1. فُقِدَت في أَيّامِكَ العُلَماءُ

    وَاِدلَهَمَّت عَلَيهِمُ الظَلماءُ

    The learned have vanished in your days,

    and darkness has thickened over them.

  2. وَتَغَشّى دَهماءَنا الغَيُّ لَمّا

    عُطِّلَت مِن وُضوحِها الدَهماءُ

    Error shrouded our masses when

    the populace was stripped of its light.

  3. لِلمَليكِ المُذَكَّراتُ عَبيدٌ

    وَكَذاكَ المُؤَنَّثاتُ إِماءُ

    To the Sovereign, the masculine things are bondsmen,

    and likewise the feminine things are bondwomen.

  4. فَالهِلالُ المُنيفُ وَالبَدرُ وَالفَر

    قَدُ وَالصُبحُ وَالثَرى وَالماءُ

    So the lofty crescent, the full moon, and

    Farqad, dawn, the soil, and water;

  5. وَالثُرَيّا وَالشَمسُ وَالنارُ وَالنَث

    رَةُ وَالأَرضُ وَالضُحى وَالسَماءُ

    the Pleiades, the sun, fire, and

    al-Nathra, the earth, the forenoon, and the sky—

  6. هَذِهِ كُلُّها لِرَبِّكَ ماعا

    بَكَ في قَولِ ذَلِكَ الحُكَماءُ

    all these belong to your Lord; no blame

    have the sages laid on you for saying so.

  7. خَلِّني يا أَخيَّ أَستَغفِرُ اللَ

    هَ فَلَم يَبقَ فِيَّ إِلّا الذَماءُ

    Let me, my dear brother, seek forgiveness from

    God; nothing remains in me but life's last flicker.

  8. وَيُقالُ الكِرامُ قَولاً وَما في ال

    عَصرِ إِلّا الشُخوصُ وَالأَسماءُ

    People say 'the noble'—mere words; in this

    age there are only figures and names,

  9. وَأَحاديثُ خَبَّرَتها غُواةٌ

    وَاِفتَرَتها لِلمَكسِبِ القُدَماءُ

    and tales related by misguided men,

    fabricated by the ancients for gain.

  10. هَذِهِ الشُهبُ خِلتُها شَبَكَ الدَه

    رِ لَها فَوقَ أَهلِها إِلماءُ

    These bright stars I fancied the net of

    Time, beckoning above their people.

  11. عَجَباً لِلقَضاءِ تَمَّ عَلى الخَل

    قِ فَهمَّت أَن تُبسِلَ الحَزماءُ

    How strange is destiny, fulfilled upon

    creation, so the prudent contemplated surrender to ruin!

  12. أَو ما يُبصِرونَ فِعلَ الرَدى كَي

    فَ يَبيدُ الأَصهارُ وَالأَحماءُ

    Or do they not see death's work—

    how in-laws and husbands' kin perish?

  13. غَلَبَ المَينُ مُنذُ كانَ عَلى الخَل

    قِ وَماتَت بِغَيظِها الحُكَماءُ

    Falsehood, ever since it existed, has prevailed over

    creation, and the sages died of their rage.

  14. فَاِرقُبي يا عَصامِ يَوماً وَلَو أَنَّ

    كِ في رَأسِ شاهِقٍ عَصماءُ

    So await a day, O ʿIsam, even if

    you are a white-legged mountain goat on a lofty peak.

  15. وَأَرى الأَربَعَ الغَرائِزَ فينا

    وَهيَ في جُثَّةِ الفَتى خُصَماءُ

    I see the four innate natures within us,

    adversaries in a young man's body.

  16. إِن تَوافَقنَ صَحَّ أَو لا فَما يَن

    فَكُّ عَنها الإِمراضُ وَالإِغماءُ

    If they agree, he is healthy; otherwise, never

    do sickness and fainting leave them.

  17. وَوَجَدتُ الزَمانَ أَعجَمَ فَظّاً

    وَجُبارٌ في حُكمِها العَجماءُ

    I found Time speechless and harsh;

    a dumb beast's harm, by law, goes uncompensated.

  18. إِنَّ دُنياكَ مِن نَهارٍ وَلَيلٍ

    وَهيَ في ذاكَ حَيَّةٌ عَرماءُ

    Your world consists of day and night,

    and in this it is a mottled snake.

  19. وَالبَرايا حازوا دُيونَ مَنايا

    سَوفَ تُقضى وَيَحضُرُ الغُرَماءُ

    And creatures have incurred debts to death,

    which will be repaid, and the creditors will appear.

  20. وَرَدَ القَومَ بَعدَما ماتَ كَعبٌ

    وَاِرتَوى بِالنُمَيرِ وَفدٌ ظِماءُ

    Water reached the people after Kaʿb had died,

    and a thirsty company drank its fill of sweet water.

