سَلا ظاهِرَ الأَنفاسِ عَن باطِنِ الوَجدِ
فَإِنَّ الَّذي أُخفي نَظيرُ الَّذي أُبدي
The sighs reveal not the inner passion,
For that kept hidden is like that displayed.
زَفيراً تَهاداهُ الجَوانِحُ كُلَّما
تَمَطّى بِقَلبي ضاقَ عَن مَرِّهِ جِلدي
My sides convulse each time desire stirs my heart,
My skin grows too tight for its contents.
وَكَيفَ يُرَدُّ الدَمعُ يا عَينِ بَعدَما
تَعَسَّفَ أَجفاني وَجارَ عَلى خَدّي
How can the tears, O eye, be held back now
That my eyelids are overridden and stream down my cheek?
وَإِنِّيَ إِن أَنضَح جَوايَ بِعَبرَةٍ
يَكُن كَخَبِيِّ النارِ يُقدَحُ بِالزَندِ
If I pour forth my tears like fire kindled by flint
My branches will wither from the spark.
فَهَذي جُفوني مِن دُموعِيَ في حَياً
وَهَذا جَناني مِن غَليلِيَ في وَقدِ
Thus my eyelids shield my eyes in this life
And my soul shields my anguish in its flame.
حَلَفتُ بِما وارى السِتارُ وَما هَوَت
إِلَيهِ رِقابُ العيسِ تُرقِلُ أَو تَخدي
I swear by what the veil covers and by
The necks of the young women inclining or straight.
لَقَد ذَهَبَ العَيشُ الرَقيقُ بِذاهِبٍ
هُوَ الغارِبُ المُجزولُ مِن ذُروَةِ المَجدِ
That gentle life has gone with one who goes,
The fading twilight sun at its zenith’s edge.
وَإِنّي إِذا قالوا مَضى لِسَبيلِهِ
وَهيلَ عَليهِ التُربُ مِن جانِبِ اللَحدِ
When they say he has departed his course
And dust settles on him from the side of his grave,
كَساقِطَةٍ إِحدى يَدَيهِ إِزاءَهُ
وَقَد جَبَّها صَرفُ الزَمانِ مِنَ الزَندِ
It is as if one of his hands lies severed before him
While fate made the other hand but a stump.
وَقَد رَمَتِ الأَيّامُ مِن حَيثُ لا أَرى
صَميمِيَ بِالداءِ العَنيفِ عَلى عَمدِ
Time has cast at me, from where I see not,
My heart’s core with piercing, deliberate blow.
فَلا تَعجَبا أَنّي نَحَلتُ مِنَ الجَوى
فَأَيسَرُ ما لاقَيتُ ما حَزَّ في الجِلدِ
So wonder not that I have shed my skin,
For lighter than it is what scratched my hide.
وَلَو أَنَّ رُزءاً غاضَ ماءً لَكانَه
وَجَفَّت لَهُ خُضرُ الغُصونِ مِنَ الرَندِ
Had a bouquet wilted, its green would have faded,
As the spark flashes when struck from flint.
سَقى قَبرَهُ مُستَمطِرٌ ذو غِفارَةٍ
يَجُرُّ عَليهِ عُرفَ مَلآنَ مُربَدِ
A raincloud waters his grave, a forgiveness
Drawing behind it the train of a twisting channel.
إِذا قُلتُ قَد خَفَّت مَتاليهِ أَرزَمَت
وَأَجلَبَ بِالبَرقِ المُشَقِّقِ وَالرَعدِ
When I say his aspirations have weakened,
Lightning cracks and thunder roars in protest!
حُسامٌ جَلا عَنهُ الزَمانُ فَصَمَّمَت
مَضارِبُهُ حيناً وَعادَ إِلى الغِمدِ
A sword whose edge time has tarnished and blunted
Rests a while in its sheath then back again slides.
سِنانٌ تَحَدَّتهُ الدُروعُ بِزُغفِها
فَبَدَّدَ أَعيانَ المُضاعَفِ وَالسَردِ
A spear those coats of mail dared with their rings
Scattering the points gathered and pressed as one.
جَوادٌ جَرى حَتّى اِستَبَدَّ بِغايَةٍ
تُقَطِّعُ أَنفاسَ الجِيادِ مِنَ الجَهدِ
A steed that raced on till the goal was attained,
Stopping short the breath in the lungs of racers.
سَحابٌ عَلا حَتّى تَصَوَّبَ مُزنُهُ
وَأَقلَعَ لَمّا عَمَّ بِالعيشَةِ الرَغدِ
A cloud climbed up till its rain was let loose,
Raining the time of plenteous life.
رَبيعٌ تَجَلَّى وَاِنجَلى وَوَراءَهُ
ثَناءٌ كَما يُثنى عَلى زَمَنِ الوَردِ
A spring shone bright and behind it
Praise, like the praise for the time of flowers.
نَعَضُّ عَلى المَوتِ الأَنامِلَ حَسرَةً
وَإِن كانَ لا يُغني عَناءً وَلا يُجدي
In grief we bite the fingers for death
Though biting avails not, nor brings gain.
وَهَل يَنفَعُ المَكلومَ عَضُّ بَنانِهِ
وَلَو ماتَ مِن غَيظٍ عَلى الأُسدِ الوَردِ
Can the stricken avail himself by biting his fingers,
Even if he dies from rage at the lion of meadows?
