رِدي مُرَّ الوُرودِ وَلا تَعافي

فَما يَنأى بِيَومِكِ أَن تَخافي

Give glad tidings of the flowers and do not shy away

For there is no day of yours that can disappear completely

فَطَوراً تُعرَضينَ عَلى زُلالٍ

وَطَوراً تُعرَضينَ عَلى ذُعافِ

Sometimes you may be offered as pure water

And other times offered as murky water

وَمَن يَشرَب بِصافٍ غَيرَ رَنقٍ

يَرِد يَوماً بِرَنقٍ غَيرِ صافي

He who drinks fresh water without weariness

Will one day return to weariness without freshness

غَمَستُ يَدَيَّ في أَمرٍ فَمَن لي

وَأَينَ بِنَزعِ كَفّي وَاِنكِفافي

I have immersed my hands in a matter, so who can help me

And where can I possibly withdraw my palms and recoil

كَفاني أَنَّني حَربٌ لِقَومي

وَذَلِكَ لي مِنَ الضَرّاءِ كافِ

It suffices me that I am at war for my people

And that, for me, is enough from adversity

حَطَمتُ صِعادَهُم حَتّى اِستَقاموا

مُجاوَزَةً بِهِم حَدَّ الثِقافِ

I have destroyed their arrogance until they walked straight

Bypassing them to the point of over-refinement

فَصِرتُ لِذَمِّهِم غَرَضاً رَجيماً

يُراموني بِمِثلِ حَصى القِذافِ

So I have become for their insults an unpopular target

They pelt me with pebbles and insults

وَأُكذِبُ بِالتَصَوُّنِ مُدَّعيهِم

وَأُلجِمُ قائِليهِم بِالعَفافِ

And I am accused of pretension by their claimants

And I silence their speakers with chastity

وَلَو أَنّي أَطَعتُ الرُشدَ يَوماً

لَأَبدَلتُ التَحامُلَ بِالتَجافي

Had I obeyed reason one day

I would have replaced intolerance with disengagement

وَأَغضَيتُ اللَواحِظَ عَن ذُنوبٍ

وَمَوضِعُها لِعَيني غَيرُ خافِ

And I would have overlooked sins

Whereas for my eyes they are not hidden

وَلَكِنَّ الحَمِيَّةَ فِيَّ تَأبى

قَراري لِلرِجالِ عَلى التَكافي

But zeal in me refuses

My satisfaction with men based on reciprocity

وَأَنظُرُ سُبَّةً وَعَظيمَ عارٍ

رِضايَ مِنَ المُنازِعِ بِالكَفافِ

And I see insults and great shame

My consent from the disputer is with sufficiency

وَلَو أَنّي رَمَيتُ أَصابَ سَهمي

وَلَكِنّي أُنَقِّبُ عَن شِغافي

Had I shot an arrow, it would have hit

But I dig for what is hidden from me

فَما سَهمي السَديدُ مِنَ النَوابي

وَلا باعي الطَويلُ مِنَ الضِعافِ

So neither is my straight arrow from archers

Nor is my thrower’s from the weak

وَلي أَنفٌ كَأَنفِ اللَيثِ يَأبى

شَميمي لِلمَذَلَّةِ وَاِستِيافي

And I have the nose of a lion that refuses

For my breath the disgrace and exhaustion

وَقَد عَرَفَ العِدى وَبَلَوا قَديماً

خُطايَ إِلى المَنايا وَاِزدِلافي

And enemies have known of old

My offenses unto death and approaching

لِيَ العَزمُ الَّذي قَد جَرَّبوهُ

يَقُدُّ مَضارِبَ البيضِ الخِفافِ

Mine is the resolve which they have tested

Driving the striking white steeds

وَرَبطُ الجَأشِ وَالأَقدامُ زُلٌّ

يُزَلزِلُها الرَدى يَومَ الوِقافِ

Binding the brave ones, and feet slipping

