1. أَظُنُّ نَسيمَ الرِّيحِ مِن حَيثُ أَرسَلا

    أَعادَ عَلى بَرقِ اللِّوا ما تَحَمَّلا

    I think the breeze, from where it was sent,

    repeated to the lightning of al-Liwā what it had borne.

  2. وَما لاحَ مُختالاً عَلَينا بِعِلمِهِ

    وَعَرَّضَ بِالدَّهناءِ إِلّا لِيُسأَلا

    It flashed before us, flaunting its knowledge,

    and hinted toward al-Dahnāʾ only to be questioned.

  3. رَوى مُجمَلاً وَالبانُ يَتلو حَديثَهُ

    فَفَسَّرَ ما قالَ النَّسيمُ وَفَصَّلا

    It recounted in brief; the bān-trees followed its tale,

    then explained what the breeze had said, unfolding its details.

  4. وَخَيَّرَ بِالمَحلِ الركائِبَ بَعدَ ما

    ضَمِنّا لَها خِصبَ العُذَيبِ تَعَلُّلا

    Amid the drought it offered the mounts a choice, after

    we had promised them al-ʿUdhayb's lushness as consolation.

  5. فَما كانَ إِلّا صادِقاً غَيرَ أَنَّهُ

    حَديثٌ هَوَينا فيهِ أَن يَتأَوَّلا

    It spoke nothing but truth, yet it was

    a tale we wished could be read another way.

  6. وَهَل عَلِمَ البَرقُ اليَمانيُّ أَنَّنا

    طَرَفنا بِهِ طَرفاً مِنَ اللَّيلِ أَكحَلا

    Did the Yemeni lightning know that we

    struck with it a kohl-dark eye of night?

  7. وَما بالَهُ خَصَّ الغَضا بِابتِسامَةٍ

    وَسَلَّ عَلى رَملِ الشَّقيقَةِ مَنصَلا

    Why did it single out the ghaḍā trees for a smile,

    and draw a blade over al-Shaqīqah's sand?

  8. وَفي الرَّكبِ طاوٍ لَو أَتى الذِّئب ضافَه

    عَلى الزّادِ إِمّا غادَة أَو تَفَضَّلا

    Among the riders is a hungry man who, if a wolf came, would join it

    over the provisions—either [“a maiden,” unclear here] or out of generosity.

  9. إِذا خَطَرَت في جانِبِ البِشرِ نَفحَةٌ

    تَرَنَّحَ في أَعطافِهِ وَتَمَلمَلا

    When a breath of gladness stirs beside him,

    he sways through his frame and tosses restlessly.

  10. يَعُدُّ أَناتي لِلعَدوِّ قَساوَة

    وَطَوعَ قيادي لِلصَّديقِ تَدَللا

    He counts my forbearance toward an enemy as harshness,

    and my yielding the reins to a friend as coyness.

  11. يَلومُ عَلى عَيشٍ تَبَرَّضتُ عَفوَهُ

    وَأَيُّ حُسامٍ لَم يُصادِف مِفصَلا

    He blames me for a livelihood whose surplus I gathered drop by drop,

    yet what keen sword has not struck a joint?

  12. إِلَيكَ فَإِنّي قَد عَقَلتُ رَكائِبي

    فَلَم أَرَ عاراً مِثلَ أَن أَتَرَحَّلا

    Away with you! I have hobbled my riding camels,

    and have seen no disgrace to equal departing.

  13. رَمى البُخل طُلّاب الغِنى في سُؤالِهِ

    وَكُنتُ عَلى وَجهي أضِنُّ وَأَبخَلا

    Avarice drove seekers of wealth to beg for it,

    but I was more sparing, more miserly, with my face.

  14. وَأَثقَلُ رِفدٍ ما امتَطى المَنُّ ظَهرَهُ

    وَشَرُّ ثَراء ما أَتاكَ تَطَوُّلا

    The heaviest gift is one whose back is ridden by reminders of favor,

    and the worst wealth comes to you with condescension.

  15. لأَخلفَ غَيثٌ بِالسُّؤالِ انتِجاعَهُ

    وَأَجذَبَ رَوضٌ بِالمَذَلَّةِ يُجتَلى

    Surely rain disappoints when its bounty is sought through begging,

    and barren is a meadow beheld at the price of abasement.

