ربة الشعر عن رجالِ الوفاءِ

حدثينا وابغي جميل الثناء

The queen of poetry, tell us about the men of loyalty

Speak to us and want the beauty of praise

حدثينا عن قومنا العرب أهل

المجد قدماً والعزة القعساء

Tell us about our Arab people, the people

Of glory in the past and lofty dignity

عن رعاةٍ جاءوا حفاةً من القف

ر فحازوا ملكاً على الدنياء

About shepherds who came barefoot from the desert

And won sovereignty over the world

رفعتهم أخلاقهم فتعالوا

ثم هانوا من بعد ذاك العلاء

Their morals raised them up so they excelled

Then after that loftiness they became lowly

وبناءُ الأخلاق أعلى وأبقى

من بناء المعاقلِ الشماء

And the building of morals is higher and more lasting

Than the building of towering fortresses

إن عفت منهم الربوع فلم يع

ف حديث لهم طويل البقاء

If their lands have become desolate, no

Long lasting story about them remains

صفحات التاريخ ملأى بما يؤ

ثر عنهم من نخوةٍ وإباء

The pages of history are filled with what is narrated

About them of gallantry and refusal to submit

والذي تسمعونه اليوم مني

قطرةٌ من عُباب ذاك الماء

And what you hear today from me

Is a drop from the clouds of that water

فتك السيف في أُميَّة فالشا

م وحمصُ كالوردة الحمراء

The sword wreaked havoc in Umayyad and Damascus

And Homs like a red rose

راح من راح منهم طعمة السي

ف وهامَ الباقون في الصحراء

Those who left of them became prey to the

Sword while the rest wandered in the desert

أين قصرٌ لابرهيم منيفٌ

كان أبهى القصورِ في الفيحاءِ

Where is the palace of Ibrahim Muneef

Which was the most splendid of palaces in the desert?

وفراشٌ من الحرير وثيرٌ

من فراشِ التراب والجصباءِ

And a bed of silk and a pile

Of sand beds and dry plants

ذل نجلُ الملوك والدهر مش

غوفٌ بذلِّ الأقيالِ والعظماءِ

The son of kings is humiliated and time is

Busy with humiliating the heavyweights and grandees

هائِمٌ في القفارِ يعلنهُ اللي

لُ ويخفيهِ عنك طرف ذُكاءِ

Wandering in the deserts, announced by the

Night and hidden from you by the eyelid of intelligence

متزيٍّ خوف الرفيبِ بزيِّ ال

غيد من كان فارسَ الهيجاءِ

Disguised, fearing spies, in the garb

Of a warrior, who was the knight of battles

عندما أبصرَ النجاةٍ محالا

ووهى عزمه من الأعياءِ

When he saw no hope of salvation

And his determination weakened out of exhaustion

عاج بالكوفةِ ابتغاءَ صديقٍ

يختفي عندهُ من الأعداءِ

He headed to Kufa seeking a friend

With whom he could hide from enemies

غيرَ أنَّ العيونَ كانت عليهِ

تقتفي إِثرَهُ أَشدَّ اقتفاءِ

But eyes were following his tracks

Pursuing him intensely

ورأى الجندَ في الدروبِ وقد سدُّ

وا عليه طريق كل رجاءِ

And he saw soldiers in the alleys who had blocked

For him the way to any hope

فانتحى جانبَ المدينة يبغي

منزلاً قد رآهُ فخم البناءِ

So he turned to the side of the city seeking

A house he had seen, magnificent in construction

حطَّ عنهُ القناعَ واستقبلَ الب

بابَ فأَمسى في رحبِ ذاك الفناءِ

He removed his mask and faced the

Door and spent the night in the expanse of that courtyard

وإِذا صاحبُ المكانِ وقد أَقب

لَ بين الأَعوانِ والندماءِ

And there was the owner of the place, who had come forward

Among his assistants and boon companions

قال من أنت قال اني ضعيفٌ

مستجيرٌ بكم من الأَقوياءِ

He said, who are you? He said, I am a weak one

Seeking refuge with you from the powerful

مرحباً مرحباً وأَفرد في القص

رِ لهُ حجرةً بلا إِبطاءِ

Welcome, welcome! And he reserved for him in the

Palace a room without delay

فأَقامَ الأَيامَ في خير ما ير

غب فيهِ من غبطةٍ وهناءِ

So he stayed there in the best of what he

Desired of happiness and bliss

ليس يدري المضيف من هو ولم يس

أَلهُ عن ذاك عادة الكرماءِ

The host did not know who he was and did not

Ask him about that, as is the custom of generous people

ورأى أن صاحب القصر يمضي

كل يوم من رهطهِ الأَوفياءِ

And he saw that the owner of the palace went out

Every day with his faithful companions

يذهبُ الصبحَ وهو طلق المحيا

ثمَّ يأوي مقطباً في المساءِ

He would leave in the morning cheerful

Then return frowning in the evening

فاعتراهُ ريبٌ فقال لهُ يو

ماً وقد أجلسا معاً للعشاءِ

So suspicion gripped him and one day he said

To him when they were seated together for dinner

بأبي أنت ما الذي أوجبَ اله

مَّ ومالي أراكَ نضوَ عناءِ

By my father, what has caused this worry

And why do I see you enduring hardship?

