1. لامَ في أُمِّ مالِكٍ عاذِلاكا

    وَلَعَمرُ الإِلهِ ما أَنصَفاكا

    Your two reprovers blamed you over Umm Malik,

    and, by God's life, neither treated you fairly.

  2. وَكِلا عاذِلَيكَ أَصبَحَ مِمّا

    بِكَ خِلواً هَواهُ غَيرُ هَواكا

    Each of your two reprovers is untouched by what

    afflicts you; his passion differs from yours.

  3. عَذَلا في الهَوى وَلَو جَرَّباهُ

    أَسعَدا إِذ بَكَيتَ أَو عَذَراكا

    They reproached you for love; had they experienced it,

    they would have shared your tears or excused you.

  4. كُلَّما قُلتُ بَعضَ ذا اللَومِ قالا

    إِنَّ جَهلاً بَعدَ المَشيبِ صِباكا

    Whenever I said, 'Less of this blame,' they said,

    'Your infatuation after gray hair is folly.'

  5. بَثَّ في الرَأسِ حَرثَةَ الشَيبُ لَمّا

    حانَ إِبّانُ حَرثِهِ فَعَلاكا

    Gray hair sowed its crop across your head when

    the season for its sowing came, and it overspread you.

  6. فَاِسلُ عَن أُمِّ مالِكٍ وَاِنهَ قَلباً

    طالَما في طِلابِهِ عَنّاكا

    So forget Umm Malik, and restrain a heart

    that has long tormented you with its pursuit.

  7. أَصبَحَ الدَهرُ بَعدَ عَشرٍ وَعَشرٍ

    وَثلاثينَ حِجَّةً قَد رَماكا

    Time, after ten and ten

    and thirty years, has struck you.

  8. ما تَرى البَرقَ نَحوَ قُرّانَ إِلّا

    هاجَ شَوقاً عَلَيكَ فَاِستَبكاكا

    You never see lightning toward Qurran without

    its stirring longing in you and making you weep.

  9. قَد نَأَتكَ الَّتي هَويتَ وَشَطَّت

    بَعدَ قُربٍ نَواهُمُ مِن نَواكا

    She whom you loved has gone far away, and distant,

    after nearness, is their dwelling from your own.

  10. وَغَدَت فيهِمُ أَوانِس بيضٌ

    كَعَواطي الظِباءِ تَعطو الأَراكا

    And among them went forth fair, companionable maidens,

    like gazelles stretching upward to browse the arak trees.

  11. كُنتَ تَرعى عَهودَهُنَّ وَتَعصي

    في هَواهُنَّ كُلَّ لاحٍ لَحاكا

    You used to honor their pledges, defying

    for love of them every reprover who reproached you,

  12. إِذ تُلاقي مِنَ الصَبابَةِ بَرحاً

    وَتُجيبُ الهَوى إِذا ما دَعاكا

    when you suffered the anguish of yearning

    and answered love whenever it called you.

  13. عَدِّ عَن ذِكرِهِنَّ وَاِذكُر هُماماً

    بِقُوى حَبلِهِ عَقَدتَ قُواكا

    Turn from their memory and recall a noble hero

    to the strands of whose rope you tied your own.

  14. أَينَ لا أَينَ مِثلُ زائِدَةَ الخَي

    راتِ إِلّا أَبوهُ لا أَينَ ذاكا

    Where is there anyone like Za'ida of good

    deeds, save his father? Nowhere is such a man.

  15. بِاِبنِ مَعنٍ يُفَكُّ كُلُّ أَسيرٍ

    مُسلَمٍ لا يَبيتُ يَرجو الفِكاكا

    Through Ma'n's son every captive is freed—

    even one abandoned—without a night spent hoping for release.

  16. وَبِهِ يُقعَصُ الرّئيسُ لَدى المَو

    تِ إِذا اَصطَكَّتِ العَوالي اَصطِكاكا

    And through him the chieftain is slain at the hour of

    death, when the spearheads clash violently.

  17. مَطَرِيٌّ أَغَرُّ تَلقاهُ بِالعُر

    فِ قَؤولاً وَلِلخَنا تَرّاكا

    A radiant Matari, whom you find speaking of

    kindness freely, and ever shunning foul speech.

  18. مَن يَرُم جارَهُ يَكُن مِثلُ مارا

    مَ بِكَفَّيهِ أَن يَنالَ السِماكا

    Whoever assails his protected neighbor is like one trying

    with his own two hands to reach al-Simak.

  19. لَم تَزَل عِندَ مَوطِن يا اِبنَ مَعنٍ

    عَن مَقامٍ تَقومُهُ قَدَماكا

    Never, at any battlefield, O son of Ma'n,

    have your feet left a position you held.

  20. إِنَّ مَعناً يَحمي الثُغورَ وَيُعطي

    مالَهُ في العُلا تَقومُهُ قَدَماكا

    Indeed Ma'n guards the frontiers and gives

    his wealth for glory; your two feet uphold him.

  21. لا يَضُرُّ اِمرِأً إِذانا وُدّاً

    مِنكَ إِلّا يَنالَهُ مِن سِواكا

    It harms no man [if he gains] affection

    from you, to receive none from anyone else.

  22. ما عَدا المُجتَدي أَباكَ وَما مِن

    راغِبٍ يَنتَديهِ إِلّا اِجتَداكا

    No supplicant has passed your father by, and no

    seeker asks his bounty without asking yours.

