جَزَتْنيَ غَرْناطَةٌ بعْدَ ما

جَلَوْتُ مَحاسِنَه بالجَلا

Granada rewarded me after I

Praised its beauty in verse

ولمْ تُبْقِ جاهاً ولا حُرْمَةً

ولمْ تُبْقِ مالاً ولا منْزِلا

Leaving me no prestige or sanctity

No wealth or home

كأنّي انْفرَدْتُ بقَتْلِ الحُسَيْنِ

وجرّدْتُ سَيْفيَ في كَرْبَلا

As if I alone killed Al-Hussein

And unsheathed my sword at Karbala

ولمْ أجْنِ ذَنْباً سِوى أنّني

صدَعْتُ بأمْداحِها في المَلا

My only crime being

That I praised it in public

وأنّيَ صنّفْتُ فيها الغَريبَ

فصِرْتُ الغَريبَ أجوبُ الفَلا

And composed the exotic about it

Thus becoming the exile wandering in the wilderness

يَميناً لقَدْ أنْكَرَتْ ما جَرى

نُفوسُ الوَرى وأبَتْهُ العُلا

By God, its people rejected what transpired

And the noble refused it

وما خَصّني زمَني بالعُقوقِ

فكَمْ رِيءَ منْ فاضِلٍ مُبْتَلَى

My time was not ungrateful to me

So why were many virtuous ones tried?

وإنْ ظهَرَتْ نِعْمَةٌ للإلاهِ

عليَّ فأُلْبِسْتُ منْها حُلا

If a blessing from God was bestowed upon me

I was clad in it entirely

وإنْ قرّبَتْني المُلوكُ الكِرامُ

يُقَلِّدُ آخرُها الأُوَلا

And if I was brought near by noble kings

The last would appoint the first

وإنْ مكّنَتْني منْ أمْرِها

فشِمْتُ السّيوفَ وصُنْتُ الطّلا

And if I was empowered in its affairs

I unsheathed swords and donned armor

وقابَلْتُ بالشّكْرِ منْها الصّنيعَ

وحاشا لمِثْليَ أن يُثْقِلا

And reciprocated its grace with thanks

Far be it from the likes of me to show ingratitude

فأُقسِمُ باللهِ لوْلا أنوفٌ

لجَرّدْتُ منْ مِقْوَلي مُنْصُلا

By God, were it not for noses that would sneer

I would have stripped my words bare

فيَتْرُكُ في النّاسِ أمْثالَهُ

تُحدِّثُ لي رَغْمَ أنْفِ البِلا

Leaving the likes of me

To tell my tale despite the spiteful

ولا خلْقَ أجْهَلُ ممّن يظُنّ

بمِقْدارِ مِثْليَ أنْ يجْهَلا

None are more ignorant than those

Who think the likes of me ignorant

إذا ما ركِبْتُ الدُّجا إذْ سَما

يقَلِّدُ للنّجْمِ نضْرَ الحُلا

When I rode the stars at night

Bestowing celestial necklaces upon them

وكانَ لِسانيَ سيْفاً صَقيلاً

وكانَتْ يَراعي قَناً ذُبَّلا

My tongue was a polished sword

And my poems pearls to treasure

ولكِنْ لَقيتُ بصَبْرٍ جَميلٍ

قضاءَ الذي لمْ يزَلْ مُجْمَلا

But with graceful patience I accepted

That which fate unchanging dealt

وحاسَبْتُ نفْسيَ فيما أمَرَّ

فألْفَيْتُهُ البَعْضَ ممّا حَلا

And reckoned with myself concerning what transpired

Finding some of what befell agreeable

وأسْكَنْتُ ثأرِيَ لمّا دَعا

وأسْكَنْتُ بأسيَ لمّا غَلا

I calmed my vengeance when called upon

And calmed my fury when it raged

سَلامٌ علَيْها وإنْ أخْفَرَتْ

ذِمامي ووُدّي جزَتْ بالقِلا

Peace be upon it even if

It loosened my reins and love scarce

وألْبَسْتُها الأمْنَ سِتْراً حَصيناً

وإنْ هتَكَتْ سِتْريَ المُسْبَلا

Clothing it in the secure garb of safety

Even if it removed my garb in one pull

ومِثْليَ يبْقَى علَى عهْدِهِ

إذا أعْرَضَ الخِلُّ أو أقْبَلا

The likes of me keeps their word

Whether fortune turns its face or back