يا مَن لِقَلبٍ شَديدِ الهَمِّ مَحزونِ

أَمسى تَذَكَّرَ رَيّا أُمَّ هارونِ

O you whose grieving heart is heavy with care

In the evening remembering Rai'a mother of Harun

أَمسى تَذَكَّرَها مِن بَعدِ ما شَحَطَت

وَالدَهرُ ذو غِلظَةٍ حيناً وَذو لينِ

In the evening remembering her after she walked away

And time is harsh at times, and at times gentle

فَإِن يَكُن حُبُّها أَمسى لَنا شَجناً

وضأَصبَحَ الرَأيُ مِنها لا يُؤاتيني

If love for her has become our evening sorrow

And advice from her does not come to me in the morning

فَقَد غَنَينا وَشَملُ الدَهرِ يَجمَعُنا

أُطيعُ رَيّا وَرَيّا لا تُعاصيني

We were rich and time's circumstances bring us together

I obey Rai'a and Rai'a does not disobey me

تَرمي الوُشاةُ فَلا تُخطي مَقاتِلَهُم

بِصادِقٍ مِن صَفاءِ الوُدِّ مَكنونِ

They throw accusations but do not miss their opponents

With sincere friendship hidden in the heart

وَلي اِبنُ عَمٍّ لَهُ خُلقٌ وَلي خُلُقٍ

قَد اِختَلَفنا فَأقليهِ وَيَقليني

I have a cousin who has character and I have character

We disagreed so leave him be and leave me be

أَزرى بِنا أَنَّنا شالَت نَعامَتُنا

فَخالَني دونَهُ بَل خِلتُهُ دوني

It seems to me that our ostriches have been separated

So leave him alone without me, rather I left him without me

لاه اِبنُ عَمِّكَ أَفضَلتَ في حَسَبٍ

عَنّى وَلا أَنتَ دَيّاني فَتَخزوني

O cousin you think yourself nobler than me

You do not judge me so do not condemn me

وَلا تَقوتُ عِيالي يَومَ مَسغَبَةٍ

وَلا بِنَفسِكَ في العَزّاءِ تَكفيني

You cannot provide for my family on a day of poverty

Nor with yourself make me self-sufficient in times of hardship

فَإِن تُرِد عَرَضَ الدُنيا بِمَنقَصَتي

فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِمّا لَيسَ يُشجيني

If you want the honor of the world to be diminished through me

Then that is not what grieves me

وَلا يُرى في غَيرِ الصَبرِ مَنقَصَةٌ

وَما سِواهُ فَإِنَّ اللَهَ يَكفيني

Nothing but patience shows loss

And nothing else, for God is enough for me

لَولا أَياصِرُ قُربى لَستَ تَحفَظُها

وَرَهبَةُ اللَهِ فيمَن لا يُعاديني

If not for family ties you would not keep them

And fear of God against those who do not oppose me

إِذاً بَرَيتُكَ بَرياً لا اِنجبارَ لَهُ

إِنّي رَأَيتُكَ لا تَنفَكُّ تَبريني

Then I would consider you innocent without coercion

I saw you do not cease to blame me

إِنَّ الَّذي يَقبِضُ الدُنيا وَيَبسطُها

إِن كانَ أَغناكَ عَنّي سَوفَ يُغنيني

Indeed, He who gives and withholds the world

If He has made you needless of me, He will make me needless of you

واللَهُ يَعلَمُني وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُكُم

وَاللَهُ يَجزَيَّكُم عَنّي وَيَجزيني

And God knows me and God knows you

And God will reward you for me and reward me

ماذا عَلَيَّ وَإِن كُنتُم ذَوي رَحمي

أَن لا أُحِبَّكُم إِذ لَم تُحِبّوني

Why is it upon me when you are my relatives

That I not love you when you did not love me

لَو تَشرَبونَ دَمي لَم يَروَ شارِبُكُم

وَلا دِماؤُكُم جَمعاً تُرَوّيني

If you were to drink my blood your drinker would not be sated

Nor would your blood altogether quench my thirst

وَلي اِبنُ عَمِّ لَو أَنَّ الناسَ في كَبَدٍ

لَظَلَّ مُحتَجِزاً بِالنَبلِ يَرميني

O cousin if people's minds were set against me

I would remain shooting them with arrows

عَبّاس إِن لَم تَدَع شَتمي وَمَنقَصَتي

أَضرِبكَ حَيثُ تَقولُ الهامَةُ اِسقوني

Abbas if you do not stop insulting me and belittling me

I will strike you wherever the spot says "Quench my thirst"

