جَزِعَت أَن يُقالَ دامٍ عَبيطُ

أَو أَسيرٌ لِحَلقَتَيهِ أَطيطُ

She was distressed lest it be said an ignoble captive,

Or a prisoner bound by his shackles clanking.

فَاِستَراحَت إِلى الَّتي أَعقَبَتها

حُرَقاً تَلفَحُ الحَشا وَتُشيطُ

So she took rest in her who followed her,

A burning that kindles the thickets and provokes lament.

خَفَقَت جَأشَها عَلى البَينِ لَمّا

أَيقَنَت أَنَّها البَلاءُ المُحيطُ

Her bosom fluttered over the distance when

She was sure that it was the all-encompassing affliction.

ثُمَّ قالَت تَعَزِّياً إِن يَكُن لا

بُدَّ مِن نَكبَةٍ فَأَمرٌ وَسيطُ

Then she said, consoling, though there be

No escape from calamity, yet it is endurable.

إِنَّ بَعضَ الخُطوبِ أَهوَنُ مِن بَع

ضٍ وَدونَ البُكا يَكونُ النَحيطُ

Verily some misfortunes are lighter than

Others, and ere weeping comes resignation.

يا لَها ساعَةً بِها اِنهاضَ لِلبَي

نِ فُؤادٌ بَينَ الضُلوعِ وَهيطُ

Oh that hour in which the hearts between the ribs

Were roused to life, shaking like the bough that droops in the shade, weighted down.

حينَ جاءَت يَهتَزُّ كَالغُصنِ الما

ثِلِ في الظِلِّ مَتنُها المَحطوطُ

Then she showed like the blackness its lightning

Rent, and from which the pouring cloud recoiled.

ثُمَّ أَبدَت كَالأُقحُوانِ جَلَتهُ

شَمسُ دَجنٍ فَاِرفَضَّ عَنهُ السَقيطُ

The Pleiades and a heap of sand bent

Between this and that in the garment sewn.

قَرنُ شَمسٍ وَدِعصُ رَملٍ تَثَنّى

بَينَ هَذا وَذاكَ في الثَوبِ خوطُ

O daughter of the Nights, thy talents will not

Suffer dejection in the setting of his purpose.

يا اِبنَةَ القَيلِ إِنَّ خِدنَكِ لا يَق

دَحُ في غَربِ عَزمِهِ التَثبيطُ

A horse that watches matters yet they

Escape him neither in excess nor in neglect.

هَرِسٌ يَفرِسُ الأُمورَ وَلا يَع

روهُ مِنها الإِفراطُ وَالتَفريطُ

Its glitter is its sword when it is polished for the

Coward under the darkness, the smooth file.

ضَوؤُهُ سَيفُهُ إِذا حُشَّ لِلمُت

رَفِ تَحتَ الدُجى الذُبالُ السَليطُ

With two noble swords Indian and quick

And hostile to the vicissitudes of Time the Evergreen.

ذو حُسامَينِ مَشرَفِيٌّ صَقيلٌ

وَغَريمٌ لِلنائِباتِ عَطوطُ

Every day the enemies are divided from him

With a leap, their reins loosened.

كُلَّ يَومٍ يَنتابُ مِنهُ الأَعادي

ذاتُ رَوقٍ عِقالُها مَبسوطُ

Urge on the impetuous racer and soon

The impetuous shall be urged to speed.

قَرِّطا مُهرِيَ العِنان وَشيكاً

فَحَرِيّ لِمُهرِيَ التَقريطُ

Urge him on, excellent supporter in fright

For his dreams and excellent binder.

قَرِّطاهُ نِعمَ المُؤازِرُ في الرَو

عِ لِأَحلامِهِ وَنِعمَ الرَبيطُ

Urge him on, more bending, the completest

In intelligence and pliant in the neck.

قَرِّطاهُ أَحوى أَحَمُّ عَلَيهِ

لِتَمامِ الذَكاءِ وَالعُنقِ ليطُ

Urge him on, for his starry lights a ray

And for the bit in his mouth a babble.

قَرِّطاهُ لِمُقلَتَيهِ شُعاعٌ

وَلِرادَيهِ في اللِجامِ غطيطُ

Urge him on, engaging him and stirring him

As the brave was engaged by the glorious feat.

قَرِّطاهُ مُلاحِكاً حارِكاهُ

مِثلَ ما لُزَّ بِالكَتيفِ الغَبيطُ

Urge him on, in his face appears

A joy like what appears in the blade straight and polished.

قَرِّطاهُ تَلوحُ في الوَجهِ مِنهُ

غُرَّةٌ مِثلَ ما يَلوحُ الشَميطُ

Urge him on, as if when he listens intently

To every news report, his hearing is the highest.

قَرِّطاهُ كَأَنَّ سامِعَهُ المُص

غي إِلى كُلِّ نَبأةٍ إِعليطُ

Urge him on, soon he will sever a chord

Or meet his destined death allotted.

قَرِّطاهُ لا بُدَّ يَنقُضُ وِتراً

أَو يُلاقيهِ حَتفُهُ المَخطوطُ

Before Oman gathered a shadow of abasement,

Its structures of misery outspread.

