مَن يَذودَ الهُمومَ عَن مَكروبِ
مُستَكينٍ لِحادِثاتِ الخُطوبِ
Who will ward off worries from the distressed,
The helpless amid calamities and adversities?
حَوَّلَتهُ الدُنيا إِلى طولِ حُزنٍ
مِن سُرورٍ وَطيبِ عَيشٍ خَصيبِ
The days have transformed him into endless sorrow,
From joy and the bounty of a lush life.
فَهوَ في جَفوَةِ المَقاديرِ لا يَأ
خُذُ يَوماً مِن دَولَةٍ بِنَصيبِ
Thus amid the cruelty of fate he takes
No day with luck or gain.
خادِمٌ لِلمُنى قَدِ اِستَعبَدَتهُ
بِمَطالٍ وَخُلفِ وَعدٍ كَذوبِ
A servant of wishes, which enslaved him
With broken promises, breach and lies.
وَجَفاهُ الإِخوانُ حَتّى وَحَتّى
سَمِّ مَن شِئتَ مِن حَبيبٍ قَريبِ
Even friends shunned him, to the point
That any dear or close friend became poisonous.
شَغَلَتهُم دُنياهُ تَأكُلُ مِن دَر
رَت عَلَيهِ بِالحِرصِ وَالتَرغيبِ
The world preoccupied them, feeding on his wounds
With greed and enticement.
وَأَرى وِدَّهُم كَلَمعِ سَرابٍ
غَرَّ قَوماً عَطشى بِقاعٍ جَدوبِ
And I see their love like a mirage
That deceived thirsty people in barren plains.
طالَما صَعَّروا الخُدودَ وَهَزّوا ال
أَرضَ في يَومِ مَحفِلٍ وَرُكوبِ
Long have they wrinkled their cheeks and struck
The ground on days of revelry and riding.
ثُمَّ أَمسَوا وَفدَ القُبورِ وَسُكّا
نَ الثَرى تَحتَ جَندَلٍ مَنصوبِ
Then they became residents of graves and dwellers
Of dust beneath erected biers.
آهِ مِن ذِكرِ آخَرينَ رَماهُم
قَدَرُ المَوتِ مِن شَبابٍ وَشيبِ
Alas, the memory of others whom the fate
Of death took in their prime and old age!
بِدَعٌ مِن مَكارِمِ الفِعلِ وَالقَو
لِ وَإِخوانِ مَحضِرٍ وَمَغيبِ
They are gone from virtuous deeds and words,
Brothers present and absent.
لَستُ مِن بَعدِهِم أَرى صورَةَ الإِن
سِ يَقيناً إِلّا خَلائِقَ ذيبِ
After them I do not truly see the form of man,
Only despicable natures.
صَحِبوا الوُدَّ بِالوَفاءِ وَصَحّوا
مِن نِفاقٍ وَالبِشرِ وَالتَقريبِ
Accompany love with loyalty, and beware
Of hypocrisy, deception and falsehood.
كَم كَريمٍ يَرى الوَعدَ بُخلاً
مِنهُ قَلَّ لِكَثرَةِ المَوهوبِ
How many generous souls see a promise as stinginess
Due to frequent giving.
يَتَلَقّى السُؤالَ مِنهُ بِوَجهٍ
لَم يُخَدِّد خُدودَهُ بِالقُطوبِ
They meet requests with a face
Unhardened by frowns.
فَسَقاهُم كَجودِهِم أَو كَدَمعي
صَوبَ غَيثٍ ذي هَيدَبٍ مَسكوبِ
So they quenched them like their generosity,
Or like my streaming tears of pouring rain.
أُمَراءٌ قادوا أَعِنَّةَ جَيشٍ
يَترُكُ الصَخرَ خَلفَهُ كَالكَثيبِ
Princes who led the blindness of an army
That leaves rocks behind it like hills.
يَملَأونَ السَماءَ مِن قَسطَلِ الحَر
بِ وَفي الأَرضِ مِن دَمٍ مَصبوبِ
They fill the sky with the risen dust of war,
And the earth with spilled blood.
وَيَهُزّونَ كُلَّ أَخضَرَ كَالبَق
لَةِ ماضٍ عَلى الفُلولِ رَسوبِ
And they shake all greenery like tremors
Of the past over its remnants and traces.
لا تَرى في قَتيلِهِ غَيرَ جُرحٍ
كَفَمِ العودِ ضَجَّ عِندَ اللَغوبِ
You see in their dead only wounds
Like the mouth of a lute lamenting.
ضَربَةٌ ما لَها مِنَ الضَربِ جارٌ
أَخَذَت نَفسَهُ بِلا تَعذيبِ
A blow that has no equal among blows
Took his soul without torture.
فَهوَ لَو عاشَ لَم يُطالِب بِثَأرٍ
لا وَلا عَدَّ قَتلَهُ في الذُنوبِ
Thus had he lived he would not have sought vengeance,
Nor counted his killing a sin.
