1. يَأبَى إذا خَطَرَ العقيقُ ببالِه

    إلا اطَّراحَ العَذلِ من عُذَّالِه

    He refuses, whenever al-Aqiq crosses his mind,

    Anything but casting off his reproachers' reproach.

  2. قَسَمَ الدّموعَ على المنازلِ عالماً

    أنّ الجوى فيهِنَّ من أنذالِه

    He divided his tears among the dwelling places, knowing

    That anguish within them was among his base fellows.

  3. وَهُوَ الكَثِيبُ تلاعَبت أيدي النَّوى

    بكثيِبهِ وقضيبِه وهِلالِه

    He is the sand dune; the hands of separation toyed

    With his dune, his slender branch, and his crescent.

  4. رَاحُوا به واللّحظُ يقدَحُ جُرأةً

    فَيكُرُّ بين حُجولِه وحِجالِه

    They took him away, while the gaze sparked daring,

    So it darted between his anklets and his bridal canopies.

  5. والشَّوقُ ينثُرُ دمعَه في خَدِّهِ

    فيقَرُّ أو يَجري على جِريالِه

    Longing scatters its tears upon his cheek,

    So they settle or flow over its crimson hue.

  6. يادارُ جادَ بها الفِراقُ جَمالَها

    فغدا وراحَ على ظُهورِ جِمالِه

    O dwelling, separation gave away your beauty there;

    So it journeyed morning and evening upon its camels' backs.

  7. ما بالُ رِيمِكِ لا يُتاحُ لِقاؤُه

    لمُحبِّه إلا غداةَ زِيالِه

    What ails your white gazelle, that meeting him is not granted

    To his lover except on the morning of his departure?

  8. فسُقِيتِ رَجعَ حُدوجِه وسقَى الحيا

    محتلَّهُ وسُقيتُ عَودَ وِصالِه

    May you be watered with his camel litters' return, and may rain water

    His dwelling place, and may renewed union with him water me.

  9. ورقيقةٍ كالآلِ نادمني بها

    كِسرى فرُحتُ كأنَّني من آلِه

    And over a delicate wine like a mirage, I drank with

    Kisra; I departed as though one of his household.

  10. ألقَاه إمَّا حَاسِراً لصَبوحِه

    فيها وإمَّا دارعاً لقِتالِه

    I meet him either unarmored for his morning draught

    Within it, or armored for his battle.

  11. وأراه ساقَ لنا أداةَ شَمولِه

    مجموعةً بيمينِه وشِمالِه

    And I see him bringing us the implements for his wine,

    Gathered in his right hand and his left.

  12. أو نابِلاً لمّا تَكامَلَ نَزعُه

    لم تتَّصل أغراضُه بِنبالِه

    Or an archer: when his bow-draw was complete,

    His targets remained untouched by his arrows.

  13. أتُراه صانَ عن الرَّمِيَّةِ سَهمَه

    أم رأفةٌ مَنَعته عن إِرسالِه

    Do you think he withheld his arrow from the quarry,

    Or did compassion prevent him from loosing it?

  14. عصرٌ مَزَجتُ شَمائلي بشَمولِه

    وظِلالُه ممزوجةٌ بشَمالِه

    An afternoon when I mingled my nature with its wine,

    And its shade was mingled with its north wind,

  15. حتَّى حَسِبتُ الوَردَ من أشجارِه

    عَبِقاً أو الرَّيحانَ من آصالِه

    Until I imagined roses from its trees,

    Fragrant, or basil from its evening hours.

  16. وكأنيي لمّا ارتديتُ ظِلالَه

    جارُ الوزيرِ المُرتدي بظِلالِه

    And when I clothed myself in its shade, I seemed

    The vizier's neighbor, clothed in his shade.

  17. الواترِ الأموالِ يومَ عَطائِه

    والنافضِ الأوتارِ يومَ نِزالِه

    Who despoils wealth on the day of his giving,

    And shakes bowstrings on the day of his combat.

  18. مَلِكٌ تُحاذرُه الملوكُ فمُمسِكٌ

    بحبالِه أو هالكٌ بِصِيالِه

    A king whom kings fear: one clings

    To his ropes, or perishes beneath his assault.

  19. أموالُه في السِّلمِ من أنفالِها

    ونفوسُها في الحربِ من أنفالِه

    His wealth in peace is part of their spoils,

    And their lives in war are part of his spoils.

  20. صُقِلَ الزمانُ فعادَ في أيامِه

    كالبُردِ في تفويفِه وصِقالِه

    Time was polished; in his days it became

    Like a striped mantle in its patterning and sheen.

  21. إن كنتَ تشتاقُ الحِمامَ فعادِه

    أو كنتَ تختارُ الحياةَ فوالِه

    If you long for death, make him your enemy;

    Or, if you choose life, be his ally.

