قِف مَوقِفَ الشَكِّ لا يَأسٌ وَلا طَمَعُ

وَغالِطِ العَيشَ لا صَبرٌ وَلا جَزَعُ

Take the stance of doubt, neither despair nor greed,

Deceive life, neither patience nor panic,

وَخادِعِ القَلبَ لا يودِ الغَليلُ بِهِ

إِن كانَ قَلبٌ عَلى الماضينَ يَنخَدِعُ

And trick the heart that grief does not love it

If it is a heart that continues to be deceived by the past,

وَكاذِبِ النَفسَ يَمتَدُّ الرَجاءُ لَها

إِنَّ الرَجاءَ بِصِدقِ النَفسِ يَنقَطِعُ

And lie to yourself that hope extends to it,

Indeed, hope is cut off by the honesty of the self,

سائِل بِصَحبي أَنّى وُجهَةٍ سَلَكوا

عَنّا وَأَيَّ الثَنايا بَعدَنا طَلَعوا

I asked my companions where they went,

Away from us, and which valleys did they ascend after us

حَدا بِأَظعانِهِم حَتّى اِستَمَرَّ بِها

حادي المَقاديرِ لا يَلوي بِهِم ظَلَعُ

They challenged fate with their misfortunes until it persisted with them

The guide of destinies who does not swerve with them

غابوا فَغابَ عَنِ الدُنيا وَساكِنُها

مَرأىً أَنيقٌ عَنِ الدُنيا وَمُستَمَعُ

They disappeared, so a pleasant view disappeared from the world and its inhabitants

Of the world and what it hears,

بَني أَبي قَد نَكى فيكُم بِشِكَّتِهِ

وَنالَ ما شاءَ هَذا الأَزلُمَ الجَذَعُ

My father's sons, he lamented you with his complaint,

And this stubborn, unyielding time got what it wanted,

كُنتُم نُجوماً لِذي الدَهماءِ زاهِرَةً

تُضيءُ مِنها اللَيالي السودُ وَالدُرَعُ

You were shining stars for the gloomy one,

Your lights illuminate the dark nights and armored ones,

إِن تَخبُ أَنوارُكُم مِن بَعدِ ما صَدَعَت

ثَوبَ الدُجى فَلَضَوءِ الشَمسِ مُنقَطَعُ

If after your lights were shattered, your clothes tore the veil of darkness,

The sun's rays would be cut off,

في غُرَّةِ المَجدِ مُذ غُيَّبتُمُ كَلَفٌ

عَلى الزَمانِ وَفي خَدِّ العُلى ضَرَعُ

Since you were shrouded in the prime of glory, it has been a burden on time

And the high have submission on their cheeks,

وَبِالمَواضي حِرانٌ في الوَغى وَبِأَع

ناقِ الضَوامِرِ مُذ أُرحِلتُمُ خَضَعُ

And because of the tumult, there is confusion in the valleys and because of

The lowering of the flags, there is submission since you were evicted,

مَصاعِبٌ ذَعذَعَت أَيدي المَنونِ بِها

فَطاعَ مُعتَصِمٌ وَاِنقادَ مُمتَنِعُ

Calamities with which the hands of death shook,

So the steadfast surrendered and the resistant submitted,

لَم يَعدَموا يَومَ حَربٍ تَحتَ قَسطَلِها

طَيرُ الدِخامِ عَلى لَبّاتِهِم تَقَعُ

They did not lack a day of war under its awning,

Where the eagle of war fell on their skulls,

لَم يَنزِعوا البيضَ مُذلاثوا عَمائِمَهُم

إِلّا وَقَد غاضَ مِنها الشَيبُ وَالنَزَعُ

They did not take off their turbans except that gray hair and pulling out sprouted from them,

