وَاللَهِ ما مَعشَرٌ لاموا اِمرَأً جُنُباً
في آلِ لَأيِ بنِ شَمّاسٍ بِأَكياسِ
By God, the people did not blame a chaste man
Among the family of Layy son of Shammās with purses.
عَلامَ كَلَّفتَني مَجدَ اِبنِ عَمِّكُمُ
وَالعيسُ تَخرُجُ مِن أَعلامِ أَوطاسِ
Why did you burden me with the glory of your cousin’s son
While Jesus comes out from the signs of Autās?
ما كانَ ذَنبُ بَغيضٍ لا أَبا لَكُمُ
في بائِسٍ جاءَ يَحدو آخِرَ الناسِ
It was not the sin of the hated one that he had no father for you
In a wretch who came at the end of people to compete.
لَقَد مَرَيتُكُمُ لَو أَنَّ دِرَّتَكُم
يَوماً يَجيءُ بِها مَسحي وَإِبساسي
I have certainly seen you all, if your riches
Came one day with my wiping and squeezing.
وَقَد مَدَحتُكُمُ عَمداً لِأُرشِدَكُم
كَيما يَكونَ لَكُم مَتحي وَإِمراسي
And I have willfully praised you to guide you
So there would be for you a wiper and cleaner.
وَقَد نَظَرتُكُمُ إِعشاءَ صادِرَةٍ
لِلخَمسِ طالَ بِها حَبسي وَتَنساسي
And I have seen you in the evening of a young woman
For five whose detention has prolonged my forgetfulness and oblivion.
فَما مَلَكتُ بِأَن كانَت نُفوسُكُمُ
كَفارِكٍ كَرِهَت ثَوبي وَإِلباسي
Yet I do not own that your souls were
Like unbelievers, hating my garment and dress.
لَمّا بَدا لِيَ مِنكُم غَيبُ أَنفُسِكُم
وَلَم يَكُن لِجِراحي مِنكُمُ آسي
When the inner secrets of your souls became apparent to me
And I had no comforter among you for my wounds,
أَزمَعتُ يَأساً مُبيناً مِن نَوالِكُمُ
وَلَن تَرى طارِداً لِلحُرِّ كَالياسِ
I despaired openly of attaining you
And you will not see one chasing the free man like the ostrich.
أَنا اِبنُ بَجدَتِها عِلماً وَتَجرِبَةً
فَسَل بِسَعدٍ تَجِدني أَعلَمَ الناسِ
I am the son of her grandmother in knowledge and experience
So ask Saʿd and you will find me the most knowing of people.
ما كانَ ذَنبُ بَغيضٍ أَن رَأى رَجُلاً
ذا فاقَةٍ عاشَ في مُستَوعَرٍ شاسِ
It was not the sin of the hated one that he saw a man
With poverty who lived in a desolate place.
جارٌ لِقَومٍ أَطالوا هونَ مَنزِلِهِ
وَغادَروهُ مُقيماً بَينَ أَرماسِ
A neighbor of people who made his dwelling vile
And left him residing between milestones.
مَلّوا قِراهُ وَهَرَّتهُ كِلابُهُمُ
وَجَرَّحوهُ بِأَنيابٍ وَأَضراسِ
They filled his villages and their dogs made him flee
And wounded him with fangs and molars.
دَعِ المَكارِمَ لا تَرحَل لِبُغيَتِها
وَاِقعُد فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الطاعِمُ الكاسي
Leave generosity! Do not travel to it!
And sit, for you are the one who eats and dresses.
وَاِبعَث يَساراً إِلى وُفرٍ مُذَمَّمَةٍ
وَاِحدِج إِلَيها بِذي عَركَينِ قِنعاسِ
And send to the left, to a perfumed damsel,
And urge her with a wine-skin full of wine.
سيري أُمامَ فَإِنَّ الأَكثَرينَ حَصىً
وَالأَكرَمينَ أَباً مِن آلِ شَمّاسِ
Walk ahead, for most in number
And the noblest in lineage are from the family of Shammās.
مَن يَفعَلِ الخَيرَ لا يَعدَم جَوازِيَهُ
لا يَذهَبُ العُرفُ بَينَ اللَهِ وَالناسِ
Whoever does good will not miss its rewards—
Convention does not vanish between God and people.
ما كانَ ذَنبِيَ أَن فَلَّت مَعاوِلَكُم
مِن آلِ لَأيٍ صَفاةٌ أَصلُها راسِ
It was not my sin that your hoes broke
From the hands of pure Layys whose origin is firm.
قَد ناضَلوكَ فَسَلّوا مِن كِنانَتِهِم
مَجداً تَليداً وَنَبلاً غَيرَ أَنكاسِ
They have struggled with you and extracted from their perfection
An inherited glory and nobility not borrowed from others.
