أَحِنُّ الى العلياءِ في طلبِ الحمدِ

حنينَ الأَعاريبِ الجُفَاةِ الى نَجْدِ

I yearn for the exalted in seeking praise,

The yearning of uncouth nomads for Najd.

وكل هوىً الاَّ هَواىَ وصالها

يكون وانْ طالَ اللجاجُ الى حَدِّ

Every love but love of her union

Is futile, though persistent to the extent.

غَبيٌّ عن السَّراءِ لوني وناجزى

ولا تبلغُ الضَّراءُ آخرَ ما عندي

Aloof from joy is my hue and my nature,

Adversity cannot reach the depths within.

لَويتُ ديونَ الغَانياتِ وعُطِّلَتْ

رسائلُ يُستَشفى بِهَنَّ من الوَجْدِ

I spurned the debts of singing girls and stilled

The messages that remedy the fervor.

وقلنَ وقد أَنكرننى بعدَ صَبْوَةٍ

صَددْتَ وشيءٌ ما دعاكَ الى الصَّدِّ

And they said, after disowning me as a youth,

You turned away, what led you to avoidance?

ولما رأَيتُ الأُعطياتِ قَلِيْلَةً

زَهِدْتُ لعلَّ الدَّهْرَ يأنفُ من زُهْدِي

When I saw gifts were few,

I became ascetic, hoping fate would spurn my asceticism.

وأَزمعْتُ يأساً لا طَماعةَ بَعْدَهُ

ولا رغبةً حتى أُغَيَّب في اللَّحْدِ

I harbored despair without greed thereafter,

Until I am buried in the grave.

ولم أَنْسَ عَيِشاً بالجَزيرِ وَلَذَّةً

اذا العيشُ أَنسى طِيبَهُ قِدَمُ العَهْدِ

I have not forgotten living in al-Jazirah and the bliss

When life makes me forget its goodness from old.

قَضى حَاجَةَ الزوراءِ سارٍ كأَنَّهُ

يزورُ اذا جَنَّ الظلامُ على وَعْدِ

He fulfilled the need of the visitor as if

He visits when darkness falls upon a promise.

ولا بَرحَتْ تلكَ الأَباطحُ والرُّبى

يُضاحِكها البرقُ النَّمومُ على الرَّعْدِ

Those desolate places and ruins have not ceased

To smile at thunder over the roar.

تَمرُّ بها هُوجُ الرياحِ مريضةً

كأَنَّ بها ما بالقلوبِ من الوَجْدِ

The violent winds pass through them sickly

As if they contain what hearts contain of fervor.

اذا هى لَفَّتْ رَندها بِعَرَارِهَا

فَتَقْنَ فتيتَ المِسْكِ بالعَنْبرِ الوَرْدِ

When they wrap their murmur in their places

The musk is squeezed and the roses shattered.

سَلي الركبَ عنّي هل أَجُمُّ نِطافَهم

وأَطوى كما يُطوى الاصمُّ من الرُبْدِ

Ask the caravan about me, shall I meet their party

And return like the deaf from the murk?

بَلوني غَداةَ الزادِ والزادُ فاضِلٌ

وعندَ هُجُوم الخَامِسَاتِ على الوِرْدِ

They tested me at the supplies and the surplus provisions

And when the fifths attacked the flowers.

ولله يوم لم أُطعْ فيهِ رَغبةً

وقد بَلَغَتْ حبلَ الوريدِ من الجَهْدِ

By God, I have a day in which I did not obey

A desire, though it reached the jugular in exertion.

أَفِرُّ كأَنّي رهبةَ الضيمِ جارمٌ

أَصاب دماً في الاقربينَ على عَمْدِ

I flee as if I am an offender of the unlawful

Who shed blood of a relative intentionally.

وثقتُ بأَنَّ العَصْبَ يُحرجُ نائِلى

وذلكَ مسٌّ لا يلينُ له جِلْدِيِّ

And I was certain that partisanship would shame my obtainer

And that is a touch too coarse for my skin.

أُسامُ وكفى تَعْرِفُ السيفَ ريبةً

كأنى أَسيرٌ في الحديدِ وفي القِيدِّ

I am determined and it is enough that the sword knows

Me in fear, as if I am a captive in irons and shackles.

وما ضَاقَتِ البيداءُ عن مُتَغَلْغِلٍ

على الجورِ يَطوى بُعْدَها وعلى القَصدِ

The wilderness was not too narrow for the wanderer

Crossing its distance and purposefully.

رأَيتُ أَبا نَصْرٍ وما اسوَدَّ خَدُّهُ

قَضَى فَضْلُه على الكُهولة للمُرْدِ

I saw Abu Nasr and his cheek had not blackened -

His merit sufficed him over old age for leadership.

فما بضَعيفِ العزم لَبَّستُ أَحبُلى

ولكننى صَاولتُ بالحَازم الجَلْدِ

So I did not don my ropes with weak resolve

Rather, I strove with the resolute and hardy.

وأَروعَ لا تَثْنى البوارحُ هَمَّهُ

على النَّحسِ يَقْضي أَمرَهُ وعلى السَّعْدِ

And most frightening, worries do not divert him

From fate, fulfilling its affairs, or from fortune.

