عَصَيْتُ نَذِيرَ الْحِلْمِ فِي طَاعَةِ الْجَهْلِ

وَأَغْضَبْتُ فِي مَرْضَاةِ حُبِّ الْمَهَا عَقْلِي

I disobeyed the warner of wisdom in obedience to ignorance,

And angered my intellect in pleasing the love of passions.

وَنَازَعْتُ أَرْسَانَ الْبَطَالَةِ وَالصِّبَا

إِلَى غَايَةٍ لَمْ يَأْتِهَا أَحَدٌ قَبْلِي

And I rivaled the steeds of idleness and youth,

To an extent no one before me had reached.

فَخُذْ فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرَ لَوْمِي فَإِنَّنِي

بِحُبِّ الْغَوَانِي عَنْ مَلامِكَ فِي شُغْلِ

So talk about something other than blaming me, for I

Am preoccupied with loving pleasures from any blame.

إِذَا كَانَ سَمْعُ الْمَرْءِ عُرْضَةَ أَلْسُنٍ

فَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا لِلْخَدِيعَةِ وَالْخَتْلِ

When a person's hearing is prone to (evil) tongues,

Then it is only for deception and fraud.

رُوَيْدَكَ لا تَعْجَلْ بِلَوْمٍ عَلَى امْرِئٍ

أَصَابَ هَوَى نَفْسٍ فَفِي الدَّهْرِ مَا يُسْلِي

Go slowly, do not rush to blame a man

Who has fallen for the passions - in life there is what consoles.

فَلَيْسَتْ بِعَارٍ صَبْوَةُ الْمَرْءِ ذِي الْحِجَا

إِذَا سَلِمَتْ أَخْلاقُهُ مِنْ أَذَى الْخَبْلِ

For it is no disgrace the foolishness of a dignified man

If his morals are safe from the harm of stupidity.

وَإِنِّي وَإِنْ كُنْتُ ابْنَ كَأْسٍ وَلَذَّةٍ

لَذُو تُدْرَإٍ يَوْمَ الْكَرِيهَةِ وَالأَزْلِ

And even though I am a son of the cup and pleasures,

I have composure on the day of turmoil and difficulties,

وَقُورٌ وَأَحْلامُ الرِّجَالِ خَفِيفَةٌ

صَبُورٌ وَنَارُ الْحَرْبِ مِرْجَلُهَا يَغْلِي

I am dignified while the dreams of men are frivolous,

I am patient while the fire of war boils.

إِذَا رَاعَتِ الظَّلْمَاءُ غَيْرِي فَإِنَّمَا

هِلالُ الدُّجَى قَوْسِي وَأَنْجُمُهُ نَبْلِي

When the dark nights ambush others, then

The new moon of dusk is my bow and its stars are my arrows.

أَنَا ابْنُ الْوَغَى وَالْخَيْلِ وَاللَّيْلِ وَالظُّبَا

وَسُمْرِ الْقَنَا وَالرَّأْيِ وَالْعَقْدِ وَالْحَلِّ

I am the son of turmoil, horses, night and hunting,

And wine nights, opinion, resolve and release.

فَقُلْ لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ الْمَعَالِي قَرِيبَةً

رُوَيْدَاً فَلَيْسَ الْجِدُّ يُدْرَكُ بِالْهَزْلِ

So tell those who thought grandeur is near,

"Gently!" For seriousness cannot be attained with frivolity.

فَمَا تَصْدُقُ الآمَالُ إِلَّا لِفَاتِكٍ

إِذَا هَمَّ لَمْ تَعْطِفْهُ قَارِعَةُ الْعَذْلِ

Hopes are not fulfilled except for the decisive

When he intends - the strike of fate does not pity him.

لَهُ بِالْفَلا شُغْلٌ عَنِ الْمُدْنِ وَالْقُرَى

وَفِي رَائِدَاتِ الْخَيْلِ شُغْلٌ عَنِ الأَهْلِ

He is preoccupied with open spaces from cities and villages,

And with raiding horses, preoccupied from his family.

إِذَا ارْتَابَ أَمْرَاً أَلْهَبَتْهُ حَفِيظَةٌ

تُمِيتُ الرِّضَا بِالسُّخْطِ وَالحِلْمَ بِالْجَهْلِ

When he doubts a matter, a protective jealousy inflames him

That kills pleasure with anger and composure with ignorance.

فَلا تَعْتَرِفْ بِالذُّلِّ خَوْفَ مَنِيَّةٍ

فَإِنَّ احْتِمَالَ الذُّلِّ شَرٌّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ

So do not admit to humiliation fearing death,

For bearing humiliation is worse than murder.

وَلا تَلْتَمِسْ نَيْلَ الْمُنَى مِنْ خَلِيقَةٍ

فَتَجْنِي ثِمَارَ الْيَأْسِ مِنْ شَجَرِ الْبُخْلِ

And do not seek to attain purpose from a stingy nature,

Lest you reap the fruits of despair from a tree of stinginess.

فَمَا النَّاسُ إِلَّا حَاسِدٌ ذُو مَكِيدَةٍ

وَآخَرُ مَحْنِيُّ الضُّلُوعِ عَلَى دَخْلِ

For people are nothing but envious with schemes

And the last breath drawn over fortunes.

