أَيا راكِباً تَرمي بِهِ اللَيلَ جَسرَةٌ
لَها نِمرِقٌ مِن نَيِّها وَوِراكُ
O rider whom night hurls over a bridge
With a gleam from its tent and a cloak,
قَراها رَبيعَ الوادِيَينِ وَأَتمَكَت
قَراها عِهادٌ بِاللِوى وَرِكاكُ
Springtime in the two valleys recognized it,
And firmness with twisting recognized it too.
لَها هادِيا عَينٍ وَأُذنٍ سَميعَةٍ
إِذا غارَ أَو غَرَّ العُيونَ سِماكُ
It has a guide, an ear and an eye that sees,
When the eyes wink or roll.
تَحَمَّل أَلوكاً رُبَّما حُمِّلَت بِهِ
رَذايا المَطايا مَشيُهُنَّ سِواكُ
It bears burdens sometimes loaded on it,
The paces of mounts walking only with it.
وَأَبلِغ عِمادَ الدينِ إِمّا بَلَغتَهُ
بِأَنَّ سِلاحَ اللَومِ عِندِيَ شاكُ
And convey to Imad al-Din, if you reach him,
That for me the weapon of blame is doubtful,
أَفي الرَأيِ أَن تَستَرعِيَ الذِئبَ ثَلَّةً
وَغَوثُكَ بِطءٌ وَالخُطوبُ وِشاكُ
Do you think it wise to provoke the wolf pack
While your help is slow and dangers pressing?
أَرَدتَ وِقاءَ الرِجلِ وَالنَعلُ عَقرَبٌ
مُراصِدَةٌ وَالأَفعُوانُ شِراكُ
You wanted to protect the man but the sandal was a scorpion,
Lying in wait while snakes are tangled.
وَكانَ أَبوكَ القَرمُ هادِمَ عَرشِهِ
فَلِم أَنتَ أَعمادٌ لَهُ وَسِماكُ
Your father was the destructive tent pole,
Why then are you its pillar and rope?
يَكونُ سِماماً لِلمُعادينَ ناقِعاً
وَأَنتَ لِأَرماقِ العُداةِ مِساكُ
Let it be poison to the enemies, falling,
While you are the poultice for the foes' wounds.
أَلا فَاِحذَروها أَوَّلُ السَيلِ دَفعَةٌ
وَرُبَّ ضَئيلٍ عادَ وَهوَ ضِناكُ
Beware of it, the first torrent of the flood,
And many a slight thing has returned grown strong.
نَذارِ لَكُم مِن وَثبَةٍ ضَيغَميَّةٍ
لَها بَعدَ غَرّارِ السُكونِ حَراكُ
A warning to you from a sudden Ghayghani leap,
After the stillness it has sudden movement.
وَلا تَزرَعوا شَوكَ القَتادِ فَإِنَّكُم
جَديرونَ أَن تُدمَوا بِهِ وَتُشاكوا
And plant not the spear-fruit of al-Qatad, for you
Deserve to be speared by it and complain.
طُبِعتُم نُصولاً لِلعَدوِّ قَواطِعاً
وَلَيسَ عَلَيكُم لِلضِرابِ شِكاكُ
You were created biting the foe, striking,
And the blows upon you are no cause for doubt.
وَكانَ قَنيصاً أَفلَتَتهُ حِبالَةٌ
وَأَينَ حِبالٌ بَعدَها وَشِراكُ
It was a shirt freed by an unbinding,
Where now are the ropes and knots?
يَكادُ مِنَ الأَضغانِ يُعدِمُ بَعضَكُم
عَلى أَنَّ في فيهِ الشَكيمُ يُلاكُ
The grudges almost destroy some of you
Though in its belly the magnanimous are destroyed.
فَكَيفَ إِذا أَلقى العِذارَينِ خالِعاً
وَزالَ لِجامٌ قادِعٌ وَحِناكُ
How will it be when it casts aside the loincloths
And the biting bridle and the reins are gone?
هُناكَ تَرَونَ الرَأيَ قَد فالَ وَاِلتَوَت
حِبالٌ بِأَيدي الجاذِبينَ رِكاكُ
There you will see opinion overturned and twisted,
Ropes in the hands of the angry pullers.
دِماءٌ نِيامٌ في الأَباجِلِ أوقِظَت
وَظَنِّيَ يَوماً أَن يَطولَ سِفاكُ
Blood sleeping in the sandals is awakened
And I think one day the killing will be long.
أَلَيسَ أَبوهُ مَن لَهُ في مِجَنَّكُم
ضِرابٌ عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ دِراكُ
Is not his father one whose blows are on your skulls
For ages, a flail that does not stop?
وَكانَ سِناناً في قَناةِ اِبنِ واصِلٍ
إِلَيكُم وَلِلأَجدادِ ثَمَّ عِراكُ
It was a lance in Ibn Wasil's canal
Against you and your ancestors, ever striking.
فَأَمسَت لَهُ بَينَ الغِمادِ وَأَربَقٍ
رُهونُ مَنايا ما لَهُنَّ فِكاكُ
So there stuck to it, between sword and spearhead,
The death-pledges of what have no release.
تَلاقَت عَلَيهِ العاسِلاتُ كَأَنَّها
أَنامِلُ أَيدٍ بَينَهُنَّ شِباكُ
The riders crowded on it as if their fingers
Were fingers interlaced together.
وَأَمَّلَ أَن يَرعى حِمى المَلكِ سِربُهُ
وَبِالجِزعِ حَمضٌ عازِبٌ وَأَراكُ
And he hoped his troop might pasture in the preserve of kings
But with panic, a desolate, sterile panic.
فَما أَتبَعَتهُ نَشطَةٌ مِن حَميمِهِ
وَلا مِن أَراكِ الجَلهَتَينِ سِواكُ
No she-camel of his loved ones followed it
Except you, neither of the two herds.
يُطاوِلُكُم وَهوَ الحَضيضُ إِلى العُلى
فَكَيفَ إِذا ما عادَ وَهوَ سِكاكُ
He defies you when he is most abject
So what will he do if he returns empowered?
أَحيلوا عَلَيها بِالمَحافِرِ إِنَّها
مَعاثِرُ في طُرُقِ العُلا وَنِباكُ
Hurl at it the mattocks, for it is an obstacle
To the paths of high endeavor and building.
وَما الحَزمُ لِلأَقوامِ أَن يَطَأوا الرُبى
وَبَينَ نِعالِ الواطِئينَ شِياكُ
Prudence is not for the people to tread the high ground
While the sandals of those who tread have thorns.
وَلَو عَضُدُ المُلكِ اِجتَلاها مَخيلَةً
لَقَطَّعَها بِالعَضبِ وَهيَ تُحاكُ
Were the pillar of the kingdom to face it like a phantom
It would cut it with curbing though being woven.
فَلَيتَ لَنا ذاكَ الجُذَيلَ يَطُبُّنا
إِذا لَجَّ بِالداءِ العُضالِ حِكاكُ
Would that we had that tail comforting us
When the unhealable disease is severe!
وَإِنَّ مِلاكَ الرَأيِ نَزعُ حُماتِها
قُبَيلَ أُمورٍ ما لَهُنَّ مِلاكُ
But the course of wisdom is removing its protective cover
Before matters that cannot be controlled.
فَإِن تُطفِئوها اليَومَ فَهيَ شَرارَةٌ
وَغَدواً أُوارٌ وَالأُوارُ هَلاكُ
If you put it out today, it is an ember
Tomorrow a blaze, and blazes destroy.
