لَعَمري الخَيرُ الذُخرِ في كُلِّ شِدَّةٍ

إِلَهُكَ تَرجو فَضلَهُ وَأَلاهُ

My life, goodness is the treasure in every hardship

Your God, you hope for His grace and care for Him

فَلا تُشبِهِ الوَحشيَّ خَلَّفَ طِفلَهُ

لِخَنساءَ تَرعى بِالمَغيبِ طَلاهُ

So do not resemble the savage who abandoned his child

For Khausaa to graze his young in the place of sunset

وَإِن نِلتَ في دُنياكَ لِلجِسمِ نِعمَةً

مِنَ العَيشِ فَاِذكُر دَفنَهُ وَبِلاهُ

And if you attain blessings in your worldly life for the body

Of living, recall its burial and decay

إِذا اِختَصَمَت في سَيِّءِ الفِعلِ وَاِبنَها

فَلا هِيَ مِن أَهلِ الحُقوقِ وَلا هو

When the mother and her evil deed dispute

Then neither is she of rights nor is he

مَتى يَصرِمِ الخِلُّ المُسيءُ فَلا تُرَع

فَأَفضَلُ مِن وَصلِ اللَئيمِ قِلاهُ

When will the base slanderer reform? So do not befriend him

For better than befriending the despicable is shunning him

وَكَم غَيَّبَ الإِلفُ الشَقيقُ أَليفَهُ

فَريعَ لَهُ الأَيّامَ ثُمَّ سَلاهُ

And how many a dear friend did time make disappear

Then the days slew him and effaced him

وَما كانَ حادي العيسِ في غُربَةِ النَوى

عَلَيَّ كَحادي النَجمِ حينَ قَلاهُ

And the guide star was not like the guide of ‘Ees in the exile of An-Nawaa

To me when it disappeared from sight

وَمَن يَحلِفِ الأَيمانَ بِاللَهِ لا وَنى

عَنِ الوُدِّ يَحنَث أَو يَضِرَه أَلاهُ

And whoever swears an oath by Allah untruthfully

To severe ties or harm his kith and kin

وَمَن تُرِكَ العِلجُ المُعَرِّدُ راتِعاً

بِأَفيَحَ يَقرو في الخَلاءِ خَلاهُ

And whoever the abandoned sick camel moans for

In desolate places, only its moan keeps it company

وَقَد كَلَأَ المِسكينَ في الوِردِ بائِسٌ

وَمِن كَبِدِ القَوسِ الكَتومِ كَلاهُ

And the poor wretch was hurt by separation in the myrtle

And the taut bow’s liver—only its tension accompanied it

فَطَلَّقَ عِرساً كارِهاً وَفَلا الرَدى

لَها تَولَباً لَم يَمتَنِع بِفَلاهُ

So it divorced a husband it disliked, and separation

Caused it to suffer though it did not protest its suffering

فَلا تُقرِ هَمَّ النَفسِ عَجزاً عَنِ القِرى

وَأَدلِج إِذا ما الرَكبُ مالَ طُلاهُ

So do not settle the soul’s worries out of inability for visitation

And travel by night when the caravan turns its course

طَوى عَنكَ سِرّاً صاحِبٌ قَبلَ شَيبِهِ

فَلَمّا اِنجَلى عَنهُ الشَبابُ جَلاهُ

A friend turned away from you secretly before his old age

But when the vigour of youth turned from him, it exposed him

وَلا مُلكَ إِلّا لِلَّذي عَزَّ وَجهُهُ

وَدامَت عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ عُلاهُ

And none has everlasting kingship save He Whose Face is Mighty

And His sovereignty remains over the passage of time

وَقَد يُدرِكُ المَجدَ الفَتى وَهوَ مُقتِرٌ

كَثيرُ الرَزايا مُخلِقٌ سَمِلاهُ

And glory may come to a young man while he is destitute

Of many hopes, miserable and forlorn

غَدا جَمَلاهُ يُرقِلانِ بِكورُهُ

وَهَل غَيرُ عَصرَي دَهرِهِ جَمَلاهُ

Tomorrow his two camels will kneel at daybreak

But does he have more than this time of his?

