حَياةٌ وَمَوتٌ وَاِنتِظارُ قِيامَةٍ
ثَلاثٌ أَفادَتنا أُلوفَ مَعانِ
Life and death and awaiting resurrection
Three things that brought us thousands of meanings
فَلا تَمهَرا الدُنيا المُروءَةَ إِنَّها
تُفارِقُ أَهليها فِراقَ لِعانِ
So do not let this world delude you, it
Will leave its people in miserable separation
وَلا تَطلُباها مِن سِنانٍ وَصارِمٍ
بِيَومِ ضِرابٍ أَو بِيَومِ طِعانِ
Do not seek it through swords and spears
With days of fighting or days of stabbing
وَإِن شِئتُما أَن تَخلُصا مِن أَذاتِها
فَحُطّا بِها الأَثقالَ وَاِتَّبِعاني
And if you both wish to be rid of its troubles
Unburden yourselves and follow me
فَما راعَني مِنها تَهَجُّمٌ ظالِمٍ
وَلا خِمتُ عَن وَهدٍ لَها وَرِعانِ
It did not trouble me, no unjust attack
Nor did I shy from guiding it aright
وَلا حَلَّ سَرِيَّ قَطُّ في أُذنِ سامِعٍ
وَشِنفاهُ أَو قُرطاهُ يَستَمِعانِ
My secret was never revealed to any listening ear
Whether with lips or ears listening
وَلَم أَرقُبِ النَسرَينَ في حَومَةِ الدُجى
أَظُنُّهُما في كَفَّتَي يَقَعانِ
I did not watch the two eagles in the darkness of night
I imagined both grasped in each hand
عَجِبتُ مِنَ الصُبحِ المُنيرِ وَضِدِّهِ
عَلى أَهلِ هَذي الأَرضِ يَطَّلِعانِ
I wondered at the brilliant dawn and its opposite
Shining on the people of this earth
وَقَد أَخرَجاني بِالكَراهَةِ مِنهُما
كَأَنَّهُما لِلضيقِ ما وَسِعاني
And they forced me out against my will
As if there was no room for me between them
وَكَيفَ أُرَجّي الخَيرَ يَصدُرُ عَنهُما
وَقَد أَكَلَتني فيهِما الضَبُعانِ
How could I hope for good from them
When between them I was torn by beasts
وَما بَرَّ مَن ساواهُما في قِياسِهِ
بِبِرَّي عُقوقٍ بَل هُما سَبُعانِ
He who equated them in his reasoning was no kin
No, they are vicious beasts
وَما ماتَ مَيتٌ مَرَّةً في سِواهِما
كَخَصمَينِ في الأَرواحِ يَفتَرِعانِ
None ever died just once between them
Like two adversaries devouring souls
أَشاحا فَقالا ضِلَّةً لَيسَ عِندَنا
مَحَلٌّ وَفي ضيقِ الثَرى وَضَعاني
They turned away and said, “You are lost, we have no place”
And laid me to rest in a narrow grave
وَكيوانُ وَالمِرّيخُ عَبدانِ سُخِّرا
وَلَستُ أُبالي إِن هُما فَرَعاني
Capricorn and Mars are subjugated slaves
I do not care if they have abandoned me
وَلَو شاءَ مَن صاغَ النُجومَ بِلُطفِهِ
لَصاغَهُما كَالمُشتَري وَدَعانِ
Had the Shaper of stars wished with His subtlety
He could have made them like Jupiter and called me
أَيَعكِسُ هَذا الخَلقَ مالِكُ أَمرِهِ
لَعَلَّ الحِجى وَالحَظُّ يَجتَمِعانِ
Can the Master of Decree invert this creation?
Perhaps fate and fortune may convene
