بِالجَدِّ لا بِالمَساعي يُبلَغُ الشَرَفُ
تَمشي الجُدودُ بِأَقوامٍ وَإِن وَقَفوا
With resolve, not with efforts, honor is attained
The resolute walk with people even when they stop
أَعيا مِنَ الدَهرِ خُلقٌ لا دَوامَ لَهُ
البَذلُ وَالمَنعُ وَالإِنجازُ وَالخُلُفُ
Time has brought about a temperament that does not last
Generosity and stinginess, fulfilling and failing
واطٍ بِجَفوَتِهِ أَعقابَ خُلَّتِهِ
يَوماً وَدودٌ وَيَوماً مَلَّةٌ طَرِفُ
With his aloofness, the lover hurts those longing for him
One day intimate, another day distant and flirting
راحَت تَعَجَّبُ مِن شَيبٍ أَلَمَّ بِهِ
وَعاذِرٌ شَيبَهُ التَهمامُ وَالأَسَفُ
My soul was amazed at the greying that afflicted it
While my censurer blamed my greying and sorrow
وَلا تَزالُ هُمومُ النَفسِ طارِقَةً
رُسلُ البَياضِ إِلى الفَودينِ تَختَلِفُ
The worries of the soul still knock
The messengers of whiteness interchange to the temples
إِنَّ الثَلاثينَ وَالسَبعَ اِلتَوَينَ بِهِ
عَنِ الصِبا فَهوَ مُزوَرٌّ وَمُنعَطِفُ
When thirty and forty come to him
He fakes about his youth and turns
فَما لَهُ صَبوَةٌ يُبكى بِها طَلَلٌ
وَلا لَهُ طَربَةٌ يُعلى بِها شَرَفُ
He has no youthfulness that a ruin is mourned for
Nor any passion that an honor is elevated with
أَينَ الَّذينَ رَمَوا قَلبي بِسَهمِهِمُ
وَلَم يُداوُوا لِيَ القِرفَ الَّذي قَرَفوا
Where are those who shot my heart with their arrows
And did not cure me of the disgust they caused
يَشكو فِراقَهُمُ القَلبُ الَّذي جَرَحوا
مِنّي وَتَبكيهِمُ العَينُ الَّتي طَرَفوا
The heart complains of their loss, which they wounded
And the eye weeps for them, which they made shed tears
كَم جاءَني الخَوفُ مِمّا كُنتُ آمَنَهُ
وَكَم أَمِنتُ الَّتي قَلبي بِها يَجِفُ
How often fear came to me from what I felt secure of
And how often I felt secure from what makes my heart dry
قَد يَأمَنُ المَرءُ سَهماً فيهِ مَوقِعُهُ
وَقَد يَخافُ الَّذي يَنأى وَيَنحَرِفُ
One may feel safe from an arrow that will hit him
And one may fear what turns away and veers
لَمّا رَأَيتُ مَرامي الظَنَّ خاطِئَةً
وَدونَ ما أَرتَجي مِنكُم نَوىً قُذُفُ
When I saw your assumptions miss their mark
And your intentions toward me were lower than what I hoped
صَرَفتُ نَفسِيَ عَنكُم وَهيَ غانِيَةٌ
وَالنَفسُ تُصرَفُ أَحياناً فَتَنصَرِفُ
I turned my soul away from you while it was singing
And the soul turns away sometimes, so it turns
ما هَزَّ فَرعَكُمُ يَأسٌ وَلا طَمَعٌ
وَلا مَرى دَرَّكُم لينٌ وَلا عَنَفُ
Neither despair nor hope shook your branch
Nor did seeing your abundance show softness or violence
وَلا لَكُم في ثَنايا الجودِ مُطَّلَعٌ
وَلا لَكُم في ظُهورِ المَجدِ مُرتَدَفُ
You have no outlook in the folds of generosity
Nor any succession in the backs of glory
يَأبى لِيَ العِزُّ وَالغَرّاءُ مِن شِيَمي
