Sol 6.1

  1. أَبى غَربُ هَذا الدَمعِ إِلّا تَسَرُّعا

    وَمَكنونُ هَذا الحُبِّ إِلّا تَضَوُّعا

    This torrent of tears will do nothing but rush forth,

    And this hidden love, nothing but spread its fragrance.

  2. وَكُنتُ أَرى أَنّي مَعَ الحَزمِ واحِدٌ

    إِذا شِئتُ لي مَمضىً وَإِن شِئتُ مَرجِعا

    And I thought I was at one with prudence,

    With a way forward if I wished, and a way back if I wished.

  3. فَلَمّا اِستَمَرَّ الحُبُّ في غُلَوائِهِ

    رَعَيتُ مَعَ المِضياعَةِ الحُبَّ ما رَعى

    But when love persisted in its headlong ardor,

    I tended love with the neglectful one, as long as he tended it.

  4. فَحُزنِيَ حُزنُ الهائِمينَ مُبَرِّحاً

    وَسِرِّيَ سِرُّ العاشِقينَ مُضَيَّعا

    So my grief is the racking grief of the lovelorn,

    And my secret, the lovers' secret, lies unguarded.

  5. خَليلَيَّ لِم لا تَبكِياني صَبابَةً

    أَأَبدَلتُما بِالأَجرَعِ الفَردِ أَجرَعا

    My two friends, why do you not weep for me in longing?

    Have you traded the solitary sandy plain for another sandy plain?

  6. عَلَيَّ لِمَن ضَنَّت عَلَيَّ جُفونُهُ

    غَوارِبُ دَمعٍ يَشمَلُ الحَيَّ أَجمَعا

    For one whose eyelids begrudged me tears, I bear

    Billows of tears that engulf the whole clan.

  7. وَهَبتُ شَبابي وَالشَبابُ مَضِنَّةٌ

    لِأَبلَجَ مِن أَبناءِ عَمِّيَ أَجمَعا

    I gave away my youth—though youth is jealously treasured—

    To a radiant-browed man among all my paternal cousins.

  8. أَبيتُ مُعَنّىً مِن مَخافَةِ عَتبِهِ

    وَأُصبِحُ مَحزوناً وَأُمسي مُرَوَّعا

    I pass the night tormented by fear of his reproach,

    And greet the morning grieving, and the evening terrified.

  9. فَلَمّا مَضى عَصرُ الشَبيبَةِ كُلَّهُ

    وَفارَقَني شَرخُ الشَبابِ مُوَدَّعا

    Then, when the whole season of youth had passed,

    And the bloom of youth had left me, bidden farewell,

  10. تَطَلَّبتُ بَينَ الهَجرِ وَالعَتبِ فُرجَةً

    فَحاوَلتُ أَمراً لايُرامُ مُمَنَّعا

    I sought an opening between estrangement and reproach,

    So I tried for something unattainable, impregnable.

  11. وَصِرتُ إِذا مارُمتُ في الخَيرِ لَذَّةً

    تَتَبَّعتُها بَينَ الهُمومُ تَتَبُّعا

    And I have come, whenever I seek delight in good fortune,

    To pursue it amid cares, searching painstakingly.

  12. وَها أَنا قَد حَلّى الزَمانُ مَفارِقي

    وَتَوَّجَني بِالشَيبِ تاجاً مُرَصَّعا

    And here I am: time has adorned my hair-partings,

    And crowned me with gray hair, a jewel-studded crown.

  13. فَلَو أَنَّني مُكِّنتُ مِمّا أُريدُهُ

    مِنَ العَيشِ يَوماً لَم يَجِد فِيَّ مَوضِعاً

    Yet if I were granted what I desire

    Of life for a single day, gray hair would find no place in me.

  14. أَما لَيلَةٌ تَمضي وَلا بَعضُ لَيلَةٍ

    أَسُرُّ بِها هَذا الفُؤادَ المُفَجَّعا

    Will no night pass—not even part of a night—

    In which I gladden this grief-stricken heart?

  15. أَما صاحِبٌ فَردٌ يَدومُ وَفاؤُهُ

    فَيُصفي لِمَن أَصفى وَيَرعى لِمَن رَعى

    Is there not a single friend whose loyalty endures,

    Who gives sincere affection to the sincere, and cares for those who care?

  16. أَفي كُلِّ دارٍ لي صَديقٌ أَوَدُّهُ

    إِذا ماتَفَرَّقنا حَفِظتُ وَضَيَّعا

    In every dwelling, do I have a friend I love,

    Yet when we part, I keep faith while he neglects it?

