1. ها هُوَ الشَيبُ لائِماً فَأَفيقي

    وَإِترُكيهِ إِن كانَ غَيرَ مُفيقِ

    Here is gray hair, reproaching you; so come to your senses.

    And leave him if he has not come to his senses.

  2. فَلَقَد كَفَّ مِن عَناءِ المُعَنّى

    وَتَلافى مِنَ اِشتِياقِ المَشوقِ

    For it has indeed curbed the anguish of the tormented

    and soothed the longing of the lovesick.

  3. عَذَلَتنا في عِشقِها أُمُّ عَمرٍ

    هَل سَمِعتُم بِالعاذِلِ المَعشوقِ

    Umm Amr reproached us for loving her;

    have you heard of a reproacher who is beloved?

  4. وَرَأَت لِمَّةً أَلَمَّ بِها الشَي

    بُ فَريعَت مِن ظُلمَةٍ في شُروقِ

    And she saw a lock of hair touched by

    grayness, and was alarmed at darkness amid sunrise.

  5. وَلَعَمري لَولا الأَقاحي لَأَبصَر

    تُ أَنيقَ الرِياضِ غَيرَ أَنيقِ

    By my life, were it not for the daisies, I would

    see the lovely gardens as unlovely.

  6. وَسَوادُ العُيونِ لَو لَم يُحَسَّن

    بِبَياضٍ ما كانَ بِالمَوموقِ

    And the blackness of eyes, if not beautified

    by whiteness, would not be beloved.

  7. وَمِزاجُ الصَهباءِ بِالماءِ أَملى

    بِصَبوحٍ مُستَحسَنٍ وَغُبوقِ

    And blending tawny wine with water is better suited

    to a pleasing morning draught and an evening one.

  8. أَيُّ لَيلٍ يُبهى بِغَيرِ نُجومٍ

    أَم سَحابٍ يَندى بِغَيرِ بُروقِ

    What night is made splendid without stars?

    Or what cloud yields rain without lightning?

  9. وَقفَةً في العَقيقِ أَطرَحُ ثِقلاً

    مِن دُموعي بِوَقفَةٍ في العَقيقِ

    A pause in al-Aqiq: I cast off a burden

    of my tears by pausing in al-Aqiq.

  10. مائِلٌ بَينَ أَربُعٍ ماثِلاتٍ

    تَنزِعُ الشَوقَ مِن فُؤادٍ عَلوقِ

    Leaning among still-visible dwelling-sites,

    which draw longing from a heart held fast by love.

  11. أَزجُرُ العَينَ عَن بُكَهُنَّ وَالعي

    سُ إِلى المُبتَغى بِكُلِّ طَريق

    I restrain my eye from weeping over them, while the pale

    camels take every road toward the goal.

  12. وَاِستَشَفَّت مُحَمَّدَ اِبنَ حُمَيدٍ

    ما سَحيقٌ مِنَ الغِنى بِسَحيقِ

    And they glimpsed Muhammad ibn Humayd:

    no distant wealth is beyond reach.

  13. سابِقُ النَقعِ يَستَقي جُهدَ نَفسٍ

    تُستَزادُ اِستِزادَة المَسبوقِ

    Outstripping the dust, he draws on a soul's utmost strength,

    urged to greater effort like one left behind.

  14. قَلَّبَتهُ الأَيدي قَديماً وَلِلحَل

    بَةِ تُنضى الجِيادُ بِالتَعريقِ

    Hands have long tested him; and for the

    racecourse, fine steeds are worn lean through sweating.

  15. كُلَّما أَجرَتِ الخَلائِقُ أَوفى

    رادِعاً في خَلائِقٍ كَالخَلوقِ

    Whenever mankind set racers running, he came to the fore,

    steeped in virtues like saffron perfume.

  16. لَيسَ يَخلو مِن فِكرَةٍ في جَليلٍ

    مِن أَفانينِ مَجدِهِ أَو دَقيقِ

    He is never without thought on some great

    aspect of his glory, or some subtle one.

  17. يَنظِمُ المَجدَ مِثلَ ما تَنظِمُ العِق

    دَ يَدُ الصانِعِ الصَناعِ الرَقيقِ

    He strings glory as a necklace is strung

    by the hand of a skillful, delicate craftsman.

  18. يَزدَهيهِ الهَوى عَنِ الهونِ وَالإِش

    فاقُ يَربا بِهِ عَنِ التَشفيقِ

    Passion lifts him above abasement, and

    concern raises him above timidity.

  19. لِيَ مِنهُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ نَوالٌ

    لَم تَنَلهُ كُدورَةُ التَرنيقِ

    Each day I receive from him a gift

    untouched by any muddy cloudiness.

  20. عِندَهُ أَوَّلٌ وَعِندي ثانٍ

    مِن جَداهُ وَثالِثٌ في الطَريقِ

    A first is with him, a second with me,

    from his bounty, and a third is on the road.

  21. يَهَبُ الأَغيَدَ المُهَفهَفَ كَالطا

    ووسِ حُسناً وَالطَرفُ كَالسَونَبيقِ

    He gives a supple, slender-waisted youth, like a

    peacock in beauty, and a noble steed like a sailing vessel.

  22. يا أَبا نَهشَلٍ إِذا ما دَعا الظَم

    آنُ مِن كُربَةٍ دُعاءَ الغَريقِ

    O Abu Nahshal, whenever the thirsty man cries

    in anguish, with a drowning man's cry—

  23. أَمَلي في الغُلامِ كانَ غُلاماً

    فَهوَ كَهلٌ لِلمَطلِ وَالتَعويقِ

    my hope for the boy was once a boy;

    now it is middle-aged through postponement and delay.

