وَذي ضَغَنٍ مَعسولَةٍ كَلِماتُهُ

وَمَسمومَةٍ تَترى إِلى القَلبِ نَبلُهُ

With sweet yet poisoned words that pierce the heart,

And with arrows that find their way to the soul,

عَرَكتُ بِحِلمي جَهلَهُ فَكَدَدتُهُ

عِراكاً إِلى أَن ماتَ حِلي وَجَهلُهُ

I battled his ignorance with my forbearance,

A battle that persisted until my patience and his ignorance died,

رَكِبتَ ظِرابَ اللابَتَينِ عَلى الحَفا

وَغَيرُكَ لَم تَسلَم عَلَيهِنَّ نَعلُهُ

You rode the sand dunes fearing no calamity,

While others could barely walk there with shoes on,

لَقَد أَوعَرَ النَهجُ الَّذي أَنتَ خابِطٌ

فَقِف سالِماً حَيثُ اِنتَهى بِكَ سَهلُهُ

Rugged is the path you tread,

So stop safely where the plain ends,

لِأَشفي مَريضَ الوُدِّ بَيني وَبَينَكُم

وَعاوَدَ نُكساً بَعدَ بُرءٍ مُبِلُّهُ

To heal the sickness of disaffection between us,

That relapsed after it had been cured,

وَكانَ الأَذى رَشحاً فَقَد صارَ غَمرَةً

وَأَوَّلُ أَعدادِ الكَثيرِ أَقَلُّهُ

Harm was but sprinkles, now a flood,

The least of great numbers still has its asset,

نَهَيتُكَ عَن شِعبٍ عَسيرٍ وُلوجُهُ

بِذي الرِمثِ قَد أَعيا عَلى الناسِ صِلُّهُ

I warned you against a path so hard to take,

With brambles that trouble people when they cling,

وَبَيتٍ كَلِصبِ الأَريِ لا تَستَطيعُهُ

صُدورُ الطِوالِ الزاعِبِيّاتِ نَحلُهُ

A house like a yawning lion’s den,

That the tall and glorious cannot endure,

فَلا تَقرَبَنَّ الغابَ يَحميهِ لَيثُهُ

وَدَع جانِباً وَعراً عَلى مَن يَحُلُّهُ

So do not go near the forest protected by its beasts,

And leave aside barrenness for those who can endure it,

كَأَنَّ عَلى الأَطوادِ مِن نَزعِ بيشَةٍ

رَصيدِ طَريقٍ ضَلَّ مَن يَستَدِلُّهُ

As if paths on the hillside signal to the lost,

A wandering road for those who would follow it,

تَلَفَّعَ في ثَنيِ عَباءٍ مُشَبرَقٍ

أَصابيغُ أَلوانِ الدِماءِ تَبُلُّهُ

He strutted in the folds of a brightly colored gown,

Dyed with the colors of blood that drench it,

قُصاقِصَةٌ ما باتَ إِلّا عَلى دَمٍ

تَمَضمَضَ مِنهُ عِرسُهُ ثُمَّ شِبلُهُ

A heavy-bladed short sword that rests not but on blood,

Which its owner and offspring lick and then sharpen,

أَخو قَنَصٍ كَفّاهُ كَفُّةُ صَيدِهِ

إِذا جاعَ يَوماً وَالذِراعانِ حَبلُهُ

The brother of hunters whose game fills his palm,

If he ever goes hungry with arms for ropes,

يُشَقِّقُ عَن حُبِّ القُلوبِ بِمَخصَفٍ

أَزَلٍّ كَما جَلّى عَنِ الرُمحِ نَصلُهُ

Who splits affection from hearts with an unsheathed sword,

As smooth as it made its blade bare of its scabbard,

كَخارِزِ مَقدودِ الأَديمِ رَأَيتَهُ

يَبينُ عَنِ الإِشفى وَطَوراً يَغُلُّهُ

You saw him as a ripped leather bag,

That reveals what it holds then hides it away again,

قَليلِ اِدِّخارِ الزادِ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

مَتى ما يُعايِن مَطعَماً فَهوَ أُكلُهُ

With little provision of food he knows,

That if he spots an eatery, he will rob it empty,

تُصَدِّعُ عَن هَمهامَةِ الخَيلِ وَالقَنا

صِياحُكَ في أَعقابِ طَردٍ تَشُلُّهُ

Your shouts in the aftermath of defeat that dishonors,

As the horses neigh and the spears clash,

لَهُ وِقفَةُ المِجزاعِ ثُمَّ تُجيزُهُ

حَفيظَةُ مَجموعٍ عَلى الرَوعِ شَملُهُ

For him is the stance of dismay, then defeat,

Protected are those who gathered against panic,

وَمُستَوقَداتٍ مِن لَظى العارِ أَجَّجَت

لَها حَطَباً لا يَنقَضي الدَهرُ جَزلُهُ

With fires fueled by the flames of shame they provoked,

Whose fuel will never diminish till judgment comes,

تَوَرَّدَها قَومٌ فَطاحوا جَهالَةً

وَكانَ عِقالُ المَرءِ عَنهُنَّ عَقلُهُ

Misguided folk who in ignorance fell by them,

When a man’s reason parts from them, his mind remains,

وَطَوقٍ مِنَ المَخزاةِ فيكُم عَقَدتُهُ

أَلا إِنَّ عَقدَ العارِ يُعجِزُ حَلُّهُ

Around your necks I tied a necklace of disgrace,

Knowing well the knot of shame cannot be undone,

مَضَغتُكُمُ بِالذَمِّ ثُمَّ لَفَظتُكُم

وَما كُلُّ لَحمٍ يُعجِبُ المَرءَ أَكلُهُ

I chewed you with blame then spat you out,

Not all meat appeals to a person’s taste,

شَغَلتُ بِكُم قَولي وَعِندي بَقِيَّةٌ

وَقَد يُردَفُ الظَهرُ الَّذي آدَ حَملُهُ

I busied my words with you while more remains,

That can saddle a back once burdened,

فَلا تَفتَقِد خِلّاً يَسوءُكَ بَعضُهُ

وَإِن غابَ يَوماً عَنكَ ساءَكَ كُلُّهُ

Resent not the absence of a bad friend some days,

If he disappears one day, all of him went away,

إِذا شِئتَ أَن تَبلو اِمرَأً كَيفَ طَبعُهُ

فَدَعهُ وَسائِل قَبلَها كَيفَ أَصلُهُ

If you want to test a man see his nature,

Then leave him and watch his origin before that,