إِمساكَ حَبلِ غُرورٍ ما لَهُ طَرَفُ
My honor and pride refuse for me
To hold on to a rope of delusion that has no end
هَبها ضَبابَةَ لَيلٍ أَنتَ خابِطُها
إِنَّ الظَلامَ وَإِن عَنّاكَ مُنكَشِفُ
Dispel the darkness of a night you grope
Though the darkness hides you, dawn will uncover
تَنَظَّرِ الصُبحَ إِنَّ الصُبحَ مُنتَظَرٌ
وَالفَجرُ يُعرِبُ عَمّا أَعجَمَ السَدَفُ
Look forward to the dawn, for the dawn is anticipated
And sunrise elucidates what nightfall rendered ambiguous
كَأَنَّني يَومَ أَستَعطي نَوالَكُمُ
دانٍ مِنَ الصَخرَةِ الصَمّاءِ يَغتَرِفُ
As if when I seek your bestowal
I am one begging from the deaf rock that scoops up water
وَيَومَ أَدعوكُمُ لِلخَطبِ أَحذَرُهُ
داعٍ يُبَلِّغُ مَن قَد ضَمَّهُ الجَدَفُ
And when I call you for marriage, I fear it
Like one calling out to someone the sea has embraced
ما كُنتُمُ مِن سُيوفي إِذ هَزَزتُكُمُ
هَزَّ النَوابي إِذا أَمضَيتَها تَقِفُ
You were not like my swords when I brandished you
Brandishing the swords when I unsheathe and wield them
يا راعِيَ الذَودِ لا أَصبَحتَ في نَفَرٍ
تَروى البِكارُ وَتَظما الجِلَّةُ الشُرُفُ
O shepherd of the lambs, you did not become among a group
The lambs are watered and the great gather honor
ما أَعجَبَ القِسمَةَ العَوجاءَ يَقسِمُها
الدارُ واحِدَةٌ وَالوِردُ مُختَلِفُ
How wondrous is the crooked distribution fate makes
The abode is one, yet the meadows are different
لَئِن حُرِمتُ مِنَ العَلياءِ ما رُزِقوا
لَقَد جَهِلتُ مِنَ الفَحشاءِ ما عَرَفوا
If I am deprived of the sublime ones who were granted
I have certainly been ignorant of the vile ones who knew
لَأُرحِلَنَّ المَطايا ثُمَّ أُبرِكُها
حَيثُ اِطمَأَنَّ النَدى وَاِستَوطَنَ الشَرَفُ
I will set out the camels, then make them kneel down
Where the dew has settled and honor has taken residence
كَأَنَّما في رِجالِ الرَكبِ خاطِرَةٌ
تَعانَقَ الدَوُّ وَالنَأجِيَّةُ العُصُفُ
As if among the men of the caravan is apprehension
Shuddering with fear while the female camels bellow
بِدارِ أَغلَبَ ما في وَعدِهِ خُلُفٌ
لِلراغِبينَ وَلا في حُكمِهِ جَنَفُ
In an abode where most of what is promised is breach
For the hopeful, and in its rule there is no injustice
حَيثُ الحُقوقُ قِيامٌ في مَقاطِعِها
وَكُلُّ مَن حاكَمَ الأَيّامَ مُنتَصِفُ
Where rights stand affirmed in their bounds
And every one who judges time is impartial
راضَ الأُمورَ عَلى أولى شَبيبَتِهِ
فَالرَأيُ مُحتَنِكٌ وَالعُمرُ مُؤتَنِفُ
He who pleased with the matters in his early youth
His opinion is well-informed and his life renewed
يُحيي المَكارِمَ أَبناءٌ لَهٌ وَرَدوا
كَما بَنى المَجدَ أَباءٌ لَهُ سَلَفوا
The generous ones have come, children to him
As fathers to him preceded and went before
يا اِبنَ الأولى نَزَلوا العَلياءَ خالِيَةً
مَنازِلَ الدُرِّ يُرمى دونَهُ الصَدَفُ