We race death recklessly with our souls,

نُسابِقُ المَوتَ تَطويحاً بِأَنفُسِنا

حَتّى كَأَنّا عَلى الأَجيالِ نَقتَرِعُ

As if we draw lots against generations,

I cry for them while the hand of time insists

أَبكيهِمُ وَيَدُ الأَيّامِ دائِبَةٌ

تَدوفُ لي فَضلَةَ الكَأسِ الَّتي جَرَعوا

On serving me the remnants of the cup they drank,

I do not doubt that I am being dragged to a term,

لا أَمتَري أَنَّني بُجرٍ إِلى أَمَدٍ

جَروا إِلَيهِ قُبَيلَ اليَومِ أَو نَزَعوا

They were dragged to it the day before yesterday, or departed,

And that I am bound for the number they arrived at,

وَأَنَّني وارِدُ العِدِّ الَّذي وَرَدوا

بِالكُرهِ أَو قارِعُ البابِ الَّذي قَرَعوا

Willingly or knocking on the door they knocked on,

The mouths of the deep graves were blocked with them,

سُدَّت فَواغِرُ أَفواهِ القُبورِ بِهِم

وَلَيسَ لِلأَرضِ لا رَيٌّ وَلا شَبَعُ

And the earth has no irrigation or satisfaction,

I got used to them, I do not hope that any past

أَعتادُهُم لا أُرَجّي أَن يَعودَ لَهُم

إِلَيَّ ماضٍ وَلا لي فيهِمُ طَمَعُ

Returns to me, nor do I have any greed for them,

So my heart does not flare up for people

فَما تَوَهُّجُ أَحشايَ عَلى نَفَرٍ

كانوا عَوادِيَ لِلأَيّامِ فَاِرتَجِعوا

Who were accustomed to the days, so they returned,

It is nice that the fates graze our souls,

نُليحُ أَن تَرتَعي الأَقدارُ أَنفُسَنا

وَكُلُّنا لِلمَنايا السودِ مُزدَرَعُ

And we are all planted for the dark fates,

We play and we only crave ruin,

نَلهو وَمانَحنُ إِلّا لِلرَدىأُكَلٌ

وَالدَهرُ يَمضَغُنا وَالأَرضُ تَبتَلِعُ

And time masticates us and the earth swallows us,

Braids from the essence of glory, they never agonized

ذَوائِبٌ مِن لُبابِ المَجدِ ما فَجِعوا

بِمِثلِ أَنفُسِهِم يَوماً وَلا فُجِعوا

Over the like of their souls, not a day, nor agonized,

They were the guardians of the mountains of glory, so they vanished,

كانوا حَوامي جِبالِ العِزِّ فَاِنقَرَضوا

وَصَدَّعوا قُلَلَ العَليا مُذِ اِنصَدَعوا

And they cracked the peaks of the highest when they cracked,

Cavalrymen who undermined their predecessors,

فَوارِسٌ قَوَّضوا عَن سابِقاتِهِمُ

فَاِستُنزِلوا بِطِعانِ الدَهرِ وَاِقتُلِعوا

So they were brought down by the stabs of fate and uprooted,

A people whose amusement was striking gleaming swords,

قَومٌ فُكاهَتُهُم ضَربُ الطُلى وَلَهُم

تَحتَ العَجاجِ بِأَطرافِ القَنا وَلَعُ

And under the armpits they had the tips of spears,

Whether a catastrophe came upon them from the days,

إِمّا تَؤودُ مِنَ الأَيّامِ نائِبَةٌ

قاموا بِها وَأَطاقوا الحَملَ وَاِضطَلَعوا

They withstood it and bore the burden and took it on,

Hardship descending on them does not subdue them,

لا تَستَلينُهُمُ الضَرّاءُ نازِلَةً

وَلا تَقودُهُمُ الأَطماعُ وَالنُجَعُ

Nor do greed and tranquility lead them,

How many disgraces in which glory had a shelter,

كَم خَمصَةٍ كانَ فيها العِزِّ آوِنَةً

وَشَبعَةٍ كانَ فيها العارُ وَالضَرَعُ

And times of hunger in which shame and destitution dwelled,

From every conqueror looking down on a fiery horse,

مِن كُلِّ أَغلَبَ نَظّارٍ عَلى شَوَسٍ

لَهُ لِواءٌ عَلى العَلياءِ مُتَّبَعُ

For him there is a banner above the noble that is followed,

The crown is hidden by the brilliance of his youthfulness

يَخفى بِهِ التاجُ مِن لَأَلاءِ غُرَّتِهِ

عَلى جَبينٍ بِضَوءِ المَجدِ يَلتَمِعُ

Upon a forehead shining with the light of glory,

One with determination that inspires the world and its inhabitants,

ذو عَزمَةٍ تُلهِمُ الدُنيا وَساكِنَها

وَهِمَّةٍ تَسَعُ الدُنيا وَما تَسَعُ

And ambition encompassing the world and what it encompasses,

He meets censure unveiled, his warriors appear

يَلقى الظُبى حاسِراً تَبدو مَقاتِلُهُ

وَيَرهَبُ الذَمَّ يَوماً وَهوَ مَدَّرِعُ

And terrorizes blame one day while armored,

Indeed calamities make one forgetful when they come,

إِنَّ المَصائِبَ تُنسي المَرءَ مُقبَلَةً

قَصدَ الطَريقِ لِما يُسلي وَما يَزَعُ

He takes the path to what comforts and what troubles,

Until when their covers are removed from him,

حَتّى إِذا اِنكَشَفَت عَنهُ غَياطِلُها

تَبَيَّنَ المَرءُ ما يَأتي وَما يَدَعُ

Man discerns what comes and what leaves,

The breeze anchored in your valley and did not leave

أَرسى النَسيمُ بِواديكُم وَلابَرِحَت

حَوامِلُ المُزنِ في أَجداثِكُم تَضَعُ

The burdens of sorrow pregnant in your intestines,

And the seedling of plants continues to suckle

وَلا يَزالُ جَنينُ النَبتِ تُرضِعُهُ

عَلى قُبورِكُمُ العِرّاصَةُ الهَمِعُ

Upon your graves the dewy whimper

Do you know that with your distance the conscience longs for you

هَل تَعلَمونَ عَلى نَأيِ الدِيارِ بِكُم

أَنَّ الضَميرَ إِلَيكُم شَيِّقٌ وَلِعُ

And clings, and from our livers for fate there are flames

Of anguish, and what is pushed back from our depths,

لَكُم عَلى الدَهرِ مِن أَكبادِنا شُعَلٌ

مِنَ الغَليلِ وَمَن آماقِنا دُفَعُ

Torments my tears have pronounced that my entrails and ribs

Almost stammer with, I shed my tears until I did not leave

لَواعِجٌ أَفصَحَت عَنها الدُموعُ وَقَد

كادَت تُجَمجِمُها الأَحشاءُ وَالضِلَعُ

An abundance that flows down to a cheek when it falls,

Then I was compelled to my patience, so I sought refuge in it,

أَنزَفتُ دَمعِيَ حَتّى ما تَرَكتُ لَهُ

غَرباً يَفيضُ عَلى رُزءٍ إِذا يَقَعُ

And patience expressed when grief stammered,

ثُمَّ اِضطُرِرتُ إِلى صَبري فَعُذتُ بِهِ

وَأَعرَبَ الصَبرُ لَمّا أَعجَمَ الجَزَعُ