مَا لِي بِوُدِّكَ بَعْدَ الْيَوْمِ إِلْمَامُ
فَاذْهَبْ فَأَنْتَ لَئِيمُ الْعَهْدِ نَمَّامُ
What use is your love to me after this day, you unfaithful one,
Go away, for you are vile and slanderous!
قَدْ كُنْتُ أَحْسَبُنِي أَدْرَكْتُ مَأْرُبَةً
مِنَ الْمُنَى فَإِذَا مَا خِلْتُ أَحْلامُ
I used to think I had attained my heart's desire,
But it turned out to be mere fantasy.
هَيْهَاتَ مِنِّي الرِّضَا مِنْ بَعْدِ تَجْرِبَةٍ
إِنَّ الْمَوَدَّةَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَقْسَامُ
After this experience, I'll never be content again,
For affection between people is fickle.
فَاطْلُبْ لِنَفْسِكَ غَيْرِي إِنَّنِي رَجُلٌ
يَأْبَى لِيَ الْغَدْرَ أَخْوَالٌ وَأَعْمَامُ
Look for someone else, I'm not the man for you,
My kith and kin abhor betrayal.
كُلُّ امْرِئٍ تَابِعٌ أَعْرَاقَ نَبْعَتِهِ
وَالْخَيْرُ وَالشَّرُّ أَنْسَابٌ وَأَرْحَامُ
Everyone follows the traits of his lineage,
Both good and evil are pedigree and kinship.
فَانْظُرْ لفِعْلِ الْفَتَى تَعْرِفْ مَنَاسِبَهُ
إِنَّ الْفِعَالَ لأَصْلِ الْمَرْءِ إِعْلامُ
Look to a man's actions to know his match,
Deeds point plainly to a person's origin.
وَلا يَغُرَنَّكَ وَجْهٌ رَاقَ مَنْظَرُهُ
فَالنَّصْلُ فِيهِ الْمَنَايَا وَهْوَ بَسَّامُ
Let not a radiant face deceive you,
For in it lie death and decay, though it smiles.
مَا كُلُّ ذِي مِنْسَرٍ فَتْخَاءَ كَاسِرةً
كَلَّا وَلا كُلُّ ذِي نَابَيْنِ ضِرْغَامُ
Not every braggart is truly courageous,
No, nor is every growler a lion.
فَإِنْ يَكُنْ غرَّنِي حِلْمِي فَلا عَجَبٌ
إِنَّ الْحُسَامَ لَيَنْبُوا وَهْوَ صَمْصَامُ
If my forbearance has emboldened you, no wonder,
For even sheathed swords will rust.
ظَنَنْتُ خَيْراً وَلَمْ أُدْرِكْ عَوَاقِبَهُ
فَكَانَ شَرّاً وَبَعْضُ الظَّنِّ آثَامُ
I hoped for good, but did not foresee the outcome,
So it turned to evil, and hopes can be sinful.
فَيَا لَهَا ضِلَّةً مَا إِنْ أَبَهْتُ لَهَا
حَتَّى تَرَدَّتْ بِهَا فِي الشَّرِّ أَقْدَامُ
Alas for the blindness that would not heed
Until I stumbled into evil because of it!
آلَيْتُ أَكْذِبُ نَفْسِي بَعْدَهَا سَفَهَاً
إِنَّ الْمُنَى عِنْدَ صِدْقِ النَّفْسِ أَوْهَامُ
I wronged myself, lying to myself in my foolishness,
For at the hour of death, fancies are vanity.
فَيَا بْنَ مَنْ تَزْدَرِيهِ النَّفْسُ مِنْ ضَعَةٍ
فَمَا يُحَسُّ لَهُ وَجْدٌ وَإِعْدَامُ
O you who scorn the abject soul for its lowliness,
Feeling no grief or despair for it!
دَعِ الْفَخَارَ وَخُذْ فِيما خُلِقْتَ لَهُ
مِنَ الصَّغَارِ فَإِنَّ الطَّبْعَ إِلْزَامُ
Leave off boasting, and keep to what you were created for,
For nature compels conformity.
وَاذْكُرْ مَكَانَكَ مِنْ عَبَّاسَ حَيْثُ مَضَتْ
عَلَيْكَ فِي الدَّارِ أَعْوَامٌ وَأَعْوَامُ
Remember your station with Abbas where you have spent
Years upon years in the abode.
تَبِيتُ مُرْتَفِعَاً فِي ظِلِّ دَسْكَرَةٍ
لِكُلِّ بَاغٍ بِهَا وجْدٌ وَتَهْيَامُ
You lie drunk in the shade of a vine arbor,
In every garden are rapture and passion.
وَفَوْقَ ظَهْرِكَ لِلأَنْفَاسِ مُعْتَرَكٌ
وَفِي حَشَاكَ لِنَارِ الْفِسْقِ إِضْرَامُ
On your back are the marks of bowing in prayer,
And in your breast the embers of sin burn bright.
وَيْلُمِّهَا خَزْيَة طارَتْ بِشُنْعَتِها
صَحَائِفٌ وَجَرَتْ بِالذَّمِّ أَقْلامُ
Woe to you! Annals of your disgrace have circulated,
Scandalizing pages flowed from the writers' pens.
