تَطاطَ لَها فَيوشِكُ أَن تُجَلّى
وَوَلِّ جُنونَ دَهرِكَ ما تَوَلّى
She treads delicately, and soon she will unveil herself,
And turn away the madness of your time that turned away.
وَلا تَكِلِ الزَمانَ إِلى عِتابٍ
فَلا يَدري الزَمانُ أَساءَ أَم لا
Do not blame time for reproach,
For time knows not if it did wrong or right.
خَبوطٌ بِاليَدَينِ يُشِتُّ شَملاً
جَميعاً بِالنَوى وَيُلِمُّ شَملا
Groping with hands that seek to mend rifts,
Bringing all together in purpose and mending rifts.
يُعَرّي الغارِبَ الأَعلى وَيُحذي
عَظيمَ العِزِّ وَالخَطَرَ الأَظَلّا
It strips the lofty of their garb and divests
The mighty of their glory and their perilous attire.
فَقَدتُكَ مِن زَمانٍ كُلَّ فَقدٍ
وَفِعلُكَ ما أَخَسَّ وَما أَذَلّا
I have missed you for a time of every absence,
And your deeds, however abject or lofty.
أَمِثلي يُستَضامُ وَما تَرى لي
إِذا عَرَضَ العَيانُ بَنيكَ مِثلا
The likes of me is wronged, and yet you see me not,
When the eyes alight, showing your likes as exemplars.
فَحَسبُكَ قَد حَمَلتَ عَلى مُطيقٍ
شَآكَ تَجَلُّداً وَشَجاكَ حَملا
It suffices you, you shouldered a burden commensurate
With your resilience, and your resilience bore.
مُحَمَّدُ طالَ ما شَمَّرتَ فيها
فَدونَكَ فَاِسحَبِ الذَيلَ الرِفَلّا
Muhammad, long have you remained therein obstinate,
So lower your train that drags behind you.
وَنَم مُستَودَعاً صَوناً وَأَمناً
فَقَد أَسلَفتَها جَزَعاً وَذُلّا
And sleep, guarded and safe and secure,
For already you cowered before it fearful and debased.
فَإِن أَتبَعتَ هَذا الأَمرَ لَهفاً
فَإِنَّكَ أَعزَبُ الثَقَلَينِ عَقلا
If you pursue this matter craving,
You would be, of the wise, utterly mindless.
يَراهُ المُستَغِرُّ عَلَيَّ طَوقاً
فَيَغبِطُني بِهِ وَأَراهُ غُلّا
The deluded see it on me as a necklace,
And envy me it, while I see it as a shackle.
وَما حَطَّ الأَعادي لي مَحَلّا
وَلَكِن حَطَّ عَنّي الدَهرُ كَلّا
Not my enemies made it my station,
Nay, time itself let me down completely.
فَإِن أَخَذوا الأَقَلَّ مِنَ المَعالي
فَقَد تَرَكوا مِنَ الصَونِ الأَجَلّا
If they take the meanest of glories,
Then they have left the most guarded of honors.
خُذوا مِنّي بِذي جَلَبٍ ثُقالٍ
بَعيدٍ أَن يَخِفَّ وَأَن يَزِلّا
Take from me one heavy-laden, remote
From lightening his load or slipping down.
هَوَت أُمُّ الخُطوبِ إِلى التَساقي
وَقَد أَفنَيتُها نَهلاً وَعَلّا
The mother of sorrows collapsed intoxicated,
And I had sapped her, drink by drink, and ascent by ascent.
وَكَيفَ يُضائِلُ الحِدَثانُ مِنّي
وَقَد ضاءَلتُهُ حَتّى اِضمَحَلّا
How can the two novice poets belittle me
When I have belittled him until he withered away?
سَجِيَّةُ مُستَميتٍ لا يُبالي
مِنَ العَليا يُعَطَّلُ أَم يُحَلّى
The nature of one bent on dying heedlessly
Cares not if he is exalted or brought low.
