1. كانَ فينا طَيفُ الخَاليِ طمُوعا

    قبل أَنْ نَعرِف الأَسى والدُّموعَا

    The carefree one's apparition was full of longing among us,

    before we knew sorrow and tears.

  2. فَوَصَلْنا بوصلِها زَفَراتٍ

    تصدعُ الشَّأنَ أو تَفُضُّ الضُّلوعَا

    So we joined sighs to union with her,

    sighs that split the skull's suture or shatter the ribs.

  3. يا لقومٍ لطارقٍ منع النو

    مَ فأَمسى دون الشِّعَارِ ضَجيعَا

    O people, help against a night visitor who banished sleep,

    then became a bedfellow beneath the inner garment.

  4. ولسِتٍ من الشبادِعِ لويأ

    مُرْنَ رِجليَّ لم يكنْ ملسوعَا

    And against six scorpions—if they commanded

    my two legs, he would not be stung [wording unclear].

  5. عددُ النَّجْمِ انْ تَفرقنَ ينكَرْ

    نَ ويُعرفْن انْ طلعنَ جَميعَا

    As many as the Pleiades: scattered, they go unrecognized,

    but are recognized when they all rise together.

  6. ما أُبالي بما رميتُ اذا كنت

    تُ بَريّاً من الفُلولِ صَنِيعَا

    I care not what is hurled at me, so long as I am

    well wrought and free of nicks.

  7. يعلقُ الصِدقُ بالفؤادِ من القَوْ

    لِ وانْ كانَ كلُّهُ مَسْموعَا

    The truth in speech clings to the heart,

    even though all of it is heard.

  8. ليس الا الاباءُ هل غَير أنْ أَع

    رى اذا ما أَبيتُ أَو أَن أَجوعَا

    Nothing but proud refusal! What else but that I go naked

    if I refuse, or go hungry?

  9. أَو ألاقي صدرَ الحسامِ فلا أن

    كلُ عنه ولا أكونُ جزوعَا

    Or face the sword's point, without

    recoiling from it or giving way to panic.

  10. بئس ما ساترخص المساومُ في البي

    عِ اذا استرخص الرجالُ البُيُوعَا

    Wretched is what the bargainer seeks cheaply in a sale [verb unclear],

    when men hold their sales cheap.

  11. اِذْ رآني كالصقرِ سُلَّ جناحا

    ه وكانا الى الحِمامِ ذريَعا

    When he saw me like a falcon with both wings torn out,

    and both had been swift toward death,

  12. أمنتْ ريشَهُ المُنَزَّعَ منه

    وهي تَرعى بجانبيه وقوعَا

    she felt safe from his feathers stripped from him,

    and fed on either side of him, settled there.

  13. جَادَ قَصر السلامِ نوءٌ من الجب

    هةِ يَنفي حنَّانَةً زعزوعَا

    May rain from al-Jabha drench Qasr al-Salam,

    driving away a moaning, blustering wind.

  14. صَنعٌ لا يزالُ بالطَلِّ والوب

    لِ الى أَنْ تَرى المصيفَ رَبيعَا

    Deft, unceasing in drizzle and downpour,

    until you see summer turned to spring.

  15. وسَقَى اللهُ أَحسنوا الوص

    لَ ولكن لم يُحسنوا التوديعَا

    And may God send rain to those who excelled at reunion,

    but did not excel at farewell.

  16. نَزلوا نَجْوةَ المكَارمِ واحتَلْ

    لُوا محلاً من المَعَالي رَفيعَا

    They settled on the high ground of noble deeds and occupied

    a lofty station of distinction.

  17. واذا رامَ جارهم مستضيمٌ

    خِلتَ أَبصارًهُم شَريْنَ نَجيعَا

    And when an oppressor assails their neighbor,

    you would think their eyes had purchased fresh blood.

  18. كَرِهُوا الشينَ في الجلودِ فما من

    حذرِ الموتِ يلبسونَ الدروعَا

    They disdain blemishes on the skin; it is not

    for fear of death that they wear armor.

  19. وهم يمنعون قاصيةَ السّر

    بِ ويحمونَ جَارهم أَنْ يضيعَا

    And they defend the farthest straggler of the herd,

    and keep their neighbor from ruin.