فَاخْسَأْ فَمَا الْكَلْبُ أَدْنَى مِنْكَ مَنْزِلَةً
وَاخْسَأْ لِمِثْلِكَ إِعْزَازٌ وَإِكْرَامُ
Cower in shame, for a dog is above you in rank,
Mean creatures like you are honored and esteemed!
هَذَا الَّذِي تَكْرَهُ الأَبْصَارُ طَلْعَتَهُ
فَحَظُّها مِنْهُ إِيذَاءٌ وَإِيلامُ
This one whom all eyes shun meeting,
Whose look brings them harm and pain,
فِي وَجْهِهِ سِمَةٌ لِلْغَدْرِ بَيِّنَةٌ
وَبَيْنَ جَنْبَيْهِ أَحْقَادٌ وَأَوْغامُ
On his face is the brand of treachery,
And between his sides are grudges and sins,
لَهُ عَلَى الشَّرِّ إِقْدَامٌ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ
إِلَّا عَنِ الْخَيْرِ وَالْمَعْرُوفِ إِحْجَامُ
He boldly approaches evil but recoils
From all good and kindness.
كَأَنَّمَا أَنْفُهُ مِنْ طُولِ سَجْدَتِهِ
فِي حَانَةِ اللَّهْوِ حَرْفٌ فِيهِ إِدْغَامُ
His nosrils seemingly flattened from prolonged
Prostration in the taverns of frivolity,
كَعَقْرَبِ الْمَاءِ يَمْشِي مِشْيَةً صدَداً
فَخَلْفُهُ عِنْدَ جِدِّ الأَمْرِ إِقْدَامُ
He moves sideways like a water scorpion,
But shrinks back in times of adversity.
أَبْدَى بِعَاتِقِهِ الْمنْدِيلُ سِيمتَهُ
وَحتَّ مَوْضِعَهُ مِنْ كَفِّهِ الْجَامُ
His kerchief betrays his traits
As it wraps his clenching fist.
وَكَيْفَ يَصْلُحُ أَمْرُ النَّاسِ فِي بَلَدٍ
حُكَّامُهُ لِبناتِ اللَّهْوِ خُدَّامُ
How can the affairs of a land prosper
When its rulers are servants to loose women!
قَدْ يَمَّمَتْهُ الْمَخَازِي فَهْيَ نَازِلَةٌ
مِنْهُ بِحَيْثُ تَلاقى اللُّؤْمُ وَالذَّامُ
Brothels have made their home in him, they descend
Where vileness and notoriety converge.
مَا إِنْ أَصَبْتُ لَهُ خُلْقاً فَأَحْمَدهُ
فَكُلُّ أَخْلاقِهِ لِلنَّفْسِ آلامُ
I do not praise his character,
For all his morals torment the soul.
فَظٌّ غَلِيظٌ مِقيتٌ سَاقِطٌ وَجِمٌ
وَغْدٌ لَئِيمٌ ثَقِيلُ الظِّلِّ حَجَّامُ
Rude, coarse, hateful, fallen - a grim
And vile lout made heavier by the shade of ignorance,
جَاءَتْ بِهِ عَجُزٌ لَيْسَتْ بِطَاهِرَةٍ
لَهَا بِمَدْرَجَةِ الْفَحْشَاءِ أَزْلامُ
Sired by a mother of ill repute,
Her steps planted in the path of corruption,
مُسْتَيْقِظٌ لِلْمَخَازِي غَيْرَ أَنَّ لَهُ
طَرْفاً عَنِ الْعِرْضِ وَالأَوْتَارِ نَوَّامُ
Awake for immorality, though he has
An eye that sleeps to honor and virtue.
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ إِلَّا مِنْ عَدَاوَتِهِ
فَإِنَّهَا لِجَلالِ اللَّهِ إِعْظَامُ
I seek God's forgiveness, except for hating him,
For that is glorifying God.
فَاذْهَبْ كَمَا ذَهَبَ الطَّاعُونُ مِنْ بَلَدٍ
تَقْفُوهُ بِاللَّعْنِ أَرْوَاحٌ وَأَجْسَامُ
Begone like plague from a land,
Cursed by spirits and bodies!
وَهَاكَ مَا أَنْتَ أَهْلٌ فِي الْهِجَاءِ لَهُ
فَالْهَجْوُ فِيكَ لِنَقْضِ الْحَقِّ إِبْرَامُ
For satire of you confirms truth.
Every verse in the land with a rhyme
مِنْ كُلِّ قَافِيَةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ سَائِرَةٍ
لَهَا بِعِرْضِكَ إِنْجَادٌ وَإِتْهَامُ
Finds in insulting you, flow and theme.
Poetry to the whore's face, pouring from it,
شِعْرٌ لِوَجْهِ الْمَخَازِي مِنْهُ سَافِيَةٌ
بِحَاصِبٍ وَلأَنْفِ الْجَهْلِ إِرْغَامُ
With fleeting pleasure and lasting ignorance.
Bones decay, but his mention remains forever,
تَبْلَى الْعِظَامُ وَيَبْقَى ذِكْرُهُ أَبَدَاً
فِي كُلِّ عَصْرٍ لَهُ سَجْعٌ وَتَرْنَامُ
Echoed in verse and tune in every age.
