أَرى جَنباتِ الأرضِ باسمكَ ترجفُ

وأطرافُها من ذِكرِه تَتَخوَّفُ

I see the sides of earth quake at your name,

And its edges tremble in fear of your mention.

وإلا فَما بالي أَرَى كلَّ مارقٍ

من البُعدِ تُلقيه إليكَ وتقذِفُ

Why else do I see every deserter

Fling himself from afar towards you?

كأنَّكَ سَيفٌ ضَيَّعَ السُّخطُ غِمدَهُ

فها هُو صَلتٌ في يَدِ اللَّهِ مُرهَفُ

As if you’re a sword whom rage lost its sheath,

So here it is, drawn in God’s hand, unsheathed.

يخافُ الطليقُ النازِحُ الدار حدَّه

كما يتَوقاهُ الأسيرُ المكَتَّفُ

The fugitive fears the limit of the abode

As the captive fears his shackles and chains.

لئِن كنتَ ذا الفَخرَين إنَّ رِفاعةً

ببأسِكَ ذا النارَينِ قَد صارَ يُعرَفُ

If you’re the one of the two prides, Rafa’ah

Through your might, the two-fired, is now renowned.

حَريقانِ في الدَّارَينِ يَعتَقِبانه

فمن مثله مُستأنِفٌ مُتَسلِّفُ

Two fires in both abodes follow each other,

So who is like him, undertaking and owed?

ومَن لَم يصدِّق بالجَحيمِ يردُّه

إلى قعرِها التكذيبُ عجلانَ يُقذفُ

He who didn’t believe Hell, disbelief

Hurls him to its depth, hurling and shoved.

وكان يَرى التَّكليفَ في الدين باطِلاً

فهَل هُو فيما مَسَّهُ متكلِّفُ

He used to see duty in religion as void,

Is he now, in what touched him, duty-bound?

وفيكَ لنا في المارِقينَ بَقيَّةٌ

وإن غرَّهُم مِنها ومنكَ التوقُّفُ

In you is for us in the deserters a remainder,

Though their blindness to it and you did astound.

وكَم غمةٍ لَو لَم تكُن لم يكُن لَها

سِواكَ ولا كانَت لغَيرِكَ تُكشَفُ

How many worries, had you not been, wouldn’t be,

Nor would, but for you, have uncovered and found.

ويوماكَ في سلمٍ وحَربٍ كِلاهُما

سَواءٌ دمٌ قانٍ وحَمراء قرقفُ

Your days in peace and war, both of them,

Are equal, blood spilled and red skirmished around.

ألَما بِلَونٍ واحِدٍ وتَفَرَّقا

ألا ربَّ لَونٍ واحِدٍ يتصرَّفُ

Not with different colors, yet they did separate!

O Lord of one color maneuvered and crowned!

فللَّهِ كفٌّ جودُها مثلُ بأَسِها

تَحوزُ الندى في الحالَتَينِ وتُسرِفُ

To God belong palms whose generosity like might

Seize the dew in both states, overflowed and renowned.

ونفسٌ تَضيقُ الأرضُ عَنها وهمَّةٌ

تطِلُّ عَلَيها من عُلوٍّ وتُشرِفُ

A soul the earth is too narrow for it, a resolve

That looks down on it from loftiness, esteemed and renowned.

وقلبٌ عَلى أَطرافِ كلِّ مَخوفَةٍ

وإن لَم يخِفها نازِلٌ مُتَطرِّفُ

A heart at the edges of every fearsome thing,

Even if an intrepid assailant goes there headlong.

وخَيلانِ خَيلٌ قادَها لمُلِمَّةٍ

إلى مَوقِفٍ مُرَّانُه يَتَقَصَّفُ

And two hosts of horse that you drove to the fight,

To a stance well-trained, neighing and prancing around.

وخيلٌ نَهاها ذكرُهُ عَن لِقائِه

فراحَت كأنَّ الريحَ بالخَيلِ تَعصِفُ

And a horse host that your mention barred from the meeting,

So they trotted as if the wind gusts blew them around.

بلَغتَ إِلى أَعلَى المَنازِلِ في العُلى

وكُلٌّ يُمنِّي نَفسَه ويُسوِّفُ

You reached the highest stations in the Highest,

While everyone wishes himself and procrastinates around.

وأنتَ أَبو شبلَينِ يكشرُ عَنهُما

لكَي يَكبرا والجَيشُ بالجَيشِ يُوصَفُ

You are Abu Shubail, baring them

So they grow, and the army to army is compared around.

سَتَبقى لرَيبِ الدَّهرِ حتَّى تكفَّهُ

وويلٌ لرَيبِ الدَّهرِ مِما تُخلفُ

For the doubt of time you will remain until you end it,

And woe to the doubt of time for what you will leave abound!

تَخلَّف ستبقي نِقمةً وسَحابَتَي

عطاءٍ وما تِلكَ الفراسة تُخلفُ

Leave it will, lasting spite, and clouds

Of generosity, and that insight doesn’t confound!

كَأنِّي إِذا ما قُلتُ أسمعُ كلَّ ما

أُشاهِدُه حَولي يَقولُ ويحلفُ

It’s as if, whenever I say, I hear everything

I see around me swear and avow.

من الشعرِ ما قامَت براهينُ صدقهِ

ومنهُ حَديثٌ في سِواك يؤلفُ

Of poetry, that which its proofs of truth stood up,

And of it, a tale about you is composed and renowned.