عَوارٍ مِنَ الدُنيا يُهَوِّنُ فَقدَها
تَيَقُّنُنا أَنَّ العَوارِيَ لِلرَدِّ
Calamities of fortune make its loss easier to bear,
Convincing us misfortunes occur naturally.
يَنالُ الرَدى مَن يَعرِضُ الهَضبُ دونَهُ
وَلَو كانَ في غَورٍ مِنَ الأَرضِ أَو نَجدِ
Fate befalls him whom the high plain exposes,
Were he in a gorge deep down in the earth or wilderness.
وَيَسلَمُ مَن تُسقى الأَسِنَّةُ حَولَهُ
بِأَيدي الكُماةِ المُعلِمينَ عَلى الجُردِ
And he is unharmed whom spears surround,
In the hands of youths, reddened with training.
فَما ذاكَ إِن لَم يَلقَ حَتفاً بِخالِدٍ
وَلا ذا مِنَ الحَتفِ المُطِلِّ عَلى بُعدِ
What loss if he attains not the fate of an immortal?
Who has attained, or will attain, endless fate?
لَئِن ثَلَمَت مِنّي اللَيالي عَشائِري
فَما ثَلَموا إِلّا مِنَ الحَسَبِ العِدِّ
My tribes have robbed me of nights, yet
They left my eyes no tears, wringing them dry.
شَجَوني وَلَم يُبقوا لِعَينِيَ بَلَّةً
مِنَ الدَمعِ إِلّا اِستَفرَغوها مِنَ الوَجدِ
They have saddened me, leaving no sorrow for my eye
Save what they have wrung out from my passion.
عَزاءَكَ فَالأَيّامُ أُسدٌ مُذِلَّةٌ
تَعُطُّ الفَتى عَطَّ المَقاريصِ لِلبُردِ
Your consolation?—days are lions
That treat the bold like red fleecy coats for winter.
إِذا أَورَدَتهُ نَهلَةً مِن نَعيمِها
أَعادَتهُ حَرّانَ الضُلوعِ مِنَ الوِردِ
When, from their bounty, they let him taste pleasure
They return him scorched of ribs from blows.
أَغَلَّ إِلى القَلبِ المَنيعِ مِنَ القَنا
وَأَجرى إِلى الآحالِ مِن قُضُبِ الهِندِ
They allure the staunch of heart away from resolve
And conduce the joints to flex like bends of Indian reeds.
أَرادَ بِكَ الحُسّادُ أَمراً فَرَدَّهُ
عَليهِم سَفاهُ الرَأيِ وَالرَأيُ قَد يُردي
The envious wished you ill but their poor counsel
Only brought failure; counsel can lead one astray.
فَلا يُغمِدَنَّ السَطوَ وَالحِلمَ ضائِرٌ
وَقَد نَزَعَ الأَعداءُ آصِرَةَ الوُدِّ
So let no harm keep sheathed your valiance and forbearance
Now that enemies have unbound the ties of affection.
هُمُ قَعقَعوا بَغياً عَليكَ وَأَجلَبوا
فَآبوا وَما قاموا بِحَلٍّ وَلا عَقدِ
They shook and pawed the ground insolently against you
Then left without gaining a thing concluded or bound.
وَقَد رَكِبوهُ مَرَّةً بَعدَ مَرَّةٍ
فَيا لِذَلولِ البَغيِ مِن مَركَبٍ مُردي
Again and again they rode it but, shame,
So plummeting the fall from their ridden endeavor!
فَحَتّى مَتى تُغضي مِراراً عَلى القَذى
وَتَلحَظُكَ الأَضغانُ مِن مُقَلٍ رُمدِ
How long will you close your eyes to bitter provocation
And your glance fix on one whose sight is dimmed?
فَإِن لا تَصِل تُصبِح عِداكَ كَثيرَةً
عَليكَ وَداءُ الطَعنِ إِن هِبتَهُ يُعدي
If you do not reconcile, your foes will multiply against you
And the sin of blaming, if you indulge it, spreads.
وَهَل كانَ ذاكَ البُعدُ إِلّا تَنَزُّهاً
عَلى المُضمِرِ البَغضاءِ وَالحاسِدِ الوَغدِ
Was not that distance but withdrawing
From the scheming hateful and wretchedly envious?
وَجِئتَ مَجيءَ البَدرِ أَخلَقَ ضَوءُهُ
فَعادَ جَديدَ النَورِ بِالطالِعِ السَعدِ
You came like the rising full moon whose light
Returns the skies their pristine greeting at dawn.
وَكَم مِن عَدوٍّ قَد سَرى فيكَ كَيدُهُ
سُرى السُمِّ مِن رَقطاءَ ذاتِ قَراً جَعدِ
How your cunning enemies have hatched plots against you,
Like venom flows in the blood of a leprous humpback!
فَأَغفَلتَهُ ثُمَّ اِنتَضَيتَ عَزيمَةً
نَزَعتَ بِها مِن قَلبِهِ حُمَّةَ الحِقدِ
You ignored, then rose up with resolve
And pulled from their hearts the heat of hatred.
وَذي خَطَلٍ أَوجَرتَهُ مِنكَ غُصَّةً
فَأَطرَقَ مِنها لا يُعيدُ وَلا يُبدي
The squint-eyed you have provoked with your deeds
And he turns away unable to repeat or express.
