أُلو الفَضلِ في أَوطانِهِم غُرَباءُ
تَشِذُّ وَتَنأى عَنهُمُ القُرَباءُ
Strangers excel in their homelands,
While kin shun and keep away from them.
فَما سَبَأوا الراحَ الكُمَيتَ لِلَذَّةٍ
وَلا كانَ مِنهُم لِلخِرادِ سِباءُ
They never savored rest in the wine-skin's curve,
Nor did they own gowns threadbare from constant wear.
وَحَسبُ الفَتى مِن ذِلَّةِ العَيشِ
أَنَّهُ يَروحُ بِأَدنى القَوتِ وَهوَ حِباءُ
The ignominy of living for a man
Is that he lives off the barest means while still craving more.
إِذا ما خَبَت نارُ الشَبيبَةِ ساءَني
وَلَو نُصَّ لي بَينَ النُجومِ خِباءُ
When the fires of my youth begin to wane, it saddens me,
Even were a refuge built for me amongst the stars.
أُرابيكَ في الوِدِّ الَّذي قَد بَذَلتَهُ
فَأُضعِفُ إِن أَجدى إِلَيكَ رِباءُ
O she-camel of the valley, whom you granted me,
Though I call out to you, any echo I hear is faint.
وَما بَعدَ مَرَ الخَمسَ عَشرَةَ مِن صِباً
وَلا بَعدَ مَرِّ الأَربَعينَ صَباءُ
What's after fifteen or forty springs of youth?
You're not pleased with a cloak for clothes,
أَجِدَّكَ لاتَرضى العَباءَةَ مَلبَساً
وَلَو بانَ ما تُسديهِ قيلَ عَباءُ
Though if what's underneath was seen, they'd call it a cloak.
In this stagnant land are blooms
وَفي هَذِهِ الأَرضِ الرَكودِ مَنابِتٌ
فَمِنها عَلَندى ساطِعٌ وَكِباءُ
Among which some shine while others are insipid.
The line of progeny extends from Adam
تَواصَلَ حَبلُ النَسلِ ما بَينَ آدَمٍ
وَبَيني وَلَم يوصِلَ بِلامِيَ باءُ
to me, though it never connected with "Ba" of my name.
Whenever Amr yawns, Khalid yawns contagiously,
تَثاءَبَ عَمروٌ إِذ تَثاءَبَ خالِدٌ
بِعَدوى فَما أَعَدَتنِيَ الثُؤباءُ
but it doesn't infect me with drowsiness.
My knowledge of people disheartened me about people,
وَزَهَّدَني في الخَلقِ مَعرِفَتي بِهِم
وَعِلمي بِأَنَّ العالَمينَ هَباءُ
Since I know that both worlds are vain.
How does one recover what is lost after
وَكَيفَ تَلافِيَّ الَّذي فاتَ بَعدَما
تَلَفَّعَ نيرانَ الحَريقِ أَباءُ
the raging fires have consumed the fathers?
When fate descends, cats cannot pounce
إِذا نَزَلَ المِقدارُ لَم يَكُ لِلقَطا
نُهوضٌ وَلا لِلمُخَدِراتِ إِباءُ
Nor sedatives arouse.
Spearheads lunged into the army, but Raddwa was not pierced,
وَقَد نُطِحَت بِالجَيشِ رَضوى فَلَم تُبَل
وَلُزَّ بِراياتِ الخَميسِ قُباءُ
And standards of the Khamis regiment stood tall.
A father reaps even if his sons
عَلى الوُلدِ يَجني والِدٌ وَلَو أَنَّهُم
وُلاةٌ عَلى أَمصارِهِم خُطَباءُ
are governors over the lands and fine orators.
Your distance from your sons increases,
وَزادَكَ بُعداً مِن بَنيكَ وَزادَهُم
عَلَيكَ حُقوداً أَنَّهُم نُجَباءُ
as does their resentment since they're highborn.
They see a father who left them in a shrine
يَرَونَ أَباً أَلقاهُمُ في مُؤَرَّبٍ
مِنَ العَقدِ ضَلَّت حَلَّهُ الأُرَباءُ
when its prayer beads scattered all over.
Only the cultured disciplined each people in every land
وَما أَدَبَ الأَقوامِ في كُلِّ بَلدَةٍ
إِلى المَينِ إِلّا مَعشَرٌ أُدَباءُ
and guided them away from villainy.
In every mound and burrow we're pursued
تَتَبُّعُنا في كُلِّ نَقبٍ وَمَخرَمٍ
مَنايا لَها مِن جِنسِها نُقَباءُ
by death and its executors of matching kind.
When lionesses fear rabbits,
إِذا خافَت الأُسدُ الخِماصُ مِنَ الظُبى
فَكَيفَ تَعَدّى حوكمَهُنَّ ظِباءُ
how can their cubs rule over gazelles?
