تَهاوَنَ بِالظُنونِ وَما حَدَسنَه

وَلا تَخشَ الظِباءَ مَتى كَنَسنَه

He disregarded suspicions and whatever crossed his mind,

And did not fear rumors whenever he swept them away.

وَأَوقاتُ الصِبا في كُلِّ عَصرٍ

أَراقِمُ وَالمَنِيَّةُ ما قَلَسنَه

The times of youth in every era,

Are fleeting moments and fate strips them bare.

يُجِدنَ بِهَينٍ وَيَعِدنَ فيهِ

أَلَيسَ بِعِلمِ رَبِّكَ قَد أَلَسنَه

He enjoys them heedlessly and makes promises therein,

Is it not by your Lord's knowledge that it was smoothed over?

يَلُسنَ شُخوصَ أَهلِ الأَرضِ حَتّى

يُسِخنَ وَراءَ ذَلِكَ ما يَلُسنَه

The elders of mankind will sit around,

Until what comes after that melts them away.

وَما أَنا وَالظَعائِنُ سائِراتٍ

أَغُرنَ مَعَ الغَوائِرِ أَو جَلَسنَه

I am not one who roams with the gazelles,

Or one who sat with the diving ones or kept count of them.

ضَرَبَت لِجاهِلٍ مَثَلَ الغَواني

قَلَبنَ وَما رَأَينَ غَداةَ رُسنَه

They posed as an example to an ignorant one the deep pools,

He overturned them and did not see their depth the next morning.

هِيَ النيرانُ تُحسِنُ مِن بَعيدٍ

وَيُحرِقنَ الأَكُفَّ إِذا لَمَسنَه

It is fire that appears beautiful from afar,

But burns the palms if you touch it.

أَخَذنَ اللُبَّ ظاعِناتٍ

فَعُدنَ وَما رَبَعنَ وَما خَمَسنَه

The diving ones undertook it undeterred,

Then returned without gaining any fourth or fifth of it.

إِذا مَدَّت رَوامِقَها إِلَيها

قَوابِسَ لَم يَعُجنَ بِما قَبَسنَه

When its towering heights extended towards them

Torches that did not avail by what they grasped.

وَلَولا أَنَّهُنَّ أَذىً وَكَيدٌ

لَما أَصبَحنَ في كِلَلٍ حُبِسنَه

Had they not been harm and plotting,

They would not have remained confined at daybreak.

ثُغورُ مُحارِبٍ مَنَعَت هُجوعاً

ثُغوراً في مَضاحِكِها غُرِسنَه

The passes of an adversary prevented retreats,

Passes embedded in their laughing grins.

تَشابَهَتِ الخَلائِقُ وَالبَرايا

وَإِن مازَتهُمُ صُوَرٌ رُكِسنَه

The creations are similar and so are the lands,

Even if their images are inverted.

وَجُرمٌ في الحَقيقَةِ مِثلُ جَمرٍ

وَلَكِنَّ الحُروفَ بِهِ عُكِسنَه

A crime is truly like embers,

But the letters caused it to be reversed.

غِنى زَيدٍ يَكونُ لِفَقرِ عَمرٍو

وَأحكامُ الحَوادِثِ لا يُقَسنَه

The wealth of Zayd can become the poverty of Amr,

And the judgements of events cannot be divided.

كَأَنَّكَ إِن بَقَيتَ عَلى اللَيالي

بِأَعلامِ الوُلاةِ وَقد نُكِسنَه

It is as if you remain according to the nights

With the signs of governors that are inverted.

وَخَيرُ الرِزقِ ما وافاكَ عَفواً

فَخَلِّ فُضولَ أَموالٍ مُكِسنَه

The best sustenance is what comes to you freely,

So rid yourself of the excess of hoarded wealth.

وَلَيتَ نُفوسَنا وَالحَقُّ آتٍ

ذَهَبنَ كَما أَتَينَ وَما أَحَسنَه

If only our souls and the truth were departing,

They would go just as they came without any sensation.

قَدِمنا وَالقَوابِلُ ضاحِكاتٌ

وَسِرنا وَالمَدامِعُ يَنبَجِسنَه

We came while the midwives were laughing,

And we departed while tears were flowing.

عَناصِرُنا طَواهِرُ غَيرَ شَكٍّ

فَيا أَسَفا لِأَجسامٍ نَجِسنَه

Our souls are pure without any doubt,

So what a pity for the contaminated bodies!

