لِما وَصَلَت أَسماءُ مِن حَبلِنا شُكرُ

وَإِن حُمَّ بِالبَينِ الَّذي لَم نُرِد قَدرُ

When Asma reached the limit of our rope, thanks

And if the inevitable separation which we did not want was destined

إِذا ما اِستَقَلَّت زَفرَةٌ لِفُراقِهِم

فَما عُذرُها أَلّا يَضيقَ بِها الصَدرُ

When a sigh escapes due to their separation

Its excuse cannot be but that the chest is straitened

نَصيبِيَ مِن حُبّيكِ أَنَّ صَبابَةً

مُبَرِّحَةً تَبري العِظامَ وَلا تَبرو

My share of your love is a young woman

Who makes the bones joyful but does not make them flourish

وَتَحتَ ضُلوعي مِن هَواكَ جَوانِحُ

مُحَرَّقَةٌ في كُلِّ جانِحَةٍ جَمرُ

And beneath my ribs due to passion for you are birds

Burnt, in every wing embers

وَقَد طَرَفَت عَيناكِ عَينَيَّ لا قَذى

أَصابَهُما مِن عِندِ عَينَيكِ بَل سِحرُ

And your eyes have glanced at my eyes, no speck

Reached them from your eyes, but magic

وِصالٌ سَقاني الخَبلَ صِرفاً فَلَم يَكُن

لِيَبلُغَ ما أَدَّت عَقابيلَهُ الهَجرُ

Connection has made me drink confusion straight, so it could not

Reach what estrangement made my anklets suffer

وَباقي شَبابٍ في مَشيبٍ مَغَلَّبٍ

عَلَيهِ اِختِتاءُ اليَومِ يَكثُرُهُ الشَهرُ

And leftover youth in advanced old age

Overpowered, the setting of the day makes its months many

وَلَيسَ طَليقَ القَومِ مَن راحَ أَو غَدا

يَسومُ التَصابي وَالمَشيبُ لَهُ أَسرُ

And not free is the one who went or tomorrow

Bargains the pleasures and old age has power over him

تَطاوَحَني العَصرانِ في رَجَوَيهِما

يُسَيِّبُني عَصرٌ وَيَعلَقُني عَصرُ

The two times gore me with their hopes

One sets me free and the other ties me up

مَتاعٌ مِنَ الدَهرِ اِستَبَدَّ بِجِدَّتي

وَأَعظَمُ جُرمِ الدَهرِ أَن يُمتَعَ الدَهرُ

Goods from time that took away my seriousness

And the greatest sin of time is that it lets one enjoy time

سَتَرتُ عَلى الدُنيا وَلَو شِئتُ لَم يَكُن

عَلى عَيبِها مِن نَحوِ ذي نَظَرٍ سِترُ

I have covered over the world, and if I wished it would not have been

For its faults from one with insight a cover

وَخادَعتُ رَأيِي إِنَّما العَيشُ خُدعَةٌ

لِرَأيِكَ تَستَدعي الجَهالَةَ أَو سُكرُ

And I have fooled my opinion, life is but a deception

For your opinion soliciting ignorance or intoxication

وَما زِلتُ مُذ أَيسَرتُ أَسمو إِلى الَّتي

يُرادُ لَها حَتّى يُسادَ بِهِ اليُسرُ

And I have not ceased since I despaired of ease toward she

For whom it is wanted until ease is substituted

إِذا ما الفَتى استَغنى فَلَم يُعطِ نَفسَهُ

تَعَلِّيَ نَفسٍ بِالغِنى فَالغِنى فَقرُ

When the young man becomes self-sufficient and does not give himself

A self rises through self-sufficiency so self-sufficiency is poverty

وَيُرثى لِبَعضِ القَومِ مِن بَعضِ مالِهِ

إِذا ما اليَدُ المَلأى شَأَتها اليَدُ الصِفرُ

And some of the people's wealth is grieved for

When the full hand rivals the empty hand

أَرَقَّت جِناياتُ المُضَلَّلِ ثَروَتي

فَلا نَشَبٌ بَعدَ العُبَيدِ وَلا وَفرُ

The crimes of the misguided have worried my wealth

So there is no more collecting and no abundance

وَقَد زَعَموا مِصرٌ مَعانٌ مِنَ الغِنى

فَكَيفَ أَسَفَّت بي إِلى عَدَمٍ مِصرُ

And they claimed Egypt treasures from wealth

So how has it lamented me to non-existence O Egypt!

