1. بَيني وَبَينَ الصَوارِمِ الهِمَمُ

    لا ساعِدٌ في الوَغى وَلا قَدَمُ

    Between me and the keen swords stand high resolves,

    no arm in battle, nor any foot.

  2. لا تَسبِريني بِغَربِ عَذلِكِ لي

    فَما لِجُرحي مِنَ النَدى أَلَمُ

    Do not probe me with the sharp edge of your reproach,

    for my wound from generosity knows no pain.

  3. وَخائِفٍ في حِمايَ قُلتُ لَهُ

    كُلُّ دِيارٍ وَطِئتُها حَرَمُ

    And to a frightened man in my protection I said:

    'Every land I have trodden is a sanctuary.'

  4. يُعجِبُني كُلُّ حازِمِ الرَأيِ لا

    يَطمَعُ في قَرعِ سِنِّهِ النَدَمُ

    I admire every man of firm judgment; never

    does remorse hope to make him gnash his teeth.

  5. إِن قامَ خَفَّت بِهِ شَمائِلُهُ

    أَو سارَ خَفَّت بِوَطئِهِ القَدَمُ

    If he rises, his qualities bear him lightly,

    or walks, his foot falls lightly in its tread.

  6. وَلا أُحِبُّ الغُلامَ مُتَّهَماً

    يَشُقُّ جِلبابَ سِرِّهِ الكَلِمُ

    Nor do I love a youth under suspicion,

    whose words rend the cloak of his secret:

  7. صَدرٌ كَصَدرِ الحُسامِ لَيسَ لَهُ

    سِرٌّ بِنَضحِ الدِماءِ مُنكَتِمُ

    a breast like a keen sword's breast, with no

    secret concealed by the spattering of blood.

  8. صُفَّت نِطافُ المُنى فَقُلتُ لَها

    ما أَجنَت في دِيارِنا النِعَمُ

    The pearls of desire were arrayed, and I said to them:

    'What have blessings brought to fruition in our lands?'

  9. تَجري اللَيالي عَلى حُكومَتِنا

    وَفي الزَمانِ النَعيمُ وَالنِقَمُ

    The nights run according to our rule,

    and time holds bliss and retribution.

  10. تَلعَبُ بِالنائِباتِ أَنفُسُنا

    كَأَنَّها في أَكُفِّنا زَلَمُ

    Our souls play with calamities,

    as though they were gaming arrows in our palms.

  11. وَلَيلَةٍ خُضتُها عَلى عَجَلٍ

    وَصُبحُها بِالظَلامِ مُعتَصِمُ

    And many a night I plunged through in haste,

    its morning still clinging to darkness.

  12. تَطَلَّعَ الفَجرُ مِن جَوانِبِها

    وَاِنفَلَتَت مِن عِقالِها الظُلَمُ

    Dawn peered out from its edges,

    and the darkness slipped free of its tether.

  13. كَأَنَّما الدَجنُ في تَزاحُمِهِ

    خَيلٌ لَها مِن بُروقِهِ لُجُمُ

    As though the clouded darkness, in its thronging,

    were horses bridled with its lightning.

  14. ما زالَتِ العيسُ تَستَهِلُّ بِنا

    وَاللَيلُ في غُرَّةِ الضُحى غَمَمُ

    The pale camels kept surging onward with us,

    and night was a forelock over morning's white blaze.

  15. فاضَ عَلى صِبغَةِ الظَلامِ بِنا

    شَيبٌ مِنَ الصُبحِ وَالرُبى لِمَمُ

    Over the dye of darkness about us spread

    gray hair from morning, while the hills were tresses.

  16. يا زَهرَةَ الغَوطَتَينِ تَبخُلُ بِالبِش

    رِ وَما مَسَّ أَرضَكِ العَدَمُ

    O flower of the two Ghoutas, you withhold cheer-

    fulness, though want has never touched your land.

