1. She glanced at me while the shade of the palms stretched out,
The racing horses and the guide holding the halter,
١. رَنَتْ إليّ وظِلُّ النَّقْعِ مَمدودُ
سَوابِقُ الخَيلِ والمَهريُّ القُودُ
2. Their eyes did not sheathe the swords,
Except for their scabbards plunged in valor.
٢. فَما غَمَدْنَ عنِ الأسيافِ أعيُنَها
إلا وَسْلولُها في الهامِ مَغمودُ
3. Our deeds are illusions looming over the foreheads,
For the warriors, the blood of enemies is offered.
٣. أفعالُنا غُرَرٌ فوقَ الجِباهِ لَها
وللحُجولِ دمُ الأعداءِ مَورودُ
4. I am her son, and spears of glory are raised,
And for the valiant, the enemy is subdued.
٤. أنا ابنُها ورِماحُ الخَطِّ مُشرَعَةٌ
وللكُماةِ عنِ الهَيجاءِ تَعْريدُ
5. He who trembles out of fear is emboldened
By an opinion held collectively as pillars.
٥. منْ كُلِّ مرتَعِدِ العِرْنينِ يَحفِزُهُ
رَأيٌ جَميعٌ وطِيّاتٌ عَبابيدُ
6. I accompanied him when no comrade supported him
And no one turned to his valley out of weakness.
٦. صَحِبْتُهُ حينَ لا خِلٌّ يؤازِرُهُ
ولا يَخُبُّ إِلى واديه مَنجودُ
7. When we mentioned him, his spear shook in his hand,
And the sword smiled while prowess was witnessed.
٧. إذا ذَكرْناه هَزَّ الرُّمْحَ عامِلَهُ
والسّيفُ مُبتَسِمٌ والبأسُ مَشهودُ
8. I distanced myself and doubted my blade and blamed my hand,
And the defeated in the heat of battle is lost.
٨. نأى فأنْكَرْتُ نَصْلي واتَّهَمْتُ يَدي
وفاقِدُ النّصرِ يومَ الرّوعِ مَفقودُ
9. Its paths nearly choked my breath,
As if its horizon in my chest was blocked.
٩. كادَتْ تَضيقُ بأنفاسي مَسالِكُها
كأنّ مَطلَعَها في الصّدْرِ مَسدودُ
10. Whatever my vigilant glance missed when it returned,
My eyelid shut in refusal over what was reprehensible.
١٠. ما فاتَ عارِمَ لَحظي رَيْثَ رَجْعَتِهِ
إلا وجَفني على ما ساءَ مَردودُ
11. O Aamir son of Lu’ay, you are an elite group,
Ferocious lions when the caller to arms rumbled.
١١. يا عامِرُ بنَ لُؤَيٍّ أنتُمُ نَفَرٌ
شوسٌ إذا توثّبَ الدّاعي صَناديدُ
12. You granted respite to the protected beast,
While the numerous throngs surrounded it.
١٢. أرَحْتُمُ النَّعَمَ المَشلولَ عازِبُهُ
وقَدْ تكنَّفَهُ القَوْمُ الرّعاديدُ
13. Why does the lion of humiliation spare your neighbor,
While your glory lies in the axis of the star?
١٣. فَما لجارِكُمُ لِيثَ الهَوانُ بهِ
وعِزُّكُمْ بمَناطِ النّجْمِ مَعقودُ
14. It yearns for the sweet nectar out of thirst,
Glancing at the hunted gazelle where water is prohibited.
١٤. يَرنو إِلى عَذَباتِ الوِرْدِ مِنْ ظَمأٍ
لَحظَ الطّريدةِ حيثُ الماءُ مَثمودُ
15. For the riding camels there are tethers that return them
When we stay and no ruin comes upon them.
١٥. وللرّكائِبِ إرْزامٌ تُرَجِّعُهُ
إذا أقَمْنا ولمْ تَشْرَقْ بِها البيدُ
16. We used to deviate from the despicable valley through them,
And does the echo of plains satisfy the growling thirst?
١٦. كنّا نَحيدُ عنِ الرِّيِّ الذّليلِ بها
وهلْ يُرَوّي صَدى الأنضاءِ تَصْريدُ
17. So it aspired to the affliction of the grieved,
While their necks were submissive to tyranny.
١٧. فاسْتَشْرَفَتْ لِمَصابِ المُزنِ طامِحةً
وهُنّ مِنْ لَغَبٍ أعناقُها غِيدُ
18. Visit the most wondrous that do not divert their hearing
From the call of a neighbor, admonishment and disapproval.
١٨. وزُرْنَ أروَعَ لا يَثني مَسامِعَهُ
عنْ دَعوَةِ الجارِ تأنيبٌ وتَفنيدُ
19. So for the audacious, in the environs of his reservoir,
I have my eulogies that praised what they carried.
١٩. فلِلْحُداةِ على أرجاءِ مَنهَلِهِ
بما تَحمّلْنَ منْ مَدْحي أغاريدُ
20. I removed the burden of determination from them when
It was placed upon the son of Abi Awfaa the bearer of standards.
