ما حطَّمتْ جَلَدي يدُ النُوَبِ

لكنْ تَحَطَّمتِ النوائبُ بي

The hardships did not break my skin,

Rather, the hardships were broken by me.

قل للخطوبِ إليكِ فابتعدي

ألمَستِ بي ضَعفْاً لتقترِبي

Tell troubles to move away from you,

You felt me weak so you would come near.

هتفت لي الأهوال تطلُبني

فبرزتُ حراً غيرَ منتقِب

Disasters called out demanding me,

So I came out free, not wearing a veil.

أنا صخرةٌ ما إن تخوِّفُني

هذي الرياحُ الهوجُ بالصَخَب

I am a rock, I cannot be scared

By these raging winds making noise.

إن الليالي حاوَلَت ضَرعَي

فوجدْنَني مُتعسَّرَ الحَلَب

The nights tried to milk my wrists,

But found them to be dry and not flowing.

وحَمِدْنَ غَرْبَ شَكيمةٍ عَسرَتْ

عن أن تُنال بعُنف مغتصِب

And the stubbornness of the west was thankful

That it could not forcibly take me.

ومهدِّدي بالشرِّ يُنذرني

إن لم أُطِعْه بسوءِ مُنقلَب

And those threatening me with evil warn me

That if I don’t obey them I will be overturned.

أخْجَلتُه بالضِحك أحسَبهُ

كمُخوِّفٍ للنَبع بالغَرَب

I shamed them with laughter, thinking of them

As someone trying to scare a spring in the field.

قلتُ اطَّلِعْ فلقد ترىَ عَجَباً

فيه ، فقالَ وأعجَبَ العَجَب

I said look and you will truly see

A wonder in it, and he said the most amazing wonder

إني أرىَ قلباً يدورُ على

جَيش كموجِ البحر مُضطرِب

Is that I see a heart revolving over

An army like the waves of the troubled sea

ومُناشِدي نَسَباً أمُتُّ به

لم يدرِ ما حَسَبي وما نَسَبي

And my challenger attributes to me a lineage

That he does not know what my lineage or ancestry is.

عندي من الأمواتِ مفخرةٌ

شمّاء مُريبةٌ على الطَلَب

I have from the dead a glorious pride

A high scent that seeks the heights.

لكن أنِفتُ بأنْ يعيدَ فمي

للناس عهدَ الفَخر بالعَصَب

But I refused that my mouth repeats

To people the old pride of ancestry.

حسبي تجاريبٌ مَهَرتُ بها

وإلى البلايا السودِ مُنتسَبي

It is enough for me the trials that I was skilled in

And attributed to confronting the black afflictions.

وبذي وتلك كِفايتي شَرَفاً

يُرضِي العُلا ويَسُرَّ قبرَ أبي

And that is enough honor for me

To please the high status and gladden my father’s grave.

هذا التعنُّتُ في تَبصُّرِه

متوقّداً كتوقُّ اللَهَب

This stubbornness in his perception

Burning like the burning of flames

إذ لا يلائمُ مَعدِني بَشَرٌ

ما لم يكُنْ من معدِنٍ صُلُب

As no human suits my essence

Unless he is from a firm essence.

الفَضلُ فيه لمَلْبَسٍ خَشِنِ

عُوِّدتُه ولمَطعَم جَشِب

The excellence in it is rough clothing

That I was accustomed to and bitter food.

ولوالدٍ وُرِّثْتُ من دَمِه

محضَ الإباء وسورةَ الغَضَب

And a father I inherited from his blood

Pure dignity and the aspect of anger.

عندي من الجَبَروت أصدقُه

أُبديه للمتُجبِّرِ الكَذِب

I have from arrogance its most truthful

That I show to the arrogant liar.

لا أبتغي خصمي أُناشده

عَفْواً ولو أطوي على سَغَب

I do not ask my opponent to call on him

For forgiveness even if I fold over thorns.

حربٌ لذي صَلَف . وذو أدب

سهلُ القِياد لكلِّ ذي أدَب

It is war against the one obstinate and rude.

And the well-mannered is easy to lead for the well-mannered.

ولقد أرى في مدح مُنتَقِصي

لرغيدِ عيش أحسَنَ السَبَب

And I do see praising those belittling me

Is the best reason for the pleasure of an easy life

ليُحِلَّني من بَعد مَسغَبةٍ

في ذي زُروع مُعشِبِ خَصِب

To make me, after hardship,

In one with vegetation and green fertile land.

فتلوحُ لي نَفسْي تهدِّدُني

أشباحُها بالويلِ والحَرب

So my soul appears threatening me

With its ghosts of ruin and war.

فأعودُ أدراجي أرى سَعَةً

وعِمارةً في عُشِّيَ الخَرب

So I return regretting, seeing prosperity

And construction in the evening of ruin.

إني بلَوتُ الدهرَ أعذَبَه

وأمَرَّ ه الروَح والنَصَب

I have tasted the sweetest of life

And its most bitter, O soul and adversity.

فوجدتُني أدْنى إلى ضَجَر

لكليهما وأحبَّ للوَصَب

So I found myself closer to boredom

Of both and more loving of original nature.

ما بَينَ جنبَّي اللذينِ هُما

قَفَصُ الهموم ومَجمَع الكُرَب

Between my two sides, which are

The cage of worries and place of sorrows,

قلب يَدُقُّ إلى العَنا طرَباً

ويحن مشتاقاً الى التَعَب

A heart that pounds with disturbance to care

And yearns longingly to fatigue.

وأخٍ تلائمُني مشاربُه

وطباعُه في الجدِّ واللَعِب

And a brother whom I get along with in tendencies

And nature, in seriousness and play.

انكَرتُ ضَعفاً في شكيمتِه

ومرونةً تدعو إلى الرِيَب

I denied any weakness in his determination

And flexibility that calls for doubt.

فطرَحْتُه أخشَى على شَمَمي

عَدوى ليانٍ منهُ مُكتَسَب

So I discarded him, fearing the purity

Of my instincts would be infected from him.

ودفنتُه لا القَلبُ يُنشده

أسفاً ولا دَمْعي بمنسَكِب

And I buried him without my heart seeking him

Regretfully and without my tears pouring.