that attacked with blades.
وَلَم يَكفِ هَذا الدَهرَ ما حَمَلَ الفَتى
مِنَ الثِقلِ حَتّى رَدَّهُ يَحمِلُ الهَمّا
This life does not stop weighing down the young man
With burdens until it makes him carry worries.
وَلَو كانَ عَقلُ النَفسِ في الجِسمِ كامِلاً
لَما أَضمَرَت فيما يُلَمُّ بِها غَمّا
If the mind's intellect were complete in the body
It would not harbor within it anything that pains it.
وَلي أَمَلٌ قَد شُبتُ وَهوَ مُصاحِبي
وَساوَدَني قَبلَ السَوادِ وَما هَمّا
I have a hope that grew up with me and accompanied me
Before youth, and never worried.
مَتى يُولِكَ المَرءُ الغَريبُ نَصيحَةً
فَلا تُقصِهِ وَأحبُ الرَفيقَ وَإِن ذَمّا
When does an outsider offer you advice
And you don't tell it fully? Love the companion even if he is blamed.
وَلا تَكُ مِمَّن قَرَّبَ العَبدَ شارِخاً
وَضَيَّعَهُ إِذ صارَ مِن كِبَرٍ هِمّا
Do not be one who draws the servant near only to neglect him
When he grows old and worries.
فَنِعمَ الدَفينُ اللَيلُ إِن باتَ كاتِماً
هَواكَ وَبُعداً لِلصَباحِ إِذا نَمّا
The night is an excellent ship if it passes concealing
Your passions, and keep far from the morn if it slept.
ذنَهَيتُكَ عَن سَهمِ الأَذى ريشَ بِالخَنى
وَنَصَّلَهُ غَيظٌ فَأُرهِفَ أَو سُمّا
I warned you against the arrow of harm whose feathers betrayal
Had trimmed, and anger had notched, or poisoned.
فَأَرسَلتُهُ يَستَنهِضُ الماءَ سائِحاً
وَقَد غاضَ أَو يَستَنضِبُ البَحرَ إِذ طَما
So I sent it to rouse the waters raging
Or to drain the sea if it overflowed.
يُغادِرُ ظِمأً في الحَشا غَيرَ نافِعٍ
وَلَو غاضَ عذباً في جَوانِحِهِ اليَمّا
It leaves thirst in the sands without benefit
Even if it overflowed fresh in its midriff with water.
وَقد يُشبِهُّ الإِنسانُ جاءَ لِرُشدِهِ
بَعيداً وَيَعدو شِبهُهُ الخالَ وَالعَمّا
And man might resemble one who came for his guidance
From afar, while his likeness is actually the mole and pimple.
وَلَستُ أَرى في مَولِدٍ حُكمَ قائِفٍ
وَكَم مِن نَواةٍ أَنبَتَت سُحُقاً عُمّا
And I do not see in any birth the judgment of a midwife,
And how many seeds have produced foolish sprouts?
رَمَيتُ بِنَزرٍ مِن مَعائِبَ صادِقاً
جَزاكَ بِها أَربابُها كَذِباً جَمّا
I have cast forth a bit of the faults of the truthful
May their people reward them for it with abundant lies.
ضَمِنتُ فُؤادي لِلمَعشِرِ كُلِّهِم
وَأَمسَكتُ لَمّا عَظَّموا الغارَ أَو خَمّا
I entrusted my heart to the whole group of them
And held back when they exaggerated the cave or bent it.
