كُنْ مِنْ صُروفِ الرّدى على حَذَرِ
لا يَقْبَلُ الدّهْرُ عذْرَ معتَذِرِ
Be wary of the turns of fate,
Time accepts no excuses from one making apologies.
ولا تُعوِّلْ فيهِ على دَعَةٍ
فأنتَ في قلْعةٍ وفي سقَرِ
Do not rely on calm therein,
For you are in a castle, and in Hellfire.
فكُلُّ رِيٍّ يفْضي الى ظمإٍ
وكُلُّ أمْنٍ يدْعو الى غَرَرِ
Every stream leads to thirst,
And every safety calls to delusions.
وكلُّ حيٍّ فالموْتُ غايَتُهُ
وكلُّ نفْعٍ يُدْني الى ضرَرِ
Every living being, death is its end,
And every benefit draws one nearer to harm.
كمْ شامِخِ الأنْفِ ينْثَني فرَحاً
بالَ عليْهِ زمانُهُ وخَري
How many lofty noses does time humble!
Without fault, yet time and fate oppress them!
قُلْ للوَزيرِ البَليدِ قد ركَضَتْ
في ربْعِكَ اليوْمَ غارَةُ الغِيَرِ
Say to the dim-witted minister: today
The raids of the enemy galloped in your garden.
يا ابْنَ أبي الفتْحِ نسْبَةٌ عُكِسَتْ
فَلا بفَتْحٍ أتَتْ ولا ظَفَرِ
O son of Abu al-Fath, a lineage inverted!
No conquest came from you, nor victory!
وِزارَةٌ لمْ يَجِدْ مقَلِّدُها
عنْ شُؤمِها في الوُجودِ منْ وَزَرِ
A ministry which its holder could not find,
From its ill fortune, any to share its burden.
في طالِعِ النّحْسِ حُزْتَ رُتْبَتَها
وكلُّ شيءٍ في قبْضَةِ القَدَرِ
In the ascendant of bad luck were you girded with its rank,
All things in the grasp of destiny!
أيُّ اخْتبارٍ لمْ يألُ نصْبَتَهُ
في جسَدٍ للنّحوسِ أو نظَرِ
What test did you not impose
Upon a body cursed or an opinion?
باتَ لهُ المُشتَري على غبَنٍ
وأُحْرِقَت فيهِ قُرْصَةُ القَمَرِ
The buyer regrets the loss to him
And the cream is burnt away from the moon!
يا طَلَلاً ما عليْهِ منْ عمَلٍ
يا شجَراً ما لدَيْهِ منْ ثمَرِ
O you who are fruitless, no deeds to your name!
O you barren tree, no fruits to claim!
يا مُفْرِطَ الجهْلِ والغَباوَةِ لا
يُحْسَبُ إلا منْ جُمْلَةِ البَقَرِ
O prodigal of ignorance and folly! You are not reckoned
Except among the cattle and beasts!
يا دائِمَ الحِقْدِ والفَظاظَةِ لا
يفَرِّقُ بيْنَ ظالِمٍ وبَري
O habitual harbinger of spite and vulgarity!
Who distinguishes not between oppressor and innocent!
يا كَمِدَ اللّوْنِ ينْطَفي كمَدا
منْ حسَدٍ يسْتَطيرُ بالشّرَرِ
O camel-like of complexion, kindling
With envy afire with embers!
يا عِدْلَ سَرْجٍ يا دنَّ مُقْتَعَدٍ
مَلآنَ منْ رِيبَةٍ ومنْ قَذَرِ
O justice of a packed saddle, O base seated one
Filled with suspicion and filth!
يا واصِلاً للجَشاءِ ناشيَةَ الْ
لَيْلِ ورَبَّ الضُّراطِ في السّحَرِ
O one who travels to lewdness, roaming the night,
With Lord of the hunt at dawn!
من غَيْر لُبٍّ ولا مُراقَبةٍ
للهِ في موْرِد ولا صَدَرِ
Without shame, no heeding of God,
In manner or conscience!
يا خامِلاً جاهُهُ الفُروجُ يَرى
صِهْرَ أولي الجاهِ فخْرَ مُفْتَخِرِ
O one whose glory is dead, who sees
The sons in law of notables as a pride to boast!
