شحطَ الحبيب فما يطاق مَزارُهُ

فمتى بَعيدُ الدَّار تقربُ دارُهُ

My beloved's absence is unbearable, his dwelling is far

When the home is far, how can it be near his home?

فيفيضَ من دَرّ المدامعِ مَاؤه

وتبوحَ من حَرّ الأَضالع نارُهُ

So tears stream from the pearls of my eyes

And the fire of longing burns within my ribs

طالت أمانيّ المشوق وهاجه

عَهدُ الصِّبا واعتادَه استِعبارُهُ

The longing of an ardent lover has increased

Youth is accustomed to being imperious

ما حال اشمطَ ليس يقبل عُذرُه

بين العذارى حين شاب عِذارُهُ

What is the state of one whose excuse is not accepted

When youthfulness corrupts his chastity among the virgins

أمست سُعاد تحيد عن إسعاده

وغدت تدلّلُ بالنّوار نوارُهُ

Sa'ada began to deviate from making him happy

And the lights began to flirt with the brilliance of their glow

وهو المشوّب مشيبه بزمانه

ومخالطٌ لقتيره إقْتارُهُ

While he who is streaked with grey suits his time

And his greyness matches his dignity

إن تكرهي وصلَ الكبير فطال ما

بكرت عليه من الحمى إبْكارُهُ

If you dislike the union with an old man, his

Hoariness condemned him before his prime

ولربَّ خَودٍ في الخباءِ سمى لها

ليل التمام وقد هدى سُمَّارُهُ

Many a rosy cheek in seclusion is appointed

The night of perfection though its guide shone

عرضت على المزدارِ حاجة سرّها

فأبى الدّنية حلمُه ووَقارُهُ

I revealed my secret need to the wine-pourer

But his forbearance and dignity refused it

نلهو بحسن الإنبساط وطيبه

ما مسَّنا إثمُ الخِلاط وعارُهُ

We frolic in the joy of cheerfulness and its delight

Without the sin of mixing and its shame

ولربَّ حانوتٍ حنوت على المنى

فيه يُقرُّ لنا به خُمَّارُهُ

And many a tavern has winked at my desire

Where its bartender acknowledges us with his eyelids

باكرتُه زمنَ الربيع وقد جرت

أرواحهُ وتفجّرت أنهارُهُ

I came upon him in the springtime and passions

Had overflown in him and his rivers gushed forth

والرّوض قد نسجته أَنفاس الصَّبا

وسَقته رقْراقَ النَّدى أشجارُهُ

The meadow woven by the breaths of morning breeze

Its trees watered by the tinkling of dew

فزها بنفسجُه وأشرق وردُه

وبدت شقائِقُه ولاح بهارُهُ

It dazzled with its violet and its rose beamed

Its anemones appeared and its blossoms shone

ويظلّ يزهر في الحدائق زهرُه

وتنير في أغصانة نوَّارُهُ

It remains flowering in gardens, its blossoms

Gleaming in its branches, its lights

وترقرقت وسط الزُّجاج مدامةٌ

وتروقّت عند المزاجِ عُقارُهُ

In the midst of crystal glasses, wine sparkled

And its bouquet perfumed the mixing

وتخيلت أَن الأناء تفلقت

فيه لياليه وذاب نضارُهُ

I imagined its nights had melted in the cups

And its freshness melted away

يَسعى به ذو تومتين مقلّصُ

ذيل القمص يَزينه زُناَّرُهُ

Borne by one wearing fine garments

Adorned by a sash embellishing his attire

وتنغمت قيناتُه وتبغّمت

ناياتُه وترنّمت أوتارُهُ

His songs were melodious, his instruments gloomy

His strings lyrical and his chords euphonious

وفَصيحةُ النّغمات ينطق صوتها

كجنىَ الدَّبور بلذَّة مشتارُهُ

The eloquence of the tunes speaks

Like the buzzing of wasps over chosen nectar

ببديع ما قال السّتاليّ الذي

سارت بمدح محمّد اشعارُهُ

With the excellent poetry of Sat’li

Whose verses extolled Muhammad

فبدت محاسنه الحسَان كأنها

درّ على الجلاّس كان نثارُهُ

His sublime qualities seemed like

Pearls scattered over the companions

عاثَ الفتى ما عاث في طُرق الصّبا

لم يبدُ عن غيّ الهوى إقْصارُهُ

The youth acted as he did in the alleys of passion

His deviation from the madness of love was never little

حتّى أَلمَّ به المشيبُ وحرّمتْ

متعُ الهوى وتصرَّمت أَوطارُهُ

Until old age afflicted him and denied

The pleasures of passion and loosened his bonds

فتدارك الزَّلات منه بتوبَة

وعَساه يغفر ذنبَهُ غفّارُهُ

So he corrected his mistakes with repentance

And may his Forgiving Lord forgive his sins

إنَّ العتيك لهم على شرف العلى

بيتُ عزيز فرعُه ونجارُهُ

Verily Al-’Atiq have an honorable lineage

A noble house, its branches and carpenters

بيت مشيدٌ بالفضائل حمده