وَما فَتَلاهُ عَن سَجاياهُ بَعدَما

أَجادَ كِتاباً مُحكَماً فَتَلاهُ

And nothing distracted him from his disposition after

He had composed a firm, decisive book and recited it

فَإِن ماتَ أَو غاداهُ قَتلٌ فَما هُما

أَماتاهُ في حُكمي وَلا قَتَلاهُ

So if he dies or is killed, they are not to me

His killers, nor did they kill him

يَدٌ حَمَلَت هَذا الأَنامَ عَلَيهِما

وَلَولا يَمينُ اللَهِ ما اِحتَمَلاهُ

A hand that carried these creatures due to them

And were it not for Allah’s oath, it would not have borne them

وِعاءانِ لِلأَشياءِ ما شَذَّ عَنهُما

قَليلٌ وَلا ضاقا بِما شَمِلاهُ

Two vessels containing things—little eludes them

Nor are they burdened by what they hold

وَجاءَ بِمَينٍ مُدَّعٍ جاءَ زاعِماً

بِأَنَّهُما عَن حاجَةٍ خَتَلاهُ

And he came with a false claim, claiming

That they were free of need though he had wronged them

عَجِبتُ لِرامي النَبلِ يَقصُدُ آبِلاً

بِجَهلٍ وَقَد راحَت لَهُ إِبلاهُ

I wondered at the archer aiming arrows at cattle

In ignorance though he had cattle of his own

بَدا عارِضاً خَيرٍ وَشَرٍّ لِشائِمٍ

وَما اِستَوَيا في الخَطبِ إِذ وَبَلاهُ

He appeared, attributing good and evil to a slanderer

And they are not equal in adversity when it afflicts

زَجَرتُهُما زَجرَ اِبنِ سَبعٍ سِباعَهُ

وَلَو فَهِما زَجري لَما قَبِلاهُ

I rebuked them with the rebuke of the son of Sab’ to his lions

And had they understood my rebuke, they would not have accepted it

تَهاوى جِبالٌ مِن كِنانَةِ غالِبٍ

وَأَبطَحُها لَم يَنتَقِل جَبَلاهُ

Mountains of the loftiness of Ghaalib collapsed

But their steepness did not change location

إِذا النَسلُ أَسواهُ الأَبُ اِهتاجَ أَنَّهُ

يَموتُ وَيَبقى مالُهُ وَحِلاهُ

When children equal him, the father is overjoyed that

He will die while his wealth and effects remain

فَكَم وَلَدٍ لِلوالِدَينِ مُضَيِّعٍ

يُجازيهِما بُخلاً بِما نَجَلاهُ

So how many ungrateful children to their parents

Repay them with stinginess for what they were granted liberty

طَوى عَنهُما القوتَ الزَهيدَ نَفاسَةً

وَجَرّاهُ سارا الحَزنَ وَاِرتَحَلاهُ

Austerity turned them away from nourishment disdainfully

And distress dragged them, wandering and moving about

يَرى فَرقَدَي وَحشِيَّةٍ بَدَليهِما

وَما فَرقَدا مَسراهُما بَدَلاهُ

He sees them as two desert wolves in place of his parents

Though they are no comfort instead of his parents

وَلا مَهُما عَن فَرطِ حُبِّهِما لَهُ

وَفي بُغضِهِ إِيّاهُما عَذَلاهُ

Nor do they care, out of excess love for him

Or hatred of them, to console him

أَساءَ فَلَم يَعدِلها بِشِراكِهِ

وَكانا بِأَنوارِ الدُجى عَدَلاهُ

He wronged them but did not equal it with partnership

Though they were the lights of his darkness

يُعيرُهُما طَرفاً مِنَ الغَيظِ شافِناً

كَأَنَّهُما فيما مَضى تَبِلاهُ

He taunts them with a glance of anger gratifying himself

As if they had worn out in the past

يَنامُ إِذا ما أَدنَفا وَإِذا سَرى

لَهُ الشَكوَ باتا الغِمضُ ما اِكتَحَلاهُ

He sleeps when they fester, and when he is well

The eyelid remains sleepless from what it lines

إِنِ اِدَّعَيا في وُدِّهِ الجَهدُ صُدِّقا

وَما اِتُّّهِما فيهِ فَيَنتَحِلاهُ

If they claim, in his love, exertion, believe them

And do not accuse them of taking it wrongfully

يَغُشُهُما في الأَمرِ هانَ وَطالَما

أَفاءَ عَلَيهِ النُصحَ وَاِنتَخَلاهُ

He deceives them in the matter while cooing

Though he has often benefited from their advice and discarded it

يَسُرُّهُما أَن يَهجِرَ الريمَ دَهرَهُ

وَأَنَّهُما مِن قَبلِهِ نَزَلاهُ

He is pleased that the evildoer shuns him for life

And that he parted from him before

وَلَو بِمُشارِ العَينِ يوحى إِلَيهِما

لِوَشكِ اِعتِزالِ العَيشِ لَاِعتَزَلاهُ

And if he hinted with a wink of the eye to them

Out of near abandonment of living, they would abandon it

يَوُدّانِ إِكراماً لَوِ اِنتَعَلَ السُهى

وَإِنّ حَذِيا السَلّاءَ وَاِنتَعَلاهُ

They both wish—as an honor—that the despised one

Would put on slippers, though the ascetics went barefoot

يَذُمُّ لِفَرطِ الغِيِّ ما فَعَلا بِهِ

وَأَحسِن وَأَجمِل بِالَّذي فَعَلاهُ

He blames—out of excessive pride—what they did to him

But do good and speak well of what was done to him

يُعِدّانِهِ كَالصارِمِ العَضبِ في العِدى

بِظَنِّهِما وَالذابِلِ اِعتَقَلاهُ

They count him like the angry warrior in enmity

In their opinion, though he is frail and powerless

وَيُؤثِرُ بِالسِرِّ الكَنينِ سِواهُما

فَيَنقُلهُ عَنهُ وَما نَقَلاهُ

And he prefers the secret talebearer over them

So he transfers it from him though he did not transfer it