Sol 6.1

  1. تَوَسَّدَ في الفَلا أَيدي المَطايا

    وَقَدَّ مِنَ الصَعيدِ لَهُ حَشايا

    He pillowed his head in the wilderness on his mounts’ forelegs,

    and cut himself bedding from the earth.

  2. وَعانَقَ في الدُجى أَعطافَ عَضبٍ

    يَدِبُّ بِحَدِّهِ ماءُ المَنايا

    In the darkness he embraced the flanks of a keen sword,

    along whose edge death’s water creeps.

  3. وَصَيَّرَ جَأشَهُ في البِيدِ جَيشاً

    وَمِن حَزمِ الأُمورِ لَهُ رَبايا

    He made his courage an army in the deserts,

    and fashioned sentries for himself from prudence in affairs.

  4. فَمُذ بَسَمَت ثَنايا الأَمنِ نادى

    أَنا اِبنُ جَلا وَطَلّاعُ الثَنايا

    Then, when safety’s front teeth smiled, he cried:

    I am Ibn Jala, a scaler of mountain passes.

  5. أَبِيٌّ لا يُقيمُ بِأَرضِ ذُلٍّ

    وَلا يَدنو إِلى طُرُقِ الدَنايا

    Unbowed, he will not dwell in a land of humiliation,

    nor approach the paths of baseness.

  6. إِذا ضاقَت بِهِ أَرضٌ جَفاها

    وَلو مَلأَ النُضارُ بِها الرَكايا

    If a land grows cramped for him, he forsakes it,

    even if pure gold fills its wells.

  7. غَدا لِأَوامِرِ السُلطانِ طَوعاً

    وَلَكِن لا يُعَدُّ مِنَ الرَعايا

    He became obedient to the sultan’s commands,

    yet is not counted among the subjects.

  8. تَرَكتُ الحُكمَ يُسعِفُ طالِبيهِ

    وَيورِدُ أَهلَهُ خُطَطَ الخَطايا

    I left rule to serve those who seek it,

    and lead its holders into the paths of sin.

  9. وَعِفتُ حِسابَهُم وَالأَصلُ عِندي

    وَفي كَفَّيَّ دَستورُ البَقايا

    I disdained their accounting, though the original was in my keeping,

    and in my two hands was the register of outstanding balances.

  10. وَسِرتُ مُرَفَّهاً في حُكمِ نَفسٍ

    تَعُدُّ خَمولَها إِحدى البَلايا

    And I traveled in comfort, ruled by a soul

    that counts its obscurity among calamities.

  11. وَلَيسَ بِمُعجِزٍ خَوضُ الفَيافي

    إِذا اِعتادَ الفَتى خَوضَ المَنايا

    And traversing the wastelands is no impossible feat,

    when a young man is used to wading into death.

  12. فَلي مِن سَرجِ مُهري تَختُ مُلكٍ

    مَنيعٍ لَم تَنَلهُ يَدُ الرَزايا

    For my colt’s saddle is to me a royal throne,

    impregnable, untouched by calamity’s hand.

  13. وَإيوانٌ حَكى إيوانَ كِسرى

    تُدارُ عَلَيهِ مِن نَبعٍ حَنايا

    And I have a hall resembling the hall of Kisra,

    with arches of nabʿ wood arranged over it.

  14. يُقيمُ مَعَ الرِجالِ إِذا أَقَمنا

    وَإِن سِرنا تَسيرُ بِهِ المَطايا

    It stays with the men whenever we halt,

    and when we journey, the mounts carry it onward.

  15. يَسيرُ بِيَ البِساطُ بِهِ كَأَنّي

    وَرِثتُ مِن اِبنِ داوُدٍ مَزايا

    Within it the carpet bears me along, as though I

    had inherited special gifts from David’s son.

  16. يُخالُ لِسَيرِهِ في البيدِ خِلواً

    وَكَم فيهِ خَبابا في الزَوايا

    It is thought empty as it travels through the deserts,

    yet how many [hidden things?] lie in its corners.

