Qasida Burda - Chapter 9

خَدَمْتُهُ بِمَدِيحٍ أَسْتَقِيلُ بِهِ
ذُنُوبَ عُمْرٍ مَضَىٰ فِي الشِّعْرِ وَالْخِدَمِ
إِذْ قَلَّدَانِيَ مَا تُخْشَىٰ عَوَاقِبُهُ
كَأَنَّنِي بِهِمَا هَدْىٌ مِنَ النَّعَمِ
أَطَعْتُ غَيَّ الصِّبَا فِي الحَالَتَيْنِ وَمَا
حَصَلْتُ إِلَّا عَلَى الآثَامِ وَالنَّدَمِ
فَيَا خَسَارَةَ نَفْسٍ فِي تِجَارَتِهَا
لَمْ تَشْتَرِ الدِّينَ بِالدُّنْيَا وَلَمْ تَسُمِ
وَمَنْ يَبِعْ آجِلًا مِنْهُ بِعَاجِلِهِ
يَبِنْ لَهُ الْغَبْنُ فِي بَيْعٍ وَفِي سَلَمِ
إِنْ آتِ ذَنْبًا فَمَا عَهْدِي بِمُنْتَقِضٍ
مَنَ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا حَبْلِي بِمُنْصَرِمِ
فَإِنَّ لِي ذِمَّةً مِنْهُ بِتَسْمِيَتِي
مُحَمَّدًا وَهْوَ أَوْفَى الْخَلْقِ بِالذِّمَمِ
إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي مَعَادِي آخِذًا بِيَدِي
فَضْلًا وَإِلَّا فَقُلْ يَا زَلَّةَ الْقَدَمِ
حَاشَاهُ أَنْ يَحْرِمَ الرَّاجِي مَكَارِمَهُ
أَوْ يَرْجِعَ الجَارُ مِنْهُ غَيْرَ مُحْتَرَمِ
وَمُنْذُ أَلْزَمْتُ أَفْكَارِي مَدَائِحَهُ
وَجَدْتُهُ لِخَلَاصِي خَيْرَ مُلْتَزِمِ
وَلَنْ يَفُوتَ الغِنَىٰ مِنْهُ يَدًا تَرِبَتْ
إِنَّ الْحَيَا يُنْبِتُ الْأَزْهَارَ فِي الأَكَمِ
وَلَمْ أُرِدْ زَهْرَةَ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي اقْتَطَفَتْ
يَدَا زُهَيْرٍ بِمَا أَثْنَى عَلَى هَرِمِ

By this eulogy I have served him, seeking absolution
For the sins of a life spent in poetry and patronage.
For these two have yoked me, with consequences I fear;
as if I were, on their account, a ritual lamb for slaughter.
In both I obeyed the reckless folly of youth,
And gained nothing except sins and regrets.
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!
Anyone who sells the Hereafter for the ephemeral
Will be cheated in their present and future transactions.
I have sinned, yet my pledge to the Prophet is unbroken;
Nor has the rope binding me to him been severed.
For I have a protective covenant with him owing to my name—
Muḥammad—and he is the most loyal of mankind to covenants.
If, in the Hereafter, he does not take me by the hand
From pure grace, what a terrible slip of the foot!
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!
Ever since I have focused my thoughts on his praises,
I have found him the one most committed to my salvation.
His wealth will not overlook a dusty, needy hand;
For showers cause flowers to bloom on hill-tops.
I sought not the flowers of this world
Which Zuhayr picked for his praise of Harim.