1. إِذا حَدَتِ الرِّيحُ عِيَس الحَيا

    وَهَتَّكَ بِالبَرقِ سِترَ الدُّجا

    When the wind drove the rain's pale camels onward with its song,

    and rain rent the veil of darkness with lightning,

  2. وَظَلَّ يُفَوِّقُ جَوَّ الرِّياضِ

    وَيَصقُلُها بِنَسيمِ الصَّبا

    and kept giving the gardens' air draught after draught,

    and polishing them with the east wind's breeze,

  3. فَمَنطَقَ مِنها خُصورَ الوِهادِ

    وَتَوَّجَ مِنها رُؤوسَ الرُّبا

    it girdled with them the waists of the lowlands,

    and crowned with them the heads of the hills,

  4. وَقَبَّلَ فيها ثُغورَ الأَقاح

    مُداعَبَةً لِخُدودِ المَها

    and kissed within them the mouths of daisies,

    as a playful caress for the cheeks of oryxes.

  5. فَجَلَّى الغُوَيرَ بِأَوضاحِهِ

    وَنَجَّدَهُ بَرقُهُ المُنتَضى

    Then it brightened al-Ghuwayr with its white gleams,

    and its unsheathed lightning adorned it.

  6. وَزارَ عُذَيبَةَ زَورَ الخَيا

    لِ يُعَثِّرُ بَينَ فُروجِ الكَرى

    And it visited ʿUdhaybah like a phantom,

    stumbling through the gaps of slumber.

  7. فَراحَ عَلى تُربِها باكِياً

    بِجَفنِ الرِّياضِ وَدَمع النَّدى

    Then it went over her soil, weeping,

    with the gardens' eyelid and the tears of dew.

  8. وَأَصبَحَ رائِدُنا بَعدَهُ

    يُقَبِّلُ أَجراعَها وَالثَّرى

    And after it, our scout at dawn

    was kissing her sandy tracts and soil.

  9. كَأَنَّ ابنَ نَصرٍ هَمى كَفُّهُ

    عَلَيها فَأَخجَلَ صَوبَ الحَيا

    As though Ibn Naṣr's palm had poured

    upon her, putting the rain's downpour to shame.

  10. فَتىً جادَ بِالمالِ قَبلَ السُّؤالِ

    وَعاجَلَ بِالبِشرِ قَبلَ المُنى

    A young man who gave wealth before being asked,

    and hastened with a smiling welcome before wishes arose.

  11. وَقادَت مَواهِبُهُ الطَّالِبينَ

    فَأَنضى المَطِيّ وَسَدَّ الفَلا

    His gifts led the seekers onward,

    so he exhausted the riding camels and filled the wastes.

  12. كَأَنَّ لَهُ غَفَلاتُ الزَّمانِ

    يَجودُ بِهِنَّ وَعَصرُ الصِّبا

    As though he owned time's unguarded moments,

    giving them freely—and the season of youth.

  13. إِذا ما ذَكَرناهُ خِلنا المَطِيَّ

    عَرَفنَ مَكارِمَهُ وَالعُلا

    Whenever we mentioned him, we imagined the camels

    had recognized his noble deeds and high renown.

  14. فَهُنَّ صَوادٍ إِلى قُربِهِ

    تُسابِقُ أنساعَها وَالبرى

    So they thirst to be near him,

    racing against their girths and nose-rings.

  15. مِنَ القَوم إِن خَطَروا لِلنَّوالِ

    رَأَيتَ الرَّدى في نُحورِ الثَّرى

    He is of a people who, when they stride forth to give,

    you see death in the earth's throats.

  16. تَدُلُّ صَوارِمُهُم في الصَّباحِ

    عَلى نارِ لَيلِهِمُ لِلقِرى

    Their sharp swords in the morning point

    to their nighttime fire for hospitality.

  17. لَهُم كُلُّ أَجرَدَ مِلء العَنانِ

    رَحيبُ اللّبانِ سَليمُ الشَّظا

    Theirs is every sleek steed that fills the rein,

    broad-chested, with sound splint-bones.

  18. تَميلُ بأَعطافِهِ هِزَّة

    تُعَرِّضُ بِالبَرقِ لَمّا جَرى

    A thrill sways its flanks,

    taunting the lightning as it runs.

  19. وَنازَعَهُ اللَّيلُ أَوضاحَهُ

    فَقَبَّلَهُ الصُّبحُ لَما نَجا

    Night contended with it for its white markings,

    so dawn kissed it when it escaped.

  20. وَيَأنَفُ مِن عِزِّهِ أَن يذلَّ

    بِغَيرِ وُجوهِهِمُ في السُّرى

    And in its pride it scorns to submit

    to faces other than theirs in night travel.

  21. فَيا عِزَّ دَولَتِهِم قُدهُمُ

    فَإِنَّ الأَباطِحَ دونَ الذُّرى

    O glory of their state, lead them,

    for the valley floors lie below the summits.

