تَولَّى بتَهويمَةِ الهائِمِ

وما سَنَّ من سنَةِ النَّائِمِ

With the bewilderment of the perplexed he turned,

And did not live the year of the sleeper.

وألقَى حَوادِثَ ألقَيتُهنَّ

حَديثاً إِلى المَدمَع السَّاجمِ

And he threw down the events I had thrown at him,

As fresh talk to the pouring tear.

كذي شَمَطٍ يَستَسر المَشيبَ

إلى كَتمِ ما ليسَ بالكاتِمِ

Like the shame of an old man who hides his gray hair,

To the concealment of what cannot be concealed.

وَصدَّ بِمُرهَفِ أجفانِهِ

فأَدماكَ بالصَّارِم الصَّارِمِ

And he blocked with his frowning eyelids,

So you cut through with the sharp, sharp sword.

وكيفَ تَمنَّيتَهُ واصِلاً

أما هذِه غِرَّةُ السَّالِمِ

And how could you wish for him as a friend,

When this is the nature of the appeased?

وماذا يَضِيرُ الهَوى إن بَخِل

تَ بسرِّ الهَوى خِيفَةَ اللائِمِ

What would desire hurt if you were stingy

With the secret of desire, fearing the blamer?

وأَجفانُ عَينيك طائِيَّةٌ

لَها نَظَراتٌ إلى حاتِمِ

And your eyelids are covering,

They have glances to Hatem.

وناجِمةٍ أنذَرتني الغُرُو

بَ فَليتَ الغُروبَ عَلى النَّاجِمِ

And a star that warned me of sunset,

If only sunset were upon the stars!

تُضِيءُ وباطِنُها مُظلِمٌ

كَما زُخرِفَت حُجَّةُ الظَّالِمِ

It shines while its inside is dark,

As the argument of the unjust was adorned.

أقامَت عَلى ما مَضى مأتَماً

وما لَبِسَت لبسَةَ الماتِمِ

It held a funeral for the past,

And did not wear the dress of the mourner.

ولا سَقَتِ البيضَ سودُ الغَما

مِ وبيضُ أيادي أبي القاسِمِ

Nor did the blacks of sorrow water the whites,

And the whites of the hands of Abul Qasim.

وجانَبَهنَّ النَّدى من يَدَي

هِ ومِن صَوبِ ديمَتِهِ الدَّائِمِ

Dew avoided their hands,

And the side of his lasting abode.

بَنى المَجدَ والنَّاسُ في هَدمهِ

وصيَّةَ ماضٍ إلى قادِمِ

He built glory while people destroyed it,

A legacy of the past to the future.

فإِن كانَ مَسكنُه ما بَنَى

فأينَ نَرى مَسكنَ الهادِمِ

If his dwelling is what he built,

Then where do we see the destroyer’s dwelling?

ولما سَمِعتُ بهِ حازِماً

أتَيتُ بِها فُرصَةَ الحازِمِ

And when I heard of him as resolute,

I came to it an opportunity for the resolute,

لَها شُعَبٌ في بَني مُرَّةٍ

يَقومُ بِحقِّهمُ اللازِمِ

It has branches in the tribe of Murrah,

Fulfilling their rights is imperative.

وحالٍ رَجَوتُ لها مِثلَ ما

يُرجَّى من الماءِ لِلحائِمِ

And a state I hoped for it the like of

What is hoped from water for the thirsty.

وقَد لاحَ ذلكَ في وَجهِها

فجاءَتكَ في عابسٍ باسِمِ

And that gleamed on its face,

So it came to you frowning and smiling.

وما أبينَ اليَقَقَ المُستَنِي

رَ عَلى الحانِكِ الحالِكِ الفاحِمِ

How evident is the sparkling sword

On the fallen, ruined, overwhelming one!

وقد زَعمَ النَّاسُ أن قَد غَنُوا

بِما خَيَّلَ البُخلُ لِلزَّاعِمِ

And the people claimed they had enough

Of what stinginess imagined for the claimant.

هَبِ الدُرَّ من نَثرِ أفعالِهم

فكيفَ الغناء عَن الناظِمِ

Give the pearls from the scattering of their deeds,

For how is there singing without the composer?

وما كُنتُ أعرِفُ سَيفاً يَكو

نُ غَنِيّاً عَن اليَدِ والقائِمِ

And I did not know a sword that would be

Sufficient without the hand and the erect one.