  17. كَم فيكِ مِن مُهجَةٍ مُعَذَّبَةٍ

    هَجيرُها بِالنَسيمِ يَلتَطِمُ

    How many a tormented heart is within you,

    its midday heat clashing with the breeze;

  18. وَمِن غُصونٍ عَلى ذَوائِبِها

    يَزلَقُ طَلُّ الرِياضِ وَالدِيَمُ

    and branches over whose tresses

    the gardens' dew and steady rains glide;

  19. وَفِتيَةٍ عَلَّموا القَنا كَرَماً

    فَأَصبَحَت مِن ضُيوفِها الرَخَمُ

    and youths who taught the spears generosity,

    so vultures came to number among their guests.

  20. تَكادُ إِن أَشرَفَت جِباهُهُمُ

    تُضيءُ مِنها الشُعورُ وَاللِمَمُ

    When their foreheads appear, it almost seems

    their hair and tresses shine with their light.

  21. وَكَيفَ يُخفيهِمُ الظَلامُ وَفي

    جَحافِلِ اللَيلِ مِنهُمُ رَثَمُ

    And how can darkness hide them, when upon

    night's lips is a white mark cast by them?

  22. إِنَّ يَمينَ الحُسَينِ تُنصِفُني

    إِن جارَ أَعداؤُها وَإِن ظَلَموا

    Indeed, al-Husayn's right hand does me justice,

    if its foes act unjustly, and if they oppress.

  23. لا يَطمَعُ الذُلُّ في جِوارِ فَتىً

    تَلمَعُ فيهِ الصَوارِمُ الخُذُمُ

    Humiliation has no hope of shelter beside a youth

    around whom keen, cleaving swords gleam.

  24. يَثبُتُ في كَفِّهِ الحُسامُ كَما

    يَعثُرُ في غَيرِ كَفِّهِ الكَرَمُ

    The keen sword stands firm in his palm, just as

    generosity stumbles in any hand but his.

  25. إِذا تَخَطّى عَجاجَةً زَحَفاً

    آراؤُهُ وَالرِماحُ تَنهَزِمُ

    When a dust-cloud is crossed in an advancing charge

    by his counsels, while the spears are routed,

  26. تَضحَكُ عَن وَجهِهِ غَياهِبُها

    كَأَنَّهُ بِالهِلالِ مُلتَثِمُ

    its dark depths smile to reveal his face,

    as though he wore the crescent moon as a veil.

  27. فَشَقَّها وَالحَديدُ مُطَّرِدٌ

    وَخاضَها وَالضِرابُ مُضطَرِمُ

    Then he cleft it while steel surged onward,

    and waded through it while sword-blows blazed.

  28. وَاِستَلَّ أَسيافَهُ مُحَرَّشَةً

    فَاِستَلَبَتها الرِقابُ وَالقِمَمُ

    And he drew his swords, goaded to combat,

    so necks and heads snatched them away.

  29. إِذا المَذاكي باحَت مَحازِمُها

    وَاِضطَرَمَت في شُدوقِها اللُجُمُ

    When the mature steeds' girths gaped open,

    and bits blazed within their jaws,

  30. وَقَرَّها وَالرِماحُ طائِشَةٌ

    وَكَفَّها وَالسُيوفُ تَزدَحِمُ

    he steadied them while spears flew wildly,

    and checked them while swords crowded close.

  31. إِذا ذُبولُ الشِفاهِ شَمَّرَها

    في الغَمَراتِ الحِفاظُ وَالسَأَمُ

    When dry lips are drawn back

    amid battle's depths by honor and weariness,

  32. قَلَّصَ عَن ثَغرِهِ مَضاحِكَهُ

    كَأَنَّهُ في العُبوسِ مُبتَسِمُ

    he draws back his smile's corners from his teeth,

    as though smiling in his frown.

  33. إِذا خِمارُ الظَلامِ لَثَّمَهُ

    تَساقَطَت عَن قَميصِهِ التُهَمُ

    When darkness's veil masks his face,

    accusations fall away from his shirt.