  23. وَدَّ كُلُّ اِمرِىءٍ مِنَ الناسِ لَوكا

    نَ أَبوهُ لَدى الفَخارٍ أَباكا

    Every man among the people wishes that

    his father, in contests of honor, were your father.

  24. قَد وَفى البَأسُ وَالنَدى لَكَ بِالعَق

    دِ كَما قَد وَفَيتَ إِذ حالَفاكا

    Valor and generosity have kept their covenant with you,

    just as you kept faith when they allied with you.

  25. وَأَجاباكَ إِذ دَعَوتَ بِلَبَّي

    كَ كَما قَد أَجَبتَ إِذ دَعَواكا

    And when you called, they answered, 'At your

    service!' just as you answered when they called you.

  26. فَهُما دونَ مَن لَهُ تُخلِصُ الوُ

    دَّ وَتَرعى إِخاءَهُ أَخَواكا

    Thus they, more than anyone to whom you give sincere

    affection and whose brotherhood you cherish, are your brothers.

  27. لَستَ ما عِشتَ وَالوَفاءُ سَناءٌ

    لَهُما مُخفِراً وَلَن يُخفِراكا

    Never, while you live—and faithfulness is splendor—

    will you betray those two, nor will they betray you.

  28. رَفِعَت في ذُرا المَعالي قَديماً

    فَوقَ أِيدي المُلوكِ يَداكا

    Long ago, on the summits of honor, were raised

    your two hands above the hands of kings.

  29. وَسَما الفَرعُ مِنكَ في خَيرِ أَصلٍ

    مِن نِزارٍ فَطابَ مِنهُ ثَراكا

    And your branch rose from the finest root

    in Nizar; from it your soil grew fertile.

  30. فَبمَعنٍ تَسمو وَزائِدَةِ الخَي

    رِ وَعَبدِ الإِلهِ كُلٌّ نَماكا

    So through Ma'n you rise, and Za'ida the Good,

    and Abd al-Ilah; each has raised you.

  31. زَينُ ما قَدَّموا وَلَم تُلفَ صَعباً

    في سَلاليمِ مَجدِهِم مُرتَقاكا

    You adorn what they brought forth; you did not find it hard

    to climb the ladders of their glory.

  32. أُعصِمَت مِنكُمُ نِزارٌ بِحَبلٍ

    لَم يُريدوا بِغَيرِهِ اِستِمساكا

    Nizar was safeguarded by a rope from you;

    they wished to hold fast to no other.

  33. وَرَأَبتُم صُدوعَها بِحُلومٍ

    راجِحاتٍ دَفَعنَ عَنها الهَلاكا

    And you mended its rifts with judgments

    sound and weighty, which kept destruction from it.

  34. فَأَشارَت مَعاً إِلَيكُم وَقالَت

    إِنَّما يَرأَبُ الصُدوعَ أُولاكا

    Then, with one accord, it pointed to you and said,

    'Those alone are the ones who mend the rifts.'

  35. يَئِسَ الناسُ أَن يَنالوا قَديماً

    في المَعالي لِسَعيِكُم إِدراكا

    Men long ago despaired of ever

    catching up with your striving toward high honor.

  36. إِنَّ مَعناً كَما كَساهُ أَبوهُ

    عِزَّةَ السابِقِ الجَوادِ كَساكا

    Indeed Ma'n, just as his father clothed him,

    has clothed you in a winning thoroughbred's glory.

  37. كَم بِهِ عارِفاً يَخالُكَ إِيّا

    هُ وَطَوراً يَخالُهُ إِيّاكا

    How many who know him take you for

    him, and at times take him for you!

  38. بِكَ مِن فَضلِ بَأسِهِ يُعرَفُ البَأ

    سُ كَما مِن نَداهُ نَداكا

    Your valor is known to spring from his surpassing valor,

    just as your generosity is known to spring from his.

  39. كُلُّ مَن قَد رَآهُ يَعرِفُ مِنهُ

    نَسَمَ الخَيرِ فيكَ حينَ يَراكا

    All who have seen him recognize his

    breath of goodness in you when they see you.

  40. سَبَقَ الناسَ إِذ جَرى وَصَلَّي

    تَ كَما مِن أَبيهِ جاءَ كَذاكا

    He outstripped all men when he raced, and you came

    second, just as he had followed his father.

  41. دانِياً مِن مَدى أَبيهِ مَداهُ

    مِثلَ ما مِن مَداهُ أَمسى مَداكا

    His reach lay close to his father's reach,

    just as your reach has come close to his.

  42. ما جَدا النيلِ نيلِ مِصرَ إِذا ما

    طَمَّ آذِيُّهُ كَبَعضِ جَداكا

    The bounty of the Nile, Egypt's Nile, when

    its billows overflow, does not equal even part of yours.

  43. زادَ نُعمى أَبي الوَليدِ تَماماً

    فَضلُ ما كانَ مِن جَدي نُعماكا

    Abu al-Walid's favor was made more complete

    by the surpassing bounty of your own favor.

  44. سُخطُكَ الحَتفُ حينَ تَسخَطُ وَالغُن

    مُ إِذا ما رَضيتَ يَوماً رَضاكا

    Your anger is death when you are angry; and gain,

    on any day you are pleased, is your approval.

  45. كُلُّ ذي طاعَةٍ مِنَ الناسِ يَرجو

    كَ كَما كُلُّ مُجرِمٍ يَخشاكا

    Every obedient man among the people looks to

    you with hope, just as every wrongdoer fears you.