عُفْرُ الظَّباءِ لدَى الكثيبِ الأَعفَرِ
سَفَحَتْ دموعُكَ يومَ سفحِ مُحَجَّرِ
The gazelles graze by the yellow sand dune
Your tears streamed down on the day of the rocky slope
أقبلْتَ بين مُعَرَّضٍ بكَ مُعْرضٍ
حَذَرَ الوُشاةِ وضاحكٍ مُستعبِرِ
You came while those around you shunned you
Beware of slanderers and a laughing scorner
يلطِمْنَ بالبَرَدِ العقيقَ وإنما
يَقتصُّ من وَرْدِ الخُدودِ الأحمرِ
They bruise ruby with hail but rather
They exact vengeance from the roses of the red cheeks
وإذا الفِراقُ أساءَ في أفعالِهِ
كانت إساءتُه بأحسنِ مَنْظَرِ
And if parting does wrong in its actions
Its wrongdoing was in the finest spectacle
سفَرَتْ فشِمْتُ لها بوارِقَ شيمَةٍ
وَثِقَ الهَوى منها بِحَظٍّ مُسْفِرِ
She traveled and I smelled her trail of glory
And passion was assured of an uncovered share from her
ثم اكتسَتْ خَفَرَ الحَياء فخبَّرَتْ
وَجَناتُها عن ذِمَّةٍ لم تُخْفَرِ
Then she donned the veil of modesty, so it informed me
While her gardens were not liable for disclosure
لا تُنْكري جَزَعَ الشَّجيِّ فإنَّه
لم يأتِ يومَ الجِزعِ منهُ بمُنكَرِ
Do not deny the agony of the ardent lover
For this day of agony did not come unexpectedly from him
نَفَرَ الكَرى عن مُقْلَتَيْهِ وأحدَقَتْ
بفؤادِهِ حَدَقُ الظِّباءِ النُّفَّرِ
My glances recoiled from his eyelids and clung
To his heart with the staring of frightened gazelles
ولربَّما أغضَتْ وفي أحشائهِ
ما شاءَ من جَمْرِ الغَضا المُتسعِّرِ
And perhaps she frowns while his breast holds
Whatever it wishes of the glowing embers
فعَلى اللَّيالي الغُرِّ يأسي أَم على
ما فاتَ من عَيْشٍ أَغَرَّ مُشَهَّرِ
So over long dark nights, is my despair? Or over
What is past of a life sweeter than candied fruit?
لا بدَّ من شُعُثٍ تُطالِعُ مَوهِناً
أرضَ الشآمِ بكلِّ أشعثَ أَغْبَرِ
Ruins must gaze upon our homeland
Syria, with every disheveled dusty ruin
ما كنتُ آمَنُ في المَقامِ منيَّتي
فأخافَها بين القِلاصِ الضُّمَّرِ
I did not feel safe staying in my homeland
So I feared it between close and remote meadows
لَمَّا بدَتْ راياتُ صُبْحٍ مُقْبلٍ
يَخفُقْنَ في أعجازِ ليلٍ مُدبرِ
When the flags of a coming dawn fluttered
In the train of a receding night
وتقطَّرَتْ خَيْلُ السَّحابِ بمنزِلٍ
رَكَضَ الصَّبا فيه فلم يتقطَّرِ
And the clouds’ horses dripped in an abode
Where the breeze galloped but did not drip
مِلْنا فعفَّرْنا الوجوهَ ديانةً
في التُّربِ بينَ مُحلِّقٍ ومُقَصِّرِ
We grew weary so we purified our faces
In the soil, between a diving bird and a shortenning one
متوشِّحينَ بكلِّ أبيضَ مُرهَفٍ
نِيطَتْ حَمائِلُهُ بأبيضَ أزهَرِ
Clad in all kinds of white delicate clothes
Whose wraps are bound with whiter flowers
نَطوي على المَدحِ الصُّدورَ وإنما
تُطْوى على أمثالِ يُمْنَةِ عَبْقَرِ
We fold eulogies into our breasts, and yet
Breasts only fold the likes of the right hand of ‘Abqar
تَلْقَى الأميرَ إلى السَّماحِ مشوفةً
شوقَ الرِّياضِ إلى السَّحابِ المُمْطِرِ
You find the prince inclined to gentleness, longing
For the meadows to the rain-laden clouds
مَلِكٌ ثَنا الآمالَ صفوُ نوالِه
عن كلِّ مطروقِ النَّوالِ مُكَدَّرِ
A sovereign whose expectations’ cream is hopes’ harvest
From every provider of blighted bestowal
يأتيك عن فَهْمِ الثَّناء نوالُه
عفواً وتلك سَجِيَّةُ المستبصِرِ
His bestowal comes to you beyond praise’s comprehension
Naturally - such is the way of the discerning
كَرَمٌ تكشَّفَ عن حِلَى آدابهِ
كالبحرِ يكشِفُ غَمْرُه عن جَوهَرِ
It is generosity whose refined manners are revealed
As the sea reveals its jewel under the tide
فكأنَّ أيدي الشُّكرِ إذ عَبَثَتْ به
أيدي الصَّبا عَبَثَتْ بمِسْكٍ أذفَرِ
It is as if the hands of gratitude, as they toyed with it
Were the hands of morning breeze toying with ambergris
لمعَتْ بوارِقُه فكُنَّ سَحائباً
في معشرٍ وصَواعِقاً في معشَرِ
Its lightning flashed so it was like clouds