  22. يُعطِيك ما يُعطيه كرُّ جيادِه

    وشَبا أَسِنَّته وحَدُّ نِصالِه

    He gives you what the charge of his steeds gives him,

    And what his spearheads' points and blades' edges give.

  23. حملَ القنَا فاهتزَّ في مُهتزِّهِ

    طرَباً له واختالَ في مُختالِه

    He bore the lances; they swayed where he swayed,

    Delighting in him, and strutted where he strutted.

  24. فأَرى العدوَّ نقيصةً في عُمرهِ

    وأرَى الصديقَ زيادةً في حالِه

    So he showed the enemy a shortening of his life,

    And showed the friend an increase in his fortune,

  25. بوقائعٍ للبأسِ في أعدائه

    ووقائعِ للجود في أمواله

    Through battles of might against his enemies,

    And battles of generosity against his wealth.

  26. عَذَلوه في الجَدوَى وَمن يَثنِي الحيا

    أم من يَسُدُّ عليه طُرْقَ سِجالِه

    They reproached him for bounty—but who can turn back rain,

    Or who can bar the paths of its downpours?

  27. متشابهُ الطَّرَفينِ أصبحَ عمُّه

    في ذُورةٍ لم تَعْدُ ذُروةَ خالِه

    Equal on both sides: his paternal uncle now stands

    At a summit no higher than his maternal uncle's summit.

  28. شرفٌ أطالَ قَنا المُهَلَّبِ سَمْكَه

    حتَى أظلَّ وعمَّ في إظلالِه

    A nobility whose height al-Muhallab's lances raised,

    Until it cast shade and encompassed all in its shade.

  29. فإذا بدَت زُهْرُ الكواكبِ حولَه

    كانَت عمائمُهنَّ من أذيالِه

    Whenever the bright stars appear around it,

    Their turbans are made from its trailing hems.

  30. راحَ المُغِيرةُ وهو من أجوادِه

    وغَدا قُبَيصةُ وهو من أبطالِه

    Al-Mughira went forth, one of its men of bounty,

    And Qubaysa went forth, one of its heroes.

  31. راح المغيرة وهو من أجواده

    وغدا قبيصة وهو من أبطاله

    Al-Mughira went forth, one of its men of bounty,

    And Qubaysa went forth, one of its heroes.

  32. غارَت صدورُ رِماحِكم بصُدورِه

    والناسُ مشترِكون في أَكفالِه

    Your spear-points plunged into its foreparts,

    And people share in its hindquarters.

  33. أما السَّماحُ فقد تبسَّمَ نَوْرُه

    بعدَ الذّبولِ وعادَ نُورُ ذُبالِه

    As for generosity, its blossom has smiled

    After withering, and its wicks' light has returned.

  34. أطلقْتَ من أغلالِه وشَفَيتَ من

    أَعلاِله وفتحتَ من أقفالِه

    You freed it from its fetters and healed it of

    Its ailments, and opened some of its locks.

  35. إنَّ الوزيرَ دَعا إلى غَمرِ النَّدى

    من كان موقوفاً على أوشالِه

    Indeed, the vizier called to bounty's deep flood

    Whoever had been confined to its trickles.

  36. أُثني عليه ثناءَ رَوضً هَزَّه

    سَيلُ الحيا فاهتزَّ في إسبالِه

    I praise him with the praise of a meadow stirred

    By rain's torrent, so that it swayed in its downpour.

  37. واقولُ للسَّاعي ليُدرِكَ شأوَه

    أنتَ الجوادُ ولستَ من أشكالِه

    And I say to whoever strives to match his pace:

    You are a noble steed, but not of his breed.

  38. كَمَلَتْ مَناقُبه فلو زادَ امرؤٌ

    بعدَ الكمالِ لزادَ بعدَ كمالِه

    His virtues are complete; if anyone could improve

    Beyond perfection, he would improve beyond his perfection.

  39. وغَدَت خَلائقُه أحَقَّ بمنطِقي

    فمزَجتُ صفوَ زُلالِها بزُلالِه

    And his qualities became more worthy of my speech,

    So I mingled their pure, clear water with its clear water.

  40. أُهدي له ما رَقَّ من أفوافِه

    وأُبيحُه ما رَقَّ من سَلسالِه

    I offer him what is delicate in its patterned cloths,

    And freely grant him what is delicate in its sweet, flowing water.

  41. ويقولُ لي قومٌ فَضَلْتَ وإنّما

    فَضلُ الثَّناءِ عليهِ من إفضالِه

    Some people tell me, 'You have excelled,' but

    The merit of praising him comes only from his beneficence.

  42. لا حمدَ لي إن راحَ دُرُّ مدائحي

    عِقداً وقد فصَّلتُه بخِلالِه

    No praise is mine if the pearls of my panegyrics become

    A necklace, for I have interspersed it with his virtues.