تخَيّرْتُ جُهْدي لو وَجدْت خِيارَا

وطِرْتَ بعَزْمي لو أصَبْتُ مَطارا

I chose my endeavor even if I found no choice

And took off with determination even if I met with heavy rain

جَهِلْتُ فلمّا لم أرَ الجهْلَ مُغْنِياً

حَلُمْتُ فأوْسَعْتُ الزّمانَ وَقارا

I was ignorant so when ignorance was of no use

I was forbearing, so I widened the times with dignity

إلى كم تَشكّاني إليّ رَكائبي

وتُكْثِرُ عَتْبي خُفْيةً وجِهارا

To what extent do you blame me for my own misfortunes

And multiply reproach of me openly and in secret

أسِيرُ بها تحتَ المَنايا وفوْقَها

فيَسْقُطُ بي شَخْصُ الحِمامِ عِثارا

I travel with them under death and above it

So the dove of peace trips over me and falls

وكُنّ إذا لاقَيْنَني ليَرِدْنَني

رَجَعْنَ كما شاءَ الصّديقُ حِرارا

And whenever they met me they would reject me

They would return as the sincere friend desired, heatedly

فللّهِ طَعْمي ما أمَرّ مَذاقَهُ

وللهِ عِيسي ما أقَلّ نِفارا

So by God the taste that soured its flavor is to God

And by God Jesus whom few befriended

وأسْوَدَ لم تَعْرِفْ له الإنْسُ والِداً

كَسانيَ منه حُلّةً وخِمارا

A dark horse whose lineage men do not know

It clothed me with a robe and veil

سَرَتْ بيَ فيه ناجِياتٌ مِياهُها

تَجِمّ إذا ماءُ الرّكائِبِ غارا

Waters crept into me privately, their waters

Frothing when the water of the mounts foamed

فخَرّقْنَ ثوْبَ اللّيْلِ حتى كأنّني

أَطَرْتُ بها في جانبيْه شَرارا

So they tore the garment of the night until it was as if

I had flown with them on both my sides aflame

وباتَتْ تُراعي البدرَ وهْوَ كأنّه

من الخَوْفِ لاقى بالكَمالِ سِرارا

And the moon stayed up watching me while it was as if

From fear it met perfection with concealment

تأخّرَ عن جيْشِ الصّباحِ لضُعْفِه

فأوْثَقَهُ جيشُ الظّلامِ إسارا

It lagged behind the army of the dawn due to its weakness

So the army of darkness detained it shackled

ووافَتْ رِعاناً للرِّعانِ كأنّما

تُحادِثُها الشّعْرى العَبُورُ سِرَارا

And the gazelles met the gazelles, as if

The Pleiades were conversing with them in whispers

وباتَ غَوِيُّ القوْمِ يَحْسَبُ أنّهُ

أجَدَّ إلى أهلِ السّماءِ مَزارا

And the tribe's madman spent the night thinking he

Had come closer to the people of the sky by his shrine

إذا ضَنّ زَنْدٌمَدّ بالشّخْتِ كفَّه

ليَقْبِسَ من بعضِ الكواكبِ نارا

Whenever the Simpleton extended his palm to the sparks

To light from some of the planets a fire

إذا قُيّدَتْ في مَنْزِلي بتَنُوفَةٍ

حَسِبْتَ مُناخاً أو طِنَتْه مُثارا

Whenever my shiftless camel was tied in my abode

You would think it a resting place or its cooing an uproar

تظُنّ غَطيطَ النوْمِ نَهْمَةَ زاجِرٍ

فتَقْطَعُ قَيْداً أو تَبُتّ هِجارا

You'd think the snoring of sleep the growl of a deterrent

So you'd cut its tether or spend the night wakeful

أطَلّتْ على أرجاء أزرَقَ مُتْرَعٍ

تَنُوشُ بَريراً حوْلَه وبَهارا

They looked out on the expanse of a blue pasture

Nibbling around it fresh and blossoming greenery

يَمِدْنَ إذا أُسْقِينَ منه كأنما

شَرِبنَ به قَبْلَ الضّياء عُقارا

When watered from it they would drink as if

They had drunk before, the light, a healing potion

إذا خفقَ البرْقُ الحِجازِيُّ أعْرَضَتْ

وتَرْنو إذا برْقُ العِراقِ أنارا

When the Hijazi lightning flickered they looked away

And craned when the Iraqi lightning blazed

وتأرَنُ مِن بَعدِ اللُّغوبِ كأنّه

