Sol 6.1

  1. صَليلُ المَواضي وَاِهتِزازُ القَنا السُمرِ

    بِغَيرِهِما لا يُجتَنى ثَمرُ النَصرِ

    The ring of keen swords and the quivering of brown spears—

    Without these two, victory's fruit cannot be harvested.

  2. وَصَبرُ الفَتى في المَأزِقِ الضَنكِ فادِحٌ

    وَلكِنَّهُ أَهدى طَريقٍ إِلى الفَخرِ

    And a young man's endurance in a desperate strait is burdensome,

    But it is the surest path to honor.

  3. وَتَحتَ ظَلامِ النَقعِ تُشرِقُ أَوجُهُ ال

    ثَناءِ وَجَمعُ المَجدِ في فِرقَةِ الوَفرِ

    And beneath the darkness of battle-dust shine the faces of

    Praise; and glory is gathered by scattering wealth.

  4. وَما اِستَعبَدَ الأَحرارَ كَالعَفوِ إِن جَنى

    جَهولٌ وَفَضلُ الصَدرِ في سَعَةِ الصَدرِ

    And nothing enslaves free men like pardon, if a wrong is done

    By a fool; the breast's virtue lies in the breadth of the breast.

  5. وَمَن لَم تُنَوّه بِاِسمِهِ الحَربُ لَم يَزَل

    وَإِن كَرُمَت آباؤُهُ خامِلَ الذِكرِ

    And he whose name war has not acclaimed remains—

    Even if his forefathers were noble—obscure in name.

  6. إِذا غَشِيَ الحَربَ العَوانَ تَمَخَّضَت

    وَقَد لَقَحَت عَن فتكَةٍ في العدى بِكرِ

    When he enters seasoned war, she labors—

    Already pregnant—to bring forth a maiden slaughter among the foes.

  7. خِلالُ عُلىً لَولا المُعَظَّمُ أعجزَت

    طَرائِقُها الأَملاكَ بَعدَ أَبي بَكرِ

    Lofty virtues: but for al-Mu'azzam, beyond the reach

    Of kings after Abu Bakr would have been the paths to them.

  8. هِلالٌ وَبَدرٌ أَشرَقا فاِبتِهالُنا

    إِلى اللَهِ إِبقاءُ الهِلالِ مَعَ البَدرِ

    A crescent and a full moon have both shone; so our supplication

    To God is for the crescent to endure beside the full moon.

  9. مَليكٌ إِذا ما جالَ في مَتنِ ضامِرٍ

    لِيَومِ وَغىً أَبصَرَت بَحراً عَلى بَحرِ

    A king: when he wheels upon a lean steed's back

    For a day of battle, you behold a sea upon a sea.

  10. عَليمٌ بِتَصريفِ القَنا فَرِماحُهُ

    مَواقِعُها بَينَ التَرائِبِ وَالنَحرِ

    Skilled in wielding spears; his lances—

    Their blows fall between the upper ribs and the throat.

  11. إِذا عَلَّ في صَدرِ المُدَجَّجِ عامِلاً

    بَدا عَلُّهُ فَوقَ السِنانِ عَلى الظَهرِ

    When he gives a lance-shaft another draught in an armored man's chest,

    Its second draught shows above the spearhead upon the back.

  12. وَما مُشبِلٌ من أُسد خَفّانَ باسِلٌ

    يَذودُ الرَدى عَن أُمِّ شِبلَينِ في خِدرِ

    Nor is a fierce lion with cubs, one of Khaffan's lions,

    Who wards off death from a mother of two cubs in her lair—

  13. هزَبرٌ إِذا اِجتازِ الأُسودُ بغيلِهِ

    فَأَشجَعُها خافي الخُطى خافِتُ الزارِ

    A mighty lion: when lions pass through his thicket,

    Their bravest hides its footsteps and hushes its roar;

  14. حَوالَيهِ أَشلاءُ الوُحوشِ نَضيدَةٌ

    غَريضٌ عَلى مُستكرهٍ صائِكِ الدَفرِ

    Around him the wild beasts' torn limbs lie piled,

    Fresh flesh atop loathsome carrion, reeking with stench,

  15. بِوادٍ تَحاماهُ الأُسودُ مَهابَةً

    وَنَكَّبَ عَن مَسراهُ وَالجَةُ السَفرِ

    In a valley lions shun in dread,

    And travelers turn aside from his nightly path—

  16. بِأَعظَمَ مِنهُ في القُلوبِ مَهابَةً

    وَإِن غَضَّ مِنها بِالطَلاقَةِ وَالبِشرِ

    Greater than he in the awe he inspires in hearts,

    Though he tempers it with affability and good cheer.

  17. بِكُلِّ فَتىً مِن آلِ أَيّوبَ لَم يَزَل

    دِفاعاً لِخَطبٍ أَو سِداداً عَلى ثَغرِ

    With every young man of the house of Ayyub, who has always been

    A defender against calamity or a bulwark upon a frontier.

  18. إِذا اِستَلأَموا يَومَ النِزالِ حَسِبتَهُم

    أُسودَ العَرينِ الغُلبِ في غابَةِ السُمرِ

    When they don armor on the day of combat, you take them for

    Thick-necked lions of the den in a forest of brown spears.

  19. فَلا وَزَرٌ مَن بَأسِهِ لِعُداتِهِ

    وَلَو وَقَلَت كَالعُصمِ في شامِخٍ وَعرِ

    So his enemies find no refuge from his might,

    Even if they climb like white-footed ibex to a lofty, rugged height.

  20. وَلَو حاوَلَ المِريخُ في الأُفقِ مَنعَها

    لَخَيَّمَ ما بَينَ النَعائِمِ وَالغَفرِ

    And even if Mars on the horizon tried to shield them,

    He would pitch camp between al-Na'a'im and al-Ghafr.

  21. فَيا أَيُّها المَلكُ المُعَظَّمُ دَعوَةً

    إِلَيكَ لمَطوِيّ الضُلوعِ عَلى جَمرِ

    So, O King al-Mu'azzam, a plea

    To you, for one whose ribs are folded over embers.

  22. غَريبٌ إِذا ما حَلَّ مِصراً أَبى لَهُ

    وَشيكُ النَوى إِلا اِرتِحالاً إِلى مِصرِ

    A stranger: whenever he settles in a city, he is denied

    By swift separation anything but departure for another city.

  23. لَهُ غُنيَةٌ عَن غَيرِكُم مِن قَناعَةٍ

    وَأَمّا إِلى مَعروفِكُم فَأَخو فَقرِ

    His contentment frees him from need of anyone but you;

    But as for your bounty, he is a brother to poverty.

  24. فَحَتّامَ لا أَنفَكُّ في ظَهرِ سَبسَبٍ

    أُهَجّرُ أَو في بَطنِ دَوّيَةٍ قَفرِ

    How long, then, must I remain on a desert plain's back,

    Traveling in noon's heat, or in a barren wilderness's belly?

  25. أُشَقِّقُ قَلبَ الشَرقِ حَتّى كَأَنَّني

    أُفَتِّشُ في سَودائِهِ عَن سَنا الفَجرِ

    I split open the heart of the East, so that it seems I

    Am searching its black core for the radiance of dawn.

  26. وَيَقبَحُ بي أَن أَرتَجي مِن سِواكُمُ

    نَوالاً وَأَن يُعزى إِلى غَيرِكُم شُكري

    And it ill befits me to seek from anyone but you

    Bounty, and to have my thanks ascribed to anyone but you.