O son of the foremost ones, they descended to find the lofty empty
Pearls are discarded while seashells are thrown
المُقدِمينَ فَلا ميلٌ وَلا عُزُلٌ
وَالحامِلونَ فَلا جَورٌ وَلا ضَعَفُ
The predecessors, so no leaning nor isolation
And the carriers, so no injustice nor feebleness
لي فيهِمُ خَلَفٌ مِن كُلِّ مُفتَقَدٍ
وَرُبَّما جازَ قَدرَ الذاهِبِ الخَلَفُ
For me among them all are successors to every absent one
And perhaps the successor surpassed the limits of the predecessor
في كُلِّ يَومٍ عَدُوٌّ أَنتَ قائِدُهُ
قَودَ الجَنيبِ لِما عَسَّفتَ مُعتَسِفُ
Every day you are a leader against an enemy
Driving away the cowardly for your aggression
في السَلمِ دافِقَةٌ شُؤبوبُها خَضِلٌ
وَالرَوعِ بارِقَةٌ ذو رَعدِها قَصَفُ
In peace, pouring with harmless weakness
And in war, flashing with thundering might
فَمِن شِعابِ نَدىً أَمواهُهُ دُفَعٌ
وَمِن طِعانِ قَناً آبارُهُ خُسُفُ
From mountain paths, its waters covered with repelling
And from spear stabs, its wells collapse
تَغدو كَأَنَّكَ وَالهاماتِ طائِرَةٌ
جانٍ مِنَ الحَنظَلِ العامِيِّ يَنتَقِفُ
You rise up as if you and intuitions are soaring
Near to understanding the commoners' gibberish
كَأَنَّ سَيفَكَ ضَيفُ الشَيبِ لَيسَ لَهُ
عَنِ الرُؤوسِ إِذا ما جاءَ مُنصَرَفُ
As if the sword of old age is not a guest that
When it comes, refrains from heads
فَاِستَأنِفوا العِزَّ مُخضَرّاً زَمانُكُمُ
كَأَنَّما الدَهرُ فيكُم رَوضَةٌ أُنُفُ
So take up glory anew, while your time is green
As if time in you is a garden luxuriant
وَاِبقَوا بَقاءَ الدَراري في مَطالِعِها
إِلّا البُدورَ فَإِنَّ البَدرَ يَنكَسِفُ
And remain lasting as the full moons in their emergence
Except the full moons, for the full moon becomes eclipsed
تَسعى البِكارُ مُعَنّاةً وَقَد مَلَكَت
أولى الجُمامِ عَلَيها الجِلَّةُ الشُرُفُ
The young she-camel strives purposely and it has gained
The best of the flock's leadership and honor
إِذا رَأَينا قِوامَ الدينِ راكِبَها
فَلَيسَ في ظَهرِها لِلقَومِ مُرتَدَفُ
When we see the pillar of the faith riding it
No riders behind it can match the people
فَقُل لِمُعتَسِفٍ يَرجو لَحاقَهُمُ
لَبِّث فَقَد بَلَغوا العَليا وَما اِعتَسَفوا
So say to one who hopes to catch up with them
Wait, for they have reached the heights and did not contend
لَوَ اِنَّ عَينَ أَبيكَ اليَومَ ناظِرَةٌ
تَعَجَّبَ الأَصلُ مِمّا أَثمَرَ الطَرَفُ
If your father could see today, his eye would be amazed
The roots from what the branches produced
وَنى عَنِ السَعيِ فَاِستَرعى مَساعِيَهُ
مُدَرَّباً بِطَريقِ المَجدِ لا يَقِفُ
He gave up efforts, so he trained his efforts
Proceeding on the path of glory, not stopping
قَد يَسبُقُ الخَيلَ تاليها وَإِن كَثُرَت
مِنها الفَوارِطُ يَومَ الجَريِ وَالسَلَفُ
Horses may outstrip their pursuers, even if
Many bolt on the day of racing and vying