وَيَرجو أَن يُزيلَ الغُلَّ صادٍ

إِذا سَمِعَ الرَواعِدَ يَرتَجِسنَه

And he hopes to remove the injustice with thunder,

When he hears the loud rumbling and crackling.

وَقَد زَعَمَ الزَواعِمُ وَاِفتَكَرنا

فَوَيحٌ لِلخَواطِرِ ما هَجَسنَه

The arrogant ones claimed and judged us,

So woe to the thoughts they elicited!

وَمَن يَتَأَمَّلِ الأَيّامَ تَسهُل

عَلَيهِ النائِباتُ وَإِن بَخِسنَه

Whoever contemplates the days, adversities become

Easy upon him even if he is deprived of them.

وَلَو صُرِفَ الهُدى بِجَميلِ فِعلٍ

إِلى مُهَجٍ نَفِسنَ لِما نَفِسنَه

If guidance was directed with a good deed,

To a desirous soul it would suffice it from what it desires.

وَمَن يَحمَد لِعيشَتِهِ لِياناً

يَذُمَّ الغِبَّ أَخلاقاً شَرِسنَه

Whoever praises a miserable living,

Blames fate for its harshness impolitely.

وَما الأَحراسُ إِلّا أُمَّهاتٌ

أَكَسنَ الناجِياتِ وَما أَكَسنَه

For the bereaved mothers

Are the ones who lose children and do not lose them.

تَحاسَدَتِ العُيونُ عَلى مَنامٍ

عَرَفنَ كِذابَهُ وَأَردنَ حُسنَه

Eyes envied a slumber,

They recognized its falseness and desired its beauty.

فَصَبراً إِن سَمِعتَ لِسانَ سوءٍ

مِن اِبنِ مَوَدَّةٍ وَتَوَقَّ لِسنَه

So be patient if you hear an evil tongue

From a beloved son, and restrain your own tongue.

فَإِنَّ الوِردَ مِن مِلحٍ أُجاجٍ

أَجِئتَ لِشُربِهِ وَعَرفتَ أَسنَه

For the roses from the bitter salt,

You came to drink it and knew its bitterness.

وَلَولا ضَعفُ أَرواحٍ أُعِرنا

سَفاهاً وَما اِبتَهَجنَ وَلا اِبتَأَسنَه

Had it not been for the weakness of neglectful spirits,

We would have neither rejoiced nor grieved from it.

وَإِنَّ مُلوكَ غَسّانٍ تَقَضَّوا

وَلَم يُترَك لَهُم في المُلكِ غُسنَه

The kings of Ghassan passed away,

Nothing of the kingdom was left for them to grieve over.

وَفارِسُ عَزَّ مِنها كُلَّ راعٍ

أُسودٌ لِلمَقادِرِ يَفتَرِسنَه

The horseman of Persia filled every shepherd,

With gloom towards the decrees that stalk it.

وَهَدَّ جِبالَها أَقيالُ فِهرٍ

فَتِلكَ رُبوعُها آياً طُمِسنَه

Its boulders were struck down by the weapons of Fahrs,

So those are its meadows made into signs.

يُذيبونَ النُضارَ بِكُلِّ مَشتى

إِذا الأَمواهُ مِن قَرٍّ جَمَسنَه

They melt pearls with all sorts of things,

When the waters are from a brackish well.

وَقَد حَرَسَ المَمالِكَ حَيُّ لَخمٍ

فَغالَتهُم نَوائِبُ يَحتَرِسنَه

Livestock guarded the kingdoms vigilantly,

So their misfortunes overwhelmed those who guarded them.

شَكا الرَكبُ السُهادَ فَلَم يُعيجوا

بِأَشباحٍ عَلى قَلَقٍ يُنِسنَه

The travelers complained of sleeplessness,

Due to specters unrelieved of their restlessness.

وَكَم قَطَعَت سَواري الشُهبِ لَيلاً

سَواهِدَ ما هَجَعنَ وَلا نَعَسنَه

How often did the nights' insomnia on my temple

Cut off the pillows from sleeping or napping!

هَواكَ مُشابِهٌ فَرَساً جَموحاً

وَما أَلجَمَتهُ فَعَلَيكَ رَسنَه

Your passion is like an untamed horse,

And you have not reined it in so handle its bridle!