Shaken by fate on the day of stopping

وَقَد كَلَّت صَوارِمُها وَمَلَّت

عَرانينُ القُنيِّ مِنَ الرُعافِ

Their swords are blunt, and the spearheads

Of the slim spears are bent from striking

فَعالُ أَغَرَّ رَيّانِ العَوالي

مِنَ الأَعداءِ مَلآنِ الصِحافِ

The lofty one did errors make

Of enemies filling up pages

يُضيفُ فَلا يُمَيَّزُ مَن يَراهُ

أَماراتِ المُضيفِ مِنَ المُضافِ

He hosts yet does not distinguish

The signs of host from guest

إِذا عُدَّ المَناقِبُ جاءَ بَيتي

يَجُرُّ ذُيولَ أَحسابٍ ضَوافي

If virtues be counted, my house comes

Dragging behind lineages of glories

أَقِلّوا لا أَبا لَكُمُ وَخَلّوا

مُطاعَنَةَ الأَسِنَّةِ بِالأَشافي

Desist, no more, and leave off

The smiting of tongues with cruelties

فَقَد مُدَّت غَياباتُ المَخازي

عَلى عَرَصاتِكُم مَدَّ الطِرافِ

For the long absence of the reproachers

Has stretched over your plains

صَفَوتُ لَكُم فَرَنَّقتُم غَديري

وَأَيُّ مُضاغِنٍ رَجَعَ المُصافي

I clarified it for you, yet you turned away from my abundance

And which returner has brought back the pure?

وَيوشِكُ أَن يُقامَ عَلى التَقالي

أَنابيبٌ رَجَعنَ إِلى التَصافي

And it is about to be set upon the rendezvous

Pipes returned to harmony

مَضى زَمَنُ التَمازُجِ وَالتَداني

وَذا زَمَنُ التَزايُلِ وَالتَنافي

The time of blending and nearing has passed

And this is the time of separation and avoiding

لَئِن أَعلى بِناءَكُمُ اِصطِناعي

فَسَوفَ يَثُلُّ عَرشَكُمُ اِنحِرافي

If I straighten your crooked building

Then I will demolish the throne of your deviation

أُداوي داءَهُم فَيَزيدُ خُبثاً

وَلَيسَ لِداءِ ذي البَغضاءِ شافِ

I cure their disease, yet it grows more evil

And the disease of hatred has no healer

حَنَوتُ عَلَيهِمُ وَلَرُبَّ حانٍ

عَلى جانٍ وَإِن بَعُدَ التَلافي

I have been gentle to them, and how often a tender one

Has been upon an unkind one, even if the harmony is distant

فَما قَلبي وَإِن جَهِلوا بِقاسٍ

وَلا حِلمي وَإِن قَطَعوا بِهافِ

So neither is my heart cruel, even if they are ignorant of it

Nor is my forbearance, even if they cut it off

فَما تُغني القَوادِمُ مِن جَناحٍ

تَحامَلَ إِن قَعَدنَ بِهِ الخَوافي

For preceding steps of rapprochement are of no use

If the frightened ones remain seated in their burrows

وَعِندي لِلزَمانِ مُسَوَّماتٌ

مِنَ الأَشعارِ تَختَرِقُ الفَيافي

And I have for time phrased poems

That penetrate through the gaps

قَصائِدُ أَنسَتِ الشُعَراءَ طُرّاً

عُواؤَهُمُ عَلى أَثَرِ القَوافي

Verses that make poets forget

Their woeful composition of rhymes

بَوارِدُ لِلغَليلِ كَأَنَّ قَلبي

يَعُبُّ بِهِنَّ في بَردِ النِطافِ

Downpours for the thirsty, as if my heart

Pours through them in the cold of hardship

أَسُرُّ بِهِنَّ أَقواماً وَأَرمي

أُقَيواماً بِثالِثَةِ الأَثافي

I conceal through them tribes, and I strike

Other tribes with the three letter root triliteral verbs