  17. أَقَمتُ بِأَرضِ الرومِ عامَينِ لا أَرى

    مِنَ الناسِ مَحزوناً وَلا مُتَصَنِّعا

    I stayed two years in the land of the Byzantines without seeing

    Anyone grieving among the people, or even feigning grief.

  18. إِذا خِفتُ مِن أَخوالِيَ الرومِ خُطَّةً

    تَخَوَّفتُ مِن أَعمامِيَ العُربِ أَربَعا

    If I feared one scheme from my Byzantine maternal uncles,

    I dreaded four from my Arab paternal uncles.

  19. وَإِن أَوجَعَتني مِن أَعادِيَّ شيمَةٌ

    لَقيتُ مِنَ الأَحبابِ أَدهى وَأَوجَعا

    And if a trait of my enemies wounded me,

    I found among my loved ones something worse and more painful.

  20. وَلَو قَد رَجَوتُ اللَهَ لاشَيءَ غَيرَهُ

    رَجَعتُ إِلى أَعلى وَأَمَّلتُ أَوسَعا

    And had I placed my hope in God, and nothing else,

    I would have returned to something higher, and cherished wider hopes.

  21. لَقَد قَنِعوا بَعدي مِنَ القَطرِ بِالنَدى

    وَمَن لَم يَجِد إِلّا القُنوعَ تَقَنَّعا

    After me, they have indeed settled for dew instead of rain;

    And whoever finds no choice but contentment makes himself content.

  22. وَما مَرَّ إِنسانٌ فَأَخلَفَ مِثلَهُ

    وَلَكِن يُزَجّي الناسُ أَمراً مُوَقَّعا

    No man has departed and left his equal behind,

    But people make do with the lot that befalls them.

  23. تَنَكَّرَ سَيفُ الدينِ لَمّا عَتَبتُهُ

    وَعَرَّضَ بي تَحتَ الكَلامِ وَقَرَّعا

    Sayf al-Din turned cold when I reproached him,

    And beneath his words he made insinuations about me and rebuked me.

  24. فَقولا لَهُ مِن أَصدَقِ الوُدِّ أَنَّني

    جَعَلتُكَ مِمّا رابَني الدَهرَ مَفزَعا

    So tell him, with the sincerest affection: I

    Have made you my lifelong refuge from whatever disquiets me.

  25. وَلَو أَنَّني أَكنَنتُهُ في جَوانِحي

    لَأَورَقَ ما بَينَ الضُلوعِ وَفَرَّعا

    And if I were to shelter him within my breast,

    What lies between my ribs would put forth leaves and branches.

  26. فَلا تَغتَرِر بِالناسِ ماكُلُّ مَن تَرى

    أَخوكَ إِذا أَوضَعتَ في الأَمرِ أَوضَعا

    So do not be deceived by people: not everyone you see

    Is your brother, hastening when you hasten in an affair.

  27. وَلا تَتَقَلَّد مايَروعُكَ حَليُهُ

    تَقَلَّد إِذا حارَبتَ ماكانَ أَقطَعا

    And do not gird on something whose ornament dazzles you;

    When you fight, gird on what cuts more keenly.

  28. وَلاتَقبَلَنَّ القَولَ مِن كُلِّ قائِلٍ

    سَأُرضيكَ مَرأىً لَستُ أُرضيكَ مَسمَعا

    And never accept the words of every speaker:

    I shall satisfy you by what you see, not by what you hear.

  29. فَلِلَّهِ إِحسانٌ إِلَيَّ وَنِعمَةٌ

    وَلِلَّهِ صُنعٌ قَد كَفاني التَصَنُّعا

    For God has shown me kindness and blessing,

    And God's favor has spared me affectation.

  30. أَراني طَريقَ المَكرُماتِ كَما رَأى

    عَلِيُّ وَأَسماني عَلى كُلِّ مَن سَعى

    I was shown the path of noble deeds, as he saw fit,

    By Ali, who raised me above all who strove.

  31. فَإِن يَكُ بُطءٌ مَرَّةً فَلَطالَما

    تَعَجَّلَ نَحوي بِالجَميلِ وَأَسرَعا

    So if there is delay on one occasion, how often

    He has hastened toward me with kindness and sped!

  32. وَإِن يَجفُ في بَعضِ الأُمورِ فَإِنَّني

    لَأَشكُرُهُ النُعمى الَّتي كانَ أَودَعا

    And if he is cold in some matters, then I

    Will surely thank him for the blessing he bestowed.

  33. وَإِن يَستَجِدَّ الناسَ بَعدي فَلا يَزَل

    بِذاكَ البَديلِ المُستَجَدِّ مُمَتَّعا

    And if he chooses new people after me, may he ever

    Enjoy that newly chosen replacement.