مِنَ الظُلمِ أَن نَتَعاطى الخُمارا

وَقَد سَلَبَتنا الهُمومُ العُقارا

From the darkness is that we take the wine

Though worries have robbed us of sobriety

وَفينا شَآبيبُ صَرفِ الزَمانِ

تَروى مِراراً وَتَظما مِرارا

And in us are the callowness of fickle time

That I wet my lips with bitterness over and over

تُخَيِّرُني عِفَّتي وَالغِنى

وَمَن لِيَ أَنّي مَلَكتُ الخِيارا

My chastity and wealth give me choice

And who am I to possess the option?

وَلَو أَنَّ لي رَغبَةً في النَوا

لِ أَجمَمتُهُ وَاِجتَدَيتُ البِحارا

Had I the desire for pleasure

I would brave the seas and their waves

وَهَوَّنَ صَولَتَهُ أَنَّني

أَرى العَيشَ ثَوبَ بِلىً مُستَعارا

But it lessened its savagery that I

See living as a worn borrowed garb

فَما أَركَبُ الخَطبَ إِلّا جَليلاً

وَلا أَجذُبُ الأَمرَ إِلّا اِقتِسارا

So I mount no situation save the sublime

And pull no matter save with shortcoming

وَكُنتُ إِذا ما اِستَطالَ العَدوُّ

نَثَلتُ عَليهِ القَنا وَالشَفارا

And whenever the enemy would prolong

I would bare at him the spear and sword

وَكَم لي إِلى الدَهرِ مِن حاجَةٍ

أَبُلُّ بِها ذابِلاً أَو غِرارا

And a day you tore through the swords

And rushed at it the flowing blood

تُجَرُّ إِلَيها ذُيولُ المُنى

وَيَخلَعُ فيها الزَمانُ العِذارا

You roused the dusty confusion over it

And sparked from the flaming stabs a fire

وَيَومٍ تَخَرَّقتَ فيهِ السُيوفَ

وَخُضتَ إِلَيهِ الدِماءَ الغِرارا

And embraced from its whiteness in the battle

A brother and from its brownness a noble knight

أَثَرتَ العَجاجَ عَليهِ دُخاناً

وَأَضرَمتَ مِن مائِرِ الطَعنِ نارا

And on an eve of fear the stuff of glory

Shaking hands in it with the hidden

وَعانَقتَ مِن بيضِهِ في النَجيعِ

شَقيقاً وَمِن سُمرِهِ جُلَّنارا

We sniffed its protection, stayed the riding beast

Until we seized the preys and the prizes

وَلَيلَةِ خَوفٍ شِعارُ الفَتى

يُصافِحُ بِالسَمعِ فيها السَرارا

And a land clad in estrangement

That smiles from the kith its veils

أَبَحنا حِماها أَكُفَّ المَطِيِّ

حَتّى اِنتَهَبنا الرُبى وَالجِرارا

You attacked its clime with spears

Building from its ascent therein a lighthouse

وَأَرضٍ مُقَنَّعَةٍ بِالهَجي

رِ تَنضو مِنَ الآلِ عَنها خِمارا

So you never startled at the crevices of peril

Nor feared in it a thing of foreboding

هَجَمتَ عَلى جَوِّها بِالرِماحِ

تَبني مِنَ الطَلِّ فيها مَنارا

And you slipped from the sides of adversities

With might, should fate exchange shelter

فَما اِرتَعتَ مِن شُعُباتِ الحِمامِ

وَلا خِفتَ فيهِ لِأَمرٍ خِطارا

And of what legitimizes the blame of time

Is its expelling of the excellent elite

وَفَلَّلتَ مِن جَنَباتِ الخُطوبِ

بِعَزٍ إِذا جارَ دَهرٌ أَجارا

Hear, O whoever time has cast

A plea that exposes me openly

وَمِمّا يُحَلِّلُ ذَمَّ الزَما

نِ إِقصاؤُهُ الماجِدينَ الخِيارا

Trusting in God, for time

Can give safety and eclipse danger

أَسَمعي ذُؤابَةَ هَذا الأَنامِ

دُعاءٌ يَجُرُّ عَلَيَّ الجِهارا

No wonder it envies affluence

For glory is too noble to be envied

ثِقا بِالإِلَهِ فَإِنَّ الزَما

نَ يُعطي أَماناً وَيُمطي حِذارا

If death has spared both your souls

Then fate did not battle save the sinister

وَلا عَجَبٌ أَن يُعيرَ الثَراءَ

فَالمَجدُ أَكرَمُ مِن أَن يُعارا

An setback befell you, so it passed

And you regained glory save the homes

إِذا سالَمَ المَوتُ نَفسَيكُما

فَلا حارَبَ الدَهرُ إِلّا اليَسارا

And a fate that returns the heights upon us

Is it not more fitting to return pardon?