  16. عذيري مِنَ الأَيّامِ تُلقى بِثابِتٍ

    مِنَ البِشرِ رَوضاً أَو مِنَ الجودِ جَدوَلا

    Who will defend me against the days? In Thābit you find

    a garden of cheerfulness, or a stream of generosity.

  17. كَريمٌ إِذا ضَنَّ الغَمامُ فَكَفُّهُ

    كَفيلٌ بِطَردِ العامِ أَغيَرَ مُمحِلا

    A generous man: when the clouds withhold, his palm

    is pledged to drive away the harsh, barren year.

  18. يُغيرُ عَلى جُنحِ الظَّلامِ بِغُرَّةٍ

    تُعَلِّمُ وَجهَ البَدرِ أَن يَتَهَلَّلا

    He raids the wings of darkness with a radiant brow

    that teaches the full moon's face to beam.

  19. دَعَتهُ إِلى بَذلِ النَّدى أَريَحِيَّةٌ

    تَعَوَّدَ مِنها أَن يَقولَ وَيَفعَلا

    A noble impulse called him to lavish bounty,

    through which he learned to speak and to act.

  20. نَوالٌ يَعُمُّ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ

    تَضَمَّنَ أَرزاقَ الوَرى وَتَكَفَّلا

    Largesse that embraces the earth, as though it

    had undertaken and guaranteed all humanity's sustenance.

  21. إِذا استَحدَثَ المَجد الطَّريف أَبَت لَه

    مَناصِبُهُ إِلّا القَديمَ المُؤثَّلا

    When he seeks fresh glory, nothing will satisfy

    his ancestral ranks but honor ancient and firmly rooted.

  22. عُلاً وُجِدَت وَالدَّهرُ في حِجرِ أُمِّهِ

    وَخَيرُ خَليلَيكَ الَّذي كانَ أَوَّلا

    High honors that existed while Time lay in its mother's lap;

    and the better of your two friends is the one who came first.

  23. مِنَ القَومِ حَلّوا في السَّماءِ فَمِنهُمُ الس

    سَحائِبُ تُمري وَالأَهِلَّةُ تُجتَلى

    From a people who dwelt in heaven; from them come the

    clouds milked for rain, and crescent moons unveiled.

  24. أَقَمتَ عَزيز الدَّولَةِ الجودَ واصِفاً

    لما غابَ مِن أَفعالِهِم وَمُمَثّلا

    O ʿAzīz al-Dawlah, you have made generosity the narrator

    and living image of those deeds of theirs now hidden.

  25. خُلِقتَ وَدينُ البُخلِ عالٍ مَنارُهُ

    فَكُنتَ نَبيهاً بِالسَّماحَةِ مُرسلا

    You were born when miserliness was a faith with its beacon high,

    so you became an illustrious envoy of generosity.

  26. وَلاموكَ في إِتلافِ مالِكَ بِالنَّدى

    وَحاشاكَ أَن تَغنى وَأَن تَتَمَوَّلا

    They blamed you for squandering your wealth in bounty,

    but far be it from you to grow rich and amass possessions.

  27. عَمَرتَ مِنَ الإِحسانِ ما كانَ دارِساً

    وَأَوضَحتَ في المَعروفِ ما كانَ مُشكِلا

    You restored what had fallen into ruin of benevolence,

    and made clear what had been obscure in kindness.

  28. فَإِن كُنتَ فَذّا في الزَّمانِ فَإِنَّما

    سَلَكتَ سَبيلاً كانَ قَبلَكَ مُهمَلا

    If you stand alone in your age, it is only because

    you followed a path neglected before you.

  29. فِداؤُكَ مُثرٍ ما أعِدَّ سَوامُهُ

    وَنيرانُهُ إِلّا لِتُرعى وَتُصطَلى

    May a rich man ransom you, whose herds were readied—

    and his fires—only for grazing and warmth.

  30. أَذُمُّ لَها مِن نَحرِها بُخلَ كَفِّهِ

    فَهَل أَمِنَت مِن ذِلَّةٍ أَن تُذَلَّلا

    I deem his hand's stinginess worse for them than slaughter;

    are they safe from the disgrace of being brought low?

