رَضيتُ مِنَ الأَحبابِ دونَ الَّذي يُرضي

وَدايَنتُ مَن تُقضى الدُيونُ وَلا يَقضي

I am satisfied with lovers lesser than the one who pleases me,

And I am indebted to those whom debts are paid but they do not pay.

وَقَد أَنهَرَت فِيَّ اللَيالي جِراحَها

مِراراً وَأَنضاني مِنَ الهَمِّ ما يُنضي

The nights have bitterly wounded me over and over,

And have made me suffer unending sorrows.

طَوى الدَهرُ أَسبابَ الهَوى عَن جَوانِحي

وَحَلَّ الصِبا عَقدَ الرَحايلِ عَن نَقضي

The days have folded away the instruments of passion from my heart,

And youth has untied the firm knots of determination from me.

وَلَم يَبقَ لي في الأَعيُنُ النُجلِ طَربَةٌ

وَلا أَرَبٌ عِندَ الشَبابِ الَّذي يَمضي

For me, in the shining eyes there remains no more pleasure,

Nor any yearning in the passing days of youth.

ضَحى اليَومَ عَن ظِلِّ الشَبيبَةِ مَفرِقي

وَأَبدَلَ مُسوَدَّ العِذارِ بِمُبيَضِّ

Today the separation from the shade of my adolescence was evident,

And it changed the blackness of my excuse to whiteness.

أَتاني وَمَمطولٌ مِنَ النَأيِ بَينَنا

قَوارِصُ تَنبو بِالجُفونِ عَنِ الغُمضِ

There came to me, from the distance between us, glances

That hint with their eyelids without complete closure.

وَمولىً وَرى قَلبي بِلَذعَةِ ميسَمٍ

مِنَ الكَلِمِ العَوراءِ مَضّاً عَلى مَضِّ

And a friend who sees my heart wounded

By his biting words, blow after blow.

فَعُذراً لِأَعدائي إِذا كانَ أَقرَبي

يُشَذِبُّ مِن عودي وَيَعرُقُ مِن نَحضي

So I excuse my enemies if my own kin

Cut from my branch and squeeze from my sap.

إِذا ما رَمى عِرضي القَريبُ بِسَهمِهِ

عَذَرتُ بَعيدَ القَومِ إِمّا رَمى عِرضي

When my relative shoots his arrow at my honor,

I excuse the distant people even if they shoot at my honor.

أَلَم يَأتِهِ أَنّي تَفَرَّدتُ بَعدَهُ

رَوابِيَ لِلعَلياءِ جاشَ لَها نَهضي

Does he not realize that after him

I have set my aspirations only toward the exalted?

وَإِنّي جَعَلتُ الأَنفَ مِن كُلِّ حاسِدٍ

قِبالي وَخَدَّي كُلِّ مُضطَغِنٍ أَرضي

And I have made the nose of every envious person

My shoe, and the cheek of every angry person as my tread.

وَكَم مِن مَقامٍ دونَ مَجدِكَ قُمتُهُ

عَلى زَلَقٍ بَينَ النَوائِبِ أَو دَحضِ

And how many positions lower than your glory have I held

While slipping between misfortunes or fleeing!

وَقارَعتُ مَن أَعياكَ قَبلَ قِراعِهِ

فَدامَجَني بَعدَ التَشاوُرِ وَالبُغضِ

And I have confronted those who were your enemies before their confrontation,

So he blamed me after the disagreement and hatred.

لَقَد أَمسَتِ الأَرحامُ مِنّا عَلى شَفاً

فَأَخلِق بِمُشفٍ لا يُعَلَّلُ أَن يَقضي

Indeed, kinship between us has nearly dissolved,

So act with forbearance that cannot be faulted if it dissolves.

رَأَيتُ مَخيلاتِ العُقوقِ مَليحَةً

فَلا تَجعَلَن بَرقَ الأَذى صادِقَ الوَمضِ

I have seen the imaginings of filial disobedience as beautiful,

So do not let the lightning of harm be truly flashing.

وَلا تُشمِتَن مَن وَدَّ لَو أَنَّنا مَعاً

شَحيحانِ تُلطينا الجَنادِلُ بِالأَرضِ

And do not let those who love me gloat should we together

Be miserly, clad only in rough wool.

إِذا كُنتُ أُغضي وَالقَواذِعُ جَمَّةٌ

فَمِثلُكَ أَولى أَن يُرَمَّ وَأَن يُغضي

When I am forbearing while the arrows are numerous,

One like you is more fitting to be cast with arrows and be forbearing.

عَلى غُصَصٍ لَو كُنَّ في البَدرِ لَم يُنِر

وَفي العودِ لَم يورِق وَفي السَهمِ لَم يَمضِ

Upon resentments that, were they in the full moon, it would not shine,

And were they in the branch, it would not leaf, and were they in the arrow, it would not fly.

رُزِئتُكَ حَيّاً بِالقَطيعَةِ وَالقِلى

وَبَعضُ الرَزايا قَبلَ يَومِ الفَتى المَقضي

I have insulted you while living with estrangement and moving on,

And some of the misfortunes before the day of the departed young man.

أُناديكَ فَاِرجِع مِن قِريبٍ فَإِنَّني

إِذا ضاقَ بي ذَرعي مَضَيتُ كَما تَمضي

I call upon you, so return soon, for when

My patience wears out, I will move on as you have moved on.

لَقَد كانَ في حُكمِ الوَشائِجِ لَو رَأى

عَنِ المَجدِ بِطئي أَن يُبالِغَ في حَضّي

It would have been fair by the judgment of obligations had he,

Seeing my slowness in glory, been excessive in spurring me.