بمحمد بنِ معمر وعمارُهُ

A house built with virtues, its praise in

Muhammad son of Ma’mar and its construction

لأغرّ فضفاضِ القميص كأنّما

عُقدت على قمر الدجى أَزْرارُهُ

I was tempted by the wideness of his shirt as if

Its buttons were knotted on the moon itself

ومبارك باليمن والبشر اغتدى

كلّتا يديه يمينه ويسّارُهُ

Blessed by good fortune, success empowered him

Both his hands being his right and left

متهلّل صَلْت الجبين كأنّهُ

صدر الحسام المنتضَى وغِرارُهُ

A shining forehead as if it were

The hilt of a polished sword and its scabbard

سيّان منه غدوّه ورواحه

في المكرمات وليله ونهارُهُ

His rising and resting are equal in

Benevolence, his night and day

غرست بانداءِ السّماح يمينه

شَجراً يلذَّ لمجتنيه ثمارُهُ

His right hand planted the sapling of generosity

A tree whose fruits are sweet for the picker

قد يستطيع الاعتزاز مطيعه

إذ يمتري دّرَّ الغنى ممتارُهُ

His obedience may allow pride

When he enjoys scattering the pearls of wealth

ويعيد أَثواب اليسار ثوابُه

ويعزَّ من جور الزّمان جوارُهُ

And the reward of his left hand doubles its reward

And the oppression of time is insignificant to his neighbor

الجُود من عاداته وطباعِه

والمكرمات لباسُه وشعارُهُ

Generosity is of his traits and nature

And favors are his clothes and banner

والنَّجم حار فما يطاق لحاقه

والسّيف جار فما يُشقُّ غُبارُهُ

The star is hot so its pursuit is unbearable

The sword angry so its dust cannot be cut

بعمومة في الأزْد عزَّ نصابُه

وخُؤولةٍ لقريشَ طاب فخارُهُ

With his leadership of Azd, his lineage is honored

And Khuza’a, his pride is pure

شرف سَما نبهانُه وزيادُه

بمحمّد وعتيكُه ونزَارُهُ

The glory ascending its zenith and increase

Is in Muhammad, his Atiq, and Nazar

بمحّمد بن أبي المُعمّر جُلُّهُ

وصَميمَهُ ولُبابه وخيارُهُ

In Muhammad son of Abu Al-Mu’ammar, all of him

His core, essence, and his best

في معشر الأزْد الَّذين صنيعهُم

في الصَّالحات مبينة آثارُهُ

Among the Azd whose deeds

In righteous acts show clear traces

كانوا مُلوك الجاهلية أحرزوا

ملك الدن يجبَى لهم أقطارُهُ

They were the kings of the Jahiliyyah who secured

The possession of the faith collecting its regions

وبهم أعزّ اللهُ دين رَسوله

واختارهم لنبيّه مختارُهُ

Through them God strengthened the religion of His Messenger

And chose them as the elite of His Prophet

ذادوا عن الإسلام بين بيوتهم

مأوى النّبيّ فكلهم أَنصارُهُ

They defended Islam between their homes

A refuge for the Prophet, so they are all his helpers

وأقام بينهم عزيزاً آمناً

إذ أُتبعت خذلانَه كُفارُهُ

He stayed empowered and safe amongst them

When the desertion of the disbelievers pursued him

حتى توفيَ ثم أَصبح قبرُه

بفنائهم يعتادُه زُوّارُهُ

Until he passed away and so his grave

Remained in their homes, visited by pilgrims

فكفاهم شرفاً بهذا أَنّهُ

لا يستطيع بحيلةٍ إنْكارُهُ

This suffices them in honor that

None can deny it through any plot

شرفٌ لعمري هم أحقهُم به

من كان فعل جدوده إيثارُهُ

An honor that they most rightfully deserve

Who preferred the deeds of their ancestors

يَسخو بمهجته ويُنفقُ مالَه

ويكون عن فعل العيوب فرارُهُ

He is generous with his gut and spends his money

And avoids the actions of faults and defects

كمحمد حاز الكمال وقد زكا

إِعلانُه لما صفا إسرارُهُ

Like Muhammad who attained perfection and so

His declaration when his secrets were pure

يُثنى عليه بفعله ويحيد عن

من قد كفاه عناءهُ استكثارُهُ

He is praised for his action and avoids

Those whose abundance sufficed their effort

والقلبُ لا يسطيع مدحاً لامرىءٍ

إن لم يُصبْهُ ببرّه استِئْثارُهُ

The heart cannot praise a man

If the exclusivity of righteousness does not embrace him

طُلْ يا أبا عبد الإله بسُؤدَدِ

جمّ لغيرك لا يُرى مَعشارُهُ

Demand persistently, O Abu Abdillah, the Sodad

Accumulated for others which its like is not seen

واسعدْ بشهرٍ قد قضَيت صيامَهُ

وبفطر آخرَ صالحٍ إفْطارُهُ

And be felicitous for a month whose fast you performed

And the dusk of another righteous person you broke fast with