قَبَضَت عَن عُمانَ ظِلّاً مِنَ الخَف

ضِ دَهاريسُ بُؤسُها مَبسوطُ

May God curse wherever he lingered and passed the night

A curse whose erection is solid.

لَعَنَ اللَهُ حَيثُ ظَلَّ وَأَمسى

لَعنَةً عِبؤُها مَحطوطُ

Misguided the corrupt, then followed Musa

A curse filling the plains and encompassing.

غاوِيَ الفُجحِ ثُمَّ أَتبَعَ موسى

لَعنَةً تَملَأُ القَصا وَتَحوطُ

Oh my people, indeed the slave Musa has rebelled

And the armed and powerful destroyer.

يا لقَومي لَقَد بَغى العَبدُ موسى

وَالعَسيفُ المُدَفَّعُ العُضروطُ

Uzzan attained a kingdom, which if

Patience saw, it would think it a myth.

نالَ عَزّانُ دَولَةً لَو رَآها

حُلُماً ظَنَّ أَنَّها تَخليطُ

The Azd swooped with the Hutuf to the Azd

And Musa is resigned, congratulated.

سَمَتِ الأَزدُ بِالحُتوفِ إِلى الأَز

دِ وَموسى مُسَلَّمٌ مَغبوطُ

The slave drinks its pure wine while the

Azd’s share of it is the dregs and the problematically obtained.

يَشرَبُ العَبدُ صَفوَها وَشَرابُ ال

أَزدِ مِنها مَطروقُها وَالمَطيطُ

So fate wandered never to return, and wander with it

An oblivion no eraser can erase.

فَهَبِ الدَهرَ لا يَثوبُ وَهبها

غَمرَةً لا يُميطُها مَن يُميطُ

So strive utterly or die nobly

The glamoring and the plotting do not avail.

فَاِبلغوا الجَهدَ أَو فَموتوا كِراماً

لَيسَ يُغني التَبريقُ وَالتَخطيطُ

To what, to what do we live, men of humiliation,

All of us bound by it, patterned?

كَم إِلى كَم نَعيشُ أَنضاءَ ذُلٍّ

كُلُّنا مُلجَم بِهِ مَعلوطُ

Do you see the Azd apportioning humiliation among them

An outsider and a ruinous fabricator?

أَتَرى الأَزدَ يَقسِمُ الذُلَّ فيها

خارِجِيٌّ وَخارِبٌ عُمروطُ

Then do you agree to that, O Azd, if you

Agree, neither plume nor pile of its arrows winged.

ثُمَّ تَرضى بِذَلِكَ الأَزدُ إِن تَر

ضى فَلا ريشَ سَهمُها المَمروطُ

No - by the life to which I clung

In hope which despair cannot defy!

لا لَعمر الَّذي تَمَسَّكتُ مِنهُ

بِرَجاءٍ لا يَعتَفيهِ القُنوطُ

Let not my uprising delude you, gently,

My care is bound to the two noble steeds.

لا يَغُرَّنكُمُ اِنبِعاثي رُوَيداً

إِنَّ هَمّي بِالفَرقَدَينِ مَنوطُ

Verily these matters beyond the sphere of divine mercy

Run their course of ascent and descent.

إِنَّ هاتي الأُمورَ عَن قَدَرِ الرَح

مانِ يَجري صُعودُها وَالهُبوطُ

Whether I show anger or am content, travel on!

By my life both my contentment and my anger;

إِن تَسَخَّطتُ أَو رَضيتُ فَسِيّا

ن لَعَمري رِضايَ وَالتَسخيطُ

All that was fated to be near,

And that which no buzzing of flies can hinder, I roar.

كُلُّ ما حُمَّ أَن يَكونَ قَريبٌ

وَالَّذي لا يُحَمُّ ناءٍ نَعيطُ

Companion, had the pillar of my patience slipped a handbreadth,

The handbreadth on the day the truth was shown would have slipped it!

صاحِ لَو هَدَّ رُكن صَبرِيَ رُزءاً

هَدَّهُ الرُزءُ يَومَ بانَ الخَليطُ

The day I traversed the desert with the anklets

Crashing with the traveling company, and it was desolate.

يَومَ خِلتُ الفَضاءَ مُنصَفِقَ الأَك

نافِ بِالرَكبِ وَهوَ رَحبٌ بَسيطُ

Let not the enemies suppose my stand

Is where the pitiful watering-hole traps me.

لا يَظُنُّ الأَعداءُ أَنَّ مُقامي

حَيثُ يَغتالُني المَحَلُّ الشَحيطُ

Diverting my purpose not, nor does degradation until

I neglect revenge in my heart concealed.

صارِفاً عَزمَتي وَلا الخَفضُ ما لَم

أَترُكِ الثَأرَ بِالفُؤادِ يَليطُ

Then I pretended - the people reckon I am

Among them a friend and relation and neighbor;

ثُمَّ أَخلَدتُ يَحسبُ القَومُ أَنّي

بَينَهُم لِلأسى قَريفٌ وَخيطُ

Patience and hope are unleashed against the people, soon

Unleashing them against it will unleash.

سُلِّطَ الصَبرُ وَالرَجاءُ عَلى النا

سِ سَيُغريهِما بِهِ التَسليطُ