سَيَجبُرُ كَسري المَصقَلِيّونَ إِنَّهُم

بِهِم تُدفَعُ الجُلّى وَيُجتَبَرُ الكَسرُ

The gilded ones will mend my brokenness, indeed they

With them beauty is warded off and brokenness is repaired

فَما تَتَعاطى ما يَنالونَهُ يَدٌ

وَلا يَتَقَصّى ما يُنيلونَهُ شُكرُ

So do not take what they attain by hand

Nor inquire into what they obtain without thanks

عَريقونَ في الإِفضالِ يُؤتَنَفُ النَدى

لِناشِئِهِم مِن حَيثُ يُؤتَنَفُ العُمرُ

Noble in bestowal, freshness is gained for

Their youth wherever freshness of life is gained

إِذا تَجَروا في سُؤدَدٍ وَتَزايَدوا

فَأَنفَقُ ما أَبضَعتَ عِندَهُمُ الشِعرُ

When they pull in pursuits and outbid

The poetry boasts what it contains regarding them

يُجازي القَوافي بِالأَيادي مُبِرَّةً

تَضاعيفُها في كُلِّ واحِدَةٍ عَشرُ

It rewards rhymes with hands releasing

Its duplicates in each one ten

غَدَوا عَبِقي الأَكنافِ تَأرَجُ أَرضُهُم

بِطيبِ ثَناءٍ ما يُواثى بِهِ العِطرُ

They went while their sides were fragrant, their land

Is aromatic with the scent of praise that perfume cannot equal

وَما سَوَّدَ الأَقوامُ مِثلَ عُمارَةٍ

إِذا نُسِيَ الأَقوامُ شاعَ لَهُ ذِكرُ

And none have shaded the people like Omar

When people forget, his mention spreads

تَجَنَّب سُراهُم لِلعُلا وَاِبتِغائِها

بِسَعيٍ وَعَرِّس حَيثُ أَدرَكَكَ الفَجرُ

Avoiding their nobles for elevation and seeking it

With effort, and marry wherever dawn has reached you

فَما لَكَ في أَطوادِ شَيبانَ مُرتَقىً

وَلا مِنكَ في حَوزٍ جَماجِمُها الكُبرُ

So you have no part in graying Eagle Heights

Nor skulls whose greatness is senility

وَقَد مُلِّيَت فَخراً رَبيعَةُ أَن سَعى

لَها مِن سِوى بَكرِ بنِ وائِلِها بَكرُ

And Rabee'a has claimed pride that Sa'a

Sought her from other than Bakr bin Wael

وَما أَشرَفُ البَكرَينِ مَن لَم يَكُن لَهُ

حَبيبٌ أَباً يَومَ التَفاضُلِ أَو عَمرُو

And the nobler of the two Bakrs is not one who does not have

A beloved father the day they vie, or Amr

وَيَحمِلُ إِسماعيلُ عَنّا اِبنَ بُلبُلٍ

مِنَ المَحلِ عِبئاً لَيسَ يَحمِلُهُ القَطرُ

And Ismail carries for us the son of Bulbul

From the abode a burden Mount Qatr cannot carry

بِغُزرِ يَدٍ مِنهُ تَقولُ تَعَلَّمَت

يَدُ الغَيثِ مِنها أَو تَقَيَّلَها البَحرُ

With abundant rain you would say she has learned

The rain's hand from it or the sea has made it overflow

وَكَم بَسَطَ الخِضرُ بنُ أَحمَدَ غايَةً

مِنَ المَجدِ لا يَقفو مَسافَتَها الخِضرُ

And how much the Green spread Ahmad to a point

Of glory no green can keep pace with

لَهُ الفَعَلاتُ الدَهرُ أَقطَعُ دونَها

أَشَلُّ وَظَهرُ الأَرضِ مِن مِثلِها قَفرُ

The achievements, time is more barren than them

More sterile, and the earth's back from its like a wasteland

مُقيمٌ عَلى نَهجٍ مِنَ الجودِ واضِحٍ

وَنَحنُ إِلى جَمّاتِ نائِلِهِ سَفرُ

Staying on a path of clear generosity

While we are heading to all its reaches travel