تِبَاعُ هَوَىً يَمْشُونَ فِيهِ كَمَا مَشَى

وَسُمَّاعُ لَغْوٍ يَكْتُبُونَ كَمَا يُمْلِي

Followers of passion who walk in it as it walked

And listeners of nonsense who write as it dictated.

وَمَا أَنَا وَالأَيَّامُ شَتَّى صُرُوفُهَا

بِمُهْتَضِمٍ جَارِي وَلا خَاذِلٍ خِلِّي

I and the varying days are not

With a withdrawing friend or a abandoning comrade.

أَسِيرُ عَلَى نَهْجِ الْوَفَاءِ سَجِيَّةً

وَكُلُّ امْرِئٍ فِي النَّاسِ يَجْرِي عَلَى الأَصْلِ

I walk the path of loyalty instinctively

While each person flows in people according to his origin.

تَرَكْتُ ضَغِينَاتِ النُّفُوسِ لأَهْلِهَا

وَأَكْبَرْتُ نَفْسِي أَنْ أَبِيتَ عَلَى ذَحْلِ

I left the grudges of souls to their people,

And saw it below me to spend the night on spite.

كَذَلِكَ دَأْبِي مُنْذُ أَبْصَرْتُ حُجَّتِي

وَلِيداً وَحُبُّ الْخَيْرِ مِنْ سِمَةِ النُّبْلِ

That has been my way since I first saw my evidence

A newborn - and love of good is the mark of nobility.

وَرُبَّ صَدِيقٍ كَشَّفَ الْخُبْرُ نَفْسَهُ

فَعَايَنْتُ مِنْهُ الْجَوْرَ فِي صُورَةِ الْعَدْلِ

And many a friend when news uncovered his soul

I saw injustice from him in the image of justice.

وَهَبْتُ لَهُ مَا قَدْ جَنَى مِنْ إِسَاءَةٍ

وَلَوْ شِئْتُ كَانَ الْسَّيْفُ أَدْنَى إِلَى الْفَصْلِ

And I forgave what he had earned of harm,

And had I wanted, the sword would have been closer to deciding.

وَمُسْتَخْبِرٍ عَنِّي وَمَا كَانَ جَاهِلاً

بِشَأْنِي وَلَكِنْ عَادَةُ الْبُغْضِ لِلْفَضْلِ

And one who asked about me and had not been

Ignorant of my affair - but hate of virtue is the custom.

أَتَى سَادِراً حَتَّى إِذَا قَرَّ أَوْجَسَتْ

سُوَيْدَاؤُهُ شَرّاً فَأَغْضَى عَلَى ذُلِّ

He came intending evil until when he drew near

His evil intentions seemed worse so he assumed humility.

وَمَنْ حَدَّثَتْهُ النَّفْسُ بِالْغَيِّ بَعْدَ مَا

تَنَاهَى إِلَيْهِ الرُّشْدُ سَارَ عَلَى بُطْلِ

And he whom passion misguided after maturity had

Come to him, set forth on falsehood.

وَإِنِّي لأَسْتَحْيِي مِنَ الْمَجْدِ أَنْ أُرَى

صَرِيعَ مَرَامٍ لا يَفُوزُ بِهَا خَصْلِي

And I am too shy of glory to be seen

Dead without having attained that which my qualities do not reach.

أَقُولُ وَأَتْلُو الْقَوْلَ بِالْفِعْلِ كُلَّمَا

أَرَدْتُ وَبِئْسَ الْقَوْلُ كَانَ بِلا فِعْلِ

I say and follow words with action whenever

I want - and poor are words without action.

أَرَى السَّهْلَ مَقْرُوناً بِصَعْبٍ وَلا أَرَى

بِغَيْرِ اقْتِحَامِ الصَّعْبِ مُدَّرَكَ السَّهْلِ

I see the easy coupled with difficult and I do not see

Attaining the easy without breaching the difficult.

وَيَوْمٍ كَأَنَّ النَّقْعَ فِيهِ غَمَامَةٌ

لَهَا أَثَرٌ مِنْ سَائِلِ الطَّعْنِ كَالْوَبْلِ

And a day as if the spots therein are a cloud

Bearing traces of the questioning blades like scimitars.

تَقَحَّمْتُهُ فَرْدَاً سِوَى النَّصْلِ وَحْدَهُ

وَحَسْبُ الْفَتَى أَنْ يَطْلُبَ النَّصْرَ بِالنَّصْلِ

I plunged into alone, none but the sword itself,

And it suffices the young man to seek victory with the blade.

لَوَيْتُ بِهِ كَفِّي وَأَطْلَقْتُ سَاعِدِي

وَقُلْتُ لِدَهْرِي وَيْكَ فَامْضِ عَلَى رِسْلِ

I guided it with my palm and set free my forearm,

And said to my fate, "Away! So proceed unrestrained!"

فَمَا يَبْعَثُ الْغَارَاتِ إِلَّا مُهَنَّدِي

وَلا يَرْكَبُ الأَخْطَارَ إِلَّا فَتىً مِثْلِي

For none sends raids but my bending (of the bow)

And none rides dangers but a man like me.