  31. أَبوكَ الَّذي عَمَّ الأَنامَ نَوالُهُ

    فَلَم يَبقَ جيداً مِن نَداهُ مُعَطَّلا

    Your father is he whose bounty embraced all mankind,

    leaving no neck unadorned by his generosity.

  32. وَكَم قَصَدَ الدَّهرَ الكِرامُ بِجورِهِ

    فَما وَجَدوا إِلّا عَلَيهِ المُعَوَّلا

    How often has Time assailed the noble with its injustice,

    and they found none but him to rely on.

  33. وَمَن لِبُدورِ الأُفقِ وَالمُزنِ أَن تَرى

    بَنانَكَ مَبسوطاً وَوَجهَكَ مُقبلا

    Who will defend the horizon's full moons and rainclouds should they see

    your fingers outspread and your face turned toward them?

  34. وَما جاءَكَ التَّشريفُ إِلّا دلالَةً

    عَلَيكَ وَرَأياً فيكَ أَن يَتَبَدَّلا

    The robe of honor came to you only as a sign

    of your worth, expecting to be exchanged through you

  35. بِأَبيَضَ ماضي الشَّفرَتَينِ تَضَمَّنَت

    يَمينُكَ عَنهُ أَن يَعودَ مُفَلَّلا

    for a gleaming sword, keen on both edges, guaranteed

    by your right hand to return with its edge notched;

  36. وَأَجرَدَ نَهد لَم يَجِد غَيرَ ظِلّه

    رَسيلاً وَلَم يَملِك مِنَ الأَرضِ مَنزِلا

    and a sleek, sturdy steed that has found only its shadow

    as a racing companion, with no resting place on earth.

  37. يَفوتُ مَجالَ الطَّرفِ حَتّى تَخالَهُ

    مِنَ البَرقِ لَولا أَنَّهُ كانَ أَعجَلا

    It outruns the range of sight, until you think it

    made of lightning—except that it is swifter still.

  38. وَهَيفاء طَوعُ الرّيحِ قَد خَلَعَ الدُّجا

    عَلَيها هِلالاً بِالنُّجومِ مُكَلَّلا

    And a slender banner, yielding to the wind, which darkness has robed

    in a crescent crowned with stars.

  39. لَها مِن خِلالِ المَشرَفِيِّ صِقالَهُ

    وَمِن شِيَمِ الخَطِّيِّ أَن يَتَمَيَّلا

    It has, among the Mashrafī sword's qualities, its polish,

    and, among the Khaṭṭī spear's traits, the way it sways.

  40. وَصافِيَةٍ مِثلِ الرِّياضِ تَزورها ال

    جَنائِبُ نَشوى وَالسَّحائِبُ حُفَّلا

    And limpid wine, like gardens visited by the

    southerly winds, drunken, and clouds with udders full.

  41. لأَحسَن مِنها ما تَزف غَرائِبي

    إِلَيكَ وَتَكسوكَ الثَّناء المُبَجِّلا

    Surely lovelier than these is what my rare verses bear in procession

    to you, clothing you in praise that exalts.

  42. شَوارِدُ كانَت في القِيادِ أَبِيَّةً

    فَما قَرَعَت باباً مِنَ القَومِ مُقفَلا

    Wild verses, once rebellious against the reins,

    that never knocked at a barred door among men.

  43. أَغارَ عَلَيها أَن يُراضَ جُموحُها

    لِغَيرِكَ أَو تَرجو سِواكَ مُؤَمَّلا

    I guard them jealously, lest their unruliness be tamed

    for another, or they hope for any benefactor but you.

  44. وَلَو رامَها داعي النَّوالِ تَقاصَرَت

    خُطاها وَأَكدى الفِكرُ فيها وَأَجبَلا

    Were the lure of bounty to seek them, they would shorten

    their steps; thought would strike hard ground and rock over them.

  45. وَلَكِنَّهُ وُدٌّ صَريحٌ وَذِمَّةٌ

    بَعيدٌ عَلى أَمراسِها أَن تُحَلَّلا

    But it is pure affection, and a covenant

    whose cords are far from being loosened.