يا عجباً من وشْكِ بَينٍ ما رَغَتْ

فيه مطايَانَا ولا الحادي حَدَا

Oh, how strange are the faces of the white houses

In which neither our horses neighed, nor the guide guided

نرَى الجِمَالَ المصحِباتِ بينَنا

مُهمَّلاتٍ والرجالَ بَدَدَا

We see the beautiful women accompanying us

Neglected, and the men scattered

مَوقفُ تَوديعٍ ترى البيضَ به

شُهباً وهَابي النّقعِ ليلاً أسودَا

A position of farewell in which you see the eggs

As stars, and the one with streaming eyes has a black night

وللطِّعانِ في الكُماةِ أعيُناً

تَهمِي على السّردِ نجيعاً مُزبِدَا

And for the slanderers, spying eyes

That are boiling with anger and rage

فيا له من مَوقِفٍ رقيبُه

كتَائِبُ الأعداءِ والواشي الرّدَى

What a position, whose guardian

Are the troops of enemies and the corrupt governor

لو لم تكُن عادَتِيَ الإقدامَ في

أمثاله قضيتُ فيه كَمَدَا

If it were not my habit to dare

In similar situations, I would have perished there

لا تَحسبَنَّ الرّزءَ أوهَى جَلَدِي

إنّ النّسِيم لا يَفُضُّ الجَلْمَدَا

Do not think little of the bits, my skin is tougher

The breeze does not melt the ice

وهل يَروعُ الخطْبُ قلبَ أروعٍ

إن كَلِبَ الدَّهرُ عليهِ أَسِدَا

And does adversity frighten the heart of the most frightening

When the vicissitudes of time have made it a lion?

متَى رآني الشّامتُون ضَرِعاً

لنكبةٍ تَعرُقُنِي عَرق المُدَى

When the gloaters see me pleading

For a setback that makes me sweat blood

هُم يَعلمونَ أنّني أصلَبُ مِن

صُمِّ الصَّفَا فما عَدا مِمَّا بَدا

They know I am tougher

Than the deaf rock, so nothing but what appeared

هل بِزّنِي الخطبُ سِوى وفْرِي الذي

كان مُباحاً للنَّوالِ والنَّدَى

Did the situation humble me, except for my abundance that

Was permitted for bliss and pleasure?

إنْ جمَعوا المالَ فأوعَوْا أتلفَتْ

يَدي طريفَ ما حوتْ والتَّلِدَا

If they gathered money, they took care, did my hands

Destroy what they contained, and the newborn?

هُمُ يَروْن المالَ ذُخراً باقياً

وإنّما ذُخُر الفَتى أن يُحمَدَا

They see money as lasting provision

But the provision of the youth is to be praised