يَعيشُ بِجِدٍّ عاجِزٌ وَجَليدُ
وَكُلُّ قَريبٍ لا يُنالُ بَعيدُ
By fortune live both the helpless and the hardy.
And every near thing that cannot be reached is far.
وَفي الطَمَعِ التَنصيبُ وَاليَأسُ كَالغِنى
وَلَيسَ لِما يُبقي الشَحيحُ خُلودُ
In covetousness lies toil, and despair is like wealth.
Nor is what the miser hoards everlasting.
وَلا يَدفَعُ المَوتَ الأَطِبّاءُ بِالرُقى
وَسَيّانِ نَحسٌ يُتَّقى وَسُعودُ
Nor can physicians ward off death with incantations.
And ill fortune one seeks to avert and good fortune are alike.
وَما نالَ شَيئاً طالِبٌ بِجَلادَةٍ
وَلَكِن لِقَومٍ حُظوَةٌ وَجُدودُ
No seeker has gained anything through hardiness,
But some people have favor and good fortune.
وَتُصبِحُ لا تَدري أَيَأتيكَ خافِضاً
نَصيبُكَ أَم تَغدو لَهُ فَتَرودُ
And you wake not knowing: will there come to you, while you rest,
Your allotted share, or will you go out and seek it?
يَفوتُ الغِنى قَوماً يَخِفّونَ لِلغِنى
وَيَلقى رَباحاً آخَرونَ قُعودُ
Wealth eludes people who hasten after wealth,
While others find profit sitting still.
وَلِلخَيرِ أَسبابٌ وَلِلعَينِ فِتنَةٌ
وَمَن ماتَ مِن حُبِّ النِساءِ شَهيدُ
Good has its means, and the eye its temptation;
And whoever dies of love for women is a martyr.
وَبَيضاءَ مِكسالٍ كَأَنَّ حَديثَها
إِذا أُلقِيَت مِنهُ العُيونُ بُرودُ
And a fair-skinned, languid woman—her speech seems
Like striped cloaks when its choicest phrases are uttered.
دَعَتني بِأَسبابِ الهَوى وَدَعَوتُها
لَيالِيَ سِربالُ الصَفاءِ جَديدُ
She called me through the bonds of passion, and I called her,
On nights when the robe of affection was new.
فَجاءَت عَلى خَوفٍ كَأَنَّ فُؤادَها
جَناحُ السُمانى يَرعَوي وَيَحيدُ
So she came fearfully, as though her heart were
A quail's wing, drawing back and veering aside.
فَأَعطَيتُها كَفَّ الصَفاءِ فَأَعرَضَت
ثَقيلَةَ أَدعاصِ الرَوادِفِ رودُ
So I offered her the hand of affection, and she turned away,
Heavy with the sand dunes of her haunches, soft and supple.
تَصُدُّ حَياءً ثُمَّ يَقتادُها الهَوى
إِلَينا وَفيها صَبوَةٌ وَصُدودُ
She turns away in modesty, then passion leads her
To us, with yearning and withdrawal within her.
وَأَيُّ نَعيمٍ لَم أَعِش في ظِلالِهِ
أُكادُ عَلى لِذّاتِهِ وَأَكيدُ
And what bliss have I not lived in the shade of?
I am plotted against over its pleasures, and I plot in turn.
شَرِبتُ بِكَأسِ العاشِقينَ وَزارَني
هِلالٌ عَلَيهِ مِجسَدٌ وَعُقودُ
I drank from the cup of lovers, and there visited me
A crescent moon in a chemise and necklaces.
مِنَ المُستَفِزّاتِ القُلوبَ إِذا مَشَت
تَأَوَّدُ في أَعطافِها وَتَميدُ
One of those women who stir hearts; when she walks,
She bends at the waist and sways.
تَزينُ بِخُلقٍ وَجهَها وَيَزينُهُ
أَغَرُّ كَمِصباحِ الظَلامِ وَجيدُ
She adorns her face with character; it is adorned, too, by
A bright gleam, like a lamp in darkness, and her neck.
كَأَنَّ نِساءَ الحَيِّ حينَ يَزُرنَها
نَواحِبُ نَحبٍ تَمَّ فيهِ سُجودُ
As though the women of the quarter, when they visit her,
Were mourners in lament, bowed in full prostration.
فَما كانَ إِلّا الأُنسُ بَيني وَبَينَها
وَشَدوُ غِناءٍ تارَةً وَنَشيدُ
There was nothing between me and her but companionship,
And sometimes melodious song, and chanted verse.
طَوَينا بِها ذاكَ الزَمانَ وَإِنَّنا
لَكَالماءِ لِلحَرّانِ فيهِ بَرودُ
We passed that time with her, and indeed we were
Like water for the parched, bringing cooling relief.
فَلَمّا ذَكَت عَينٌ وَأَشرَفَتِ العِدى
وَجاهَرَنا واشٍ وَدَبَّ حَسودُ
Then, when an eye grew keen and the enemies looked on,
And a talebearer openly confronted us, and an envier crept about,
وَقَد قُلتُ تَأديباً لَهُ وَصَبابَةً
إِلَيها وَمِن دونِ اللِقاءِ وَعيدُ
I spoke to admonish him, and out of longing
For her, while a threat stood in the way of meeting:
أَطيعي عَدُوّاً وَاِحذَري عَينَ حاسِدٍ
عَقارِبُهُ تَسري وَنَحنُ قُعودُ
“Obey an enemy, and beware an envier's eye;
His scorpions travel by night while we sit still.”
فَقالَت بِنا شَوقٌ إِلَيكَ وَإِنَّما
نُصادي عُيوناً تَنثَني فَنَعودُ
Then she said, “There is longing in us for you; we merely
Coax watching eyes; when they turn away, we return.”
Sol 6.1