أَعِدْ عَلَى السَّمْعِ ذِكْرَ الْبَانِ وَالْعَلَمِ

وَاعْذِرْ شَآبِيبَ دَمْعِي إِنْ جَرَتْ بِدَمِ

Remind the hearing of the mention of al-Ban and al-Alam

And excuse the gushing of my tears if they flow in blood

مَلاعِبٌ لِلصِّبَا أَقْوَتْ وَمَا بَرِحَتْ

مَلاعِبَاً لِلأَسَى وَالأَعْيُنِ السُّجُمِ

Joys for youth that grew stronger and did not cease

To be joys for sorrow and downcast eyes

كَانَتْ لَنَا سَكَناً حَتَّى إِذَا قَوِيَتْ

مِنَّا غَدَتْ سَكَناً لِلرِّيحِ وَالدِّيَمِ

They were homes for us until when they grew strong from us

They became homes for the wind and ruin

لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ بَعْدَهَا دَارَاً أُقِيمُ بِهَا

إِلَّا تَذَكَّرْتُ أَيَّامِي بِذِي سَلَمِ

After them I did not take a house to stay in

Except I remembered my days in Salami

وَكَيْفَ أَنْسَى دِيَارَاً قَدْ نَشَأْتُ بِهَا

فِي مَنْبِتِ الْعِزِّ بَيْنَ الأَهْلِ وَالْحَشَمِ

And how can I forget homelands in which I grew up

In the plantation of glory between family and in-laws

يَا مَنْزِلاً لَمْ يَدَعْ وَشْكُ الْفِرَاقِ بِهِ

إِلَّا رُسُوماً كَوَحْيِ الْخَطِّ بِالْقَلَمِ

O dwellings that when parting from them

Nothing remained but drawings like handwriting of pens

أَيْنَ الَّذِينَ بِهِمْ كَانَتْ نَوَاظِرُنَا

تَرْعَى الْمَحَاسِنَ مِنْ فَرْعٍ إِلَى قَدَمِ

Where are those whose sights

Used to shepherd beauties from head to foot

وَدَّعْتُ شَطْرَ حَيَاتِي يَوْمَ فُرْقَتِهِمْ

وَصَافَحَتْنِي يَدُ الأَحْزَانِ وَالْهَرَمِ

I bid goodbye to half my life the day they parted

And the hand of sorrow and old age shook my hand

فَيَا أَخَا الْعَذْلِ لا تَعْجَلْ بِلائِمَةٍ

عَلَيَّ فَالْحُبُّ مَعْدُودٌ مِنَ الْقِسَمِ

So O brother of fairness, do not be quick to blame

For love is counted from the shares

أَسْرَفْتَ فِي اللَّوْمِ حَتَّى لَوْ أَصَبْتَ بِهِ

مَقَاطِعَ الْحَقِّ لَمْ تَسْلَمْ مِنَ التُّهَمِ

You have been excessive in the blame until if you obtained it

On the precincts of truth, you would not be safe from suspicions

فَارْحَمْ شَبَابَ فَتَىً أَلْوَتْ بِنَضْرَتِهِ

أَيْدِي الضَّنَى فَغَدَا لَحْماً عَلَى وَضَمِ

So have mercy on the youth of a gallant lad

Whose softness the hands of agony made into flesh and fragments

تَاللَّهِ مَا غَدْرَةُ الْخُلَّانِ مِنْ أَرَبِي

وَلا التَّلَوُّنُ فِي الأَخْلاقِ مِنْ شِيَمِي

By God, the betrayal of sweethearts is not of my manners

Nor is fickleness in character one of my traits

فَكَيْفَ أُنْكِرُ وُدّاً قَدْ أَخَذْتُ بِهِ

عَلَى الْوَفَاءِ عُهُوداً بَرَّةَ الْقَسَمِ

So how can I deny a love that I have taken

Covenants of loyalty upon, of solemn oath

إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلْفَتَى عَقْلٌ يَصُونُ بِهِ

عَلائِقَ الْوُدِّ ضَاعَتْ ذِمَّةُ الْحُرَمِ

If the lad does not have a mind by which he protects

The bonds of affection, the sanctity of the forbidden would be wasted

وَأَيْنَ مَنْ تَمْلِكُ الأَحْرَارَ شِيمَتُهُ

وَالْغَدْرُ فِي النَّاسِ دَاءٌ غَيْرُ مُنْحَسِمِ

And where is he whose noble traits

Make the free yield, while betrayal among people is an incurable disease

فَانْفُضْ يَدَيْكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَلَسْتَ تَرَى

