Sol 6.1

  1. ما لِيَ إِلَّا ما اجْتَنَى احْتِرافِي

    وَرَجَعَ المَرْجُوعُ وَاصْطِرافِي

    I have only what my toil has reaped,

    And what comes back to me, and what I earn.

  2. لِمَا عَلِمْتُ أَنَّنِي مُوَافِ

    رِباً وَأَنَّ السَعْيَ ذُو أَشْفافِ

    For I knew that I would reach

    High ground, and that striving brings its gains.

  3. تَاللَّهِ لَوْ كُنْتُ مَعَ الأُلّافِ

    تَعْدُو عَلَيَّ مِنْ حِمَى القَطَّافِ

    By God, were I among companions,

    Hastening to me from al-Qattaf's preserve—

  4. عاتِقَةٌ مِنْ عاتِقِ السُلافِ

    بِمَزْبَدٍ مِثْلِ دَم الأَجْوافِ

    An aged wine, from old free-run wine,

    In a foaming cup, like blood from the body's depths—

  5. لَرُحْت أَمْشِي لَيِّن الأَعْطافِ

    ما بِيَ مِنْ قَيْدٍ وَلا سِنافِ

    I would walk away, supple-limbed,

    With neither fetter nor breastband upon me.

  6. رَجَزْتُ بِي غَيْرُكَ ذُو الإِسْرافِ

    وَأُمَّهَاتُ الرَجَزِ القَوَافِي

    I chanted rajaz; another than you is lavish toward me.

    And rhymes are the mothers of rajaz,

  7. نَقْدَ المُجِيزِ وَرِقَ الصَرَّافِ

    وَأَنا إِلاَّ بِالعِتابِ عَافِ

    Like a reward-giver assaying a moneychanger's silver.

    And I seek only through reproach,

  8. وَأَنَا عَمَّا عِفْتُ ذُو اعْتِيافِ

    وَأَنَا فِي المَنْطِقِ ذُو احْتِيَافِ

    And what I have disdained, I firmly shun.

    And in speech I have command of every side.

  9. سَوْفَ يُوَفِّينَا عَلَيْكَ وافِ

    بِسَعْيِنَا ما كانَ مِنْ إِلْهافِ

    Someone will yet pay us in full at your expense,

    For our striving, whatever loss has occurred.

  10. جازَاهُ أَنْ جَازَاهُ أَوْ يُعَافِ

    إِنَّكَ لَمْ تُنْصِفْ أَبَا الجَحَّافِ

    May he recompense him, if he recompenses him, or grant him relief.

    You have not treated Abu al-Jahhaf fairly,

  11. وَكانَ يَرْضَى مِنْكَ بِالإِنْصَافِ

    وَهوَ عَلَيْكَ واسِعُ العِطافِ

    Though he would have been content with fairness from you.

    While his mantle is spread wide over you,

  12. غَادِيَةٌ بالنَفْعِ وَانْتَ حافِ

    عَنْهُ وَلاَ يَخْفَى الَّذِي يُحافِ

    A morning cloud bringing benefit, while you turn away

    From him; and the one being wronged is plain to see.

  13. كَيْفَ تَلُومُهُ عَلَى الإِلْطافِ

    وَأَنْتَ لَوْ مُلِّكْتَ بِالإِتْلافِ

    How can you blame him for showing kindness,

    When, if you were given power to destroy,

  14. شُبْتَ لَهُ شَوْباً مِنَ الذُعَافِ

    وَهوَ لأعدَائِكَ ذُو قِرَافِ

    You would mix for him a dose of deadly poison?

    Yet he assails your enemies,

  15. قُذافَةٍ بِحَجَرٍ القُذّافِ

    وَلاَ تَشِنْ قَوْلَكَ بِالإِخْلافِ

    Like a catapult, with a slinger's stone.

    Do not dishonor your word by breaking promises.

  16. رَكِّبْتَ مِنْ جَناحِكَ الغُدَافِ

    مِنَ القُدَامَى لا مِنَ الخَوَافِي

    You were placed in your raven-black wing,

    Among the primary feathers, not the secondary ones,

  17. فِي يَوْمِ رَكْضِ الغَارَةِ الوُلاَّفِ

    بَازٍ حِيَالَ كَلِبِ الخُطَّافِ

    On the day the raiders gallop in swift succession:

    A falcon facing a ravenous swallow,

  18. يَنْمِي إِلَى طايِفِهِ الشِنْعافِ

    بَيْنَ حَوَامِي رُتَبِ النِيَافِ

    Rising toward its towering summit,

    Among the shielding tiers of lofty peaks.

  19. لا تُعْجِلَنَّ الحَتْفَ ذَا الإِتْلافِ

    وَالدَهْرُ إِنَّ الدَهْرَ ذُو ازْدِلاَفِ

    Do not hasten death, the destroyer.

    And Time—indeed, Time draws near

  20. بِالمَرْءِ ذُو عَصْفٍ وَذُو انْصِرَافِ

    لَوْ كان أَحْجارٌ مَع الأَجْدافِ

    To a man, with its ravaging and its turns.

