شكا ما شكوتُ الرُّمحُ والنصلُ والسهمُ

سلاحُكَ مجموعاً يُؤلفُهُ نظمُ

I did not complain of the spear, the sword, or the arrow;

Your weapons altogether compose a system.

أخوكَ الذي تحنُو عليكَ ضُلُوعُهُ

وما عِندَهُ ممَّا علمتَ لهُ علمُ

Your brother whose ribs ache for you

And who has no knowledge, as you know, of knowledge,

سوى أن أحسسَّت ما بنفسكَ نفسُهُ

ودُونَكُما البيداءُ والأجبلُ الشُّمُّ

Except that he felt what was in your soul in his own,

While between you lies the desolate wilderness and the lofty mountains.

ألا هكذا فيسعدِ الصنوُ صِنوَهُ

فذا سيِّدٌ ندبٌ وذا سيدٌ قَرمُ

Lo, thus the thorn bushes defend their thorn bushes,

So one chief is summoned and another chief wounds.

ولم يشكُ ذا حتى شكا ذاكَ قبلَهُ

وعاودَ ذا ممَّا تطرَّقَ ذا سُقمُ

And this one did not complain until that one complained before him,

And this returned to what had caused that one sickness.

ألا انظر إلى الأشياءِ كيفَ تنازَعَت

وكيفَ يدقُّ الفهمُ عنهنَّ والوهمُ

Lo, observe how the things contend with each other

And how the understanding and the guess miss them.

وما افترقا حتَّى يُقالَ تشابَهَا

بلِ امتزَجَ التركيبُ والدَّمُ واللحمُ

And they did not separate until it was said they resembled each other,

Rather, the composition, blood, and flesh mingled.

وما هو إلا شقَّةٌ منكَ إن شكا

شكوتَ على هذا جرى القدرُ الحتمُ

It is nothing but a compartment of you if he complained;

You complained about this - destiny's course is compulsory.

ولا عجبٌ من كونِ ذا واتفاقهِ

فروحاكما رُوحٌ وجسماكُمَا جِسمُ

And it is no wonder that this one agrees with him,

For both your spirits are one spirit and both your bodies one body.

إذا شِدتَ مَجداً شادَهُ وأتَمَّهُ

وَمِثلُكَ بانٍ لَيسَ يَخلِفُهُ هَدمُ

When you seek glory, he seeks it and perfects it,

And the like of you, when he rises, no destruction makes him collapse.

ألا بِكُمُ يَسمُو إلى العُلو من سما

وأنتُم نظامُ المُلكِ ما طَلَعَ النجمُ

Lo, through you noble deeds rise to the heights,

And you are the system of the kingdom since the star rose.

بكم يُتأسَّى في العُلا وإليكُمُ

يُشَارُ وعنكُم يُؤخَذُ العَزمُ والحَزمُ

Through you consolation is sought in the heights, and to you

Appeal is made, and through you firmness and resolve are taken.

فلا بَرَقَت أيدي الحوادثِ بَينَكُم

ولا جازَ للدُّنيا على حُكمِكُم حَكمُ

So the hands of misfortunes have not flashed between you,

Nor has the world with its ruling had power over your rule.