خِلاً وَفِيّاً وَعَهْدَاً غَيْرَ مُنْصَرِمِ

So rid your hands of this world for you will no longer see

A loyal friend or trusted ally or an unbreached covenant

هَيْهَاتَ لَمْ يَبْقَ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَخُو ثِقَةٍ

يَرْعَى الْمَوَدَّةَ أَوْ يُلْقِي يَدَ السّلَمِ

Alas, there remains no trusted brother in this world

Who would preserve affection or extend a hand of peace

فَلا يَغُرَّنْكَ مِنْ وَجْهٍ بَشَاشَتُهُ

فَالنَّارُ كَامِنَةٌ فِي نَاخِرِ السَّلَمِ

So let no smiling face deceive you

For fire lies dormant in the butting end of a snake

تَغَيَّرَ النَّاسُ عَمَّا كُنْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ

وَاسْتَحْكَمَ الْغَدْرُ فِي السَّادَاتِ وَالْحَشَمِ

People have changed from what I used to hear

And betrayal has taken grip among the nobles and protectors

وَظَلَّ أَعْدَلُ مَنْ تَلْقَاهُ مِنْ رَجُلٍ

أَعْدَى عَلَى الْخَلْقِ مِنْ ذِئْبٍ عَلَى غَنَمِ

And the most unjust of those you meet

Remains more transgressive upon people than a wolf amongst sheep

مِنْ كُلِّ أَشْوَهَ فِي عِرْنِينِهِ فَطَسٌ

خَالٍ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ مَمْلُوءٍ مِنَ النَّهَمِ

Every uglier worn from his lairs so conceited

Empty of merit, filled with greed

سُودُ الْخَلائِقِ دَلَّاجُونَ مَاطُبِعُوا

عَلَى الْمَحَارِمِ هَدَّاجُونَ فِي الظُّلَمِ

Black at heart, deceitful by nature

Bent on violating sanctities, misleading in the dark

لا يُحْسِنُونَ التَّقَاضِي فِي الْحُقُوقِ وَلا

يُوفُونَ بِالْعَهْدِ إِلَّا خِيفَةَ النِّقَمِ

They do not do justice in rights nor

Fulfill pacts except in fear of vengeance

صُفْرُ الْوُجُوهِ مِنَ الأَحْقَادِ تَحْسِبُهُمْ

وَهُمْ أَصِحَّاءُ فِي دِرْعٍ مِنَ السَّقَمِ

Their yellow faces from hatred you would think them

Healthy, armored by disease

فَلا ذَمَامَةَ فِي قَوْلٍ وَلا عَمَلٍ

وَلا أَمَانَةَ فِي عَهْدٍ وَلا قَسَمِ

So no integrity in word or deed

Nor honesty in pact or oath

بَلَوْتُ مِنْهُمْ خِلالاً لَوْ وَسَمْتَ بِهَا

وَجْهَ الْغَزَالَةٍ لَمْ تُشْرِقْ عَلَى عَلَمِ

I have tasted the fruits of their trees that if you marked them

On the cheek of a gazelle, she would not shine a standard

لَمْ أَدْرِ هَلْ نَبَغَتْ فِي الأَرْضِ نَابِغَةٌ

أَمْ هَذِهِ شِيمَةُ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْقِدَمِ

I did not know if some prodigy was born in this earth

Or if this was the nature of life since ancient times

لا يُدْرِكُ الْمَجْدَ إِلَّا مَنْ إِذَا نَهَضَتْ

بِهِ الْحَمِيَّةُ لَمْ يَقْعُدْ عَلَى رَغَمِ

Glory cannot be attained except by one who when

Ambition grips him, he does not sit back out of spite

لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْمَسَاعِي مَا يَبِينُ بِهِ

فَضْلُ الرِّجَالِ تَسَاوَى النَّاسُ فِي الْقِيَمِ

If the efforts did not show the merit

Of men, people would be equal despite their price

فَأَيُّ غَامِضَةٍ لَمْ تَجْلُهَا فِطَنِي

وَأَيُّ باذِخَةٍ لَمْ تَعْلُهَا قَدَمِي

So what puzzling thing did not my insight uncover

And what conspicuous affair did not my steps ascend

وَكَيْفَ لا تَسْبِقُ الْمَاضِينَ بَادِرَتِي

وَالسَّمْهَرِيَّةُ تَخْشَى الْفَتْكَ مِنْ قَلَمِي

And how could my initiative not outpace the latecomers

When the Samhari pen fears the deceit of my pen

لِكُلِّ عَصْرٍ رِجَالٌ يُذْكَرُونَ بِهِ

وَالْفَضْلُ بِالنَّفْسِ لَيْسَ الْفَضْلُ بِالْقِدَمِ

For every age has men who are remembered through it

But merit lies in the self, not in ancientness