1. بَرقٌ أَضاءَ العَقيقُ مِن ضَرمِهِ

    يُكَشِّفُ اللَيلَ عَن دُجى ظُلَمِه

    Lightning lit al-ʿAqīq with its blaze,

    stripping the night of the gloom of its darkness.

  2. ذَكَّرَني بِالوَميضِ حينَ سَرى

    مِن ناقِضِ العَهدِ ضَوءُ مُبتَسَمِه

    With its flash as it passed by night, it reminded me

    of the light of the pledge-breaker's smile.

  3. ثَغرُ حَبيبٍ إِذا تَأَلَّقَ في

    لَماهُ عادَ المُحِبُّ في لَمَمِه

    A beloved's mouth: when it flashes against

    his dusky lips, the lover returns to his madness.

  4. مُهَفهَفٌ يَعطِفُ الوِشاحَ عَلى

    ضَعيفِ مَجرى الوِشاحِ مُهتَضَمِه

    Slender, he wraps his sash around

    a delicate, slender waist where the sash passes.

  5. يَجذِبُهُ الثِقلُ حينَ يَنهَضُ مِن

    وَرائِهِ وَالخُفوفُ مِن أَمَمِه

    Heaviness pulls him, when he rises, from

    behind him, and lightness from in front of him.

  6. إِذا مَشى أُدمِجَت جَوانِبُهُ

    وَاِهتَزَّ مِن قَرنِهِ إِلى قَدَمِه

    When he walks, his flanks are closely knit,

    and he sways from his crown to his foot.

  7. قاد حالَ مِن دونِهِ البِعادُ وَتَش

    ريقُ صُدورِ المَطِيِّ في لَقَمِه

    Distance has already come between us, as has the eastward turning

    of the mounts' breasts along its broad road.

  8. أَشتاقُهُ مِن قُرى العِراقِ عَلى

    تَباعُدِ الدارِ وَهوَ في شَأَمِه

    I long for him from the villages of Iraq, despite

    the remoteness of his home, while he is in his Syria.

  9. أَحبِب إِلَينا بِدارِ عَلوَةَ مِن

    بَطياسَ وَالمُشرِفاتِ مِن أَكَمِه

    How dear to us is ʿAlwah's dwelling at

    Baṭyās, and the heights among its hills!

  10. باسِطُ رَوضٍ تَجري يَنابِعُهُ

    مِن مُرجَحِنِّ الغَمامِ مُنسَجِمِه

    A broad expanse of meadow whose springs flow

    from heavy, sagging clouds pouring down.

  11. يَفضُلُ في آسِهِ وَنَرجِسِهِ

    نَعمانَ في طَلحِهِ وَفي سَلَمِه

    In its myrtle and narcissus, it surpasses

    Naʿmān in its talh and its salam acacias.

  12. أَرضٌ عَذاةٌ وَمَشرَفٌ أَرِجٌ

    وَماءُ مُزنِ يَفيضُ مِن شَبَمِه

    A land of wholesome soil, a fragrant height,

    and raincloud water overflowing with its coolness.

  13. هَل أَرِدُ العَذبَ مِن مَناهِلِهِ

    أَو أَطرُقُ النازِلينَ في خِيَمِه

    Will I reach the sweet water of its watering places,

    or visit by night those dwelling in its tents?

  14. مَتى تَسَل عَن بَني ثَوابَةَ يُخبِر

    كَ السَحابُ المَحبوكُ عَن دِيَمِه

    Whenever you ask about Banū Thawābah, you will be told

    by the close-woven cloud of its lasting rains.

  15. تُبِلُّ مِن مَحلِها البِلادُ بِهِم

    كَما يُبِلُّ المَريضُ مِن سَقَمِه

    Through them the lands recover from their drought,

    as the sick man recovers from his illness.

  16. أَقسَمتُ بِاللَهِ ذي الجَلالَةِ وَالعِز

    زِ وَمِثلِيَ مَن بَرَّ في قَسَمِه

    I have sworn by God, Lord of majesty and might—

    and one like me is true to his oath—

  17. وَبِالمُصَلّى وَمَن يُطيفُ بِهِ

    وَالحَجَرِ المُبتَغى وَمُستَلِمِه

    and by the prayer-place and those who circle it,

    and by the sought-out Stone and those who touch it:

  18. إِذا إِشرَأَبّوا لَهُ فَمُلتَمِسٌ

    بِكَفِّهِ أَو مُقَبِّلٌ بِفَمِه

    when they crane their necks toward it, one reaches out

    with his palm, or another kisses it with his mouth—

  19. أَنَ المَعالي سَلَكَن قَصدَ أَبي العَبّا

    سِ حَتّى عُدِدنَ مِن شِيَمِه

    that lofty virtues took the way to Abū al-ʿAbbās,

    until they were counted among his qualities.

  20. مُعَظَّمٌ لَم يَزَل تَواضُعُهُ

    لِآمِليهِ يَزيدُ في عِظَمِه

    An honored man: his humility has always,

    toward those who hope in him, increased his greatness.

  21. غَيرُ ضَعيفِ الوَفاءِ ناقِصِهِ

    وَلا ظَنينِ التَدبيرِ مُتَّهَمِه

    Neither weak in loyalty nor deficient in it,

    nor suspect in his management or mistrusted in it.

  22. ما السَيفُ عَضباً يُضيءُ رونَقُهُ

    أَمضى عَلى النائِباتِ مِن قَلَمِه

    No sword, keen-edged with gleaming luster,

    is sharper against calamities than his pen.

  23. حامى عَنِ المَكرُماتِ مُجتَهِداً

    جُهدَ المُحامي عَن مالِهِ وَدَمِه

    He vigorously defended noble virtues,

    with the effort of one defending his wealth and blood.

  24. ما خالَفَ المُلكُ حالَتَيهِ وَلا

    غَيَّرَ عِزُّ السُلطانِ مِن كَرَمِه

    Sovereignty did not alter his two conditions, nor

    did the might of authority change his generosity.

  25. تَمَّ عَلى عَهدِهِ القَديمِ لَنا

    وَالسَيلُ يَجري عَلى مَدى أَمَمِه

    He stayed true to his old pledge to us,

    and the torrent flows as far as its course leads.

  26. يَدنو إِلَينا بِالأُنسِ وَهوَ أَخٌ

    لِلنَجمِ في بَأوِهِ وَفي بُذُمِه

    He draws near to us in friendliness, though he is a brother

    to the star in his loftiness and his strength.

  27. إِذا رَأَينا ذَوي عِنايَتِهِ

    لَدَيهِ خِلناهُمُ ذَوي رَحِمِه

    When we see those who enjoy his care

    beside him, we take them for his kinsmen.

  28. وَإِن نَزَلنا حَريمَهُ فَلَنا

    هُناكَ أَمنُ الحَمامِ في حَرَمِه

    And if we lodge within his protected precinct, we have

    there the safety of doves within their sanctuary.

  29. كانَ لَهُ اللَهُ حَيثُ كانَ وَلا

    أَخلاهُ مِن طَولِهِ وَمِن نِعَمِه

    May God support him wherever he is, and never

    leave him without His bounty and His blessings.

  30. حاجَتُنا أَن تَدومَ مُدَّتُهُ

    وَسُؤلُنا أَن نُعاذَ مِن عَدَمِه

    Our need is that his days endure,

    and our prayer that we be spared his loss.

  31. لَهُ أَيادٍ عِندي وَلي أَمَلٌ

    ما زالَ في عَهدِهِ وَفي ذِمَمِه

    He has done me kindnesses, and I have a hope

    that has always rested on his pledge and his guarantees.