فَكَيفَ وَلَم تَخرُج مَناديجُ هِمَّتي

وَلاذَمَّتِ العَلياءُ بَسطي وَلا قَبضي

So how could that be when the proclamations of my resolve

Have not emerged, nor have the exalted found fault with my expansion or my restraint?

إِذا هُوَ أَغضى ناظِرَيَّ عَلى القَذى

وَكانَ لِمِثلي مُسخِطاً فَلِمَن يُرضي

When he frowned upon my eyes because of a mote,

And was displeased with the like of me, then for whom would he be pleased?

خَليلَيَّ ما عودي لِأَوَّلِ غامِزٍ

وَلا زُبدُ وَطبي لِلمُقيمِ عَلى مَخضِ

My friend, my healing is not for the first critic,

Nor is the foam of my medicine for one insisting on bitterness.

فَقُل لِلعِدى عَضّوا الأَخامِصَ إِنَّكُم

تَعَرَّفتُمُ الأَيدي عَلَيَّ مِنَ العَضِّ

So say to the enemies, bite your lips, for you

Have made your hands recognize me by the biting.

هُمُ نَقَضوا ما قَد بَنى أَوَّلوهُمُ

وَشِدنا وَهَيهاتَ البِناءُ مِنَ النَقضِ

They have undone what their first ones constructed

And we have braced it. Alas! There is no construction after destruction.

وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ يَصبُغُ العارُ مِنهُم

رِداءَ اِمرِىءٍ وَالعارُ باقٍ عَلى الرَحضِ

And each day dishonor from them dyes

The robe of a man, and dishonor remains fixed on the pillars.

يُريدونَ أَن يُخفوا النَواقِرَ بَينَنا

وَقَد صاحَتِ الأَضغانُ في الحَدَقِ المُرضِ

They want to conceal the rifts between us,

Yet the hatreds have screamed out from the inflamed, bloodshot eyes.

ذَكَرتُ حِفاظي وَالحَفيظَةُ في الحَشا

لَها نَغَضانُ العِرقِ يُحفَزُ بِالنَبضِ

I remembered my guards, and the guarding in the courtyard,

For it has the pulses of sweat stimulated by throbbing.

دَعَوتُكُمُ قَبلَ الَّتي لا شَوىً لَها

وَقُلتُ لَهُم فيئوا إِلى الخُلُقِ المُرضي

I invited you before those who have no morning glow,

And I said to them, return to the pleasing morals!

رِدوني نَميراً قَبلَ أَن أَحمِلَ القَذى

وَلا تَرِدوا إِلّا عَلى الثَمَدِ البَرضِ

Return me as clear water before I carry motes,

And do not return me except to the limpid drink.

وَلُسّوا جَميمي قبلَ أَن يَمنَعَ الحِمى

إِبائِيَ أَو يوبى عَلى رَعيِكُم حَمضي

And heal my wounds before fever prevents

My refusal or brings regrets upon your pasturing of me.

وَمِن قَبلِ أَن يَسدي المُعادونَ بَينَنا

بُرودَ الخَنا ما شِئتَ في الطولِ وَالعَرضِ

And before the enemies spread between us

The coolness of malice−in whatever length and width.

وَلا تَركَبوا سِيساءَ دامِيَةَ القَرا

بِلا حَقَبٍ تَطوي البِلادَ وَلا غَرضِ

And do not mount the grey-eyed wolf

Without epochs folding countries or goals.

تَقوا عارَ حَربٍ لا يَعودُ مُثيرُها

وَإِن غَلَبَ الأَقرانَ إِلّا عَلى رَمضِ

Fear the shame of a war whose instigator

Will not prevail over peers except by retreating.

وَلا تولِجوا زورَ العُقوقِ بُيوتَكُم

أُناشِدُكُم بِاللَهِ في الحَسَبِ المَحضِ

And do not bring into your homes the untruth of undutifulness−

I adjure you by God in the pure lineage.

أَراها بِعَينِ الظَنِّ حَمراءَ جَهمَةً

سَتَجري إِلى عارِ العَواقِبِ أَو تُفضي

I see it with the eye of assumption as a red blaze

That will lead to the shame of consequences or empty.

تَهَضَّمَني مَن لا يَكونُ لِغَيرِهِ

مِنَ الناسِ إِطراقي عَلى الهونِ أَوغَضّي

One who cannot bemy bending to dishonor or my yielding

Disdains me from the people.

أُفَوِّقُ نَبلَ القَولِ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

فَيُؤلِمُني مِن قَبلِ نَزعي بِها عِرضي

I direct the arrows of speech between him and I

So he hurts me by snatching them away despite my honor.

وَأَرجِعُ لَم أُولِغ لِسانِيَ في دَمي

وَلَم أُدمِ أَعضائي بِنَهشي وَلا عَضّي

And I hold back what I have not set my tongue to in my blood

And I have not harmed my limbs with my biting or chewing.

إِذا اِضطَرَمَت ما بَينَ جَنبيَّ غَضبَةٌ

وَكادَ فَمي يُمضي مِنَ القَولِ ما يُمضي

When anger kindles between my ribs

And my mouth is about to utter what it would utter,

شَفَعتُ عَلى نَفسي بِنَفسي فَكَفكَفَت

مِنَ الغَيظِ وَاِستَعطَفتُ بَعضي عَلى بَعضي

I intercede for myself through myself, so it holds back

Some of my rage, and I beseech some of me over some of me.