سَقى اللهَ الجَزيرةَ من بلادٍ

وَوَادىِ الرِّمْثِ من شَجَنِ وَوَادِ

God watered the peninsula from the lands,

And the valley of Rimth from passion and valleys,

وأيَاماً سكنَّ اليَّ أُنْساً

سكونَ المقلتينِ الى الرُّقَادِ

And days that settled gently with me,

The tranquility of the two eyelids to sleep,

تَغَلْغَلَ سُكرُها في أُمِّ رأسي

فلم أَعرفْ صَلاحى من فَسَادِى

Its drunkenness stirred in the mother of my head,

So I did not know my righteousness from my corruption,

أَرى بذلَ التِّلادِ لها قليلاً

ولا أَعتَدُّ عُمرى مِنْ تِلادي

I see giving youth to it is little,

And I do not count my lifetime from my birth,

كأَنى لا أَظُنُّ العيشَ يَفنى

ولا أَنَّ الحياةَ الى نَفَاذِ

It's as if I don't think life will vanish,

And that life is bound to run out,

وَحَيَّا اللهُ بالزوراءِ حَيّاً

سَلبتُ اليهم مَرَحَ الجِيَادِ

And may God liven the Zoraa, lively,

I took from them the joy of the steeds,

ونَخْوَةَ وارداتِ الخِمْسِ لَغْواً

يُطَاوِلْنَ الأسِنَّةَ بالهوَادِي

And the vigor of the five visitors foolishly,

Prolonging the tongues in the valleys,

كَرَاكِرُ جَمَّةٌ من آلِ حَمْدٍ

وَرِثْنَ المجدَ قبلَ تُراثِ عَادِ

Like the boats of the people of Hamd,

Who inherited glory before the inheritance of Aad,

هم قبل البواذجِ من شَرَوَرى

وقبل الهَضْبِ أوَتادُ البِلاَدِ

They are before the examples of my evils,

And before the plateau, the pegs of the countries,

ولما استبدلتْ بهم الليالى

فَقَدْتُهُم ولم افقدْ وِدَادِي

And when the nights changed them,

I missed them and did not miss my affection,

هجرتُ الناسَ غيرَهم فَلَجُّوا

مُباينَةً ولجَّ بيَ التَّمَادِي

I deserted people other than them so they broke off,

Differing, and my persistence broke me,

أَدام اللهُ ما خَوَّلْتُمُوهُ

وأَوهنَ كيدُكم كيدَ الأَعادِي

May God sustain what you have authorized,

And weaken the deceit of your enemies like enemies,

فاني لا أزالُ أَلومُ نَفْسى

على طُولِ التَّجَنُّبِ والبِعَادِ

For I still blame myself,

For long avoidance and distance,

وأعلم أَنَّ رأْيكمُ سَليمٌ

لمن والاكم وارِي الزنَادِ

And I know your opinion is sound,

To those loyal to you and the carrier of supplies,

وما اعتاضُ بالأَقوامِ منكم

وهل يعتاضُ صَدرِى من فُؤادِي

And I'm not bothered by the people from you,

Does my heart get bothered by my love?