  20. واذا كانَ في جوارِ سِواهم

    تابعاً كانَ فيهم متبوعَا

    And if, under others' protection, he was

    a follower, among them he would be followed.

  21. يَسْهَرُونَ الليلَ الطويلَ حفاظاً

    ويلذُّونَ أن يكونَ هُجُوعَا

    They keep watch through the long night in loyal care,

    delighting that he should sleep.

  22. قَدْ أَلفناهُمُ فما تُذكرُ الأو

    طانُ شوقاً ولا نَحنُّ نزوعَا

    We have grown attached to them, so homelands are not recalled

    with longing, nor do we pine to return.

  23. أَصبح القادرُ الامام أبو العبا

    سِ للبِأسِ والنَّدى ينبوعَا

    Imam al-Qadir, Abu al-Abbas, has become

    a fountainhead of might and generosity.

  24. نازحاً عن تأملِ الأَعينِ الشُّو

    سِ تلوَّى له الرقابُ خُضُوعَا

    Beyond the scrutiny of haughty eyes,

    necks bend before him in submission.

  25. عجباً كيف يَمنعُ الشَّمسَ بالنَّق

    عِ ولا يمنعُ النُّجُومَ الطلوعَا

    A marvel! How does he veil the sun with dust,

    yet not prevent the stars from rising?

  26. أَغِواراً أَمْ غَيرةً أَنْ يُرى اللي

    لُ لضوءِ الصباحِ منكَ خُشُوعَا

    Is it raiding, or jealousy lest the night be seen

    bowing before the dawn-light that comes from you?

  27. يا اِمامُ الهدى عَجَزتُ عن الشك

    رِ فكن لي الى علاكَ شفيعَا

    O Imam of guidance, I cannot offer fitting thanks;

    so be my intercessor before your own eminence.

  28. رُمتُ عَدَّ الثرى فلم أَسْتَطِعْهُ

    انما اللومُ يلزمُ المستطيعَا

    I tried to count the grains of dust, but could not;

    blame belongs only to one who can.

  29. أَنتَ أَوفاهم اذا نقضوا العَهْ

    دَ وأَحماهم اذا السربُ ريعَا

    You are their most faithful when they break their pledge,

    and their strongest protector when the herd is frightened.

  30. وتخيرتَ من مَعَدٍّ قُريشاً

    مسْتَشِفاً أُصولَها والفروعَا

    And you chose Quraysh from Ma'add,

    scrutinizing its roots and branches.

  31. فتبوأتَ من قُصي بمجدٍ

    م يكنْ قبلَ جَمعِهِ مَجموعَا

    Then you took your place through Qusayy, with a glory

    that had [not] been gathered before his gathering of it.

  32. ثُمَّ من هَاشِمٍ شَواهقَها الشُّمْ

    مَ اللواتي تثني العيونَ رُجوعَا

    Then, from Hashim, its soaring, lofty peaks,

    which force the eyes to turn back.

  33. سارياً في مَطَا الخَلائفِ والأط

    هارِ يلقى بكَ المُسِرُّ المذيعَا

    Coursing through the backs of caliphs and the pure,

    in you the concealer meets the revealer.

  34. ثم بَرَّزتَ تُفِلسُ السُّبَقَ الجَرْ

    يَةَ لا تابعاً ولا مَتبوعَا

    Then you surged ahead, bankrupting the swift racers,

    neither following nor being followed.

  35. فأتيتَ المَدى وَدِيْعاً وما كُلْ

    لُ جَوادٍ يأتي مَداهُ وديعَا

    So you reached the finish calmly—not every

    steed reaches its finish calmly.

  36. وَوَليُّ العَهْدِ الأَميرُ أَبو الفَضْ

    لِ لآِبائِهِ يكونُ تَبيعَا

    And the heir apparent, Prince Abu al-Fadl,

    is a follower of his forefathers,

  37. رابضاً ربضةَ الهِزَبْرِ كأَنَّ النْ

    نَاسَ يَحْدُو بِهِمْ نَعاماً مَروعَا

    crouching as a lion crouches, as though the people

    he drives before him were frightened ostriches.