لا تَرقُدَنَّ عَلى الأَذى

لا تَرقُدَنَّ عَلى الأَذى

وَاِعزُم كَما عَزَمَ اِبنُ موسى

وَاِعزُم كَما عَزَمَ اِبنُ موسى

Never sleep upon an injury;

Never slumber under injury,

resolve as Ibn Musa resolved

and resolve as Ibn Musa resolved.

لَمّا أَلَظَّ بِهِ العِدى

لَمّا أَلَظَّ بِهِ العِدى

عَنَتاً وَإِضراراً وَبوسا

عَنَتاً وَإِضراراً وَبوسا

when his foes pressed him relentlessly with it—

When enemies beset him relentlessly

with hardship, harm, and misery.

with hardship, harm, and misery,

وَرَموا إِلَيهِ نَواظِراً

وَرَموا إِلَيهِ نَواظِراً

كَأَسِنَّةِ اليَزَنيِّ شوسا

كَأَسِنَّةِ اليَزَنيِّ شوسا

They shot glances at him,

and cast their glances at him,

fierce as al-Yazani spearheads.

askance, like the points of a Yazani spear,

أَغضى لَهُم وَأَثارَ لَي

أَغضى لَهُم وَأَثارَ لَي

ثَ الغابِ يَقتَنِصُ النُفوسا

ثَ الغابِ يَقتَنِصُ النُفوسا

He lowered his gaze before them, yet roused a li—

he bore with them and roused the lion

—on of the thicket that hunts down souls,

of the forest, hunting down souls,

غَضبانَ يَغلي بِالزَما

غَضبانَ يَغلي بِالزَما

جِرِ كُلَّما نَظَرَ الفَريسا

جِرِ كُلَّما نَظَرَ الفَريسا

enraged, seething with ro—

angry, seething with growls

—ars whenever it beheld the prey.

whenever he beheld his prey.

يَتَنَكَّبُ اللَحمَ الذَلي

يَتَنَكَّبُ اللَحمَ الذَلي

لَ وَيَطلُبُ العُضوَ الرَئيسا

لَ وَيَطلُبُ العُضوَ الرَئيسا

It shuns flesh deemed low—

He shuns lowly flesh

—ly, and seeks the sovereign limb.

and seeks the vital organ.

أَظَنَنتُموهُ عَلى الأَذى

أَظَنَنتُموهُ عَلى الأَذى

في دارِكُم أَبَداً حَبيسا

في دارِكُم أَبَداً حَبيسا

Did you suppose him, beneath such wrong,

Did you think him, amid such harm,

forever captive in your house?

forever a captive in your house?

إِنَّ الذَلولَ عَلى القَوا

إِنَّ الذَلولَ عَلى القَوا

رِعِ عادَ بَعدَكُمُ شُموسا

رِعِ عادَ بَعدَكُمُ شُموسا

Indeed, the one humbled beneath cala—

Indeed, the one docile under blows

—mities returned, once rid of you, untamable.

has, after his time with you, become restive.

وَأَرَمَّ مِثلَ الصِلِّ يَن

وَأَرَمَّ مِثلَ الصِلِّ يَن

تَظِرُ الَّتي تَشفي النَسيسا

تَظِرُ الَّتي تَشفي النَسيسا

Cast him aside: like a viper, he a—

And he kept silent like a deadly serpent, awaiting

—waits what will cure the buried rancor,

what would restore his ebbing life,

حَتّى أَحَدَّ لَكُم حُسا

حَتّى أَحَدَّ لَكُم حُسا

ماً قاطِعاً نَغَضَ الرُؤوسا

ماً قاطِعاً نَغَضَ الرُؤوسا

until I whet for you a sw—

until he honed against you a sword,

—ord keen enough to sever tossing heads.

keen-edged, that set heads shaking.

إِمّا عَقَرنَ ظِباهُ أَع

إِمّا عَقَرنَ ظِباهُ أَع

جَلنَ العَقايِرَ أَن تَكوسا

جَلنَ العَقايِرَ أَن تَكوسا

When its edges hamstring, they has—

If its edges wound, they leave

—ten the stricken to topple headfirst.

the stricken no time to hobble.

إِن تُفجَأوا بِدُخانِها

إِن تُفجَأوا بِدُخانِها

فَبِعَقبِ ما شَجَرَ الوَطيسا

فَبِعَقبِ ما شَجَرَ الوَطيسا

If its smoke should take you unawares,

If its smoke takes you by surprise,

it follows hard upon the battle-furnace blazing—

it follows his stoking of the furnace.

