تَأبى اللَيالي أَن تُديما
بُؤساً لِخَلقٍ أَو نَعيما
The nights refuse to prolong
Misery for people or bliss
وَنَوائِبُ الأَيّامِ يَط
رُقنَ الوَرى بيضاً وَشيما
And the vicissitudes of days
Make the land now white, now black
وَالدَهرُ يوجِفُ فيهِ مُع
وَجَّ الطَريقِ وَمُستَقيما
And time in it causes to swerve
The straight path and the direct
وَالمَرءُ بِالإِقبالِ يَب
لُغُ وادِعاً خَطَراً جَسيما
And man by fortune attains
Grave danger and grand desire
وَيَنالُ بُغيَتَهُ وَما
أَنضى الذَميلَ وَلا الرَسيما
And gains his wish though not
Fasting nor wakefulness
وَإِذا اِنقَضى إِقبالُهُ
رَجَعَ الشَفيعُ لَهُ خَصيما
And when his fortune runs out
His intercessor turns foe
بَينا يَسيغُ شَرابَهُ
حَتّى يَغَصَّ بِهِ وُجوما
While he savours his drink
Until he chokes on it, undiluted
وَهُوَ الزَمانُ إِذا نَبا
سَلَبَ الَّذي أَعطى قَديما
And that is time: if it brings forth
It takes back what it gave before
كَالريحِ تَرجِعُ عاصِفاً
مِن بَعدِ ما بَدَأَت نَسيما
Like the wind, it comes raging back
After it began softly blowing
يَستَكهِمُ العَضبَ القَطو
عَ وَيُزلِقُ الرُمحَ القَويما
It stirs up the dormant coals
And makes the straight spear bend
وَيَعودُ بِالرَأسِ الطَمو
حِ العَينِ مِطراقاً أَميما
And returns the arrogant eye
To be a hammer, vile and base
كَم ذابِلٍ قادَ الجِيا
دَ القُبَّ يَعلُكُنَ الشَكيما
How many champions has it ruined
Heroes, biting the dust
كَعَواسِلِ الذُؤبانِ يَذرَع
نَ الأَماعِزَ وَالخُرُما
Like she-wolves seperating
The goats from the sheep
وَمُجَمِّرٍ لِلجَيشِ قَد
نَسِيَت ضَوامِرُهُ الجُموما
And one giving orders to armies
But forgot their reins
قَلِقٌ عَلى الأَنماطِ حَ
تّى يُدرِكَ الثارَ المُنيما
Restless over examples
Until he takes just revenge
لا يُصدِرُ الراياتِ حَ
تّى يَعتَصِرنَ دَماً جَمرَما
He will not raise banners
Until he draws copious blood
عَصَفَ الحِمامُ بِهِ وَفَر
رَقَ ذَلِكَ الجَمعَ العَميما
Misfortune blew him away
And scattered that huge crowd
وَرَمى بِهِ غَرَضَ الرَدى
عُريانَ قَد خَلَعَ النَعيما
And it cast him into the pit
Of misery, stripped of bliss
زالَ الوَزيرُ وَكانَ لي
وَزراً أُجُرُّ بِهِ الخُصوما
The minister fell though he
Could settle major disputes
فَالآنَ أَغدو لِلعِدا
وَنِبالِها غَرَضاً رَجيما
Now I have become a target
For enemies and their arrows
سَدَّ العُلى وَأَنارَ لا
فَظَّ القَضاءِ وَلا ظَلوما
He promoted the eminent
And lit up the dark injustice
حَتّى إِذا لَم يَبقَ إِ
لاّ أَن يُلامَ وَأَن يُليما
Until being blamed and abused
Was all that was left for him
طَرَحَ العَناءَ عَلى اللِئا
مِ مُجانِباً وَمَضى كَريما
He removed hardship from the weak
And departed generous
لَم يَعتَقِلهُ الحَبسُ مُم
تَهَناً وَلَم يُعزَل ذَميما
Prison did not shame him
Nor was he exiled, despised
أَفنى العِدا وَقَضى المُنى
وَبَنى العُلى وَنَجا سَليما
He destroyed enemies and fate
And built eminence and survived
الحامِلُ العِبءِ الَّذي
أَعيا المَصاعِبَ وَالقُروما
The bearer of heavy burdens
That exhausted and overwhelmed
سَئِموهُ فَاِحتَمَلَ المَغا
رِمَ لا أَلِفَ وَلا سَؤوما
They were sick of him so he bore
Strangeness - he was not accustomed to misery
أَنقاهُمُ جَيباً إِذا
عُدّوا وَأَملَسُهُم أَديما
He saved them when they regressed
And was always there for them
وَجهٌ كَأَنَّ البَدرَ شا
طَرَهُ الضِياءَ أَو النُجوما
A face as though the full moon
Lit it with brilliance or stars
لَو قابَلَ اللَيلَ البَهي
مَ لَمَزَّقَ اللَيلَ البَهيما
If he met gloomy night
He would tear night to shreds
يَجلو الهُمومَ وَرُبُّ وَج
هٍ إِن بَدا جَلَبَ الهُموما
He dispels worries though some
Faces, if frowning, cause worries
خَلَصَ النَجيُّ مُشاوِراً
قَلباً عَلى النَجوى كَتوما
The savior deliberated privately
A heart clandestine in counsel
وَمُنَبِّهاً عَزماً إِذا
ما هَزَّ لَم يوجَد نَؤوما
And alerted firm resolve when
It was shaken; he found no sleep
في الأَمرِ يَتَّهِمُ القَري
بَ عَليهِ وَالخِلَّ الحَميما
In command, he suspected both
Familiar and precious
حَتّى سَما فَحَدا بِها
بَزلاءَ ناجِيَةً سَعوما
Until he rose high, soaring
With them steeply aloft
كانَ العَظيمَ وَغَيرُ بَد
عٍ مِنهُ إِن رَكِبَ العَظيما
He was the great one though unlike
Him when the great one rode high
خُطَطٌ يُجَبِّنَّ المُشَ
جَّعَ أَو يُسَفِّهنَ الحَليما
Strategies making the desolate laugh
Or the forebearing act insane
وَالحُرُّ مِن حَذَرِ الهَوا
نِ يُزايلُ الأَمرَ الجَسيما
The freeman, fearing passion
Averts momentous events
وَيُليحُ مِن خَوفِ الأَذى
فَرَقاً وَيَدَّرِعُ الكُلوما
And avoids harm, separated
Taking precautions and armored
وَالضَيمُ أَروَحُ مِنهُ مَط
رورُ الظُبى بَلَغَ الصَميما
Agony is lighter for him than
Misery piercing to the core
بَعَثوا سِواكَ لَها فَكا
نَ مُبَلَّدا عَنها مَليما
They sent you to it though you
Held back from it, gentle
وَالعاجِزُ المَأفونُ أَق
عَدُ ما يَكونُ إِذا أُقيما
The incapable, despised one is still
When things are in capable hands
فَسَقى بِلادَكَ حيثُ كُن
تَ المُزنُ مُنبَعِقاً هَزيما
So he watered your land when you
Were defeated, retreating, vanquished
فَلَقَد سَقى خَدَّيَّ ذِك
رُكَ دَمعَ عَينَيَّ السَجوما
He watered your mention with the tears
From my eyes, constant
وَرَعَتكَ عَينُ اللَهِ مِق
لاقَ الرَكائِبِ أَومُقيما
And God's eye guarded you among
Assailants - settled or roaming
