لَأَمواهُ الشَبيبَةِ كَيفَ غِضنَه
وَرَوضاتُ الصِبا كَاليَبسِ إِضنَه
The waters of youth, how they withered,
And gardens of childhood dried as if scorched.
وَآمالُ النُفوسِ مُعَلِّلاتٌ
وَلَكِنَّ الحَوادِثَ يَعتَرِضنَه
The hopes of souls are excuses,
Yet events confront them.
فَلا الأَيّامُ تَغرَضُ مِن أَذاةٍ
وَلا المُهَجاتُ مِن عَيشٍ غَرَضنَه
Neither do days spare harm,
Nor do the determined spare life's comfort.
وَأَسبابُ المُنى أَسبابُ شِعرٍ
كُفِّفنَ بِعِلمِ رَبِّكَ أَو قِبِضنَه
The causes of death are fragile as hair,
Curtailed by your Lord's knowledge or pinched off.
وَما الظَبِيّاتُ مِنّي خائِفاتٌ
وَرَدنَ عَلى الأَصائِلِ أَو رَبَضنَه
The gazelles are not fleeing me in fear,
Returning to the pastures or nestling there.
فَلا تَأخُذ وَدائِعَ ذاتِ ريشٍ
فَما لَكَ أَيُّها الإِنسانُ بِضنَه
So take not the entrusted possessions of the feathered,
For what stinginess, O man, can avail you?
فَراعِ اللَهَ وَاِلهَ عَنِ الغَواني
يَرُحنَ لِيَمتَشِطنَ وَيَرتَحِضنَه
Revere God and refrain from caprices,
That they may preen and take their ease.
وَطِئنَ السابِرِيِّ وَخُضنَ بَحرَ النَ
عيمِ وَهُنَّ في ذَهَبٍ يَخُضنَه
They tread the wonted course and plunge into the sea of bliss,
Wallowing in gold that they amass.
وَلِلسَمُراتِ في الأَشجارِ عَيبٌ
إِذا ماقالَ مُخبِرُهُنَّ حِضنَه
For the singers in the trees a defect it is
If their informer says they have a nest.
نَجائِبُ لِاِمرِئِ القَيسِ اِبنِ حُجرٍ
وَقَصنَ أَخا البَطالَةِ إِذ يَرُضنَه
The elegies of Imru' al-Qays bin Hujr
And the brother of idleness when it stirred him.
وَخَيلُ اللَهوِ جامِحَةٌ عَلَينا
يُساقِطنَ الفَوارِسَ إِن رُكِضنَه
The steeds of frivolity bolting with us
Unseat their riders if they are spurred.
فَيا غَضّاً مِنَ الفِتيانِ خَيرٌ
مِنَ اللَحَظاتِ أَبصارٌ غُضِضنَه
Better the bashfulness of the youths
Than glances that seduce the chaste.
فَفُضَّ زَكاةَ مالِكَ غَيرَ آبٍ
فَكُلُّ جُموعِ مالِكَ يَنفَضِضنَه
Disburse your alms ungrudgingly,
For all your wealth will be dispersed willy-nilly.
وَأَعجَزُ أَهلِ هَذي الأَرضِ غاوٍ
أَبانَ العَجزَ عَن خَمسٍ فُرِضنَه
The most helpless people of this land are those
Who cannot manage the five prayers enjoined.
وَصُم رَمَضانَ مُختاراً مُطيعاً
إِذِ الأَقدامُ مِن قَيظٍ رَمِضنَه
Fast the Ramadan willingly and obediently
When feet are burnt by the heat.
عُيونُ العالَمينَ إِلى اِغتِماضٍ
وَما خِلتُ الكَواكِبَ يَغتَمِضنَه
The eyes of the two worlds are in gloom,
Though not a planet has gone into eclipse.
وَقَد سَرَّ المَعاشِرَ باقِياتٌ
مِنَ الأَنباءِ سِرنَ لِيَستَفِضنَه
What remains of the tidings gladdens the intimates
Who hurried to reap and glean them.
أَرى الأَزمانَ أَوعِيَةً لِذِكرٍ
إِذا بُسطُ الأَوانِ لَهُ نُفِضنَه
I see the times as repositories for remembrance
When it flows in abundance and they store it away.
قَدِ اِنقَرَضَت مَمالِكُ آلِ كِسرى
سِوى سِيَرٍ لَهُنَّ سَيَنقَرِضنَه
Only histories remain for the realms of Kisra
While theirs will also vanish and be erased.
فَطِر إِن كُنتَ يَوماً ذا جَناحٍ
فَإِنَّ قَوادِمَ البازي يُهَضنَه
Take wing if you are a day a winged creature
For the goshawk of fate will swoop down and catch you.
وَكَم طَيرٍ قُصِصنَ لِغَيرِ ذَنبٍ
وَأُلزِمنَ السُجونَ فَما نَهَضنَه
How many birds are confined for no sin
And imprisoned in cages from which they cannot escape!
مَتى عَرَضَ الحِجى لِلَّهِ ضاقَت
مَذاهِبُهُ عَلَيهِ وَإِن عَرُضنَه
When the pilgrimage is difficult for God
Its ways are strait for him even if smoothed.
وَقَد كَذَبَ الَّذي يَغدو بِعَقلٍ
لِتَصحيحِ الشُروعِ إِذا مَرِضنَه
He who rises in the morning with a sound mind
To correct aberrant behavior lies when it sickens.
هِيَ الأَشباحُ كَالأَسماءِ يَجري ال
قَضاءُ فَيَرتَفِعنَ وَيَنخَفِضنَه
They are phantoms, like names, ordained
By fate to be raised or cast down.
وَتِلكَ غَمائِمُ الدُنيا اللَواتي
يُسَفِّهنَ الحَليمَ إِذا وَمَضنَه
Those are the clouds of the world which
Addle the wise man if they outlast him.
غَدَت حُجَجُ الكَلامِ حَجا غَديرٍ
وَشيكاً يَنعَقِدنَ وَيَنتَفِضنَه
The arguments of speech have become like the plain of Ghadir,
Imminent they break out and flare up.
لَعَلَّ الظاعِناتِ عَنِ البَرايا
مِنَ الأَرواحِ فُزنَ بِما اِستَعَضنَه
Maybe the souls withdrawn from innocence
Were disturbed by what they were denied.
وَلِلأَشياءِ عِلّاتٌ وَلَولا
خُطوبٌ لِلجُسومِ لَما رُفِضنَه
Things have causes even if
Misfortunes were not cast at bodies.
وَغارَت لِاِنصِرامِ حَيّاً مِياهٌ
وَكُنَّ عَلى تَرادُفِهِ يَفِضنَه
Waters surged and flowed
In sequence over eras they cascaded.
