Sol 6.1

  1. وراءَ العِدا مَجْرٌ على الهَوْلِ مُقْدِمٌ

    وصِلٌ تَحاماه الأراقِمُ أَرقَمُ

    Behind the foes, a mighty army, advancing into terror;

    And a deadly serpent, a speckled viper whom vipers shun.

  2. وسَيفانِ ما هَزَّتْ يدُ اللهِ منهُما

    فكاسٍ وما هَزَّ القَيونُ فَمَحْرَمُ

    And two swords: the one God's hand has brandished

    Is clothed; the one the smiths have brandished is bare.

  3. وطاوٍ رِداءَ النَّقْعِ بالكَرِّ ناشرٌ

    وحانٍ به صَدْرُ القَناةِ مُقوَّمُ

    A folder of the cloak of dust, unfurling it with a charge;

    And a bender, through whom the spear's breast is straightened.

  4. ومَجْرٌ بأعلامِ البسيطةِ مُهتَدٍ

    ويَومٌ بفتيانِ الكَريهَةِ مُعلِمُ

    A mighty army guided by the earth's landmarks;

    And a day marked out by the young warriors of battle.

  5. إذا ابنُ أبي الهَيْجاءِ هِيجَ تَجَهَّمَتْ

    وُجوهُ المَنايا في ظُبّىً تَتَبَسَّمُ

    When the son of Abu al-Hayja is roused, there scowl

    The faces of death amid sword-edges that smile.

  6. هو السيفُ يَمضي في اللِّقاءِ سَمِيُّهُ

    ولكنَّهُ أمضَى غِراراً وأصرَمُ

    He is the sword; his namesake cuts through the clash,

    But he is keener of edge and more trenchant.

  7. قَطوعٌ إذا لم تَقْطَعِ البِيضُ نَبوةً

    وَصولً ففي حَدَّيْهِ بُؤسَى وأَنعُمُ

    He cuts when gleaming swords glance off and fail to cut;

    A nurturer of ties: his two edges hold hardship and blessings.

  8. تحامَتْ أَعاديه الشآم كأنَّما

    أحاطَتْ بها للطَّعْنِ نارٌ تَضَرَّمُ

    His enemies shunned al-Sham, as though

    A blazing fire of spear-thrusts had encircled it.

  9. وقد أعظَمَتْهُ الرًّومُ فاستصغَرَتْ به

    أكابرَها إنَّ الشُّجاعَ مُعظَّمُ

    The Romans esteemed him greatly, and beside him belittled

    Their greatest men: truly, the brave man is revered.

  10. فَحَلَّتْ عُرى تيجانِها لمُؤَيِّدٍ

    يَخُرُّ له ذو التَّاجِ وهو مُعَمَّمُ

    So they undid their crowns' fastenings for one granted aid,

    Before whom the crown-bearer falls, though he himself is turbaned.

  11. غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الجَيْشِ اللًّهامِ بنفسِه

    فقيرٌ إليه الجيشُ وهو عَرَمرَمُ

    He needs no ravening army, sufficient in himself;

    The army needs him, though it is a vast host.

  12. إذا جَدَّ في تَعريسِهِ وبُكورِه

    رَأيتَ بِقاعَ الأرضِ تُثْري وتُعْدِمُ

    When he presses earnestly in his night halts and dawn departures,

    You see the regions of the earth grow rich and destitute.

  13. سَرَى والثَّرى حَرَّانُ يَرقُبُ مُزنَه

    فراحَ على حَرَّانَ يَهْمي ويَسجُمُ

    He marched by night while thirsty earth awaited his rainclouds;

    Then over Harran he went, pouring and streaming down.

  14. وقد سَفَرَتْ أخلاقُهُ وتوضَّحَتْ

    شَمائِلُهُ والصُّبحُ لا يَتَلثَّمُ

    His virtues unveiled themselves, and clearly shone

    His qualities, while dawn wore no veil.

  15. وأطلَعَ من زُرْقِ الأسِنَّةِ أنجُماً

    على الثَّغْرِ تَرعاها من السَّعْدِ أنجُمُ

    And he made stars rise from the blue spearheads

    On the frontier, watched over by auspicious stars.

  16. وأبرقَ ما بينَ الدُّروبِ سَحابُه

    فصابَ ولكنْ صَوبُ بارِقه الدَّمُ

    And between the passes his cloud flashed lightning;

    It poured—but the downpour of its lightning was blood.

  17. وإن ضُرِبَتْ دونَ الخليجِ خِيامُه

    فَمِنْ خَلفِهِ للرُّعْبِ جَيْشٌ مُخَيِّمُ

    And if his tents were pitched this side of the gulf,

    Beyond it, terror has an army encamped.

  18. ومُعتَصمٍ بالمَشرفيَّة لم يكنْ

    ليسلَمَ منه في ذُرى الطَّوْدِ أعصَمُ

    And one who takes refuge in Mashrafi swords: it was not possible

    For a white-footed ibex to escape him on the mountain's peaks.

  19. وملمومَةِ الأقطارِ حَشْو عَجاجِها

    عِتاقُ المذاكي والوشيجُ المقوَّمُ

    And a host with tightly gathered flanks, its dust cloud filled with

    Thoroughbred, full-grown steeds and straightened reed spear-shafts.

