قفا مُتَأمِّلَيْنِ ولا تجوزا

نُحَيِّ التلَّ تلَّ بني قفيزا

Stand contemplating and do not pass by,

Circle around the hills of Banu Qafiza.

وإن حاولتما فوزاً فَطُوفا

على جَنَباتِ بِرْكَتِهِ تَفُوزا

And if you both seek victory, then go around

The sides of its blessed pond and you will win.

فقد أبدتْ ذخائرَها رُباهُ

وأَظهرتِ الرياضُ بها الكنوزا

For its treasures have been revealed by its Lord,

And its meadows have shown the treasures openly.

وخاطَ التَّرْبَسُونُ له قميصاً

تراهُ فلا ترى فيه دُرُوزا

And Tarbasun has sewn for it a shirt,

You see it but no pearls are seen in it.

تُوَاجِهُهُ مروجٌ مونِقاتٌ

تخالُ بها إِذا افْتُرشَتْ خُزوزا

It is faced by soft, delicate meadows,

That you imagine, when spread out, to be the softest carpets.

فحوزا راشِدَيْنِ ذمامَ ودّي

فمثلُ ذمامِ وُدِّي لن تحوزا

So take the reins of the one you love,

For you will never take the reins of the one you love like this.

بكيزانٍ تغيرُ على دنانٍ

فتحرزُ نَهْبَها كوزاً فكوزا

With a flashing lightning against clouds,

It snatches their rain, cup after cup.

بإِبنةِ كرمةٍ مهما جلاها

لنا الساقي جلا بكراً عجوزا

With the daughter of generous Karima, however glorious she is,

For us the cupbearer made glorious the old wineskin.

أقيما القطرميزَ مقام رطلٍ

فقد صيّرتُ رطلي قطرميزا

I established Al-Qatramiz as great as a ratl,

For I made my ratl Al-Qatramiz.

أَرَيْحانُ الربيعِ وليس راحٌ

فيا لكِ قسمةً في الدهرِ ضيزى

The basil of spring, and it is not bad,

What excellent fortune you have, oh life!

بلى إن عاز خلِّ أَرْيَحِيٌّ

فحقُ الراحِ أيضاً أن تعوزا

Yes, if the vinegar of the basil is scarce,

Then the wind equally deserves to be scarce.

هي الأَخلاقُ من بيضٍ وسودٍ

كما عاينتما عاجاً وشيزى

They are morals, some white and some black,

As you both saw ivory and ebony.

فلا يَغْرُرْكُما مَلَقُ المداجِي

ولكنْ جَرِّبا أبداً وروزا

So do not be fooled by the beauty of gifts,

But always test and examine.

فَصَدْعُ الرمحِ ثاوٍ فيه باقٍ

وإن عاليته عَقَباً وتُوزا

For the crack of a spear though cured remains,

No matter how high its heel is raised.

ولوذا بالقناعةِ إِنَّ فيها

بماءِ وجوهِنا حِرْزاً حريزا

And take refuge in contentment, for indeed in it

Is a guarded preservation of our dignity.

نَعِشْ من دهرِنا عيشاً كريماً

فإِن متنا نَمُتْ موتاً عزيزا

Let us live our lives generously,

For if we die, we die a noble death.

إذا أنا لم أَحزْ رأياً سديداً

أصولُ به ولا قولاً وجيزا

If I have not grasped a sound opinion,

That I originate, nor an eloquent saying,

ولم يسترعِ صرفُ الدهر مني

جُرازاً حين يَسْتَرْعِي جروزا

And the passage of fate has not drawn from me

A deep measure, when it draws a shallow one,

فما أنا في مجاز القول إلا

مُحَالٌ لا أُصيبُ له مُجيزا

Then I am not in figurative speech but

An impossible one, gaining no reward for it.

سأَبرزُ وَجْهَ صبري للّيالي

وهل يتَجنَّبُ الصبحُ البروزا

I will show the face of my patience to the nights,

Does the dawn ever avoid appearing?

وأَلْتَحِفُ الهواجرَ مستهيناً

بآمالي وأَنْتَعِلُ الحزيزا

And I will wrap myself in resignation,

Indifferent to my hopes, wearing my old slippers.

ولا أَرِدُ البحارَ على امتهانٍ

وأمتصُّ الثِّمادَ أَوِ النُّزوزا

And I will not set sail upon the seas in disgrace,

I will drain the poison or take the ropes.

فلم يظأرْ على خسفٍ كريمٌ

فتأبى نفسُه إلا نُشُوزا

So no noble person has appeared upon a sinking ship,

And refused, except to steer it.