كانوا نَبيطاً في الأصْلِ أو حَبَشاً
ما عِنْدَهُ عِبْرَةٌ بمُعْتَبِرِ
They were originally Nabataean or Abyssinian,
No lesson for you in that, O unconsidering one!
يا ناقِصَ الدّينِ والمُروءَةِ والْ
عَقْلِ ومُجْري اللّسانِ بالهَذَرِ
O you deficient in religion, chivalry, intellect,
With a tongue that babbles nonsense!
يا ولَدَ السَّحْقِ غيرَ مكْتَتَمٍ
حَديثُهُ يا ابْنَ فاسِدِ الدُّبُرِ
O son of vileness, no veil drawn,
Your talk, O son of corrupt origin!
يا بغْلَ طاحونَةٍ يَدورُ بِها
مُجْتهِدَ السّيْرِ مغْمَضَ البَصَرِ
O mule of a mill, spinning therein,
The diligent traveler, eyes tightly shut!
في أشْهُرٍ عشْرَةٍ طحَنْتَهُمُ
فَيا رَحى الشّؤمِ والبَوارِ دُري
In ten months you have ground them down,
So O millstone of ill omen and ruin, turn!
واللهِ ما كُنْتَ يا مَشومُ ولا
أنْتَ سِوى عُرّةٍ منَ العُرَرِ
By God! You were no star, but
Only a monkey of monkeys!
ومَنْ أبو الفتْحِ في الكِلابِ وهلْ
لجاهِلٍ في الأيّامِ منْ خطَرِ
And who is Abu al-Fath among dogs? What
Importance in days has an ignorant one?
قد ستَرَ الدّهْرُ منْكَ عوْرَتَهُ
وكانَ لليوْمِ غيْرَ مُسْتَتِرِ
Time concealed your shame from you,
Though it leaves nothing concealed today!
حانوتُ بَزٍّ يمْشي على فَرَسٍ
وثَوْرُ عُرْسٍ يخْتالُ في حِبَرِ
A grocer's stall walking on a horse
While a bull of marriage promenades with ink!
لا منّةٌ تُقْتَنى لمُعْتَرَكٍ
ولا لِسانٌ يُبينُ عنْ خَبَرِ
No favor is gained by one who quarrels,
No tongue makes clear any news.
ولا يَدٌ تَنْتَمي الى كَرَمٍ
ولا صَفاةٌ يُريحُ منْ كَدَرِ
No hand aspires to generosity,
No clarity comforts from gloom.
عهْدي بذاكَ الجَبينِ قدْ مُلِئَتْ
غُصونُهُ الغُبْرُ بالدّمِ الهَدَرِ
My pact with that forehead - its branches
Are filled with scattered, flowing blood!
عهْدي بذاكَ القَفا الغليظِ وقدْ
مُدَّ لوقْعِ المهنّدِ الذَّكَرِ
My pact with that thick nape - it has
Extended to the striking place of the executioner's sword!
أهْدَتْكَ للبَحْرِ كفُّ مُنْتَقِمٍ
ألْقَتْكَ للحوتِ كفُّ مُقْتَدِرِ
A vengeful palm has cast you into the sea,
A powerful palm has thrown you to the whale!
يا يُتْمَ أولادِكَ الصّغارِ ويا
حيْرَتُهُمْ بعْدَ ذاك في الكِبَرِ
O bereavement of your little children, and their
Perplexity after that in maturity!
يا ثُكْلَ تلكَ الصّمّاءِ أمِّهِمُ
وظاعِنُ الموْتِ غيرُ منتَظِرِ
O sterility of their mother, deaf,
With death coming unawaited!
واللهِ لا نالَ منْ تخلُّفِهِ
منْ أمَلٍ بعْدَها ولا وَطَرِ
By God, from her loss came to them
No expectation afterward, nor comfort!
واللهِ يا مَسْخَفانُ لا انْتَقلَتْ
رِجْلُكَ منْها إلا الى سقَرِ
By God, O contemptible man! Only your foot moved
From her to Hellfire!
ألحَقَكَ اللهُ بالهَوانِ ولا
رَعاكَ فيمَنْ تركْتَ منْ عُرَرِ
May God afflict you with abasement and not
Pasture you among those you left from your flock!
ما عُوقِبَ اللّيلُ بالصّباحِ وما
تقدّمَ البَرْقُ عارِضَ المطَرِ
Night is not punished with morning,
Nor does lightning race the rain.