Amongst some, and like thunderbolts amongst others
وغدَتْ ملوكُ الأرضِ تخطُبُ سِلمَه
من مُنجدٍ نائي المحلِّ ومُغوِرِ
The kings of earth come seeking his alliance
From a far reached, secluded and well-fortified refuge
حلاَّهُمُ مِنناً فحلُّوا باسمِهِ
يومَ العُروبَةِ كلَّ ذُروَةِ مِنْبَرِ
They departed from us honoured, so they departed in his name
On the day of glory, from every platform’s summit
ورأَوهُ شمساً في غَمامةِ نائلٍ
تَهمي وبدراً في دُجُنَّةِ عِثْيَرِ
And they saw him as a sun in the cloud’s attainment
Rising and a full moon in the darkness of clouds
عَمَّ السَّباسِبَ بالكتائبِ والقَنا
ببَنانِهِ في كلِّ قاعٍ مُقفرِ
The war drums spread amongst the regiments and spears
With their melodies in every barren wasteland
وأقامَ يقظانَ العزيمةِ ساهراً
بالثَّغرِ يكلأُ نائماً لم يَسهَرِ
And he kept vigilance and resolve staying up
At the border, checking the sleeping who never woke
مُوفٍ على قِمَمِ المكارمِ مُوقِدٌ
نيرانَها للطارقِ المتحيِّرِ
Loyal on the peaks of glory, igniting
Fires for the confused invader
ما شَمَّرَ الأعداءُ إلا راعَهم
بنُهوضِ أروعَ للِّقاءِ مُشمِّرِ
No sooner did the enemies rally their courage
Than it frightened them, with his finest rising to the fight
سَالوا فسالَ عليهمُ مطرُ الرَّدَى
من كلِّ أجردَ سابحٍ مُتمَطِّرِ
They advanced so down poured the rain of doom
From every swift swimmer pouring heavy drops
وِدَنَوا فلم تَنُبِ القَنا عن جُنَّةٍ
منهم ولا نَبَتِ الظُّبا عن مِغفَرِ
And they approached but the spears did not swerve from their wrath
Nor the gazelles from pardon or forgiveness
حتى انثنَى والخيلُ تسحَبُ فوقَهم
بالرَّكْضِ أرديةَ العَجاجِ الأكدَرِ
Until they recoiled while the horses dragged above them
The gowns of the ugly raven by galloping
لو أنَّ مُصْطَلَماً بَكَتْهُ رِمَّةٌ
لبكَتْهُم في التُّربِ رِمَّةُ قَيصَرِ
If fate made a war prisoner weep
Fate would make them weep in the soil like Caesar
أَعليُّ لا زالَتْ عُلاكَ سَوافراً
تختالُ بينَ مثقَّفٍ ومُذَكَّرِ
Most high! Your ascension still climbs loftily
Prancing between the well-versed and the literates
فلقَد جريْتَ أمامَ تَغلِبَ سافِراً
جَرْيَ السِّنانِ أمامَ لَدْنِ الأَسَمرِ
So you have raced ahead of Taghlib traveling by night
The race of arrows ahead of smooth Indian steel
شَرَفاً تَبينُ قِبابُه مضروبةٌ
في كلِّ مبدىً للفَخارِ ومَحْضَرِ
Glory - its domes stand out - is struck
In every extended desert plain and populated town
ومَكارِماً يسعَى إليهنَّ المُنى
سعيَ الحجيجِ إلى الصَّفا والمَشْعَرِ
And chivalry that hopes run towards
Like the pilgrims’ Sa’y between Safa and Marwah
موصولةً بشمائلِ الأدبِ التي
إن فاخَرَتْ جاءَتْ بأفضلِ مَفْخَرِ
Chained to the traits of etiquette that, if vying,
Comes with the best pride
إنَّ السَّماحَ مواردٌ مخصوصَةٌ
بالحمدِ بينَ ورودِها والمَصدَرِ
Gentleness holds reserves specified
For praise between its roses and springs
وَأَعَلُّها ما كانَ عذباً سائغاً
حُفَّت مناهلُه بروضٍ أخضَرِ
The highest spring being pure sweet
Whose springs are rimmed with greenery
آليتُ لا أُهدي كرائمَ مَنْطِقي
إلا إلى المَلِكِ الكريمِ العُنْصُرِ
I have resolved to bestow my speech’s virtues
Only to the generous king, the purebred steed
من كلِّ مُشرقَةِ النِّظامِ تلأْلأَتْ
فحَكَتْ نِظامَ اللُّؤلُؤِ المتخَّيرِ
From which all orderly splendor glittered
And patterned the stringing of select pearls
عَبِقَتْ وقد فَصَّلْتُها بخَلالَهَ
حتى كأنَّ فصولَها من عَنْبَرِ
It exhaled as I contextualized it
As if its contexts were from amber
ودَعَتْ ينابيعَ النَّدى فتفجَّرَتْ
كَرَماً على ينبوعِها المتفجِّرِ
It abandoned the springs of dew, so they gushed forth
Generously from its gushing spring
كَثُرِتْ محاسِنُها وقلَّ كلامُها
فأتتْكَ تُخْبِرُ عن مُقِلٍّ مُكْثِرِ
Its good traits multiplied and its words diminished
So it brought you news from a seldom speaker
