رَأَيْتُ الرِّيَاسَةَ مَقْرُونَةٌ

بِلُبْسِ التَّكَبُّرِ وَالنَّخْوَهْ

I saw leadership paired

With the garb of arrogance and pomposity

إِذَا مَا تَقَمَصَهَا مُعْجَبٌ

تَرَفَّعَ فِي الجَهْرِ وَالخَلْوَهْ

Whenever a narcissist wears it

He becomes haughty in public and private

وَيَقْعُدُ عَنْ حَقِّ إِخْوَانِهِ

وَيَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُسْرِعُوا نَحْوَهْ

And neglects the rights of his brothers

And hopes they will hasten toward him

وَيُنْقِصُهُمْ مِنْ جَمِيْلِ الدُّعَاءِ

وَيَأْمُلُ عِنْدَهُمُ الخُطْوَهْ

And does not adequately pray for them

While expecting their steps toward him

فَذَلِكَ إِنْ أَنَا كَاتَبْتُهُ

فَلاَ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِي دَعْوَهْ

So if I were to write to him

May Allah not hear my prayer

وَلَسْتُ بِآتٍ لَهُ مَنْزِلاً

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُ يَسْكُنُ المَرْوَهْ

And I will not go to his house

Even if he lives in Al-Marwa

أَوَدُّ الصَّدِيْقَ فَإِنْ خَانَنِي

سَلَوْتُ وَعَنْ مِثْلِهِ سَلْوَهْ

I love a friend, but if he betrays me

I find solace and avoid the likes of him

وَلاَ أَبْتَدِي صَاحِبَاً بِالْجَفَا

ءِ إِلاَّ إِذَا أَسَاءَ الجَفْوَهْ

And I do not start a friendship with coldness

Unless he has already acted coldly

فَمَا وَحْشِيَّةٌ أَدْمَاءُ تَرْعَى

أَغَنَّ كَعَطْفَهِ الخَلْخَالِ ضَاوِي

So what savage beasts whose blood is shed

Did the bending of his anklet benefit

فَأَغْفَتْ سَاعَةً عَنْهُ فَأَصْمَى

حَشَاهُ بِنَبْلِهِ غَرْثَانُ طَاوِي

It turned away from him for an hour so he deafened

It with his arrows, a roaming archer

فَبَاتَتْ مِنْ تَحَرُّقِهَا عَلَيْهِ

بِدَاءٍ مَا لَهَا مِنْهُ مُدَاوِي

So it remained, burning with agony over him

With an incurable affliction

تُثِيْرُ تُرَابَ مَصْرَعِهِ بِقَرْنٍ

أَجَمَّ كَأَنَّهُ بَعْضُ المَلاَوِي

It stirs up the dust of his death place with its horn

As if it were part of the decomposing corpses

بِأَجْزَعَ مِنْكَ يَوْمَ تَقُولُ غَدْرَاً

أَفِي الغَادِيْنَ أَنْتَ أَمْ أَنْتَ ثَاوِي

More resolute than you on the day you say betrayal

Are you among the departed or are you decomposing