إِنَّ اِمرَأً سَرفَ الفُؤادِ يَرى

عَسَلاً بِماءِ سَحابَةٍ شَتمي

A man indulging his heart's desires sees

honey in a passing cloud's sprinkled water.

وَأَنا اِمرُؤٌ أُكوى مِنَ القَصرِ ال

بادي وَأَغشى الدُهمَ بِالدُهمِ

While I, a man singed by the visible estate,

cloak gloom with more gloom,

وَأُصيبُ شاكِلَةَ الرِمِيَّةِ إِذ

صَدَّت بِصَفحَتِها عَنِ السَهمِ

and match the glancing doe when

she turns her parchment side from the arrow.

وَأُجِرُّ ذا الكَفِلِ القَناةَ عَلى

أَنسائِهِ فَيَظَلُّ يَستَدمي

I ply the lash on the back of my she-camel to urge

her on though she continues to pace elegantly.

وَتَصُدُّ عَنكَ مَخيلَةَ الرَجُلِ ال

عِرّيضِ موضِحَةٌ عَنِ العَظمِ

The fantasies of the wide-shouldered man shy

from you, outlining the bone beneath the flesh.

بِحُسامِ سَيفِكَ أَو لِسانِكَ وَال

كَلِمُ الأَصيلُ كَأَرغَبِ الكَلمِ

With your sword's blade or your tongue, the genuine

word slicing like the sharpest word.

أَبلِغ قَتادَةَ غَيرَ سائِلِهِ

مِنهُ الثَوابَ وَعاجِلَ الشَكمِ

Inform Qatádah though unsolicited

the reward comes more quickly if the gifts precede.

أَنّي حَمِدتُكَ لِلعَشيرَةِ إِذ

جاءَت إِلَيكَ مُرِقَّةَ العَظمِ

I praised you before the tribe when

the bone-breaker came begging to you.

أَلقَوا إِلَيكَ بِكُلِّ أَرمَلَةٍ

شَعثاءَ تَحمِلُ مَنقَعَ البُرمِ

They tossed you each widow

disheveled, carrying her sack of troubles.

فَفَتَحتَ بابَكَ لِلمَكارِمِ حي

نَ تَواصَتِ الأَبوابُ بِالأَزمِ

You opened your door to hospitality at the hour

when doors close in crisis.

وَأَهَنتَ إِذ قَدِموا التَلادَ لَهُم

وَكَذاكَ يَفعَلُ مُبتَني النِعمِ

You put them down when they arrived penniless,

as one nursed on bounty's wont to do.

فَسَقى بِلادَكَ غَيرَ مُفسِدِها

صَوبُ الغَمامِ وَديمَةٌ تَهمي

Your lands were rained on by the clouds' downpour --

not by the corrupter -- a shower that brought much good.