أَصابَتكُما نَكبَةٌ فَاِنجَلَت

وَعاوَدتُما العِزَّ إِلّا الدِيارا

Have you not seen O he who adversities

Assailed right or left in dispute

وَدَهرٌ يَرُدُّ عَلينا العَلا

ءَ أَجدِر بِهِ أَن يَرُدَّ الغُفارا

And he who time set upon his wealth

The claws of its events and the skilled

أَلَم تَرَ يا مَن رَمَتهُ الخُطوبُ

يَميناً تُنازِعُهُ أَو يَسارا

Nor did woes eat of our pride

While we were for it wares or bitter

وَمَن خَوَّضَ الدَهرُ مِن مالِهِ

قَوارِحَ أَحداثِهِ وَالمَهارى

We established the unmatched highs intact

So it scattered for lowliness disorder in it

وَما أَكَلَ الخَطبُ مِن عِزِّنا

وَكُنّا لَهُ سَلَعاً أَو مُرارا

We pledged by selling probity a covenant

So it undid obligations and bonds

بَنَينا مَصادَ العُلى مُصمَتاً

فَبَعثَرَ لِلذُلِّ فيهِ وَجارا

While we anticipate that time

Might restore what it borrowed treacherously from us

عَقَدنا بِباعِ الرَدى ذِمَّةً

فَحَلَّ الذِمامَ وَفَضَّ الذُمارا

And we possess the necks of its events

To clothe them in a garb or gown

وَنَحنُ نُؤَمِّلُ أَنَّ الزَمانَ

يَرُدُّ الَّذي مِن عُلانا اِستَعارا

And its clouds disperse from you

Cares that shade the impassioned hearts

وَنَملِكُ أَعناقَ أَحداثِهِ

فَنُلبِسُها مِسحَلاً أَو عِذارا

And may God give you the selfsame steadfastness

Captives surrendered or captors

وَتَجلو غَمايمُها عَنكُما

هُموماً تُظِلُّ القُلوبَ الحِرارا

And may your vanished fortune return

Shaking the dust off its shoulders

وَيُعطيكُما اللَهُ نَفسَ الحَسو

دِ رِقّاً مُسَلَّمَةً أَو أَسارى

And he whose money time has ruined

His grand design is to restore the gambles

وَيَرجِعُ شانيكُما شاحِباً

يُنَفِّضُ عَن مَنكِبَيهِ الغُبارا

And it suffices you as a plot to kill the enemy

That meekness asks you for respite!

وَمَن قَمَرَ الدَهرُ أَموالَهُ

قَضى جَدُّهُ أَن يَرُدَّ القِمارا

If you slip in time’s schemes

Its pit has protected you from stumbling

وَحَسبُكَ كَيداً يُميتُ العَدُوَّ

أَن يَطلُبَ الذُلُّ مِنكَ الفِرارا

For ignorance strikes none but the forbearing

And breach rends none but dignity

لَئِن جُلتُما في مَكَرِّ الزَمانِ

فَبَوّاكُما مِن مَداهُ العِثارا

Your wealth parted among the enemies

While your person is peerless and uncontended

فَما يَقرَعُ الجَهلُ إِلّا الحَليمَ

وَلا يَنكُثُ الخُرقُ إِلّا الوَقارا

Nor have I met in time one who would ask

About its intimates where they headed

تَفَرَّقَ مالُكُما في العِدى

وَشَخصُكُما واحِدٌ لا يُمارى

I shall await time so long as I have

A promise and anticipation keeps me

وَلَم أَلقَ مُنفَرِداً في الزَمانِ

يُسائِلُ عَن إِلفِهِ أَينَ سارا

God has rallied an oft betraying fate

Until darkness rivals daylight

سَأَنتَظِرُ الدَهرَ ما دامَ لي

بِوَعدٍ وَأَسأَرُ عِندي اِنتِظارا

I browsed its children’s faces

But the gaze found in them no peace

لَحى اللَهُ دَهراً كَثيرَ العَدُوِّ

حَتّى الظَلامُ يُعادي النَهارا

I saw the morn disparage the sky

Disparaging me and hating the neighborhood

تَصَفَّحتُ أَوجُهَ أَبنائِهِ

فَلَم يَجِدِ اللَحظُ فيهِم قَرارا

And in it the pallor that it

Alters the guide in each day

رَأَيتُ الصَباحَ يَذُمُّ المَسا

ءِ ذَمّي وَيَكرَهُ مِنهُ الجِوارا

So be as I am in afflictions

Refusing with the wine cup save borrowing!

وَيَشحَبُ فيهِ عَلى أَنَّهُ

يُبَدِّلُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ صِدارا

For its generosity with affluence did not fool me

Nor increased in me save aloofness

فَكونوا كَما أَنا في النائِبا

تِ آبى مَعَ القَدحِ إِلّا اِستِعارا

فَما غَرَّني جودُهُ بِالثَراءِ

وَما زادَني مِنهُ إِلّا نِفارا