  21. حَيوانٌ وَجامِدٌ غَيرُ نامٍ

    وَنَباتٌ لَهُ بِسُقيا نَماءُ

    A living being, inert matter that does not grow,

    and a plant whose growth comes through watering.

  22. وَلَو أَنَّ الأَنامَ خافوا مِنَ العُق

    بى لَما جارَت المِياهَ الدِماءُ

    If mankind feared the

    hereafter, blood would not rival water.

  23. أَجدَرُ الناسِ بِالعَواقِبِ في الرَح

    مَةِ قَومٌ في بَديِهِمُ رُحَماءُ

    Those most deserving of outcomes marked by

    mercy are people merciful from the outset.

  24. وَغَضِبنا مِن قَولِ زاعِمِ حَقٍّ

    إِنَّنا في أُصولِنا لُؤَماءُ

    We grew angry at one who spoke a truth:

    'At our roots, we are base.'

  25. أَنتَ يا آدَمٌ آدَمُ السِربِ حَوّا

    ؤُكَ فيهِ حَوّاءُ أَو أَدماءُ

    You, O Adam, are the herd's pale buck; your

    Eve within it is a dusky doe, or a pale one.

  26. قَرَمَتنا الأَيّامُ هَل رَثَتِ النَحّ

    امَ لَمّا ثَوى بِها قَرماءُ

    The days have gnawed us; was al-Nahham mourned

    by Qarma when he lay within it?

  27. عالَمٌ حائِرٌ كَطَيرِ هَواءٍ

    وَهَوافٍ تَضُمُّها الدَأماءُ

    A bewildered world, like birds in the air

    and drifting things gathered by the sea.

  28. وَكَأَنَّ الهُمامَ عَمرو بنِ دَرما

    ءَ فَلَتهُ مِن أُمِّهِ دَرماءُ

    As though the gallant ʿAmr ibn

    Darma had been weaned from his mother by a hare.

  29. وَالبَهارُ الشَميمُ تَحميهِ مِن وَط

    ءِ مُعاديكَ أَرنَبٌ شَمّاءُ

    The fragrant ox-eye flower is guarded from the

    tread of your enemy by lofty Arnab.

  30. وَعَرانا عالى الحُطامِّ ضِرابٌ

    وَطِعانٌ في باطِلٍ وَرِماءُ

    Over worldly dross, blows have assailed us,

    and thrusts and arrow-shots in a futile cause.

  31. أَسوَدُ القَلبِ أَسوَدٌ وَمَتى ما

    تُصغِ أُذني فَأُذنُهُ صَمّاءُ

    A black-hearted one is a black serpent; whenever

    my ear listens, his ear is deaf.

  32. قَد رَمى نابِلٌ فَأَنمى وَأَصمى

    وَلَياليكَ ما لَها إِنماءُ

    A bowman has shot, killing after delay and outright;

    but your nights never delay the kill.

  33. إِنَّ رَبَّ الحِصنِ المَشيدِ بِتَيما

    ءَ تَوَلى وَخُلِّفَت تَيماءُ

    The lord of the lofty fortress at

    Tayma departed, and Tayma was left behind.

  34. أَو مَأَت لِلحِذاءِ كَفُّ الثُرَيّا

    ثُمَّ صُدَّ الحَديثُ وَالإيماءُ

    The Pleiades' palm gestured toward the opposite side,

    then speech and gestures were barred.

  35. شَهَدَت بِالمَليكِ أَنجُمُها السِتَّ

    ةُ ثُمَّ الخَضيبُ وَالجَذماءُ

    Its stars bore witness to the Sovereign—all

    six—then al-Khadib and al-Jadhma.

  36. فَهِمُ الناسِ كَالجُهولِ وَما يَظ

    فَرُ إِلا بِالحَسرَةِ الفُهَماءُ

    The discerning man is like the ignorant; nothing

    but sorrow do the discerning gain.

  37. تَلتَقي في الصَعيدِ أُمٌّ وَبِنتٌ

    وَتَساوى القَرناءُ وَالجَمّاءُ

    A mother and daughter meet in the earth,

    and the horned and the hornless are equal.

  38. وَأَنيقُ الرَبيعِ يُدرِكُهُ القَي

    ظُ وَفيهِ البَيضاءُ وَالسَحماءُ

    Spring's loveliness is overtaken by summer

    heat, with both the white and the dark within it.

  39. وَطَريقي إِلى الحِمامِ كَريهٌ

    لَم تُهَب عِندَ هَولِهِ اليَهماءُ

    My road to death is dreadful;

    beside its terror, the trackless waste is not feared,

  40. وَلَو أَنَّ البَيداءَ صارِمُ حَربٍ

    وَهيَ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ صَرماءُ

    even if the desert were war's keen sword,

    and waterless on every side.

  41. كَيفَ لا يُشرِكُ المُضيقَينِ في النِع

    مَةِ قَومٌ عَلَيهِمُ النَعماءُ

    How can the hard-pressed be denied a share in

    bounty by people upon whom blessings rest?