أَنا الرَجُلُ الَّذي عَلِمَت نِزارٌ
أَجَلَّ مَغارِساً وَأَعَزَّ نَجلا
I am the man Nizār came to know
As one who planted firmly the most glorious saplings.
أَمُرُّ عَلى لُهى الأَضدادِ طَعماً
وَأَنفُذُ في طُلى الأَعداءِ نَبلا
I pass by the falsehoods of foes tasting,
And I aim at the rabble of enemies arrows.
أَلَيسَ أَبي أَبي حَسَباً وَفَخراً
وَباعاً واسِعاً وَعُلىً وَنُبلا
Is not my father sufficient pride and glory,
Amplitude, loftiness, and nobility for me?
وَقَبلَكَ أَوقَرَ الأَيّامَ مَجداً
وَأَوضَعَ بِالعُلى حَتّى أَكَلّا
And before you he honored the days with glory
And lowered with loftiness until he ate.
فَإِن يَقعُد فَقَد طَلَبَ المَعالي
فَعُلِّقَها وَأَوصَلَها وَمَلّا
If he sits back he has sought glories,
So he hung them up and connected them and fulfilled them.
وَنَفسي ما عَلِمتَ وَلي جَنانٌ
أَبى لي أَن أُهانَ وَأَن أُذَلّا
And my soul, you know I have no wings,
That refused me to be disgraced or debased.
فَلِم آسي وَقَد أَحرَزتُ مَجداً
كَفاني ما يُبَلِّغُني المَحَلّا
Why then do I grieve when I have gained glory
That gives me all that conveys me to glorious stations?
إِذا خَلَتِ المَنازِلُ لِلمُوَلّي
فَيا سِرعانَ ما عُزِلَ المُوَلّى
When the seats became vacant for the loyalist,
How soon was the loyalist deposed!
وَبَينا أَن يَقولوا قَد تَمَلّى
بِها حَتّى يَقولوا ما تَمَلّى
And while they say, “He has wearied of it,”
Until they say, “He did not weary of it.”
بِمالِكَ نِلتَها وَكَفاكَ عاراً
فَأَلّا نِلتَها بِالمَجدِ أَلّا
With your wealth you attained it, and it sufficed you of shame,
You attained it through glory, indeed you attained it!
فَمَن وَجَدَ الطَريقَ إِلَيَّ صَعباً
فَقَد وَجَدَ الطَريقَ إِلَيكَ سَهلا
Whoever found the path to me difficult
He finds the path to you easy.
وَهَل في ذاكَ إِلّا أَن يَقولوا
تَسَبُّبُ مُكثِرٍ غَلَبَ المُقِلّا
What is that but for them to say,
“One who makes much effort beats one who makes little.”
وَما لَكَ مَطعَمٌ فيها لِأَنّي
تَرَكتُ عَلَيكَ فَضلاً قَد أَظَلّا
You have no place in it because I
Left upon you a surplus that gave you shade.
تَهَلَّلَ إِذ أَصَبتُ بِها حَبيبي
وَلَو غَيري أُصيبَ بِها اِستَهَلّا
It exulted when I attained it, my beloved,
And had another attained it, it would have slipped away.
شَفى بِلِباسِها غِلّاً قَديماً
وَعُدتُ بِنَزعِها فَشَفَيتُ غِلّا
It healed an old wound with its dress,
And when I removed it, I was healed of my wound.
فَإِن يَكُ نالَها فَلَقَد أَنِفنا
فَأَرخَصنا بِقيمَتِها وَأَغلى
If he gains it, we disdained it and underestimated
Its value, and overrated its price.
فَلَم يَكُ جودُهُ في ذاكَ جوداً
وَلَم يَكُ بُخلُنا في ذاكَ بُخلا
His munificence was in that no munificence,
And our stinginess was in that no stinginess.
فَما المَغبونُ إِلّا مَن تَوَلّى
وَما المَغبوطُ إِلّا مَن تَخَلّى
None is duped but one who assumed control,
And none fortunate but one who relinquished.
