وَصَاحِبٍ رَعَيْتُ دَهْرَاً وُدَّهُ

وَلَمْ أُبَايِنْ نَهْجَهُ وَقَصْدَهُ

A friend I grazed for years, loving him

Never opposing his ways and aims

وَكُنْتُ أَرْعَى بِالْمَغِيبِ عَهْدَهُ

بَلْ كُنْتُ أَخْشَى أَنْ أَعِيشَ بَعْدَهُ

I would tend to his covenant when gone

Rather, I feared that I'd live beyond him

وَطَالَما أَرْغَمْتُ فِيهِ ضِدَّهُ

وَذُدْتُ عَنْهُ مَا يَعُوقُ وَكْدَهُ

Often I'd force his foe to relent

And protect him from schemes that would end him

حَتَّى إِذَا مَا الدَّهْرُ أَوْرى زَنْدهُ

صَعَّرَ لِي بَعْدَ الصَّفَاءِ خَدَّهُ

Till time made its blade bare and did rend

After joy, for me his face it would bend

وَجَازَ فِي بَعْضِ الأُمُورِ حَدَّهُ

فَلَمْ أُحَاوِلْ رَدْعَهُ وَرَدَّهُ

And he'd overstep in some matters his end

Yet I didn't restrain him or contend

وَلَمْ أُكَدِّرْ بِالْعِتَابِ وِرْدَهُ

وَلَوْ أَرَدْتُ أَن أَفُلَّ حَدَّهُ

Or bitter his joy with reproof I would send

And if I had wanted his limit to rend

لَقُلْتُ فِيهِ مَا يَحُزُّ جِلْدَهُ

لَكِنَّنِي تَرَكْتُهُ وَحِقْدَهُ

I'd have said what would split his skin open

But I left him, and left to him his hate

شَأْنُ امْرِئٍ فِي الْمَجْدِ يَرْعَى مَجْدَهُ

كُلُّ امْرِئٍ يُنْفِقُ مِمَّا عِنْدَهُ

A man of glory tends to the glory he's given

All men spend from what they're holding

والْمَرْءُ مَجْزِيٌّ بِمَا أَعَدَّهُ

And man is rewarded by what he has striven