أَلانَ جَوانِبي غَمزُ الخُطوبِ
وَأَعجَلَني الزَمانُ إِلى المَشيبِ
The sides of my youth are nudged by mature age,
And time has hurried me to gray hair.
وَكَم يَبقى عَلى عَجمِ اللَيالي
وَقَرعِ الدَهرِ جائِرَةُ الكُعوبِ
How much remains of the deep night,
And the striking of fate with her sandals!
نَبا ظَهرُ الزَمانِ وَكُنتُ مِنهُ
عَلى جَنبَي مُوَقِّعَةٍ رَكوبِ
Youth's prime came, and I was thrown from it
Onto its sides, marked for riding.
وَقالوا الشَيبُ زارَ فَقُلتُ أَهلاً
بِنَورِ ذَوائِبِ الغُصنِ الرَطيبِ
They said gray hair has come upon you, and I said
Welcome the light of the curling branch's twigs.
وَلَم أكُ قَبلَ وَسمِكَ لي مُحِبّاً
فَيَبعُدَ بي بَياضُكَ مِن حَبيبِ
Never before your brand did I have a lover,
So your whiteness distances me from the beloved.
وَلا سَترُ الشَبابِ عَلَيَّ عَيباً
فَأَجزَعَ أَن يَنِمَّ عَلى عُيوبي
Nor did the cloak of youth cover a fault for me,
That would be distressed to slumber over my flaws.
وَلَم أَذمُم طُلوعَكَ بي لِشَيءٍ
سِوى قُربِ الطُلوعِ إِلى شَعوبِ
I did not blame your dawn in me for a thing,
Save the nearness of dawn to commoners.
وَأَعظَمُ ما أُلاقي أَنَّ دَهري
يَعُدُّ مَحاسِني لي مِن ذُنوبِ
Greatest of what I face is my time
Counts my beauties against me as sins.
أَقولُ إِذا اِمتَلَأتُ أَسىً لِنَفسي
أَيا نَفسي اِصبِري أَبَداً وَطيبي
I say, when filled with sadness for myself,
“O self, be patient forever, and be gentle!”
دَعي خَوضَ الظَلامِ بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ
وَإِعمالَ النَجيبَةِ وَالنَجيبِ
“Leave plunging into darkness in every land,
And cease refined and commoner.”
وَجَرَّ ضَوامِرِ الأَحشاءِ تَجري
كَما تَهوى الدُلاءُ إِلى القَليبِ
It pulls the reins of passions, flowing
As the buckets incline toward wheels.
مُتَرَّفَةٌ إِلى الغاياتِ حَتّى
تَرَنَّحُ في الشَكيمِ مِنَ اللُغوبِ
Luxuriously, to the limits, until
It complains in the gut from gluttony.
فَلَيسَ الحَظُّ لِلبَطَلِ المُحامي
وَلا الإِقبالُ لِلرَجُلِ المَهيبِ
So luck is not for the defending hero,
Nor favor for the awe-inspiring man.
وَنَيلُ الرِزقِ يُؤخَذُ مِن بَعيدٍ
كَنَيلِ الرِزقِ يُؤخَذُ مِن قَريبِ
And livelihood is grasped from afar,
Like grasping livelihood from near.
وَغايَةُ راكِبي خُطَطِ المَعالي
كَغايَةِ مَن أَقامَ عَنِ الرُكوبِ
The goal of those ascending the heights
Is like the goal of those who stood from climbing.
أَلَيسَ الدَهرُ يَجمَعُنا جَميعاً
عَلى مَرعىً مِنَ الحَدَثانِ موبي
Does not time gather us all
To a pasture of events bending us down?
كِلانا تَضرِبُ الأَيّامُ فيهِ
بِجُرحٍ مِن نَوائِبِها رَغيبِ
Each of us is struck there
By its calamities with a deep wound.
أَرى بُردَ العَفافِ أَغَضَّ حُسناً
عَلى رَجُلٍ مِنَ البُردِ القَشيبِ
I see the cold of chastity makes a face
More beautiful than a face with gray hair.
عَلَيَّ سَدادُ نَبلي يَومَ أَرمي
وَرَبُّ النَبلِ أَعلَمُ بِالمُصيبِ
My skill in shooting is true when I shoot,
And the Lord of shooting knows best the bullseye.
وَلي حَثُّ الرُكابِ وَشَدُّ رَحلي
وَما لي عِلمُ غامِضَةِ الغُيوبِ
I have spurring of steeds and packing of provisions,
Yet I know not the hidden things.
وَما يُغني مُضِيُّكَ في صُعودٍ
إِذا ما كانَ جَدُّكَ في صُبوبِ
It will not avail you to ascend
If your striving is in youth.
تَطَأطَأَتِ الذَوائِبُ لِلذُنابى
وَأُسجِدَتِ المَوارِنُ لِلعُجوبِ
Tyrannies bowed to evildoers,
And citadels to the unjust.
وَخَرقٍ كَالسَماءِ خَرَجتُ مِنهُ
بِجَريِ أَقَبَّ يَركَعُ في السُهوبِ
I came out of a breach like the sky,
At a gallop that kneels down in the plains.
