غنينَا بآل الحضرميِّ وإنما

غَنينا بآثارِ السّحابِ المواطرِ

We sang the praises of Al Hazrami's family, and indeed

We sang the praises of the traces of pouring clouds

بكلِّ فتىً كالسّيف إلا ارتياحَهُ

لِطَلْعَةِ شاكٍ أو لنَغْمَةِ شاكر

Of every young man like a sword except for his comfort

For the dawn of a complainer or the melody of a thankful one

كريمِ المساعي هزَّ عِطْفَيَّ عطفُهُ

إلى أثَرٍ من مجدهِ ومآثر

The generous one shook my shoulder with his kindness

To a trace of his glory and feats

بنىً شادها عيسى وشاد محمد

فيا فَلَكُ امسكها بفلك المفاخر

Sons that Isa and Muhammad built it

So O universe, hold it in the orbit of the glories

ضراعةَ مأمورٍ هفا متعمداً

فصاغ لها من درِّهِ لفظَ آمر

The obedience of a commanded one, gently deliberate

So he crafted for it from his pearls an ordering word

فلا ذنبَ لي إن لم أكنْ جدَّ عالمٍ

على أيّكمْ نبدا بِثَنْي الخنَاصر

So I have no sin if I am not very serious scholar

On which of you we start with the slitting of the throats

بهاليلُ من قحطانَ ساروا بذكرهمْ

إلى مَثَلٍ في الجودِ والبأسِ سائر

The crescents of Qahtan marched with their mention

To an example in generosity and valor walking

هم جَنَبُوها بين بُصْرى وَجِلَّقٍ

ضوامرَ زَجُّوْهَا وغيرَ ضوامر

They protected it between Busra and Jalliq

Whose reins they dragged, and others than the dragged

لياليَ اعطوها سليحَ إتاوةً

جَرَتْ مثلاً أُخْرَى الدهورِ الدواهر

Nights they gave it the weapons of It'awah

Another of the revolving times flowed like it

وهمْ ذَعَرُوا أفناءَ عكٍ بوقعةٍ

أدارتْ على همدانَ إحدى الدَّوَائرِ

And they panicked the corners of Aka with a battle

That turned on Hamdan one of the circles

وهمْ زحموا أرضَ الحجاز بزحمةً

ببيض الظُّبا والراعفاتِ الشواجر

And they crowded the land of Hijaz with a crowd

With the whites of mountain goats and the towering palm trees

وهمْ ملأوا نجداً شَمَاماً وَنَجْدَةً

وِرِقَّةَ آدابٍ وطَيبَ عَنَاصر

And they filled Najd shamam and najdah

And the gentility of manners and good elements

لهمْ أجأٌ يحميه زيدٌ وحاتمٌ

بِشَدِّ المذاكي أو بشدِّ المَغَافر

For them a refuge that Zayd and Hatim protect

With the sharpness of swords or the sharpness of daggers

وَجِلَّقُ في سلطانِ عمروِ بن عامرٍ

وكم لهمُ مِنْ مثلِ عمرو بن عامر

And Jalliq in the sultanate of Amr bin Amer

And how many examples for them like Amr bin Amer

وطيبةُ مما أنزلتْهُ سيوفهم

فهل من مُباهٍ أو فَهَلْ مِنْ مفاخر

And Taybah from what their swords descended on it

Is there a boaster or so there a pride

لياليَ طابتْ سُبْلها وَشِعَابُها

بأكرمِ منصورٍ وأكرمِ ناصر

Nights whose paths and valleys were perfumed

With the most generous Mansur and most generous Nasir

بِحيَّينِ من أبناءِ قَيْلةَ أقْدَمُوا

على الموتِ إقدامَ الليوثِ الخوادر

With two good men from the sons of Qaylah who embarked

On death with the courage of ferocious lions

سخاؤهُمُ ظلٌّ لكلِّ مُهَجّرٍ

وبأسُهُمُ أمنٌ لكلِّ مُهَاجر

Their generosity is a shade for every homeless person

And their might is safety for every immigrant

وفي كلِّ أرضٍ بلّغوا المجد حقه

بحدِّ العوالي واحتمال الجرائر

And in every land they delivered glory its right

With the height of glories and enduring calamities

ولا مثلَ عيسى منهمُ ومحمدٍ

طهارةَ أثوابٍ وحُسْنَ مناظرِ

And no equal to Isa and Muhammad from them

The purity of clothes and beauty of views

ونعم الفَتَى إن أخلفَ الغيثُ مالكٌ

قِرَى النازلِ الثّاوي وزادُ المسافر

And good is the young man if the rain held back Malik

The dwellings of the resident and the traveler's supplies

لك الفضلُ في ما صُغْتُهُ وَصنَعْتهُ

وما شاعرٌ لم يَمْتَدِحْك بشاعر

To you belongs the merit in what I sculptured and made

And no poet has praised you undeserving

حذوتَ مثالاً فامتثلت فإن أُجِدْ

فلستُ لما أوْلَيْتَنِيهِ بكافر

I took an example so I complied, and if I am ungrateful

I am not to what you granted me an infidel

