1. سلامُ اللهِ أيَّتُها القِبابُ

    أمَضْرِبُكِ القُلوبُ أمِ التُرابُ

    God's peace upon you, O domes!

    Is your abode in hearts, or in the dust?

  2. وما لِنَزيلِ قومِكِ من نَصيبٍ

    تُرَى أيُصيبُ خيراً أم يُصابُ

    And what share has a guest among your people?

    I wonder: will he gain good, or be afflicted?

  3. وَقَفتُ بجانب الوادي فحَنَّت

    لترديدي الحنينَ بهِ الرِّكابُ

    I stood beside the valley, and a yearning cry arose

    from the riding camels as I repeated my longing there.

  4. وخاطَبتُ الدِّيارَ فلم تُجبْني

    وما كُلُّ الخِطابِ لهُ جَوابُ

    And I addressed the dwellings, but they did not answer me;

    not every utterance has a reply.

  5. دِيارٌ لي بها قَمَرٌ مُنيرٌ

    تَوارَى والسَّحابُ لهُ نِقابُ

    Dwellings in which I have a radiant moon:

    he has hidden himself, and the clouds are his veil.

  6. لهُ شَفَةٌ لناظِرِها شَرابٌ

    ولكن حظُّ وارِدِها السَّرابُ

    He has a lip that offers its beholder a drink,

    but the portion of one who comes to drink is a mirage.

  7. وطَرْفٌ فيهِ من قلبي سَوادٌ

    وكَفٌّ من دمي فيها خِضابُ

    And an eye whose blackness comes from my heart,

    and a palm whose dye comes from my blood.

  8. شَكَوتُ لهُ العّذابَ فصَدَّ تيهاً

    وذاك الصّدُّ كانَ هُوَ العَذابُ

    I complained to him of torment, but he turned away in pride;

    and that turning away was itself the torment.

  9. إذا ما لم يُهمَّكَ أمرُ شاكٍ

    فلا الشَكوَى تُفيدُ ولا العِتابُ

    If a complainant's plight does not concern you,

    neither complaint nor reproach will help.

  10. أتَى ما لا حَسِبتُ ورُبَّ أمرٍ

    حسِبتُ لهُ فما صَدَقَ الحِسابُ

    What I did not expect came to pass; and many a matter

    I reckoned on, yet my reckoning proved false.

  11. ومارَسْتُ الأنامَ فكم عَدُوٍّ

    عليهِ من صَداقتِهِ ثيابُ

    And I have dealt with humankind: how many an enemy

    is clad in the garments of his friendship!

  12. وكم من صاحبٍ قد جَرَّ مالاً

    يَجُرُّ من العِدَى ظُفرٌ ونابُ

    And many a companion has dragged off wealth

    such as claw and fang drag off among foes.

  13. وكم رَجلٍ دَعَوتُ فلم يُجِبْني

    ويَدعُوني سِواهُ فلا يُجَابُ

    And many a man I called did not answer me,

    while another calls me and goes unanswered.

  14. نَرَى بعضاً يَعيبُ صِفاتِ بعضٍ

    وما من عائبٍ إلاَّ يُعَابُ

    We see some faulting the qualities of others,

    and no faultfinder goes without being faulted.

  15. يَعيبُونَ الأميرَ بفَرْطِ جُودٍ

    كما لو عِيبَ بالمَطَرِ السَّحابُ

    They fault the emir for his excessive generosity,

    as though clouds were faulted for their rain.

  16. وكيفَ يَهابُ مِن بَذْلِ العَطايا

    شُجاعٌ للمَنايا لا يَهابُ

    And how could the giving of gifts frighten

    a brave man who has no fear of death?

  17. سَجايا المجدِ سِلْسِلَةٌ تَوالتْ

    كما انتَسَقَتْ مِنَ الرُّمحِ الكِعابُ

    The qualities of glory are a chain linked in succession,

    just as the joints of a spear are aligned.

  18. عِمادٌ في بني قَيْسٍ تَسامَى

    فذَلَّت من بني يَمَنَ الصِعابُ

    A pillar rose high among the sons of Qays,

    and the headstrong among the sons of Yaman were humbled.

  19. ثَوى مَتْنَ البِلادِ فكانَ رأساً

    لهُ تَعنُو المَناكِبُ والرِّقابُ

    He dwelt upon the land's back and became its head,

    to whom shoulders and necks bow.

  20. تَرَى في وَجهِهِ سيماءَ مَجْدٍ

    كعُنوانٍ يَبينُ بهِ الكِتابُ

    In his face you see the mark of glory,

    like a title by which a book is known.