قُل لِدُنيايَ قَد تَمَكَّنتِ مِنّي
فَاِفعَلي ما أَرَدتِ أَن تَفعَلي بي
Say to my life: you have overpowered me,
So do what you want with me.
وَاِخرُقي كَيفَ شِئتِ خُرقَ جَهولٍ
إِنَّ عِندي لَكِ اِصطِبارَ لَبيبِ
And tear me as you please like a fool,
For I have the patience of a wise man for you.
رُبَّ أُعجوبَةٍ مِنَ الدَهرِ بِكرٍ
وَعَوانٍ قَد راضَها تَجريبي
Wondrous are the workings of time
That satisfied me through experience.
رُدَّ عَنّي كَأسَ المُدامِ خَليلي
إِنَّ نَفسي صارَت عَلَيَّ حَسيبي
My friend, remove from me the wine cup,
For my soul has become sufficient company for me.
وَبَدَت شَيبَتي وَتَمَّ شَبابي
وَاِنتَهى عاذِلي وَنامَ رَقيبي
My hair turned white and my youth ended,
My critic slept and my watcher disappeared.
وَتَنَحَّيتُ عَن طَريقِ الغَواني
وَالتَصابي وَقُلتُ يا نَفسِ توبي
And I avoided the path of passion and folly,
Saying: "O soul, repent!"
وَلَقَد حَثَّ بِالمُدامَةِ كَفّي
شادِنٌ حاذِقٌ بِصَيدِ القُلوبِ
And hands that urged me to drink
Were an expert hunter of hearts.
جاءَنا مُقبِلاً فَأَيُّ قَضيبٍ
ثُمَّ وَلّى عَنّا فَأَيُّ كَثيبِ
He approached us, so which staff
Then turned away from us, so which hill!
وَلَقَد أَغتَدي عَلى طائِرِ العَد
وُ جَوادٍ مُسَوَّمٍ يَعبوبِ
And he preyed on the bird of the Eden,
A thoroughbred steed bounding ahead.
فَإِذا سارَ دُكَّتِ الأَرضُ دَكّاً
بَعدَ إِذ رامَها بِذَيلِ عَسيبِ
So when he traveled, the land was pounded
After his tail whipped it.
قارِحٍ زانَهُ خِمارٌ مِنَ العُر
فِ يُفادي بِالسَبحِ وَالتَقريبِ
A beast whose inebriation was increased
By the wine flask and repeated sips.
ذاكَ مَن لَذَّني وَزَيّافَةُ المَش
يِ خَنوفٍ نَجيبَةٍ لِنَجيبِ
That is the one who seduced me,
The deceit of an alluring and gentle lady.
ضَربُها زَجرُها إِذا اِستُعمِلَ السَو
طُ وَعَضَّ المَطِيَّ طولُ الدُروبِ
Her slapping and scolding when the whip was used
And the rider endured long roads.
إِن تَرَيني يا شَرُّ مُلقىً عَلى الفُر
شِ وَقَد مَلَّ عائِدي وَطَبيبي
If you see me, O evil one, lying down and
Tired of my returning and doctor.
كُنتُ رَيحانَةَ المَجالِسِ في السِل
مِ وَحَتفَ الأَبطالِ يَومَ الحُروبِ
I was the flower of gatherings in peace,
And a fortress for heroes in times of war.
وَعِداً صَبَّحتُهُم بِرَحى جَي
شٍ رُكامٍ مِثلِ الدَبى المَجلوبِ
At dawn I bid them farewell with a grinding millstone,
Like attacking troops of cavalry.
يَلِغُ الذِئبُ مِنهُمُ كُلَّ يَومٍ
في نُحورٍ مَعطوطَةٍ كَالجُيوبِ
Everyday the wolf takes his fill of them
In outstretched necks like robes.
وَلَقَد أَكشِفُ الخُطوبَ بِرَأيٍ
لَيسَ عَنهُ الصَوابُ بِالمَحجوبِ
And I uncover tribulations with an opinion
From which truth is not concealed.
مُنضَجٍ غَيرِ مُعجَلٍ وَهوَ إِن أُم
كِنَ في فُرصَةٍ سَريعُ الوُثوبِ
Mature, not hasty, and if enabled
In an opportunity, quick to pounce.
وَأُعافي العافينَ مِن سَقَمِ الجو
عِ وَأَسقي سَيفي دَمَ العُرقوبِ
And I pardon those free of illness,
And quench my sword with the blood of the oppressor.
وَلَقَد صِرتُ ما تَرينَ فَإِن كا
نَ حِماماً يا شَرُّ هَذا الَّذي بي
Yet here you see what became of me.
So if something afflicts you,
فَإِذا ما اِبتَلاكِ شَيءٌ فَميلي
أَو فَدومي عَلى البُكا وَالنَحيبِ
Turn to me or continue with crying and wailing.