فِدَى للاريَحي أَبى عليِّ

وقَلَّ له بأَنْ يَفديهِ فَادِ

To Al-Arihi, my father Ali refused,

And said to him that he would ransom him,

ضَجيعٌ للهُوَينا لم تُبِتْهُ

مآربهُ على شَواكِ القَتَادِ

A comrade of Al-Hawina did not spend the night,

His hopes on the thorns of the cushion,

فلم أَرَ مثلَهُ لِدِفاع خَطْبٍ

وَرقْيَةِ حَيَّةٍ نزلتْ بِوَادِ

So I did not see the likes of him to defend a matter,

And the charm of a serpent that descended into a valley,

أَمَرُّ مَرَارَةً وأشَدُّ بَطْشا

وكشفاً للمُلمَّاتِ الشِّدَادِ

More bitter in taste and more violent in might,

And revealing the atrocities of tyrants,

غنيٌّ حينَ تَطْرُقُهُ لأَمْرٍ

عن التَّعْريضِ فيهِ بالمُرَادِ

Rich when matters worry him,

From alluding to them with intent,

فما قِدَمُ التجاربِ قَدَّمَتْهُ

ولكنَّ السيادةَ في السَّوَادِ

So the steps of experiences did not put him forward,

But supremacy among the commoners,

جَرَى وَجَرَى الجِيادُ الى مَدَاهُ

فما عَلِقَ الكُوَاديِنُ بالجيَادِ

The steeds flowed to their extent,

So the valleys did not cling to the steeds,

ولا أغنَتْ شِيَاتٌ مُعْجَبَاتٌ

ولا عُرَرٌ تُضَمَّخُ بالجِسَادِ

Nor did the adorned gray horses avail,

Nor the lame ones stained with corpses,

يَروقُكَ صيغةُ الجَفنِ المُحَلى

ونصلُ السيفِ أوَلى بالِجِلاَدِ

You like the shape of the eyelid when it is adorned,

And the sword blade is more worthy of skins,

وَشَمَّرَ للمكارمِ شَمَّرِيٌّ

تَبينَ فضلُه عندَ الوِلاَدِ

And he prepared for generosity, a preparer,

Whose virtue was evident among children,

نمى في دولةِ الملكِ المُرَجَّى

كما ينمى النَّباتُ على العِهَادِ

He grew in the state of the desired king,

As plants grow on poles,

كريمُ الفِعْلِ مطبوعُ السَّجايا

على التوفيقِ فيها والرَّشَادِ

Generous in deed, innate in nature,

To succeed in it and to guide,

يُعاطينى بَشَاشَتَهُ فَأروَى

كما يروى بِبرْدْ الماءِ صَادٍ

He gives me his cheerfulness and I quench,

As the thirsty are quenched with cool water,

أَقولُ لخائفٍ رَجَّى سِوَاهُ

فَلَمْ يَظْفَرْ بعزٍّ مستفَادِ

I say to a fearful one who hoped for other than Him,

But did not win honorable gains:

اذا واليتَ فانظرْ من تُوالىِ

وانْ عاديتَ فانظرْ من تُعَادِي

If you befriend, then look at who you befriend,

And if you oppose, then look at who you oppose,

فانَّ العبدَ يأتى الضيمَ طوعاً

وانَّ الحُرَّ يأنفُ في الصِّفَادِ

For the slave comes harm willingly,

While the freeman disdains shackles,

أَبوكَ ثَنى الجَوامحَ عن هَواهَا

وعلّمها مُطَاوعةَ القِيَادِ

Your father bent the unruly from their passion,

And taught them to obey the lead,

وكانَ الملكُ مُضْطراً اليهِ

كما أُضْطُرَّ الطِّرافُ الى العِمَادِ

And the king had to resort to him,

As the eyelids are compelled to the pillar,

كأَنَّ الناظرينَ اليه رِيْعُوا

بِرئبَالٍ من الاسَادِ عَادِ

It is as if those who looked at him were cattle,

Of giants from Aad,

يَسُورُ حِذَارَهُ في العينِ حتى

يُنَهْنِهُهَا عن النَّظَرِ المُعَادِ

Caution flows in the eye until,

It deters it from the repeated gaze,

رأَى في الرفقِ كيداً لم يروهُ

وكانَ الرفقُ أَدنى للسَّدَادِ

He saw trickery in gentleness that they did not see,

And gentleness was closest to propriety,

ولم يَتَعَسَّفِ التَّدْبيرَ خَبْطاً

كمن ركبَ الفلاةَ بغيرِ هَادِ

He did not arbitrarily manage affairs confusedly,

Like one who rode into the wilderness without a guide,

يُقَلِّبُ رأْيَهُ كَراً وفَرّاً

كما قَلَّبْتَ رُمْحَكَ في الطِّرَادِ

He turns his opinion again and again,

As you turned your spear in the chase,

فأَبلغْ سيدَ الوزراءِ عَنِّى

مقالةَ ناصحٍ مَحْضٍ الوِدَادِ

So convey to the master of ministers from me,

The speech of an advisor purely affectionate:

أَقِمْ أَودَ الرعيَّةِ غَيرَ وَانٍ

وكلَّهم اذا لم يجد جادِ

Set straight the flock without deviation,

And all of them if you do not find a volunteer,

وان لم يُنهَ أَصغرُهم بقمعٍ

فأَكبرُهم أَخفُ الى الفَسَادِ

And if their smallest is not deterred by suppression,

Their greatest is most prone to corruption,

أُحِبُّ بَقاءَ دولتكم وأرَجو

لكم ولها الخلودَ الى التَّنَادِي

I love the continuance of your state and I hope,

For you and it, immortality to eternity,

وأَجهدُ في الولاءِ وليتَ أَنَّى

اذا بالغتُ أَقنعُ باجتهَادِي

And I strive in loyalty, if only I,

When exerting, am content with my endeavor,

وكيفَ يمازُ في السَّرَّاءِ غِشَي

وفي الضَّرَّاءِ قد عُلمَ اعتقادِي

And how can a cheat be distinguished in prosperity?

In adversity, my belief is known,

أَجبتُ وما دُعيتُ وكنتُ أُدعى

فلا أُصْغِى الى قَولِ المُنَادِي

I responded though not called, and I used to be called,

So I do not listen to the words of the caller,

فهل لك في يَدٍ تَنْتَاشُ حُراً

خفيفَ الظَّهرِ من حِملِ الأَيادِي

Do you have a hand that caresses the free,

Light of burden from the loads of hands?

اذا فُرصُ المطامعِ أَمكنته

تنكبَ نابلَ السمعِ الجوَادِ

When the opportunities of greed enabled him,

He avoided the ear of the generous steed,

رآكَ أَحقَ بالتأميلِ منهم

وأَولى بالحِيَاطَةِ والذيَادِ

He saw you more deserving of favor than them,

And more qualified for caution and armament,

نصيبٌ من صريحِ المجدِ فُزتُم

به دونَ الحَواضرِ والبَوَادِي

A share of the essence of glory you have attained,

Through it, beyond cities and deserts,

ومكُرمَةٌ لكم ذُخِرَتْ وصِيْنَتْ

تَولى حِفْظَها ربُّ العِبَادِ

And an honor is reserved for you and protected,

The Lord of servants has undertaken its preservation,