يَجُرُّ عِنانَهُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ
إِلى الأَعداءِ مَعقودَ السَبيبِ
Every day it trails its bridle
To enemies with fingers clasped.
وَخوصٍ قَد سَرَيتُ بِهِنَّ حَتّى
تَقَوَّضَتِ النُجومُ إِلى الغُيوبِ
I raided encampments until
The stars withdrew into their settings.
وَجُردٍ قَد دَفَعتُ بِهِنَّ حَتّى
وَطِئنَ عَلى الجَماجِمِ وَالتَريبِ
And armies I drove until
They trampled upon skulls and ruins.
وَيَومٍ تُرعَدُ الرَبَلاتُ مِنهُ
كَما قَطَعَ الرُبى عَسَلانُ ذيبِ
A day the war horses thunder in,
As bees shred the rose's nectar.
هَتَكتُ فُروجَهُ بِالرُمحِ لَمّا
دَعَوا بِاِسمي وَيا لَكَ مِن مُجيبُ
I tore open their periods with the spear when
They called my name—what a respondent you are!
وَعِندَ تَعانُقِ الأَقرانِ يَبلى
قِراعُ النَبعِ بِالنَبعِ الصَليبِ
And when eminent people embrace,
Clashing of peer with peer wears down.
إِخاؤُكَ يا عَليُّ أَساغَ ريقي
وَوُدُّكَ يا عَليُّ جَلا كُروبي
Your brotherhood, O Ali, sweetened my drink,
And your love, O Ali, relieved my worries.
فَيا عَوني إِذا عَدَّتِ اللَيالي
عَلَيَّ وَيا مِجَني في الحُروبِ
So help me, when nights
Count up against me, and protect me in wars!
عَجِبتُ مِنَ الأَنامِ وَأَنتَ مِنهُم
وَمِثلُكَ في الأَنامِ مِنَ العَجيبِ
I marveled at people, and you were among them,
Yet your like among people is wondrous.
عَلَوتَ عَلَيهِمُ في كُلِّ أَمرٍ
بِطولِ الباعِ وَالصَدرِ الرَحيبِ
You excel over them in every matter
With the length of experience and a liberal heart.
وَفُتَّهُمُ مِراحاً في سُفورٍ
بِلا نَزَقٍ وَجَدّاً في قُطوبِ
Capable at their festivals with ease,
Without any awkwardness or harshness.
خِطابٌ مِثلُ ماءِ المُزنِ تَبري
مَواقِعُهُ العَليلَ مِنَ القُلوبِ
Speech like waters of Muzn flow,
Whose places of descent revive hearts.
وَعَزمٌ إِن مَضَيتَ بِهِ جَريّاً
هَوى مَطَرُ القَنا بِدَمٍ صَبيبِ
Determination—if you go straight with it,
The rain of spears flowed with blood.
وَحِلمٌ إِن عَطَفتَ بِهِ مُعيداً
أَطارَ قَوادِمَ اليَومِ العَصيبِ
And forbearance—if you turn back with it,
It holds back the gifts of the painful day.
وَأَلفاظٌ كَما لَعِبَت شَمالٌ
مَلاعِبَها عَلى الرَوضِ الخَصيبِ
And words, as a left hand plays with them
In a fertile garden.
بِطَرفٍ لا يُخَفَّضُ مِن خُضوعٍ
وَقَلبٍ لا يُتَعتَعُ مِن وَجيبِ
With a gaze not lowered in humility
And a heart not restless from anguish.
تَهَنَّ بِمِهرَجانِكَ وَاِعلُ فيهِ
إِلى العَلياءِ أَعناقَ الخُطوبِ
It plays proudly at your festival, and rise there
The necks of distinguished youths.
وَعِش صافي الغَديرِ مِنَ الرَزايا
بِهِ خالي الأَديمِ مِنَ النُدوبِ
And live pure of sediment from misfortunes,
With it devoid of blemishes.
لَعَلّي أَن أَهُزُّكَ في مَرامٍ
فَأَبلُوَ مِنكَ مُندَلِقَ الغُروبِ
Perhaps I will move you in some desire,
And attain of you the slipping of sunset.
وَحاجٍ في الضَميرِ مُعَضَّلاتٍ
سَأُسلِمُها إِلى عَزمٍ طَلوبِ
A pilgrim in my conscience with knotty problems—
I will deliver them to a determined will.
لَأَقضِيَهُنَّ أَو أَقضي بِهَمّي
غَريبَ الوَجهِ في البَلَدِ الغَريبِ
I will settle them, or settle my concerns—
A stranger in a foreign land.
مُنازَعَةً إِلى العَلياءِ حَتّى
أَزُرَّ عَلى ذَوائِبِها جُيوبي
Competing to the heights until
I wrap myself in its curling tresses.
فَإِمّا نَيلُ جانِبِها وَإِمّا
لِقاءُ مُسَنَّدينَ عَلى الجُنوبِ
Either we attain its side, or
The meeting of two prostrate.