دَرمٌ سِلاحي فَما أُمّي بِراعِيَةٍ

تَرعى المَخاضَ وَما رَأيي بِمَغبونِ

My sword is sharp, my mother did not raise a shepherd

Who herds miscarriages, and my view is not misguided

إِنّي أَبِيُّ أَبِيٌّ ذو مَحافَظَةٍ

وَاِبنُ أَبِيٍّ أَبِيٍّ مِن أَبِيّينِ

I am obstinate, stubborn, one who guards himself

And the son of one stubborn from two stubborn ones

لا يُخرِجُ القَسرُ مِنّي غَيرَ مَأَبِيَةٍ

وَلا أَلينُ لِمَن لا يَبتَغي ليني

Nothing but refusal comes from me to one who does not want compliance from me

And I do not soften for those who do not want me to soften

عَفٌ نَدودٌ إِذا ما خفتُ مِن بَلَدٍ

هوناً فَلَست بِوَقّافٍ عَلى الهونِ

Chaste, resistant - if I fear loss from a land

I do not linger in dishonor

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ صائِرٌ يَوماً لِشيمَتِهِ

وَإِن تَخَلَّقَ أَخلاقاً إِلى حينِ

Every person will one day revert to his true nature

Even if he pretends to be of another nature for a while

إِنّي لَعَمرُكَ ما بالي بِذي غَلَقٍ

عَنِ الصَديقِ وَلا خَيري بِمَمنونِ

By your life I do not care for one of closed mind

To a friend, nor is deceit my best quality

عِندي خَلائِقُ أَقوامٍ ذَوي حَسَبٍ

بِالمُنكَراتِ وَما فَتكي بِمَأمونِ

I have the manners of noble folk

Corrupted, and I am not safe from corruption

وَأَنتُم مَعشَرٌ زَيدٌ عَلى مائَةٍ

فَاِجمَعوا أَمرَكُم شَتى فَكيدوني

While you are a group more than a hundred

So gather your affairs, diverse, and plot against me

فَإِن عَلمتُم سَبيلَ الرُشدِ فَاِنطَلِقوا

وَإِن جَهِلتُم سَبيل الرُشدِ فَأتوني

If you know the path of righteousness, then set forth

And if you do not know the path of righteousness, then come to me

قَد كُنتُ أُعطيكُمُ مالي وَأَمنَحُكُم

وُدّي عَلى مُثبَتٍ في الصَدرِ مَكنونِ

I used to give you my money and bestow upon you

My affection, steadfast, hidden in the heart

بَل رُبَّ حَيٍّ شَديدِ الشَغبِ ذي لَجَبٍ

دَعَوتُهُم رَهناً مِن بَعدِ مَرهونِ

But, many lively people prone to rage and stupidity

I called to account when they were already in debt

رَدَدتُ باطِلَهُم في رَأسِ قائِلِهِم

حَتّى يظلوا خُصوماً ذا أَفانينِ

I repaid their falsehood upon the speaker

Until they remain defeated adversaries

عَبّاسُ لَو كُنتَ لي أَلفَيتَني بَشَراً

سَماحاً كَريماً أُجازي مَن يُجازيني

Abbas, had you known me to be an agreeable man

Generous, who rewards those who reward me

وَاللَهِ لَو كَرِهَت كَفّي مُصاحَبَتي

لَقُلتُ إِذ كَرِهَت قُربي لَها بيني

By God, if my palm disliked my companionship

I would say, since it dislikes my closeness, let it be distant from me