Insights And Deep Sighs Poem by Abu Firas al-Hamadani

Have you no appreciation, dear ladies, for a good deed?
Have you no forgiveness for someone
Who has wrongly behaved
Whosoever places his love in the hands
Of a pretty damsel, has gone astray;
Anyone who surrenders his will to young ladies
Will surely be humiliated
As for me, thanks God, I am firm and unyielding;
I remain strong and maintain self-respect,
Even when heads bow down to them, in utter surrender
No beautiful woman can be in full possession of my heart,
Even if exuding youth, breathing delicate charm
I run and flit, without allowing passion
To dominate and lead me;
I eagerly desire, yet I remain sober and serene
Should a friend lose interest in you, and abandon you,
You need not remonstrate with him;
Bid him a permanent farewell instead
When my needs are not met in one place,
I seek another, more accommodating
I do my utmost not to part company and leave,
Yet, when inevitable, I go my way and never return
I am infinitely patient, to the very end
I speak my mind, even when swords raised in my face
Unperturbed when life's problems
Crowd in on me,
And death struts roundabout
I unerringly read life's situations,
With an eye that accurately discerns
Between truth and falsehood
Who shall one trust when disaster strikes?
How can there be friends to a noble-hearted man
People, save only a few, have all become human wolves;
With bodies covered with clothes
I intentionally pretend to be unaware
Of what goes on around me;
Others think I am ignorant!
Let pebbles and dirt cover and smother
The head of the more ignorant among us
If they know me as I know them,
They would realize that I am fully aware
While they are absentminded
Not every doer is rewarded for his actions;
Nor every speaker, in my presence, deserves my answer
Many words fly by my ears,
Like flies whizzing on a hot summer day
Nights roll, yet my fortune is no where to be found,
No more do I see bounty seekers at my door
No more a saddle for me, on back of a swift steed
No more a pavilion pitched for me in open spaces
Yet in any case, I am at ease with myself;
Truth will finally be revealed, delusion exposed
I continue to be satisfied with even a little portion
Of love from him, knowing that the greater measure
I desire lies hidden behind a veil
Pure love is freely given,
With no hope of reward
Nor fear of punishment
I used to fear separation even when we were together;
When daily met, and intimately conversed
More so I now entertain apprehension,
With Caesar's land standing between us
And the sea with its tumultuous waves roars about me
Must my reward,
After sacrificing myself for your sake,
Be severe chiding and bitter reprimand
I care not if life is full of bitterness,
As long as I enjoy the sweetness of your affection;
Nor do I care if everyone else is angry with me,
So long as I revel in your pleasure
O how I wish we were on intimate terms,
Even if my ties to the whole world
Were irreparably severed and utterly spoiled
If I have your genuine affection,
Nothing else whatsoever matters;
Nor do I deem anything on the face of this earth valuable,
When compared with your true love and friendship