خَدَمْتُهُ بِمَدِيحٍ أَسْتَقِيلُ بِهِ

ذُنُوبَ عُمْرٍ مَضَى فِي الشِّعْرِ وَالْخِدَمِ

By this eulogy I have served him, seeking absolution

For the sins of a life spent in poetry and patronage.

إِذْ قَلَّدَانِيَ مَا تُخْشَى عَوَاقِبُهُ

كَأَنَّنِي بِهِمَا هَدْيٌ مِنَ النَّعَمِ

For these two have yoked me, with consequences I fear;

as if I were, on their account, a ritual lamb for slaughter.

أَطَعْتُ غَيَّ الصِّبَا فِي الْحَالَتَيْنِ وَمَا

حَصَلْتُ إِلَّا عَلَى الْآثَامِ وَالنَّدَمِ

In both I obeyed the reckless folly of youth,

And gained nothing except sins and regrets.

فَيَا خَسَارَةَ نَفْسٍ فِي تِجَارَتِهَا

لَمْ تَشْتَرِ الدِّينَ بِالدُّنْيَا وَلَمْ تَسُمِ

Alas, what abject loss for a soul in its transaction!

It did not buy the Next World at the price of this – or even try to!

وَمَنْ يَبِعْ آجِلًا مِنْهُ بِعَاجِلِهِ

يَبِنْ لَهُ الْغَبْنُ فِي بَيْعٍ وَفِي سَلَمِ

Anyone who sells the Hereafter for the ephemeral

Will be cheated in their present and future transactions.

إِنْ آتِ ذَنْبًا فَمَا عَهْدِي بِمُنْتَقِضٍ

مِنَ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا حَبْلِي بِمُنْصَرِمِ

I have sinned, yet my pledge to the Prophet is unbroken;

Nor has the rope binding me to him been severed.

فَإِنَّ لِي ذِمَّةً مِنْهُ بِتَسْمِيَتِي

مُحَمَّدًا وَهْوَ أَوْفَى الْخَلْقِ بِالذِّمَمِ

For I have a protective covenant with him owing to my name—

Muḥammad—and he is the most loyal of mankind to covenants.

إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي مَعَادِي آخِذًا بِيَدِي

فَضْلًا وَإِلَّا فَقُلْ يَا زَلَّةَ الْقَدَمِ

If, in the Hereafter, he does not take me by the hand

From pure grace, what a terrible slip of the foot!

حَاشَاهُ أَنْ يَحْرِمَ الرَّاجِي مَكَارِمَهُ

أَوْ يَرْجِعَ الْجَارُ مِنْهُ غَيْرَ مُحْتَرَمِ

Far be it for him to deprive one hopeful of his generous gifts,

Or for a neighbour to turn back without being honoured by him!

وَمُنْذُ أَلْزَمْتُ أَفْكَارِي مَدَائِحَهُ

وَجَدْتُهُ لِخَلَاصِي خَيْرَ مُلْتَزِمِ

Ever since I have focused my thoughts on his praises,

I have found him the one most committed to my salvation.

وَلَنْ يَفُوتَ الْغِنَى مِنْهُ يَدًا تَرِبَتْ

إِنَّ الْحَيَا يُنْبِتُ الْأَزْهَارَ فِي الْأَكَمِ

His wealth will not overlook a dusty, needy hand;

For showers cause flowers to bloom on hill-tops.

وَلَمْ أُرِدْ زَهْرَةَ الدُّنْيَا الَّتيِ اقْتَطَفَتْ

يَدَا زُهَيْرٍ بِمَا أَثْنَى عَلَى هَرِمِ

I sought not the flowers of this world

Which Zuhayr picked for his praise of Harim.