أَسُرِرتَ إِذا مَرَّ السَنيحُ تَفاؤُلاً
وَالفالُ مِن رَأيٍ لَعَمرُكَ فائِلِ
You rejoiced when the breeze blew, full of hope,
Yet fate’s fortunes, my friend, are ever fickle.
أَرَأَيتَ فِعلَ الدَهرِ في أُمَمٍ مَضَت
قَبلاً وَمَرجَ قَبائِلٍ بِقَبائِلِ
Have you not seen what time has done to nations past?
Tribes replaced tribes in endless cycle.
أَسرِج كُمَيتَكَ في الكَتائِبِ جائِلاً
وَدَعِ الكُمَيتَ أَخا الحَبابِ الجائِلِ
Ride your sand-mare amid the raiding parties unchecked,
And leave the sand-mare, O brother of raiding clans.
خَسِرَ الَّذي باعَ الخُلودَ وَعَيشَهُ
بِنَعيمِ أَيّامٍ تُعَدُّ قَلائِلِ
Lost is he who sold eternity and his life’s joy
For the bliss of days that number but a few.
وَتَخَيَّرَ المَغرورُ طولَ بَقائِهِ
سَفَهاً وَما طولُ البَقاءِ بِطائِلِ
Yet the fool chose length of days in his illusion,
For the long road of life leads not to glory.
وَتَفاوُتُ الأَجسامِ ثُمَّ جَميعُها
مُتَقارِباتٌ في نُهىً وَخَصائِلِ
Bodies differ—then all are made equal
In qualities and faults at the journey’s end.
حُرٌّ يَضيقُ عَنِ الوَليدَةِ طَولُهُ
وَسِواهُ لَم يَقنَع بِتِسعِ حَلائِلِ
The free man is cramped by his great height
While another is not content with nine concubines.
جَمَدَ النُضارُ لَهُ فَما هُوَ سائِلٌ
مِن جودِ راحَتِهِ بِراحَةِ سائِلِ
The delicate one hoards his ease, asking nothing
Of his cozy comfort to give a supplicant.
ما المَرءُ نائِلُ رُتبَةٍ مِن سُؤدُدٍ
حَتّى يُصَيَّرَ مالُهُ في النائِلِ
No man attains a rank of glory
Until he makes his wealth the means to aid the needy.
لَو عُدتُ مِن أَسَدِ النُجومِ بِجَبهَةٍ
أَو بُتُّ في ذَنَبٍ لِشَبوَةِ شائِلِ
Had I returned from the Lion of the stars triumphant,
Or lodged in the tail of the Swooping Eagle,
أَو كُنتُ رَأسَ الغولِ وَهوَ مُوَقَّرٌ
في الشُهبِ لَم آمَن تَهَجُّمَ غائِلِ
Or were I the Ghoul King revered
In the comets, I'd not be safe from a sudden raid.
كانَ الشَبابُ ظَلامَ جِنحٍ فَاِنجَلى
وَالشَيبُ يَذهَبُ في النَهارِ الزائِلِ
Youth was the darkness of sheltering wings—now it clears,
And old age walks in the waning light.
وَالغِرُّ يُرسِلُ قَولَهُ بِمَواعِدٍ
وُلُدٍ فَتَنتِجُ عَن يَمينٍ حائِلِ
Age sends its words by stages
To offspring who spring from a serried line.
وَأَقَلُّ أَهلِ الأَرضِ حَظّاً في العُلا
مَن يَكتَفي مِنها بِخُطبَةِ قائِلِ
The least lucky mortal on earth
Is he content with the speech of but one praiser.
وَالحَيُّ شاهِدُ رُزءِ خَطبٍ هائِلٍ
مِن كَونِ مَيتٍ تَحتَ أُنمُلٍ هائِلِ
The living witness the mockery of words once grand
Over dust beneath clawing fingers.
قَد خِلتَ أَنَّكَ مُحسِنٌ فيما مَضى
وَالخالُ يَكذِبُ فيهِ ظَنُّ الخائِلِ
You were benevolent, they say. But the ruins
Belie that claim by the deluded praiser.
لا تَفرَحَنَّ بِدَولَةٍ أوتَيَها
إِنَّ المُدالَ عَلَيهِ مِثلُ الدائِل
Rejoice not in power that comes your way—
The risen and the fallen are much the same.
وَمَتى حَظَيتَ بِنِعمَةٍ مِن مُنعِمٍ
فَتَوَقَّ وَاِحذَر صَولَةً مِن صائِلِ
When a benefactor grants you a boon, beware
Lest reversal strike from an unexpected blow.
وَعَقائِلُ الأَلبابِ غَيرُ أَوامِرٍ
بِأَذاةِ أَيتامٍ وَهَتكِ عَقائِلِ
Wise minds permit no injury to orphans
Or violation of inviolable bonds.
وَإِذالَةُ الإِنسانِ لَيسَ بِمانِعٍ
مِنها تُحَرِّزُهُ بِدِرعٍ ذائِلِ
Humiliating humans cannot prevent
Affliction—so arm yourself with a coat of mail.
وَحَبائِلُ الدُنيا تَزيدُ عَلى الحَصى
وَأَقَلُّ أَنفاسي أَدَقُّ حَبائِلي
The world's knots are more than the grains of sand,
Yet my briefest breath measures my longest tether.
