طَرِبتُ وَهَل بِكَ مِن مَطرَبِ

ولم تَتَصَابَ وَلَم تَلعَبِ

I was disturbed, and is there any disturbed like you?

You did not joke or play.

صَبَابَةَ شَوقٍ تَهِيجُ الحَلِيمَ

لا عَارَ فِيهَا عَلَى الأَشيَبِ

Passionate longing that excites the forbearing—

No shame in it for the elderly.

وَمَا أَنتَ إِلاّ رُسُومَ الدِّيَار

وَلَو كُنَّ كالخِلَلِ المُذهَبِ

You are but sketches of homelands,

Even if you were like yellow agates.

وَلاَ ظُعُنُ الحَيّ إِذ أدلَجَت

بَوَاكِرُ كالإِجلِ والرَّبرَبِ

The living do not blame when

Dawn breaks like the doe and pleiades.

وَلَستَ تَصَبُّ الى الظَّاعِنِينَ

اذا ما خَلِيلُكَ لم يَصبَبِ

You do not pour yourself onto wanderers

If your friend did not pour.

فَدَع ذِكرَ مَن لَستَ مِن شَأنِهِ

ولا هُوَ مِن شَانِكَ المُنصِبِ

So leave mention of those not your business,

Nor are you their honorable busybody.

وهَاتِ الثَّنَاءَ لأَهلِ الثَّنَاءِ

بأَصوَبِ قَولِكَ فالأَصوَبِ

And bring praise to the praiseworthy

With the most proper words—the most proper.

بَنِي هَاشِم فَهُمُ الأَكرَمُونَ

بني البَاذِخِ الأَفضَلِ الأَطيَبِ

The Hashimites—so they are the most generous,

The children of the supreme, the best, the most fragrant.

وإِيَّاهُمُ فاتَّخِذ أولِيَا

ءَ من دُونِ ذي النَّسَبِ الأَقرَبِ

And take them as guardians

Apart from the one with closer lineage.

وفي حُبِّهِم فَاتَّهِم عَاذِلاً

نَهَاكَ وفي حَبلِهم فَاحطِبِ

And in loving them accuse, warning,

Your warner, and in their rope then fuel.

أرَى لَهُمُ الفَضلَ والسَّابِقَاتِ

وَلَم أتَمَنَّ وَلَم أَحسَبِ

I see for them preferable traits and early merit

And I did not wish or assume.

مَسَامِيحُ بِيضٌ كِرَامُ الجُدُودِ

مَرَاجِيحُ في الرَّهَجِ الأَصهَبِ

White swords—honorable, of noble descent,

Swings amidst spacious, brilliant meadows.

إِذا ضَمَّ في الرَّوعِ يَومَ الهِيَا

جِ أَخِّر وأَقدِم الى أرحِبِ

When the friend withdraws in fearful alarm

Defer and go early to the most open.

مَطَاعِيمُ حِينَ تَرُوحُ الشَّمَالُ

بِشَفَّانَ قِطقِطِها الأَشهَبٍ

Sucklings when the north winds depart

With the constant pecking of their gray one.

مَوَاهِيبُ للمُنفِسِ المُستَزَادِ

لأَمثَالِهِ حِينَ لا مَوهَبُ

Bestowments for the sighing asking excess

For their like when there is no bestowed favor.

امارِمُ غُرٌّ حِسَانُ الوُجُوهِ

مَطَاعِيمُ للطَّارِقِ الاَجنَبِ

Young, red camels—beautiful of face

Sucklings for the foreign knocker.

مَقَارِيُ للضَّيفِ تَحتَ الظَلاَمِ

مَوَارِيُ للقَادِحِ المُثقِبِ

Places of shelter for the guest in the dark,

And hiding places for the piercing debater.

إذَا المَرخُ لم يُورِ تَحتَ العَفَارِ

وَضُنَّ بِقِدرٍ فَلَم تُعقَبُ

When the well-bucket does not loosen beneath the plenty

And are stingy with a measure—then no more follow.

وَرَدتُ مِياهَهم صادِياً

بِحَائِمَةٍ وِردَ مُستَعذِبِ

I came to their water seeking

With my bucket, and found sweet drink.

فَمَا حَلأتِني عِصِيُّ السُقَاةِ

ولا قِيلَ يا ابعَد ولا يا اغرُبِ

So neither did the water bearer’s staff jab me,

Nor was I told, “Go farther!” or “Come, foreigner!”

ولكِن بِخَأجَأَةِ الأَكرَمِينَ

بِحَظِّيَ في الأكرَمِ الأَطيَبِ

But with the clearing of throat of the generous ones,

My luck with the most generous, the most fragrant.

لَئِن طَالَ شِربيَ للآجِنَاتِ

لقد طَابَ عِندَهُم مَشرَبِي

If my drinking the old wines grew long,

Still, their abode softened my drink.

أَجِلُّ وأصدُرُ عَن غَيرِهِم

بِرِيّ المُحَلأ والمُوأَبِ

I refuse, and envy another

With ample pasture and fodder.

أُناسٌ إذا وَرَدَت بَحرَهُم

صَوَادِي الغَرَائِبِ لم تُضرَبِ

They are people—if the strange phenomena flowed into their sea,

They would not be damned.

وَلَيسَ التَفَحُّشُ من شَأنِهِم

ولا طَيرَةُ الغَضَبِ المُغضِبِ

Neither vulgarity nor rage’s anger are their affair,

Nor insulting the eyes of those arriving

ولا الطَّعنُ في أَعينِ المُقبِلِينَ

ولا في قَفَا المُدبِرِ المُذنِبِ

Nor the rear parts of the retreating sinner.

The guiding stars, when darkened

نُجُومُ الأُمُورِ اذا أدُلَمِّسَت

بِظَلمَاءَ دَيجُورِها الأَشهَبِ

By the gloomy darkness of their dusky night.

The people of old and people of news—

وأهلُ القَدِيمِ وأهلُ الحَدِيثِ

إذا نُقِضَت حَبوَةُ المُحتَبِي

When the bundle of intimacy was undone.

There was a longing in myself I did not forget

وَشَجوٌ لِنَفسِيَ لم أنسَهُ

بِمُعتَرَكِ الطَّفِّ فالمِجنَبِ

In the struggle of youth and the bipartisan.

It was as if their shining cheeks

كأَنَّ خُدُودَهُم الواضِحَا

تِ بَينَ المَجَرِّ الى المَسحَبِ

Were between Cancer unto Capricorn.

White swords—their being chosen by the deep black nights

صَفَائِحُ بِيضٌ جَلَتهَا القُيُو

نُ مما تُخُيِّرنَ من يَثرِبِ

From what they choose of Yathrib.

I hope for justice—perhaps I will attain

أؤَمِّلُ عَدلاً عَسَى أن أنَا

لَ ما بَينَ شَرقٍ الى مَغرِبِ

What is between east unto west.

I raised my eyes to them, frightened

رَفَعتُ لهم نَاظِرَي خَائِفٍـ

ـعلى الحَقِّ يُقدَعُ مُستَرهِبِ

For truth is mutilated by the usurper.