إليها بجَدّ في النّجاءِ أشارا

And they cooed after the vanishing as if

He had ardently winked to them for rescue

وليْستْ تُحِسّ الأرضُ منها بوطْأةٍ

فتُفْزِعُ سِرْباً أو تَروعُ صِوارا

And the ground feels from them no weight

To frighten a flock or alarm a watchman

تَدوسُ أفاحيصَ القطا وَهْوَ هاجِدٌ

فتَمْضي ولم تَقْطَعْ عليه غِرارا

Trampling on the snake while it is prostrate

She walks on without cutting short its hissing

وتَقْنِصُ أُمَّ الخِشْفِ ما أبَهَتْ لها

فتُحْدِثَ عنها نَبْوَةً وفِرارا

And seizing the mother partridge that displayed herself heedlessly

Bringing about her an alarm and hasty flight

كأنّكَ أصْغَرْتَ الزمانَ وأهْلَهُ

عَبيداً ولم تَرْضَ البسيطةَ دارا

As if you had belittled time and its people

As slaves and were not content with the plain as a home

تَظَلّ المَنايا في سُيوفِكَ شُرّعاً

إذا النّقْعُ مِن تحتِ السّنابِكِ ثارا

Deaths cast shadows in your swords when sparks fly

From beneath the window screens aflame

فإنْ عُدّ ضَحضاح الحِمامِ صَوارِمٌ

عُدِدْنَ بُحُوراً للرّدى وغِمارا

For if the cooing of pigeons were swords

They would be seas engulfing perdition and gloom

كأنّ تُرابَ الأرضِ لم يَرْضَ عِزَّها

فأصْعَدَ يَبْغي في السماء جِوارا

As if the dust of earth was not content with its honor

So it rose up seeking company in the sky

بكلّ كُميْتٍ ما رَعتْ خبَطَ الحِمى

ولا شَرِبَتْ رِسْلَ اللّقاحِ سَمارا

With every buried corpse that did not graze when destiny stamped

Or drink the discharge of conception sober

إذا ما عَلاهَا فارسٌ ظَنّ أنّه

تَبَوّأ ما بين النّجومِ قَرارا

When a horseman mounted it, he thought

He had attained amidst the stars a position

ولم أرَ خَيْلاً مِثْلَها عَرَبيّةً

تُذِيلُ عَدُوّاً أو تصُونُ ذِمارا

And I did not see horses like them, Arabian

Pursuing a foe or defending a sanctuary

أشَدَّ على مَن حارَبَتْه تسلّطاً

وأبْعَدَ منها في البلادِ مُغارا

Harsher than it against those it battled

And farther from it into the lands in flight

يُكَلّفُها الأرضَ البعيدةَ ماجِدٌ

يُشَيّدُ مَجْداً لا يُكشِّفُ عارا

A triumphant one tasks it with the distant land

Erecting glory exposing no shame

غَذاهُنّ مُحْمَرَّ النّجيعِ قَوارِحاً

كما كُنّ يُغْذَيْنَ الضّريبَ مِهارا

Their food reddened carrion, vultures

As they used to be fed dried meat skillfully

سمعْنَ الوَغى قبلَ الصّهيلِ وما انْسَرَتْ

مَشَايِمُها حتى اكتَسَينَ غُبارا

They heard the commotion before the neighing and did not scatter

Until they were cloaked in dust

إذا أفرعَتْ من ذاتِ نِيقٍ حَسِبْتَها

تُفيضُ على أهلِ الوُهودِ بِحارا

If they sprang from a rested stance, you would think it

Surging mountains or flaming heat

وإن نَهَضَتْ من مطمَئنّ ظنَنْتَه

يَجيشُ جِبالاً أو يَمُجّ حِرارا

The obscurity of their dust blinds the birds of prey

Dropping them dead, hock and pinion

يَغُولُ سِباعَ الطّيرِ ضَنْكُ غُبارِها

فيُسْقِطُ مَوْتَى أعْقُباً ونِسارا

And in it the master feels awe so whenever

The crescents shone to his eyes he marched on

ويَجْشِمُ فيه السِّيدُ رُعْباً فكُلما

أضاءتْ لعينيه القَواضِبُ سارا

Every skilled one guided him to what he desired

To be for the causes of attacks an artisan

هَداهُ إلى ما شاء كلّ مهَنّدٍ

يَكونُ لأسبابِ الحُتوفِ نِجارا

As if deaths were an army of scattered motes

Taking to the souls in it a passage

كأنّ المَنايا جيشُ ذَرّ عَرَمْرَمٌ

تَخِذْنَ إلى الأرْوَاحِ فيهِ مَسارا