  24. وَالجَوادُ العَتيقُ حاجَزتَني في

    هِ لِلا عِلَّةٍ بِوَعدٍ عَتيقِ

    And the thoroughbred steed—you put me off

    about it, for no reason, with an old promise.

  25. وَعَطاياكَ في الفُضولِ عِدادَ الرَم

    لِ مِن عالِجٍ فَكَيفَ الحُقوقِ

    And your gifts beyond obligation number the

    sands of Alij; what then of rightful dues?

  26. صافِياتٌ عَلى قُلوبِ المُصافي

    نَ رِقاقٌ في وَهمِهِنَّ الرَقيقِ

    Pure as the hearts of true

    friends, delicate in the delicate imagining of them.

  27. لَو تَصَفَّحتَها لَأَخرَجتَ مِنها

    أَلفَ مَعنىً مِن حاتِمٍ مَسروقِ

    If you examined them, you would draw from them

    a thousand traits stolen from Hatim.

  28. أُخِذَت بِالسَماحِ غَصباً وَقَد يُؤ

    خَذُ نَيلُ البَخيلِ بِالتَوفيقِ

    They were taken through generosity, by force; and sometimes

    a miser's bounty is obtained through good fortune.

  29. لا أَعُدُّ المَرزوقَ مِنها إِذا فَكَّر

    تُ فيها وَفيهِ بِالمَرزوقِ

    I do not count their recipient, when I think

    of them and him, as lucky.

  30. ظَلَّ فيها البَعيدُ مِثلَ القَريبِ ال

    مُجتَبى وَالعَدُوُّ مِثلَ الصَديقِ

    With them, the distant remained like the close

    favored one, and the enemy like the friend.

  31. كَحَبِيِّ الغَمامِ جادَ فَرَوّى

    كُلَّ وادٍ مِنَ البِلادِ وَنيقِ

    Like piled-up clouds, he gave abundantly and watered

    every valley in the land and every peak.

  32. أَصدِقائي عَلى الغِنى فَإِذا عُد

    تُ إِلى حاجَةٍ فَأَنتَ صَديقي

    My friends are with me in wealth; but when I return

    to need, you are my friend.

  33. لابِسٌ مِنكَ نِعمَةً لا أَرى الإِخ

    لاقَ في حالَةٍ لَها بِخَليقِ

    I wear a blessing from you; I do not deem

    wearing out ever fitting for it.

  34. إِن يَقُل زينَةٌ فَحِليَةُ عِقيا

    نٍ وَإِن خِفَّةٌ فَفَضُّ عَقيقِ

    If one calls it adornment, it is an ornament of pure

    gold; and if lightness, then fragments of agate.

  35. هِيَ أَعلَت قَدري وَأَمضَت لِساني

    وَأَشاعَت ذِكري وَبَلَّت ريقي

    It raised my standing and sharpened my tongue,

    and spread my fame and moistened my mouth.

  36. إِنَّ نَبهانَ لَم تَزَل وَعَتوداً

    كَالشَقيقِ اِستَمالَ الشَقيقِ

    Indeed, Nabhan has always been, with Atud,

    like a brother who has won his brother's affection.

  37. جَمَعتنا حَربُ الفَسادِ اِتِّفاقاً

    وَهيَ بَدءُ الفَسادِ وَالتَفريقِ

    The war of discord brought us together in concord,

    though it is the beginning of discord and division.

  38. نَحنُ إِخوانُكُم وَإِخوَتُكُم حي

    نَ يَكونُ الفَريقُ أَلفَ فَريقِ

    We are your comrades and your brothers when

    one band becomes a thousand bands.

  39. كَالرَفيقَينِ في الرَفيقَينِ مِن أَجا

    ءِ وَسَلمى لَم يوجِفا في عُقوقِ

    Like two companions within the companion pair of Aja

    and Salma, who never rushed into disloyalty.

  40. وَصَلانا فَأَنتُم كَالثُرَيّا

    حاضَرتنا وَنَحنُ كَالعُيوقِ

    They brought us together: you are like the Pleiades,

    our townsfolk, while we are like Capella.

  41. في رِعانٍ تَرغو وَتَصهَلُ لَم تَس

    مَعَ وَلَم تُصِخ لِنَهيقي

    Amid great hosts that bellow and neigh, unheard

    and unheeded went my braying.

  42. وَطَنٌ تَنبُتُ المَكارِمُ فيهِ

    بَينَ ماءٍ جارٍ وَعودٍ وَريقِ

    A homeland where noble qualities grow,

    between running water and leafy boughs.

  43. أَجائِيٌّ فَالبِئرُ غَيرُ جَرورٍ

    في رُباهُ وَالنَخلُ غَيرُ سَحوقِ

    Of Aja: the well is not deep

    on its hills, and the palms are not towering.

  44. حَيثُ تُلقى الشِفاهُ لَيسَت بِهُدلٍ

    مِن ظَماً وَالأَسنانُ لَيسَت بِروقِ

    Where lips are found not drooping

    from thirst, and teeth not jutting out.

  45. رَتَقَتهُ سُيوفُنا وَهوَ ثَغرٌ

    بَينَ أَعدائِهِ كَثيرُ الفُتوقِ

    Our swords have stitched it shut, though it is a frontier

    among its enemies, full of breaches.