يُدَنّي لَنا الحاجاتِ مَطلَبُها نَوىً

شَطونٌ وَمَأتاها عَلى نَأيِها وَعرُ

He brings us the objects of needs intending

Far away places and its horizon upon remoteness

مُضيءٌ يَنوبُ اليُسرُ عَن ضَحِكاتِهِ

وَلا رَيبَ في أَنَّ العُبوسَ هُوَ العُسرُ

Luminous, ease takes the place of his smiles

And there is no doubt that frowning is hardship

وَلَو ضُمِنَ المَعروفَ طَيُّ صَحيفَةٍ

تُكادُ عَلَيهِ كانَ عُنوانَها البِشرُ

And if goodwill were guaranteed extended in a page

It would nearly be its title: good news

فَتىً لا يُريدُ الوَفرَ إِلّا ذَخيرَةً

لِمَأثُرَةٍ تَرتادُ أَو مَغرَمٍ يَعرو

A young man who wants abundance only as a provision

For an exploit it undertakes or a lover it cures

وَأَكثَرُهُم يَهوى الإِضافَةَ كَي يُرى

لَهُ في الَّذي يَأتيهِ مِن طَبَعٍ عُذرُ

And most of them love affiliation so it may be seen

For him in what occurs from a nature an excuse

رَبيعٌ تُرَجّيهِ رَبيعَةُ لِلغِنى

وَتَبكَرُ اِتباعاً لِأَبوابِهِ بَكرُ

Spring you wish for it O Rabee'a for wealth

And Bakr vies early answering its gates

أَبا عامِرٍ إِنَّ المَعالي وَأَهلَها

يَوَدّونَ وَدّاً أَن يَطولَ بِكَ العُمرُ

O Abu Amer indeed supremacies and its people

Love, love that age be long for you

إِذا جِئتُمُ أُكرومَةً تَبهَرُ الوَرى

فَما هِيَ بِدعٌ مِن عُلاكُم وَلا نُكرُ

When you come ones who dazzle all creation

It is no innovation from your supremacy nor unfamiliarity

وَمازالَ مِن آبائِهِ وَجُدودِهِ

لَهُ أَنجُمٌ في سَقفِ عَليائِهِم زُهرُ

And it has not ceased to have from his forefathers

For him stars in the ceiling of their loftiness shining

وَأُكرومَةٍ جَلّى أَبو الصَقرِ طامِحاً

إِلَيها كَما جَلّى طَريدَتَهُ الصَقرُ

And ones who Abu Saqr aspired high

To them just as the Falcon cleared its hunt

يُجاوِزُها المَغمورُ لا يَنثَني لَها

بِعِطفٍ وَيَنحو نَحوَها النابِهُ الغَمرُ

The lowly exceeds it, not bending to it

With care, and the brilliant star inclines toward it

مَتى جِئتُموها أَو دُعيتُم لِمِثلِها

فَما هِيَ مِن بَكرِ بنِ وائِلِكُم بِكرُ

When you come them or are called to its like

It is not from your Bakr bin Wael, O Bakr

إِذا نَحنُ كافَأناكُمُ عَن صَنيعَةٍ

أَنِفنا فَلا التَقصيرُ مِنّا وَلا الكُفرُ

When we requite you for a good deed

We disdain shortcoming from us and disbelief

بِمَنقوشَةٍ نَقشَ الدَنانيرِ يُنتَقى

لَها اللَفظُ مُختاراً كَما يُنتَقى التِبرُ

With an engraved engraving, the dinars' engraving selected

For it speech, chosen just as choice musk is selected

تَبيتُ أَمامَ الريحِ مِنها طَليعَةٌ

وَغَدوَتُها شَهرٌ وَرَوحَتُها شَهرُ

It stays facing the wind, for it a vanguard

And its departure a month and its blowing a month

تُوَفّى دُيونُ المُنعِمينَ وَيُقتَنى

لَهُم مِن بَواقي ما أَعاضَتهُمُ فَخرُ

It fulfills the benefactors' debts and gains

For them from remaining ruins what pride missed them