قال قد كان إبرهيم بنُ سل

مان بغانا بالظلم والاعتداءِ

He said, Ibrahim ibn Suleiman used to oppress

And tyrannize, he killed his affectionate father

قتلَ الوالدَ الحنون وأبقى

حسرتي بعده وطول بكائي

And left me bereaved after him and my weeping is prolonged

And yesterday news came to me that my enemy

وأتاني بالأمس أن غريمي

مختفٍ ها هنا عن الرقباءِ

Is hiding here from the patrols

So I am searching for him to take

فأنا باحثٌ عليهِ لأقضي

منهُ ثاري وتشتفي حوبائي

My revenge on him and quench my rage

He said, who is your father? He said, he is Lays

قال من هو أبوكَ قال هوَ اللي

ثُ بن يحيى بن أكرم الآباءِ

ibn Yahya ibn Akram, best of fathers!

If mountains were heaped upon him

فَلَوَ أنَّ الجبالَ دُكَّت عليهِ

لم تَرُعهُ كهذه الأَنباءِ

These news would not alarm him

Strangely, fate has led him to the house

عجباً ساقهُ القضاءُ إلى بي

تِ أَلدِ الخصوم والأَعداءِ

Of his fiercest enemy and foe!

His soul hated life, and the expanse of

كرَهت نفسهُ الحياةَ وقد ضا

ق بعينَيهِ رحبُ ذاك الفضاءِ

That courtyard pained his eyes

He said, O you, your right upon me

قال يا هذا إِنَّ حقَّك عندي

واجبٌ بعدَ هذهِ الآلاءِ

Is a duty after this hospitality

So I will guide your steps to your

فأَنا مُرشدٌ خُطاكَ إلى خص

مِك أَقضي بذاكَ بعض الوفاءِ

Enemy, fulfilling thereby some of what is due

He said, who is that? He said, I am the

قالَ من ذاكَ قال أني أنا ال

قاتلُ فاثأر واسفُك بعدلٍ دمائي

Killer, so take revenge and justly spill my blood

The youth laughed, he said, woe to you! Has

ضحك الشابُ قال ويحك هَل

ملَّك طولُ البِعادِ والانزواءِ

Being far away and lonely made you imagine things?

So you sought corruption? He replied, no,

فابتغيتَ الردى أجابَ بلِ

الحقُ الذي قلتُهُ وربِّ السماءِ

What I said is the truth, by the Lord of the heavens!

And he presented evidence until all

وأقامَ الدليلَ حتى جلا الش

كَّ عن السامعينَ كلَّ جلاءِ

Doubt was removed from the listeners completely

The young man was enraged at him and his

فاستشاطَ الفتى عليه وصارت

مُقلتاهُ كالجمرةِ الحمراءِ

Eyes became like glowing embers

He was about to kill him on the spot, but

همَّ يقضي عليهِ في الحال لكن

حال أَمرٌ أَهمُّ دون القضاءِ

Something more important prevented that

He said, be whoever you want, you are my

قال كن من تشاءُ إِنَّكَ ضيفي

وَهوَ عندي من أقدسِ الأسماءِ

Guest, and that to me is one of the holiest names

By God, I will not betray my covenant with

لستُ واللَهُ خافراً ذمَّتي مع

كَ وقد نِلتَ من طعامي ومائي

You, when you have had my food and drink

If you killed my father, with God

إِن تكن والدي قتلتَ فعند

م اللَه تلقى الجزاءَ يوم الجزاءِ

You will meet your reward on the day of reward

However, I want you to leave, as I fear

غير أني أرجو ابتعادّكَ إِذ أخ

شى من النفسِ ثورةَ الأهواءِ

The soul's outburst of passions

So he left safely and he gave him enough

فانصرف آمناً وأعطاهُ من أو

صلهُ سالماً إلى البيداءِ

Provisions to reach the desert unharmed

Those are our forefathers, and that is the

تلك آباؤنا وذاك تُراث

م المجدِ باقٍ منهم إلى الأبناءِ

Heritage of glory lasting from them to the sons!

Honor in generosity, intelligence

شرفٌ في سماحةٍ وذكاءٌ

في وقارٍ وقدرةٌ في وفاءِ

In dignity, and power in loyalty