Sol 6.1

  1. رَأَيتُ زِياداً يَجتَويني بِشَرِّهِ

    وَأُعرِضُ عَنهُ وَهوَ بادٍ مَقاتِلُه

    I saw Ziyad loathing me in his malice,

    And I turn away from him, though his vulnerable points lie exposed.

  2. وَكُلُّ امرىءٍ واللَهُ بِالناس عالِمٌ

    لَهُ عادَةٌ قامَت عَلَيها شَمائِلُهُ

    And every man—and God knows mankind—

    Has a habit on which his character is built,

  3. تَعَوَّدَها فيما مَضى مِن شَبابِهِ

    كَذَلِكَ يَدعو كُلَّ أَمرٍ أَوائِلُه

    Which he grew used to in the bygone days of his youth;

    Thus every affair is called forth by its beginnings.

  4. وَيُعجِبُهُ صَفحي لَهُ وَتَحمُّلي

    وَذو الجَهلِ يُحذي الفُحشَ مَن لا يُعاجِلُه

    And my pardon of him and my forbearance please him;

    And a fool heaps abuse on one who does not promptly retaliate.

  5. فَقُلتُ لَهُ ذَرني وَشَأنيَ إِنَّنا

    كِلانا عَليهِ مَعمَلٌ فَهوَ عامِلُه

    So I said to him: Leave me to my affairs; as for us,

    Each has a task laid upon him, and he performs it.

  6. فَلَولا الَّذي قَد يُرتَجى مِن رَجائِهِ

    لَجَرَّبتَ مِنّي بَعضَ ما أَنتَ جاهِلُه

    But for what may be gained by placing hope in him,

    You would have experienced from me some of what you do not know.

  7. لَجَرَّبتَ أَنّي أَجلِبُ الغَيَّ مَن غَوى

    عَليَّ وَأَجزي ما جَزى وَأُطاوِلُه

    You would have learned that I bring harm upon whoever acts wickedly

    Against me; I repay what he has dealt out, and vie with him.

  8. كَما كُنتَ لَو آخَيتَني لَوَجَدتَني

    أُكارِمُ مَن آخَيتُهُ وَأُباذِلُه

    Likewise, had you taken me as a brother, you would have found me

    Vying in generosity with anyone I befriend, and sharing freely with him.

  9. وَذو خَطلٍ في القَولِ ما يَعتَرِض لَهُ

    مِنَ القَولِ مِن ذي إِربَةٍ فَهوَ قَائِلُه

    And a man of foolish speech—whatever comes his way

    Of talk from a shrewd man, he repeats it.

  10. ونَمٍّ ظَنونٍ مُستَظَنٍّ مُلَعَّنٍ

    لُحومُ الصَديقِ لَهوُهُ وَمآكِلُه

    And a suspicious, mistrusted, much-cursed talebearer,

    A friend's flesh is his amusement and his food.

  11. تَجاوَزتُ عَمّا قالَ لي واحتَسَبتُهُ

    وَكانَ مِنَ الذَنبِ الَّذي هوَ نائِلُه

    I overlooked what he said to me, seeking reward for bearing it;

    And it was among the sins he himself incurred.

  12. فَقُلتُ لِنَفسي والتَذَكُّرُ كَالنُهى

    أَتَسخَطُ ما يَأَتي بِهِ وَتُماثِلُه

    So I said to myself—and reflection is like reason—

    Do you resent what he does, yet behave just like him?

  13. فَكَدَّ قَليلاً ثُمَ صَدَّ وَقَد بَنَت

    عَلى كُرهِهِ أَنيابُهُ وَأَنامِلُه

    So he strained a little, then turned away, though there appeared

    Despite himself, his fangs and fingertips.

  14. فَما إِن تَراني ضَرَّني إِذ تَرَكتُهُ

    بِظَهري وَأَشقى الناسِ بِالشَرِّ فاعِلُه

    So you see, he did me no harm when I left him

    Behind me; evil's doer is the one who suffers most from it.

  15. وَمُؤتَمَنٍ بِالسِرِّ أَوثَقتُ سِرَّهُ

    مَع القَلبِ مَقروناً بِهِ لا يُزايِلُه

    And one trusted with a secret—I bound his secret fast,

    To my heart, bound to it, never leaving it.

  16. وَأَسمَعتُ مَن أَخشى عَليهِ مَغازِلَ ال

    حَديثِ وَأَحراسُ الحَديثِ مَغازِلُه

    And I let the one I fear for hear the spindles of

    Speech; the guardians of speech are its spindles.

  17. وَصاحِبَ صِدقٍ ذي حَياءٍ وَجُرأَةٍ

    يَنالُ الصَديقَ نَصرُهُ وَفواضِلُه

    And a true companion, possessed of modesty and courage,

    Whose help and favors reach his friend,

  18. كَريمٍ حَليمٍ يَكسِبُ الحَمدَ والنَدى

    إِذا الوَرَعُ الهَيّابُ قَلَّت نَوافِلُه

    Generous and forbearing, earning praise and bounty,

    When the cautious, timid man's gifts grow few.

  19. مَدَدتُ بِحَبلِ الودِّ بَيني وَبينَهُ

    كِلانا مُجِدٌّ ما يَليهِ وَواصِلُه

    I stretched the cord of affection between myself and him;

    Each of us renewing his own end and keeping it joined.

  20. وَغَيثٌ مِن الوَسمِيِّ حُوٌّ تِلاعُهُ

    تَمَنَّعَ زَهواً نَبتُهُ وَسَوابِلُه

    And a pasture from the first autumn rains, its gullies dark green,

    Its plants and drooping seed-heads stood proudly beyond reach.

  21. كَأَنَّ الظِباءَ الأُدمَ في حُجُراتِهِ

    وَجُونَ النَعامِ شاجِنٌ وَجَمائِلُه

    As though the pale gazelles in its recesses

    And the black ostriches were Shajin and his camel herds.

  22. هَبَطتُ إِذا ما الآلُ آضَ كَأَنَّهُ

    عِضاهٌ تَرَدّى بِالمُلاءِ أُطاوِلُه

    I descended when the mirage became as though it were

    Thorn trees clad in mantles; I vied with it.

  23. تَسَمَّعتُ وَاستَوضَحتُ ثُمَّ استَجَزتُهُ

    بِأَبيَضَ مَلحوبٍ قَواءٍ مَنازِلُه

    I listened closely and looked carefully, then crossed it

    Along a white, well-trodden track whose stopping places lay deserted,

  24. عَلى ذاتِ لَوثٍ أَو بِأَهوَجَ وَشوَشٍ

    صَنيعٍ نَبيلٍ يَملأُ الرحلَ كاهِلُه

    On a sturdy she-camel, or a headstrong, nimble camel,

    Well-reared and splendid, his withers filling the saddle,

  25. لِأُدرِكَ نُجحاً أَو أُسلّيَ حاجَةً

    وَهَمُّ القَصيرِ الباعِ داءٌ يُماطِلُه

    To attain success, or put a longing to rest.

    And a short-reached man's ambition is a sickness that keeps delaying him.

  26. يَهُمُّ وَلا يَمضي وَيرتَدُّ أَمرُهُ

    إِذا قامَ ناهيهِ عَليهِ وَعاذِلُه

    He intends but does not proceed, and his undertaking turns back

    When his dissuader and his reproacher rise against him.