إِستَنبَطَ العُربُ لَفظاً وَاِنبَرى نَبَطٌ
يُخاطِبونَكَ مِن أَفواهِ أَعرابِ
The Arabs conjured up words and eloquence burst forth
They address you in the mouths of nomads
كَلَّمتُ بِاللَحنِ أَهلَ اللَحنِ أَنفُسَهُم
لِأَنَّ عَيبِيَ عِندَ القَومِ إِعرابي
I conversed in accent with the people of accent themselves
For my fault to the people is my accent
دُنيايَ لا كُنتِ مِن أُمٍّ مُخادِعَةٍ
كَم ميسَمٍ لَكَ في وَجهي وَأَقرابي
O world, you were not from a deceitful mother
How many beauty marks do you have on my face and relatives
أُشرِبتُ حُبَّكِ لا يَنفيهِ عَن جَسَدي
سِوى ثَرىً لِدِماءِ الإِنسِ شَرّابِ
I was made to drink your love that nothing can deny from my body
Except dust for the blood of humans, a drinker
عِندَ الفَراقِدِ أَسراري مُخَبَّأَةٌ
إِذ لَستَُ أَرضى لِآرابي بِآرابي
With the dead are my secrets hidden
For I am not pleased with my opinions through my opinions
تَرائِبي وَهيَ مَغنى السِرِّ ما عَلِمَت
بِهِ لَدَيَّ فَهَل نالَتهُ أَترابي
My puzzles which are the melody of the secret did not know
What I have with me, so did my puzzles attain it?
ضَرَبتَني بِحُسامٍ أَو بِقاطِعَةٍ
مِن مَنطِقٍ وَعَنِ الجُرحَينِ إِضرابي
You struck me with a sword or a cleaver
Of logic, yet I turned away from the two wounds
ما شَدَّ رَبُّكَ أَزراً بي فَيَنقُصني
مِن رُتبَةٍ لِيَ مَن بِالقَولِ أَزرابي
Your Lord did not tighten a knot around me to lessen me
Of a rank I have, from those who censured me with speech
أَضَعتُ ما كُنتُ أَفنَيتُ الزَمانِ بِهِ
بَل جَرَّ ما كانَ أَعدائي وَحُرّابي
I lost what I used to spend my time with
Rather, it drew what my enemies and foes used to pull
كَقينَةِ الكَأسِ إِذ باتَت مُطَرِّبَةً
بَينَ الشُروبِ وَلَيسَت ذاتَ إِطرابِ
Like a goblet when it spent the night intoxicated
Between drinking and without perturbation
وَالشَرُّ جُمٌّ وَمَن تَسلَم لَهُ إِبِلٌ
مِن غارَةِ الجَيشِ يَترُكها لِخُرّابِ
Evil is a flood, and whoever surrenders to it has camels
Safe from the raid of the army which it leaves for the destroyer
أَسرى بِيَ الأَمَلُ اللاهي بِصاحِبِهِ
حَتّى رَكِبتُ سَرايا بَينَ أَسرابِ
Hope, the reveler, took me prisoner with its companion
Until I mounted steeds between encampments
هَرَبتُ مِن بَينِ إِخواني لِتَحسِبَني
في مَعشَرٍ مِن لِباسِ الذامِ هُرّابِ
I escaped from my brothers thinking me
Among a group in garb of the perfidious, destroyers
كَأَنَّني كُلَّ حَولٍ مُحدِثٌ حَدَثاً
يَرى بِهِ مَن تَوَلّى المِصرَ إِغرابي
It is as if I produce something new every year
Those who turned away from Egypt see eccentricity in me
السَيفُ وَالرُمحُ قَد أَودى زَمانُهُما
فَهَل لِكَفِّكَ في عودٍ وَمِضرابِ
The sword and spear, their time has passed
Does your palm have any might in a rod and blade?