  22. وَشَمِّر فَمِثلُكَ أَنضى الجِيادَ

    وَثَلَّمَ بِالضَّربِ بيضَ الظُّبا

    And gird yourself: one like you wears out fine steeds

    and notches bright sword-edges with blows.

  23. وَنِل بِالمُعِزِّ عَليّ الأُمور

    كَما تَبِعَ البَدوَ شَمسَ الضُّحى

    And through al-Muʿizz attain the loftiest undertakings,

    as the desert folk follow the morning sun.

  24. فَلَو هَرَبَ البَدرُ مِن خَوفِهِ

    وَمالَ عَلى صَوبِهِ ما اهتَدى

    Were the full moon to flee in fear of him,

    and turn toward his quarter, it would find no way.

  25. أَلَيسَ أَبوكَ أَبا كامِلٍ

    فَهَل فَوقَهُ لِلعُلا مُنتَهى

    Is not your father Abū Kāmil?

    Is there any higher limit to glory than he?

  26. فَتىً وَجَدَ العِزَّ حَيثُ الحِمامُ

    وَمِن دَوحَةِ المَجدِ يَجني الرَّدى

    A young man who found honor where death lies,

    and harvests death from glory's great tree.

  27. وَجاوَدَهُ الغَيثُ جَهلاً بِهِ

    فَلَمّا رَأى جودَهُ ما هَمى

    Rain rivaled him in generosity, not knowing him,

    but when it saw his bounty, it ceased to pour.

  28. سَقاهُ نَداكَ إِذا ما العُفاةُ

    مَلأنَ إِلَيكَ فُروجَ المَلا

    Your bounty watered it whenever the supplicants

    filled the open land's spaces on their way to you.

  29. فَكَم مَوقِفٍ مِثل حَدِّ الحُسام

    يَغِضُّ بِهِ الجَوُّ سُمرَ القَنا

    How many a stand like a sword's edge,

    where the air lowers the tawny spears,

  30. تَلَقَّى السِّنانُ بِهِ خاسِراً

    كَأَنَّ عَلَيهِ قُلوب العِدى

    and the spearhead met defeat there,

    as though enemies' hearts were upon it.

  31. وَقَد غَنَّتِ البيضُ في نَقعَة

    فَما شَرِبَ الرُّمحُ حَتّى انتَشى

    Bright swords had sung amid a cloud of dust,

    and scarcely had the spear drunk before it grew drunk.

  32. عَلَوتَ فَخَيَّلتَ أَنَّ النُّجو

    مَ مِن نورِ وَجهِكَ فيها السَّنا

    You rose so high that you made it seem the stars

    took their radiance from the light of your face.

  33. وَجُدتَ فَأعلِمتَ أَنَّ الغَما

    مَ يَشكو إِلى راحَتَيكَ الصَّدى

    And you gave, making known that the clouds

    complain of thirst to your two palms.

  34. مَدَحتُكَ أَخطُبُ مِنكَ الوِدادَ

    إِذا حاوَلَ القَومُ مِنكَ الغِنى

    I praised you, seeking your affection,

    when others sought wealth from you.

  35. وَلي في فَخارِكُمُ شُعبَة

    وَفي الأُفقِ بَدرُ الدُّجا وَالسُّها

    And I have a branch in your glory,

    while the horizon holds the night's full moon and al-Suhā.

  36. إِذا عامِرٌ فَرَعَت في العُلا

    وَلَم يَبقَ مِن فَوقِها مُرتَقى

    When ʿĀmir reached the summit of glory,

    and no higher ascent remained above her,

  37. عَلِقتَ بأَطرافِ ذاكَ النِّجارِ

    وَحَلَّت بِعادِيِّ ذاكَ اليَنا

    you clung to the branches of that lineage,

    and she settled in that ancient edifice [uncertain reading].

  38. وَقورٌ إِذا طَرَّقَتني الخُطوبُ

    وَحَلَّ مِنَ الخَوفِ عِقدَ النُّهى

    I am composed when calamities visit me by night,

    and fear loosens the knot of reason,

  39. بِعِشرينَ أَنفَقتُها في الصُّدودِ

    وَجُدتُ بِها في زَمانِ النَّوى

    at twenty—years I spent in being shunned,

    and lavished in the time of separation.

  40. وَإِنّي عَلى شَغَفي بِالقَريضِ

    لأَذخُرُهُ عَن جَميعِ الوَرى

    Despite my passion for poetry,

    I surely withhold it from all mankind.

  41. وَلَكِنَّ حُبَّكَ نادَى بِهِ

    وَلَم يَزَلِ المَرءُ طَوعَ الهَوى

    But love for you called it forth,

    and man has always obeyed desire.

  42. وَقَد جَلَّ قَدرُكَ عَن نَظمِهِ

    وَلَكِنَّها سُنَّة تُقتَفى

    Your worth is too exalted to be put into verse,

    but it is a custom to be followed.