يا صاحِ لا تَجرِ في لَومي وَتَأنيبي
ما كُلُّ مَن لَم يُجِب قَوماً بِمَغلوبِ
O critic, do not blame or rebuke me,
Not everyone who does not support a group is defeated,
هَب لي اِنتِقاصَكَ عِرضاً غَيرَ مُنتَقَصٍ
فَما مَتاعُكَ في الدُنيا بِمَرهوبِ
Grant me your shortcoming as an unblemished honor,
For your possessions in this world are not coveted,
إِنّي وَإِن كانَ حِلمي واسِعاً لَهُمُ
لا أَستَهِلُّ عَلى جارٍ بِشُؤبوبِ
Although my tolerance towards them is vast,
I do not impose on a neighbor any harm,
طَلّابُ أَمرٍ لِهَولِ الناسِ حُظوَتُهُ
عَلى القُلوبِ رَكوبٌ غَيرُ مَسلوبِ
Seekers of commands, their only gain is people's horror,
Hearts have an unrelenting rider,
كَم مِن بَديعَةِ شَرٍّ قَد فَتَكتُ بِها
في لَيلَةٍ مِثلِ لُجِّ البَحرِ يَعبوبِ
How many elegant evils have wreaked havoc
In a night like the darkness of the raging sea,
مِنهُنَّ لَيلَةَ باتَت غَيرَ نائِمَةٍ
حَرّى وَحَربِ أَخي الحَنّانِ عُرقوبِ
Among them is the night that did not sleep,
It irritated my affectionate brother Erqub,
باتَ القُلَيفِعُ فيما يَبتَغي أَجلي
وَلَيسَ ما ضافَ مِن هَجري بِتَعييبِ
Al-Qulaif spent the night seeking my death,
And my estrangement was not out of rebuke,
جاءَت وَجاءَ السَجوجي مِن بَني وَأَلٍ
وَالزِقُّ يَحدو وِكاها ساكِنُ اللوبِ
The Bani Wa’il and Al-Sajūjī came
And Az-Ziq spewed while residing Al-Lub,
يَهفونَ دونَ أُكَيراحٍ وَمِثلُهُمُ
طِفلُ الحُسامِ بِبابِ المُلكِ مَعصوبِ
They swagger below Ukayrāh and the likes of them
Are but a child with a sword at the door of the king,
لَمّا اِلتَقَينا عَلى مَلكٍ نُساوِرُهُ
صَعبِ المَرامِ كَحَرِّ النارِ مَشبوبِ
When we met over a realm we dispute,
As difficult as the heat of blazing fire,
قالَت هَلَكتَ وَلَم أَهلِك فَقُلتُ لَها
في مَثلِها كُنتُ صَفّاحَ الأَعاجيبِ
She said you are destroyed but I did not destroy you, so I said,
In the like of her I was a wonder worker,
حاوَلتُمُ العَرشَ عِندي في سَلاسِلِهِ
هَيهاتَ رُمتُم قَريباً غَيرَ مَقروبِ
You tried to snatch the throne from me in its chains,
Alas, you have aimed near yet unchained,
ضَمَّت قَناني عَلى الميراثِ فَيئَكُمُ
وَالسَيلانُ ذو الوَجهَينِ يَعسوبِ
She blamed me for the inheritance, thus it is yours,
And the two-faced trash As’ūb,
فَأَصبَحَت بَعدَ ما عَضَّ الثِقافُ بِها
رَيّا المَفاصِلِ مَلساءَ الأَنابيبِ
So at daybreak, after the Pleiades stung her,
My joints were slack and my pipes malleable,
كَأَنَّما دُهِنَت دُهناً وَقَد عُرِكَت
لَيلَ التَمامِ بِتَعضيضٍ وَتَقليبِ
As if she was oiled and kneaded
At nightfall with wringing and turning,
كَأَنَّني مِن رَُقاهُم لَيلَةَ اِحتُضِروا
مُذَبذَبٌ بَينَ إِصعادٍ وَتَصويبِ
It was as if I, because of their thinness that night they perished,
Was swaying between raising and aiming,
يَرمونَ قَلبي بِأَسحارٍ وَأَمحَقُها
عَنّي بِحَرفٍ مِنَ القُرآنِ مَكتوبِ
They pelt my heart with sorceries but I dispel them
From me with a verse from the inscribed Quran,
حَتّى إِذا أَشرَفَت نَفسي عَلى طَمَعٍ
فَاِستَعجَلَ الصُبحُ أَمثالَ الأَهابيبِ
Until when my soul inclined towards hope,
Dawn hurried like the crawlings,
سَحَرتُ ريفاً لِبَفزولِ فَدامَجَهُ
إِذ أَلَّفَت فيهِ بَينَ الشاةِ وَالذيبِ
I cast a spell on Bafzwl's countryside, thereby integrating it
When it allied the ewe and the wolf in it,
وَقَد عَطَفتُ مَكيحاً بَعدَ حَيصَتِهِ
عَلى الوَديقِ فَما وِترٌ بِمَطلوبِ
And I have reined Makīh after his betrayal,
To the faithful friend yet the string is not sought,
وَقَد خَنَقتُ مَليحاً في مَنازِلِهِ
حَتى اِستَمَرَّ طَريداً غَيرَ مَصحوبِ
And I strangled Malīh in his dwellings,
Until he persisted fleeing without a companion,
وَقَد قَرَعتُ القَرينا إِذ قَرَعتُ لَهُ
بِالعَنكَبوتِ وَكانَ الحوبُ بِالحوبِ
And I stroke the pair when I stroke for it
With the spider while the seeds were by the seeds,
وَقَد تَرَكتُ أَبا اللِصَّينِ مُعتَرِضاً
وَما اِعتِراضُ ذُبابٍ طَنَّ مَذبوبِ
And I left Abu Al-Lissayn intercepting,
And the interception of hummingbugs is not that of an addled fly,
يُرَوِّحُ الغِيَّ يَعبوباً لَهُ شَرَفٌ
وَفي الرَشادِ بَليداً غَيرَ يَعبوبِ
It cheers up the absent and for it there is honor,
While in leadership it is slow not absent,
وَقَد عَرَفتُ عَريفاً ناكَ خالَتَهُ
وَقَد تَلَفَّعَ شَيباً غَيرَ مَخضوبِ
And I knew a herdsman who butted his maternal aunt,
And grey hair cascaded down him undyed,
يَصُبُّ في فَلسِها مِن ماءِ فَيشَتِهِ
صَبَّ الوَليدَةِ في المِصحاةِ بِالكوبِ
He pours in her cheek from the water of his bladder,
The pouring of Al-Walīdah in the pot with the cup,
وَالعَبدُ زَوجُ الزَواني قَد نَفَختُ لَهُ
مِنّي بِسَجلٍ ذَنوباً غَيرَ مَشروبِ
And the slave husband of adulteresses, I have inflated for him
From me with a register sins not imbibed,
يَمشي بِأَيرٍ مَهيبٍ في عَشيرَتِهِ
وَما الفَتى بِمَهيبٍ في المَقانيبِ
He walks with frightened camel hair in his tribe,
While the young man is not frightened in the settlements,
مِمَّن يَروعُكَ مَطلوباً بِرُؤيَتِهِ
وَقَد تَراهُ مُصيخاً غَيرَ مَطلوبِ
One who startles you sought, with his sight,
Yet you may see him extended not sought,
