أَمّا الحُسامُ فَما أَدناكَ مِن أَجَلٍ
وَلا يَرُدُّ الحِمامَ الدِرعُ وَالتُرُسُ
The sword does not hasten death at all,
Nor does the coat of mail or shield ward off the dove.
وَالناسُ مِن صُنعَةِ الخَلّاقِ كُلُّهُمُ
كَالخَطِّ يُقرَأُ حيناً ثُمَّ يَندَرِسُ
People are all from the work of the Creator,
Like lines that are read for a time, then fade away.
قَد اِدَّعى النُسكُ أَقوامٌ بِزَعمِهُمُ
وَكَيفَ نُسكُ غَّويٍّ رُمحُهُ وَرِسُ
Some people claim asceticism, in their imagining,
How can an agitator be an ascetic, his spear and horse ready?
وَقَد جَنى الإِثمَ تَغشاهُ صَحابَتُهُ
وَالنَبلُ وَالسَيفُ وَالخَطّيُّ وَالفَرَسُ
He has accumulated sins, clouding his companions,
The arrows, sword, calligraphy and horse.
يا ظَبيُّ ما أَنتَ وَالضُرغامُ تُؤَنِّسُهُ
إِنَّ الضَراغِمَ مِن أَخلاقِها الشَرَسُ
O gazelle, what are you, that the wolves befriend you?
Wolves are by nature vicious.
أَيَعلَمُ اللَيثُ لَمّا راحَ مُفتَرِساً
بِأَنَّهُ عَن قَريبٍ سَوفَ يُفتَرَسُ
Does the lion know, when he goes out hunting,
That soon he will become the hunted?
لِمَن تُواخِذُ بِالجَرّى الَّتي سَلَفَت
وَما تَحَرَّكَ حَتّى حُرِّكَ الجَرَسُ
Whom do you blame for past wrongs
When nothing moved until the bell was rung?
يَستَحسِنُ القَومُ أَلفاظاً إِذا اِمتُحِنَت
يَوماً فَأَحسَنُ مِنها العِيُّ وَالخَرَسُ
People admire words, when tested,
Yet better than them are the mute and deaf.
وَآلُ إِسرالَ غادَوا في مَدارِسِهِم
تِلاوَةً وَمُحالٌ كُلُّ ما دَرَسوا
The Israelites went to their schools
Reciting, though all they studied was useless.
أَرسَلتَ غَربَكَ تَبغي الماءَ مُجتَهِداً
وَما عَلى الغَربِ لَمّا خانَكَ المَرَسُ
You sent your servants seeking water persistently,
Yet when the rope failed you, no blame lies with the west.
وَبِئسَ ما يَأمَلُ الجانونَ مِن ثَمَرٍ
إِن قالَ عارِفُ غَرسٍ بِئسَ ما غَرَسوا
Evil is what the passionate hopes to reap,
If the planter says: “Evil is what they have sown.”
قَد عُمِّرَ النِسرُ ما حَمَّ المَليكُ لَهُ
وَما لِمَنزِلِهِ قُفلٌ وَلا حَرَسُ
The eagle lived as long as the king protected it,
Its dwelling had no lock or guard.
رَأى مَناحَةَ أَهلِ الدارِ شامِتُهُم
فَما تَخَيَّلَ إِلّا أَنَّها عُرُسُ
Seeing the joy of the people in the house, its enemy
Imagined it was a wedding.