  34. كَأَنَّهُ مِن سُرورِ يَقظَتِهِ

    بَشَّرَهُ بِالمَدائِحِ الحُلُمُ

    As though, from the joy of his waking,

    a dream had brought him glad tidings of praise.

  35. إِذا اِستَطالَت هُمومُهُ سَكِرَت

    في كَفِّهِ البيضُ وَاِنتَشى القَلَمُ

    When his cares grow long, they grow drunk—

    the white swords in his palm—and the pen grows tipsy.

  36. وَإِن سَرى أَسفَرَت صَوارِمُهُ

    وَاِلتَثَمَت بِالحَوافِرِ الأَكَمُ

    And if he travels by night, his keen swords shine forth,

    and the hillocks veil themselves with hooves.

  37. ما ضَجَّ مِن طولِ مَطلِهِ أَمَلٌ

    وَلا اِشتَكَتهُ العُهودُ وَالذِمَمُ

    No hope has cried out over long delay from him,

    nor have covenants and obligations complained of him.

  38. لَو فَطَنَت بِالقِرى سَوائِمُهُ

    لَما مَشَت تَحتَ وَفدِهِ النَعَمُ

    Had his grazing herds understood guest-feasting,

    the livestock would not have walked beneath his guests.

  39. يُعارِضُ الخَيلَ في عَرَضنَتِها

    قَرمٌ إِلى نَهبِ لَحمِها قَرِمُ

    He rides abreast of the horses in their sidelong prancing—

    a noble chief, hungry to plunder their flesh.

  40. واسِعُ خَرقِ الضَميرِ حَيثُ سَرى

    تَبَحبَحَت في مُرادِهِ الهِمَمُ

    Vast is the expanse of his mind; wherever he travels by night,

    high ambitions find ample room within his purpose.

  41. كَأَنَّما بيضُهُ ضَراغِمَةٌ

    غُمودُها في الكَتائِبِ الأَحَمُ

    As though his white swords were lions,

    whose scabbards amid the battalions were thickets.

  42. لَاِرتَشَفَ الخَمرَ وَهوَ يَلفِظُها

    لَوَ اِنَّ ما تُضمِرُ الكُؤوسُ دَمُ

    He would sip wine, though he spits it out,

    if what the cups concealed were blood.

  43. إِنَّ العِدا عَن غُروبِهِ طَلَعوا

    وَبَعدَما غارَ سَيفُهُ نَجَموا

    Indeed, his foes rose when he set,

    and emerged after his sword had sunk from sight.

  44. ما أَلِموا لِلوَعيدِ فيكَ شَبا ال

    طَعنِ وَبَعدَ المَصائِبِ الأَلَمُ

    They have not felt, for their threats against you, the points of the

    spear-thrusts; and pain comes after calamities.

  45. يا مُخرِسَ الدَهرِ عَن مَقالَتِهِ

    كُلُّ زَمانٍ عَلَيكَ مُتَّهَمُ

    O you who silence Time, keeping it from speech,

    every age is suspect where you are concerned.

  46. شَخصُكَ في وَجهِ كُلِّ داجِيَةٍ

    ضُحىً وَفي كُلِّ مَجهَلٍ عَلَمُ

    Your form, in the face of every dark night,

    is daylight, and in every trackless place a landmark.

  47. إِلى أَبي أَحمَدٍ صَدَعتُ بِها

    قَلبَ الدُجى وَالضَميرُ يَضطَرِمُ

    Toward Abu Ahmad, with it I cleft

    the heart of darkness, while my thoughts blazed.

  48. بَزَّ زُهَيراً شِعري وَها أَنا ذا

    لَم أَرضَ في المَجدِ أَنَّهُ هَرِمُ

    My poetry outdid Zuhayr, and here I am:

    I have not been content that he be Harim in glory.