مُناوشِ أَطرافِ الأَسنَّةِ ماجدٍ

يَرى الحَزْمَ أَولى بالرِّجَالِ من الجَدِ

Rival of the edges of the sharp tongues, glorified,

He sees wisdom more befitting men than excess.

اذا أَنتَ يوماً خِفتَهُ ورجوتَهُ

لَقِيتَ المنايا أو غنيتَ عن الكَدِّ

When one day you fear it and aspire to it

You will meet your end or be free of toil.

له النظرةُ الشَّوسَاءُ في البشْرِ شيمةٌ

وقُربُ المدى في البعدِ والهَزلُ في الجِدِّ

The penetrating glance at mankind is a trait,

As is approaching from afar and jest in earnest.

وأَبيضَ بالابصارِ يفعلُ لونُهُ

فِعالَ شُعَاعِ الشَّمْسِ بالأعينِ الرمْدِ

The whiteness of his eyes makes his complexion

Act like the rays of sun on sleepy eyes.

أَشارَ بعينِ الصقرِ عاينَ صَيدَهُ

وأَطرقَ اطراقَ الحيى من الأُسْدِ

He gestured with the eye of a falcon, saw his prey,

And lowered his gaze like the shy lion.

وكيفَ أُؤدى شكرَ طرفٍ ثَنَيتَه

الىَّ على بُعدٍ الزيارةِ والعَهْدِ

How can I repay the glance of an eye that inclined

To me from afar, without visit or pact?

وقولك لى ما جئتَ الاَّ لحاجةٍ

وهل حاجتى الاَّ بقاؤك للمَجْدِ

And your saying to me, you have not come but for a need,

Is not my need for your remaining glorious?

أَعدتَ وأَبديتَ الذي أَنتَ أَهلُه

وكنتَ جديراً أَنْ تُعيدَ كما تُبدِي

You have restored and initiated what you deserve

And you were worthy to repeat as you display.

تأَملتُ أَبلو مَّنةً النَّاسِ أَيُّهُمْ

يُعينُ على صَرفِ النوائبِ أو يُعْدِي

I contemplated testing the people's bounty, who

Would help turn away ill fortunes or bring them?

فما كان فيهم ناهضٌ لصنيعَةٍ

سِواكَ ولا والٍ يَهشُّ الى الحَمدِ

Among them was none to undertake a feat

Except you, no guardian more rational and praised.

وغيرُكَ غَرَّ الظنَّ حُسْنُ مقالهِ

وَحُسْنُ المواضي لا يدكُ على الحَدِّ

And others, the good words deluded,

The good places do not prove ability and limit.

نبا عن مَقيلِ الهَامِ حينَ هَزَتُهُ

بكفي كأَني كنتُ أضرِبُ بالغِمْدِ

It warded off the striking of worry when it shook me

With my palms, as if I was striking with a sheath.

وقاكَ من الأَسواءِ كلُّ منافسٍ

يَرى الغِيَّ أَهدى في الأمُور الى الرشْدِ

And it protected you from adversities, every rival

Who sees fancy as more guided in matters to propriety.

رماكَ فلما لم يَجِدْ لكَ عَورةً

تجاوزَ غيظَ الحَاسدينَ الى الحِقْدِ

It tossed at you but when it did not find a defect in you

It exceeded the rancor of enviers into hatred.

فان تكُ مَلْكاً من مُلوكٍ كثيرةٍ

فانكَ فيهم أَوحدُ الحَلِ والعَقْدِ

If you are a king among many kings

You are among them uniquely wise and empowered.

نجومٌ بآفاقِ السَّماءِ طَوالعٌ

وليسَ بها فردٌ سِوى الكوكبِ الفَرْدِ

There are stars in the horizons of the sky, rising,

But among them there is no single one except the unique planet.

أَبوك دَعانى والجَيزةُ بَيْنَنَا

دُعاءَ كريمٍ لا يُعَرضُ للردِّ

Your father called me and al-Jazirah was between us,

A noble call that cannot be rejected.

وانّيَ لمَّا فَتَّشَ النَّاسَ راغباً

بنفسي عن بذلِ الرغائبِ والرِفْدِ

I, when he searched people longing

To bestow desires and aid with my soul,

وما ضرَّنى انْ كنتُ آخرَ واردٍ

وأَنْ لم أكن يومَ الوفادةِ في الوَفْدِ

It did not harm me that I was the last to arrive

And that I was not on the day of pilgrimage among the delegation.

وما زلتُ عند الحلمِ واليأسِ والنَّدى

اذا حَضَرَ الاقوامُ مفتقدَ الفَقْدِ

I have not deviated from forbearance, despair, and dew

When the tribes arrive, missing an absence.

سَقَى قبرَ تاجِ الملةِ الغيثُ واستوى

بِعَقْوَتَةٍ سيلُ المَخَارمِ والوَهدِ

The rain quenched the grave of the crown of the faith and leveled

The torrents of gullies and valleys.

فقد كانَ عضداً للمكارمِ والعُلا

وأنتَ اليدُ البَيْضاءُ من ذلكَ العَضْدِ

For he was a pillar of virtues and ascension

While you are the white hand from that shoulder.