كَيداً سَرى لَكُمُ وَلَم

كَيداً سَرى لَكُمُ وَلَم

تَسمَع لَهُ أُذُنٌ حَسيسا

تَسمَع لَهُ أُذُنٌ حَسيسا

a stratagem that stole by night against you, while

With guile he crept toward you by night, and no

no ear heard the faintest sound of it.

ear heard his faintest sound.

قَد يَنزِعُ اللينَ الكَريمُ

قَد يَنزِعُ اللينَ الكَريمُ

وَيَلبِسُ الخُلُقَ الشَريسا

وَيَلبِسُ الخُلُقَ الشَريسا

The noble man may cast off gentleness

A noble man may cast off gentleness

and assume a savage disposition.

and don a fierce disposition.

وَتَكونُ طَلقاً ثُمَّ يُؤ

وَتَكونُ طَلقاً ثُمَّ يُؤ

نِسُ ذِلَّةً فَيُرى عَبوسا

نِسُ ذِلَّةً فَيُرى عَبوسا

He may be open-faced; then he sen—

And you may be cheerful; then he senses

—ses humiliation and shows a scowl.

humiliation, so he is seen scowling.

وَيَعودُ مُرَّ الطَعمِ لا

وَيَعودُ مُرَّ الطَعمِ لا

عَذبُ المَذاقِ وَلا مَسوسا

عَذبُ المَذاقِ وَلا مَسوسا

He turns bitter to the taste—neither

And he becomes bitter to the taste—not

sweet on the palate nor tame.

sweet in flavor, nor mildly brackish.

أَلقَحتُمُ النُعمى وَلَ

أَلقَحتُمُ النُعمى وَلَ

كِن طَرَّقَت لَكُم بِبوسى

كِن طَرَّقَت لَكُم بِبوسى

You made prosperity conceive, bu—

You made good fortune conceive, but

—t brought misery by night upon yourselves;

she gave birth, for you, to misery.

وَغَمَطتُمُ تِلكَ السُعو

وَغَمَطتُمُ تِلكَ السُعو

دَ فَأُبدِلَت بِكُمُ نُحوسا

دَ فَأُبدِلَت بِكُمُ نُحوسا

you scorned those auspicious sta—

And you scorned those good fortunes,

—rs, and they were exchanged for baleful ones.

so they were replaced for you by ill fortunes.

وَأَهَنتُمُ ثَوبَ العُلى

وَأَهَنتُمُ ثَوبَ العُلى

فَغَدا الهَوانُ لَكُم لَبوسا

فَغَدا الهَوانُ لَكُم لَبوسا

You dishonored the robe of glory,

And you dishonored the robe of eminence,

so humiliation became your garment,

so humiliation became your garment,

مِن بَعدِ ما حَلَّتُكُمُ ال

مِن بَعدِ ما حَلَّتُكُمُ ال

عَلياءُ جَوهَرَها النَفيسا

عَلياءُ جَوهَرَها النَفيسا

after you had dwelt in the ex—

after you had been adorned by

—alted heights, whose jewel is precious,

high glory with its precious jewels,

حَتّى ظَنَنّا اللَّه لَي

حَتّى ظَنَنّا اللَّه لَي

سَ بِرازِقٍ إِلّا خَسيسا

سَ بِرازِقٍ إِلّا خَسيسا

until we thought that God wa—

until we thought that God was not

—s providing for none but the base.

a provider except to the base.

ياحُسنَكُم في الدَهرِ إِذ

ياحُسنَكُم في الدَهرِ إِذ

ناباً وَأَقبَحَكُم رُؤوسا

ناباً وَأَقبَحَكُم رُؤوسا

How fair you are through time as tai—

How fine you are in this world

—ls, and how ugly you are as heads!

as tails, and how ugly you are as heads!

خَلّوا الطَريقَ لِمَن تَعَو

خَلّوا الطَريقَ لِمَن تَعَو

وَدَ أَن تُجَرَّ بِهِ خَميسا

وَدَ أَن تُجَرَّ بِهِ خَميسا

Clear the road for one accus—

Clear the road for one accustomed

—tomed to lead an army along it.

to having an army drawn along in his wake.

وَدَعوا السِياسَةَ في العُلى

وَدَعوا السِياسَةَ في العُلى

لِأَغَرَّ يُحسِنُ أَن يَسوسا

لِأَغَرَّ يُحسِنُ أَن يَسوسا

Leave statecraft in the realms of glory

And leave governance in high station

to an illustrious man who knows how to rule.

to an illustrious man who knows how to rule.

هَذا خُمارُ فَتىً أَدا

هَذا خُمارُ فَتىً أَدا

رَ مِنَ البَلاءِ لَكُم كُؤوسا

رَ مِنَ البَلاءِ لَكُم كُؤوسا

This is the hangover left by a youth who circu—

This is the hangover from a youth who passed round

—lated cups of affliction among you.

cups of calamity to you.