  20. ترقرقُ في جِنْحِ الظَّلامِ فينجَلي

    وَتُرْهِجُ في صَدْرِ النَّهارِ فيُظلِمُ

    It shimmers in the wing of darkness, and darkness clears;

    And raises dust in the breast of day, so day grows dark.

  21. سَنابِكُها من تَحتِها تَقرَعُ الصَّفا

    وراياتُها من فَوقِها تَتَرَنَّمُ

    Its hooves strike the hard rock beneath it,

    And its banners sing above it.

  22. وخَيْلٍ تَحامَى السَّهلَ حتى كأنَّها

    أجادِلُ تَحميها الشَّواهِقُ حُوَّمُ

    And horses that shun the plain, until they seem

    Circling falcons protected by the lofty peaks.

  23. تُغيرُ على الأعداءِ والنَّجمُ غائِرٌ

    وتَسْري له واللَّيلُ أسودُ مُظْلِمُ

    They raid the enemies while the star is setting,

    And travel by night for him while night is black and dark.

  24. أَلمَّتْ بِشَطَّي أرسناسَ وللقَنا

    شَظاظٌ فآبَتْ عنه وهو مُحَطَّمُ

    They reached both banks of Arsanas while the spears still had

    Their stout shafts; they returned from it with these shattered.

  25. فلا زالَ للأُسْدِ الخَوادِر مَصرَعٌ

    لَدَيْكَ وللغِيدِ الكَواعِبِ مَوسمُ

    May there always be a place of death for lair-dwelling lions

    With you, and a festival for graceful, budding-breasted maidens.

  26. وللوَفْدِ أعطانٌ وللرَّكْبِ مَنزِلٌ

    وللزَّوْرِ أوطانٌ وللحَمْدِ مَبْسِمُ

    And watering-places for delegations, and a lodging for riders,

    And homes for visitors, and a smiling mouth for praise.

  27. غَشَمْتَ العِدا واللَّيثُ لو قَلَّ غَشمُهُ

    لأعدائِهِ ما قيلَ ليثٌ غَشَمْشَمُ

    You ravaged the foes; if a lion's savagery were less

    Against its enemies, it would not be called a ferocious lion.

  28. وقارَعْتَ حتَّى ليسَ في الأرضِ خالعٌ

    وأَعطَيْتَ حتَّى ليسَ في الأرْضِ مُعْدِمُ

    You fought until no rebel remained on earth,

    And gave until no destitute person remained on earth.

  29. إذا ما مضى يَومٌ منَ البِشْرِ مُسْفِرٌ

    أتى بعدَه يَومٌ من النَّقْعِ أقْتَمُ

    When a day radiant with gladness has passed,

    After it comes a day dusky with battle dust.

  30. وَقائِعُ تُزْري بالوقائعِ قبلَها

    فتسبِقُها مَعدودَةً وتَقَدَّمُ

    Battles that put the battles before them to shame;

    So, counted up, they surpass them and take the lead.

  31. مَلَكْتَ بها حَيَّيْ نِزارٍ ويَعْرُبٍ

    فأَعطَوا بأيديهِمْ إليكَ وسَلَّموا

    Through them you mastered the two peoples of Nizar and Ya'rub;

    So they yielded their hands to you and surrendered.

  32. جَوانِحَ إلاّ عن قَناكَ كأنَّما

    حَريمُهُمُ إلاّ عليكَ مُحَرَّمُ

    Bending aside only before your spears, as though

    Their protected domain were forbidden to all but you.

  33. فمِنْ أسَدٍ تأوي الفريسةَ غِيلُهُ

    وتَرتَعُ في عِرِّيسِه وهو ضَيْغَمُ

    So among them is a lion whose thicket shelters the prey,

    And it grazes in his lair, though he is a fierce lion.

  34. ودامٍ شبا أظفارِه من عَدُوِّهِ

    ولكنَّه عمّا حَمَيْتَ مُقَلَّمُ

    And one whose claw-points are bloodied by his foe,

    Yet against whatever you protect, his claws are clipped.

  35. شَهِدْتُ لقد سادَتْ عَدِيٌّ بِسَيِّدٍ

    يَجودُ إذا ضَنَّ الغَمامُ ويَحلُمُ

    I bear witness: Adi has indeed gained supremacy through a lord

    Who gives when the rainclouds withhold, and is forbearing.

  36. وكيفَ ينالُ الناسُ مَجْدَ قَبيلَةٍ

    عليُّ بنُ عبدِ اللهِ والمجدُ مِنهُمُ

    How can people attain the glory of a tribe

    To which Ali son of Abd Allah—and glory itself—belong?

  37. فَهِمْتَ فأَعطَيْتَ الجَزيلَ ولم يكنْ

    ليُعْطي وإنْ أعطَى الذي ليسَ يَفهَمُ

    You understood, so gave lavish bounty; it was not possible

    For one who does not understand to give, even if he gave.

  38. مَدائِحُنا وَقفٌ عليكَ فما تَني

    تُدَبَّجُها أفكارُنا وتُنَمْنِمُ

    Our praises are an endowment for you; unceasingly

    Our thoughts brocade and finely embroider them.

  39. وآمالُنا تَنأَى إذا كنتَ نائياً

    وتَقْدَمُ بالنُّعْمى لنا حينَ تَقدَمُ

    And our hopes go far away when you are far away,

    And arrive bearing bounty for us when you arrive.