وَلا يُعجِبكَ رَوضٌ باكَرَتهُ

غَمائِمُهُ وَأغصانٌ يَمِسنَه

Do not be enticed by a pasture whose clouds

And branches touch it at the break of dawn.

وَلا الأَفواهُ تَضحَكُ عَن غَريضٍ

فَرائِدُ في مُدامَتِها غُمِسنَه

Nor lips that smile despite a hidden pain,

For in their charm a spy is concealed.

تَنَعَّمَتِ الخَوافِضُ في مَقامٍ

فَكَيفَ الناعِماتُ إِذا رُمِسنَه

The small birds enjoyed a place of rest,

Then how can the delicate endure if it is touched?

فَأَينَ القائِلاتُ بِلا اِقتِصادٍ

أَأَلغَينَ التَكَلُّمَ أَم خَرِسنَه

Where are those who say immoderately,

Did they refrain from speaking or have they become mute?

مَلَأنَ مَواضِيَ الأَزمانِ قَولاً

وَأُلزِمنَ السُكوتَ فَما نَبَسنَه

They filled the eras with talk,

And were made to be silent without emitting a breath.

أَلَم تَرَني حَمَيتُ بَناتِ صَدري

فَما زَوَّجتُهُنَّ وَقَد عَنَسنَه

Did you not see my chest’s doves

Whom I never wed though they aged?

وَلا أَبرَزتُهُنَّ إِلى أَنيسٍ

إِذا نورُ الوُحوشِ بِهِ أَنِسنَه

I did not bring them out to a companion

When the light of the beasts lit them up.

وَقالَ الفارِسونَ حَليفُ زُهدٍ

وَأَخطَأَتِ الظُنونُ بِما فَرَسنَه

The horsemen said an ally of asceticism

While the assumptions were wrong in what they investigated.

وَرُضتُ صِعابَ آمالي فَكانَت

خُيولاً في مَراتِعِها شَمَسنَه

I accepted the hardships of my hopes so they became

Horses grazing in their pastures it lit up.

وَلَم أُعرِض عَنِ اللَذّاتِ إِلّا

لِأَنَّ خِيارَها عَنّي خَنَسنَه

I did not turn away from pleasures except

Because the best of them stealthily left me.

وَلَم أَرَ في جِلاسِ الناسِ خَيراً

فَمَن لِيَ بِالنَوافِرِ إِن كَنَسنَه

I did not see any good in the gathering of people

So who can sweep it away if it is piled up?

وَقَد غابَت نُجومُ الهَديِ عَنّا

فَماجَ الناسُ الناسُ في ظُلَمٍ دَمَسنَه

The guiding stars disappeared from us

So people mingled in darkness it crushed.

وَقَد تَغشى السَعادَةُ غَيرَ نَدبٍ

فَيُشرِقُ بِالسُعودِ إِذا وَدَسنَه

Happiness can come without invitation

So it lights up if you tread on it unknowingly.

وَتُقسَمُ حُظوَةٌ حَتّى صُخورٌ

يُزَرنَ فَيُستَلَمنَ وَيُلتَمَسنَه

Favor is divided until even rocks

Are visited, touched, and sought after.

كَذاتِ القُدسِ أَو رُكنَي قُرَيشٍ

وَأُسرَتُهُنَّ أَحجارٌ لُطِسنَه

Like the Sacred House or the Two Corners of Quraysh,

While their nests are stones made smooth.

يَحُجُّ مَقامَ إِبراهيمَ وَفدٌ

وَكَم أَمثالِ مَوقِفِهِ وَطَسنَه

A delegation performs Hajj at the Station of Abraham

While so many examples of his position were tread upon.

تَشاءَمَ بِالعَواطِسِ أَهلُ جَهلٍ

إِن خَفَتنَ وَإِن عَطَسنَه

The ignorant took omens from sneezes

Whether they were suppressed or emitted.

وَأَعمارُ الَّذينَ مَضَوا صِغاراً

كَأَثوابٍ بَلينَ وَما لُبِسنَه

The lifespans of those who died young

Were like worn clothes never worn.

وَهانَ عَلى الفَراقِدِ وَالثُرَيّا

شُخوصٌ في مَضاجِعِها دُرِسنَه

To those lying still and buried,

There were elders in their graves erased away.

وَما حَفَلَت حَضارِ وَلا سُهَيلٌ

بِأَبشارٍ يَمانِيَةٍ يُدَسنَه

Neither Canopus nor Suhail cared

For good news from Yemen to infiltrate them.