  17. تُباريهِ مَعَ الوِلدانِ قودٌ

    مُضَمَّرَةُ الأَياطِلِ وَالحَوايا

    Long-necked steeds race beside it with the young attendants,

    lean of flank and belly.

  18. وَتَخفُقُ دونَ مَحمِلِهِ بُنودٌ

    كَأَنّي بَعضُ أَملاكِ خَطايا

    And banners flutter before its palanquin,

    as though I were one of the kings of Cathay.

  19. فَأَيُّ نَعيمِ مُلكٍ زالَ عَنّي

    وَأَبكارُ المَمالِكِ لي البَرايا

    What delight of kingship, then, have I lost,

    when the wildernesses are mine—the virgins of kingdoms?

  20. إِذا وافَيتُ يَوماً رَيعَ مُلكٍ

    لِيَ المِرباعُ فيهِ وَالصَفايا

    If one day I reach a kingdom’s heights,

    mine there are the quarter-share and the choicest spoils.

  21. تُلاحِظُني المُلوكُ بِعَينِ عِزٍّ

    وَتُكرِمُني وَتُحسِنُ بي الوَصايا

    Kings regard me with an eye of honor,

    honor me, and enjoin kind treatment of me.

  22. أُجاوِرُهُم كَأَنَّ بَينَ أَهلي

    وَكُلُّ مِن سَراتِهِمُ سَرايا

    I dwell beside them as though among my own kin,

    and each of their nobles is a host of troops.

  23. وَما لِيَ ما أَمُتُّ بِهِ إِلَيهِم

    سِوى الآدابِ مَع صِدقِ الطَوايا

    And I have nothing through which to claim kinship with them,

    save literary learning and sincerity of inner intent,

  24. وَوُدٍّ شَبَّهَتهُ لَهُم بِنُصحٍ

    إِذا شورِكتُ في فَصلِ القَضايا

    and affection I likened to sincere counsel for them,

    when I was included in deciding matters.

  25. وَإِنّي لَستُ أَبداهُم بِمَدحٍ

    أَرومُ بِهِ المَواهِبَ وَالعَطايا

    And I do not first approach them with praise

    through which I seek favors and gifts.

  26. وَلَكِنّي أُصَيِّرُهُ جَزاءً

    لِما أَولَوهُ مِن كَرَمِ السَجايا

    Rather, I make it a recompense

    for the generosity of character they have shown me.

  27. فَكَم أَهدَيتُ مِن مَعنىً دَقيقٍ

    بِهِ وَصَلَ الدَقيقُ إِلى الهَدايا

    So how many a subtle meaning have I offered as a gift,

    through which the subtle found its way among gifts.

  28. فَقُل لُمسَفِّهٍ في البُعدِ رَأيِي

    وَكُنتُ بِهِ أَصَحَّ الناسِ رايا

    So tell whoever calls my choice to go far away foolish,

    though in this I had the soundest judgment of all:

  29. عَذَرتُكَ لَم تَذُق لِلعِزِّ طَعماً

    وَلا أَبدى الزَمانُ لَكَ الخَفايا

    I excuse you: you have not tasted the savor of honor,

    nor has time revealed hidden things to you,

  30. وَلا أَولاكَ ضَوءُ الحُسنِ نوراً

    كَما عَكَسَت أَشِعَّتَها المَزايا

    nor has beauty’s radiance bestowed light upon you,

    as virtues have reflected their rays.

  31. فَما حُرٌّ يَسيغُ الضَيمِ حُرّاً

    وَلَو أَصمَت عَزائِمَهُ الرَمايا

    For no free man who swallows oppression remains free,

    even if arrows have struck his resolve dead.

  32. لِذَلِكَ مُذ عَلا في الناسِ ذِكري

    رَمَيتُ بِلادَ قَومي بِالنَسايا

    That is why, when my name rose among people,

    I cast my people’s lands into forgetfulness.

  33. وَلَستُ مُسَفِّهاً قَومي بِقَولي

    وَلَكِنَّ الرِجالُ لَها مَزايا

    And I am not disparaging my people by my words,

    but men have their distinctive merits.