    Even were he rocks among the graves,

  21. تَعْفُوا عَلَى جرْثُومِهِ العَوَافِي

    تَضْرِبُها الأَمْطارُ وَالسَوَافي

    The effacing winds would blot out his very root;

    Rains and sand-driving winds beat upon them.

  22. قَدِ اعْتَرَفْتُ حِينَ لا اعْتِرافِ

    أَنَّكَ تَعْنُونِيَ بِالإِلْحَافِ

    I have admitted, when admission is of no avail,

    That you wear me down with insistence.

  23. وَإِنْ تَشَكَّيْتُ مِنَ الإِنْحافِ

    لَمْ أَرَ عِطْفاً مِنْ أَبٍ عَطّافِ

    And if I complain of being worn thin,

    I see no tenderness from an affectionate father.

  24. فَلَيْتَ حَظِّي مِنْ جَدَاكَ الضافِي

    وَالنَفْعُ أَنْ تَتْرُكَنِي كَفَافِ

    If only my share of your overflowing bounty,

    And its benefit, were that you leave me without gain or loss.

  25. لَيْسَتْ قُوَى حَبْلِيَ بِالضِّعافِ

    لَوْلا تَوَقِّيَّ عَلَى الإِشْرافِ

    The strands of my rope are not weak.

    Were it not for my caution at the brink,

  26. أَقْحَمْتَنِي فِي النَفْنَفِ النَفْنافِ

    فِي مِثْلِ مَهْوَى هُوَّةِ الوَصَّافِ

    You would have thrust me into a vast, yawning abyss,

    Like the plunge into al-Wassaf's chasm.

  27. قَوْلُك أَقْوالاً مَع التَحْلافِ

    فِيهِ ازدِهافٌ أَيَّما ازدِهافِ

    Your uttering words with repeated oaths—

    There is deceit in it—what deceit!

  28. وَاللَّه بَيْنَ القَلْبِ والأَضْعَافِ

    وَإِنْ أَصابَ العَيْشَ وَاسْتِحْصافِي

    And God is between the heart and the folds.

    And if it strikes my livelihood and my steadfastness,

  29. جَعَلْتَ مِنْ لأْوَائِهِ إِلْحَافِي

    تَحْسِبُنِي أَغْتَرِف اغْتِرَافِي

    You count my pleading among its hardships.

    You think I draw my draught

  30. مِنْ زَبَدٍ آذِيِّهِ قَصّافِ

    عَلَى الجَنَابَيْنِ لَهُ نَوافِ

    From foam, its billows crashing;

    On both sides it has towering crests.

  31. بَرِيتَ مِنِّي عَصَب الأَطْرافِ

    بِالجَهْلِ وَالنَحْضَ عَن الأَكْتافِ

    You stripped from me the sinews of my limbs,

    Through ignorance, and the flesh from my shoulders,

  32. قَوْلُكَ لِي مَارِسْ عَنِ الضِعَافِ

    عَواصِفاً مِنْ شَمْأَلٍ مِعْصَافِ

    By telling me: 'For the weak, contend with

    Gales from a fiercely blowing north wind,

  33. مُلْتَحِفاً وغَيْرَ ذي الْتِحَافِ

    فَهَلْ أَرَى عَتْباً عَلَى اخْتِلافِ

    Whether wrapped up or without a cloak.'

    Shall I then find cause for reproach amid change,

  34. إِنْ طَالَ هَذَا أَوْ كَفانِي كافِ

    حَتَّى إِذا مَا نَحَلَتْ أَكْنَافِي

    If this lasts, or someone provides for me?

    Until, when my sides have wasted away,

  35. وَإِضْتُ أَمْشِي مَشْيَة الدِلافِ

    وَالْتَفَّ خِيسُ العَكَر الأَلْفافِ

    And I have come to walk with an old man's shuffle,

    And the thicket of densely mingled camel herds has closed in,

  36. حَولاً بِحَوْلِ اللَّهِ لَا اعْتِصافِي

    ذاكَ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُهُ ذِفَافِي

    For a year, by God's might, not my own force—

    That is what he claims will be my swift death.

  37. رَمَيْتَ بِي رَمْيَكَ بِالحَذّافِ

    كَلاَّ وَرَبَّ النُقَّلِ الوُجَّافِ

    You flung me away as you fling a pebble.

    No! By the Lord of the swift, hard-trotting camels,

  38. بِذَاتِ عِرْقٍ دَامِيَ الأَخْفافِ

    لأَضَعَن سَيْفِي وَلاَ أُجَافِي

    At Dhat Irq, their footpads bloodied,

    I shall surely set my sword to work, without holding back,

  39. فِي أَسْؤُق العِيطِ عَلَى الإِنْصافِ

    فَإِنْ تُضِئْ نَارَكَ لِلْعَوَافِي

    Into the tall camels' shanks, cleaving them in half.

    If you light your fire for those seeking hospitality,

  40. لاَ يَصْلِهَا جارِي وَلا أَضْيَافِي

    ذَاكَ التَغاني عَنْكَ وَالتَشَافِي

    Neither my neighbor nor my guests shall warm themselves at it.

    That is independence from you—and satisfaction.