كَم أُنفِقُ الأَيّامَ في خِدمَةٍ
أَحرَزتُ فيها صَفقَةَ المُخسِرِ
How many days have I spent serving,
Only to make a losing deal,
وَلَيلُ حَظّي ما اِنجَلى صُبحُهُ
وَغَرسُ مَدحي بَعدُ لَم يُثمِرِ
My night of luck never dawns,
And my praise was never fruitful.
في كُلِّ يَومٍ سَفَرٌ راتِبٌ
إِلى مَكانٍ شاسِعٍ مُقفِرِ
Every day a habitual journey,
To a vast, desolate place,
كَأَنَّني مِن حَرِّهِ واضِعٌ
أَخمَصَ رِجلَيَّ عَلى مِجمَرِ
As if I put from its heat,
My heels upon embers.
يُثبَرُ بِالمَشيِ كِعابي فَما
أَوقَعَ ما سُمِّيَ بِالمَثبِرِ
My sandals wear out from walking,
Yet they never acquire patches.
عَقَدتُ مُذ حَلَّت حُمولي بِهِ
عَلى اِحتِمالٍ لِلأَذى خِنصِري
Since my burdens were loaded,
I have endured harm patiently.
لَو حَلَّهُ ذِئبُ الفَلا مَوهِناً
ذاقَ الرَدى وَالصُبحُ لَم يُسفِرِ
If the wolf of adversity weakened me,
I would taste humiliation and the dawn would not come.
هَذا وَكَم فيهِ حَوالِيَّ مِن
إِبطٍ مُصِنٍّ وَفَمٍ أَبخَرِ
Among those around me are many
Modest armpits and eloquent mouths.
وَليسَ شَكوايَ سِوى أَنَّني
أَنظُمُ دُرّاً ما لَهُ مُشتَري
My only complaint is that
I string together pearls no one wants to buy.
وَأَنَّني أَرجو نَدى مَعشَرٍ
أَخسِس بِهِم في الناسِ مِن مَعشَرِ
And that I hope for the company of a group
I would be diminished among people by associating with.
سُدىً إِذا أَجرَمتُ لَم يَقبَلوا
عُذري وَإِن أَحسَنتُ لَم أُشكَرِ
Forsaken if I sin, they do not accept
My excuse, and if I do good, I am not thanked.
لا يَتَواصَونَ بِأَمرٍ بِمَع
روفٍ وَلا يَنهونَ عَن مُنكَرِ
They do not enjoin good
Or forbid evil among themselves.
أَيُّ دَمٍ ما طاحَ في أَرضِهِم
وَذِمَّةٍ لِلَّهِ لَم تُخفَرِ
What blood ever spilled in their land
And a covenant with God was violated?
يُعجِبُهُم مِنّي إِذا جِئتُهُم
ما يُعجِبُ الأَكرادَ مِن جَعفَرِ
They are pleased with me when I come to them
As the Kurds are pleased with Ja'far.
كَأَنَّني أُنقَلُ ما بَينَهُم
مِن مَلَكِ المَوتِ إِلى مُنكَرِ
It is as if I am transported between them
From the angel of death to the Denier.