وعلّمتني كيف المديحُ فليسَ لي

سوى فِقَرٍ للحاسدينَ فواقر

And you taught me how to praise so I have nothing

Except poverty to the envious blamers

فإن تكنِ الأبصارُ تُجْلى بإثْمِدٍ

فإنّ المعالي إثمدٌ للبصائر

If the sights are blinded by injustice

Then the glories are blinding to the sights

تَرَفّقْ فقد سالت بوسعي وطاقتي

غواربُ من تلك البحار الزواخر

Be gentle, my ability and power have flowed

Whirlpools from those deep seas

أَنَحْسبني أسطيعُ جودَكَ كُلَّهُ

لك اللهُ دعني من لساني وناظري

Do you think me able to match all your generosity

May Allah spare me from my tongue and sight

شَكَرْتُ ولكنْ أينَ مني مواهبٌ

بواطنُ قد أتْحَفْتها بِظَواهرِ

I thanked but where are the endowments from me

The interiors you have endowed with the externals

ملأتَ يدي من كلِّ مجدٍ وَسُؤْدَدٍ

وأبقيتَ ذكري آيةً للذواكر

You have filled my hand with every glory and help

And kept my mention a verse for the memorizers

وَرِشْتَ جَنَاحي بالمواهبِ واللُّهَا

فطار بها حظّي ولستُ بطائر

And you have sprinkled my wing with gifts and brilliance

So my fortune took flight, and I am no bird

وأعليتَ قَدْري أو نهضْتَ بقدرتي

فلا أمْرَ لي إن كنتُ أضعفَ قادر

And you have elevated my worth or promoted my ability

So I have no command if I am the weakest able

وأنت الغمامُ الجَوْدُ يُرْجَى وَيُتقَى

على بدَرٍ منْ صَوْبهِ وبَوَادِر

And you are the clouds, generosity hoped and feared

On a full moon in its direction and early drops

مكارمُ تَنْدَى أو مَكَارِمُ تَلْتَظِي

توارثْتُموهَا كابراً بعدَ كابر

Perfections that shine or perfections that ignite

You have inherited them as great after great

وكم لكَ مِنْ مَنٍ رَجَعْتَ به المنى

سوافرَ تُزْري الخدود السوافر

And how many blessings have you returned with

Cups that make cheeks flow their first down

نظمتَ بها شَمْلي وكنتُ نَثرتُهُ

على خُطَّةٍ في كفِّ أخْرَق ناثر

You have composed my affairs with it, and I would have scattered it

On a scheme in the palm of a prodigal scatterer

ثلاثُ أثافِي نارِ صدريَ أُضْرِمَتْ

على واردٍ من همِّ صَدْري وصادر

The three burning coals of my chest's fire were ignited

On an arrival from the worry of my chest and origins

ينامون عن ليلِ التمامِ أبِيتُهُ

كأني قطاةَ فوق فتخاءَ كاسِرِ

They sleep away the night of completion, I spent it

As if I were a warrior on alert for raids

وأُخْرَى كريعانِ الشَّبابِ استحثَّها

نداءُ المنادي بالخليطِ المجاور

And another like the sprouts of youth it hastened

The call of the caller with the mixed neighbor women

وبالظاعنين المستقلين إذ غَدَوْا

بأفئدةِ العُشَّاقِ لا بالأَباعر

And with the lunging independent ones when they went

With the hearts of lovers, not with the spears

وقد قَرَّبوا أجْمَالَهُمْ يُوْطِئُونها

بياضَ خدودٍ أو سوادَ نواظر

And they brought their beauty stepping on it

With the whiteness of cheeks or blackness of gazes

تقول وكفُّ البين حَيْرَى بجيدها

وكلٌّ بكلٍّ سادرٌ أوْ كَسَادر

She says, and the patience of parting confused her with its hand

And each to each is lunging or recoiling

فقلتُ لها يَقْضِي الذي كان قاضياً

فَسِيَّانِ إنْ حاذرتِ أو لم تُحَاذري

So I said to her, "He who was judge will judge

So it's the same if you are cautious or don't be cautious"

ثقي بابنِ عيسى مالكٍ ومحمد

بجبرِ كسيرٍ أو إقالةِ عاثر

Trust in the son of Isa, Malik, and Muhammad

With the mending of broken or saving of fallen

سِرَاجَا المعالي أشْرَقَا فَتَكفَّلا

لما غارَ من تلك النجوم الغَوَائر

The two lanterns of glories shone so they took charge

Of what was jealous of those orbiting stars

إليكَ أبا عبدِ الإلهِ ألوكةً

سهرتُ لها والنجمُ ليس بساهر

To you Abu Abdullah, I gave a poem

I stayed up for it while the star was no stayer

من اللائي صارتْ أسوةَ الشعر مذ بدت

أصابت لها فضلاً على كلِّ شاعر

Of those who became the ideal of poetry when she appeared

She gained merit over every poet