  21. تَعرَّضَ غيرَ مُحتجِبٍ ولكنْ

    لهُ من فَرْطِ هَيبتِهِ حجابُ

    He appears openly, without secluding himself, yet

    his overwhelming majesty forms a veil around him.

  22. عليهِ لكُلِّ سُوءٍ كُلُّ بابٍ

    وليسَ عليهِ للحَسناتِ بابُ

    Every door stands before him against every evil,

    but no door stands before him against good deeds.

  23. تَقَلَّدَ بالوِلايةِ فَهْيَ سَيفٌ

    بِراحةِ مَن يجودُ بهِ الضِرابُ

    He girded himself with rulership, for it is a sword

    in the palm of one through whom swordplay excels.

  24. أتى باسم البَشير لنا بَشيراً

    وفيهِ إلى مسمَّاهُ انتِسابُ

    He came to us named Bashir, a herald of glad tidings,

    and in him is kinship with what his name signifies.

  25. لَئِنْ عَبِثت بهِ غُصَصُ اللَيالي

    فها قد جاءَها اليومَ الشَّرابُ

    If indeed the choking griefs of nights have toyed with him,

    then behold: today the drink has come to them.

  26. وإنَّ الشَّمسَ يَحجُبُها ضَبابٌ

    ولكنْ ليسَ يكَسِفُها الضَّبابُ

    And indeed, fog hides the sun,

    but fog does not eclipse it.

  27. قَدِ اعتَزَّتْ بدولتِه جبالٌ

    عليها من مَكارِمهِ هِضابُ

    Mountains have grown mighty under his rule;

    upon them stand hills of his generous deeds.

  28. تَبِيتُ بها الظِبا والأُسْدُ تَسعَى

    وتَرعَى الشاءُ فيها والذِئابُ

    Gazelles spend the night there while lions roam,

    and sheep and wolves graze within them.

  29. لهُ من رَهطِ نَجْدَتِهِ لُيُوثٌ

    لها من شُرَّعِ المُرَّانِ غابُ

    He has lions among the band that comes to his aid,

    for whom leveled ash-wood spears form forests.

  30. يَرُدُّ العارُ أوجُهَها حيَاءً

    وليسَ تَرُدُّ أوجُهَها الحِرابُ

    Dishonor turns their faces away in shame,

    but spears do not turn their faces away.

  31. قِيامٌ يَنظُرُونَ إلى عزيزٍ

    لناظِرِهِ ابتهاجٌ واضطِرابُ

    Standing, they look toward a mighty man,

    whose beholder feels delight and trembling.

  32. حَوَى شَطْرينِ من شَرَفٍ فهذا

    لهُ إرْثٌ وذاكَ لهُ اكتِسابُ

    He possesses two portions of honor: this

    is his inheritance, and that his own achievement.

  33. رحيبُ الصَّدر في عُسرٍ ويُسرٍ

    تَضِيقُ بوَفدِهِ تلكَ الرِّحابُ

    Open-hearted in hardship and in ease,

    those spacious courts grow cramped with his visitors.

  34. لهم منهُ الثَّوابُ يُساقُ عَفْواً

    نَعَمْ ولهُ منَ اللهِ الثَّوابُ

    From him, reward is freely brought to them;

    yes, and his reward comes from God.

  35. فتىً يُرجَى الرِّضَى والعفوُ منهُ

    ويُخشَى السُّخطُ منهُ والعِقابُ

    A young man from whom favor and pardon are hoped for,

    and anger and punishment are feared.

  36. لهُ في حُكمِهِ قولٌ سديدٌ

    وفي أعمالهِ رأيٌ صَوابُ

    In his judgments, his words are sound,

    and in his deeds, his judgment is right.

  37. يَرَى حَقَّ الصِّحابِ عليهِ حتّى

    يَرَى حَقَّ القَضاءِ فلا صِحابُ

    He recognizes the claim his companions have on him, until

    he sees justice's claim—then there are no companions.

  38. وينظُرُ حاسِدِيهِ بعَينِ راضٍ

    لحلِمٍ أرَّخوهُ وهُمْ غِضابُ

    And he looks on his enviers with a contented eye,

    out of a forbearance they have recorded, though they rage.

  39. أصابَ السَبْقَ عن أمَدٍ بعيدٍ

    تُقَصِّرُ دونَهُ الخيلُ العِرابُ

    He has gained the lead by a great distance;

    the purebred Arab steeds fall short of him.

  40. فقُلتُ لِمَنْ يُجاريهِ رُويداً

    ستُدرِكهُ إذا شابَ الغُرابُ

    So I said to whoever would race him: Gently!

    You will catch him when the raven grows gray.