٢٠. ألقَيْتُ عِبءَ النّوى عنهُنّ حينَ غَدَتْ
تُلقى إِلى ابنِ أبي أوفى المَقاليدُ
21. The envied in glory only manifested his brilliance
To be most defiant against the lofty adversaries.
٢١. مُحَسَّدُ المَجْدِ لم يَطلُعْ ثَنيّتَهُ
إلا أغرُّ على العَلياءِ مَحسودُ
22. He embraces the night with ideas that make
The cup of anguish and turmoil of thought melt away.
٢٢. يَستَحْضِنُ اللّيلَ أفكاراً أراقَ لها
كأسَ الكَرى واعتِلاجُ الفِكرِ تَسهيدُ
23. Good tidings, for the family of ‘Adiyy when
A glance at them repeats often the harmonious song.
٢٣. للهِ آلُ عَديٍّ حينَ يَرمُقُهُمْ
لَحظٌ يُرَدِّدُهُ العافونَ مَزؤودُ
24. They complain to them of the edges of the shining swords,
Stallions neighing or steel blades clashing.
٢٤. تَشكو إليهمْ شِفارَ البيضِ مُرهَفَةً
غُرٌّ مَناجيدُ أو أُدْمٌ مَقاحيدُ
25. For their hands bestow generosity,
And the rain pours where valor and munificence lie.
٢٥. فتلكَ أيديهمُ تُدْمي سَماحَتُها
والسّؤدَدُ الغَمْرُ حيثُ البأسُ والجودُ
26. Good news, for the days have fulfilled what they promised,
Though they seldom prove true to their words.
٢٦. بُشرى فقد أنجَزَ الأيامُ ما وَعَدَتْ
وقلّما صَدَقَتْ مِنها المَواعيدُ
27. The leadership only dons its wraps
The audacious and the guiding star blazing.
٢٧. إنّ الإمارةَ لا تُمطي غَوارِبَها
إلا المَغاويرُ والشمُّ المَناجيدُ
28. If people drag the trains of suspicions regarding it,
The master of the jungle, the lord, does not gamble.
٢٨. إن يَسْحَبِ النّاسُ أذيالَ الظّنونِ بِها
فلا يُخاطِرُ لَيثَ الغابَةِ السّيدُ
29. The Commander of the Faithful invited you to it
While worry spread and determination weakened.
٢٩. وقد دَعاكَ أميرُ المؤمنينَ لَها
والهَمُّ مُنتَشِرٌ والعَزْمُ مَكدودُ
30. You were the first competitor toward a hope
That for the breaths, ascension was its edges.
٣٠. فكُنتَ أوَّلَ سَبّاقٍ إِلى أملٍ
على حَواشيهِ للأنفاسِ تَصْعيدُ
31. Does one of might from the people achieve
A goal attained by the young hunters?
٣١. وهلْ يُحيطُ منَ الأقوامِ ذو ظَلَعٍ
بغايَةٍ أحْرَزَتْها الفِتيَةُ الصّيدُ
32. You accepted a matter that the incapacitated revolved around,
Almost undoing the cohesion of the kingdom.
٣٢. ورضْتَ أمراً أطافَ العاجِزونَ بهِ
وكادَ يَلوي بشَمْلِ المُلْكِ تَبديدُ
33. So they shunned it while feet drew back,
And when situations are renewed, amendments occur.
٣٣. فأحْجَموا عنهُ والأقدامُ ناكصَةٌ
وللأمورِ إذا أخلَقْنَ تَجديدُ
34. Thus is the dawn, if its joints tremble,
The hand of old age strips the night’s shirt.
٣٤. كذلكَ الصُّبحُ إن هزّتْ مَناصِلَهُ
يدُ السّنا فقَميصُ الليلِ مَقْدودُ
35. Were it not for you, things would have retreated confused,
Extending its limbs while the prey of the audacious withdraw.
٣٥. لولاكَ رُدَّتْ على الأعقابِ شارِدَةٌ
تمُدُّ أضْباعَها الصّيدُ المَجاويدُ
36. No she-camel seeking aid would have approached
To blood the saddle with its hands, the resolve weakened.
٣٦. ولمْ تَرِدْ عَقْوَةَ الزّوراءِ ناجيةٌ
تُدمي السّريحَ بأيديها الجَلاميدُ
37. I surpassed the foreigners in poetry that I slumbered to,
As if it were pearls threaded on a string.
٣٧. فُقْتُ الأعاريبَ في شِعْرٍ نأمْتُ بهِ
كأنّه لُؤلُؤٌ في السِّلْكِ مَنضودُ
38. If my words overwhelm them and we share
An origin, then vines yield grapes.
٣٨. إنْ كان يُعجِزُهُمُ قَولي ويَجمَعُنا
أصْلٌ فقدْ تَلِدُ الخَمرَ العناقيدُ
39. With this eulogy, favors cascaded
Pure white which illuminated the dark eras.
٣٩. وهذهِ مِدَحٌ دَرَّتْ بِها مِنَحٌ
بيضٌ أضاءَتْ بهِنَّ الأزْمُنُ السّودُ
40. When I turn to visit your association,
Your voice surrounded by your blessings.
٤٠. إذا التَفَتُّ إِلى ناديكَ مُمْتَرِياً
نَداكَ طُوِّقَ منْ نَعمائِكَ الجيدُ