مالي أُخوفُ محتومَ المقاديرِ
وسَعيُ كلِّ غُلامٍ رهنُ تَغريرِ
I do not fear what is destined
And every young man’s effort is subject to delusion
لا يبلُغُ الغايةَ القُصوى بهمّته
إلاّ المقَسَّمُ بين السَّرجِ والكُورِ
He cannot achieve the highest goal by his determination
Except what is apportioned between dawn and dusk
فُؤادُهُ بالرّزايا غيرُ مكترثٍ
وجُرْحُهُ في الحَوايا غيرُ مَسْبورِ
His heart does not care about misfortunes
And his wound in passions is not yet healed
يَطوي حشاهُ إذا ما النومُ ضاجعَه
على وشيجٍ من الخَطيِّ مكسورِ
He wraps his cheek if sleep embraces him
On a pillow made of ripped fabric
ترفعَ الهمُ بالفتيانِ يومَ مِنى
ونحنُ ننقلُ مأثورَ الأخابيرِ
The worries were removed on the day of Mina by the youth
While we transmit the inherited sayings
ركوبَ قيسٍ على أحياءِ ذي يمنٍ
وغارةً جَدَعَتْ في رَهَطِ منطورِ
Like Qais riding the living people of Dhi Yamin
And a raid that ransacked the group of Manthur
فقلتُ حلّوا الحِبى لأنامَ جدكم
وشَمِّروا إنّها أيامُ تَشْمِيرِ
So I said, “My people, release the camel ropes to sleep
These are indeed days of preparation”
قد سوّمَ الملكُ المنصورُ رايتَهُ
للطعنِ تَخفِقُ في ظِلِّ المَحاضيرِ
The victorious king has hoisted his banner
To stab with spears in the shadow of tents
وجَرّدَ الحزمَ في يُمنى عزائِمِهِ
فما يُصَمِّمُ إلاّ بعدَ تَدبيرِ
And he has girded himself with determination in his right hand
So he only decides after deliberation
يُهدي إلى كلِّ أرضٍ من عَجاجَتِهِ
جِنحاً من اللّيلِ في طيِّ الأعاصيرِ
He sends wings of night during storms
As gifts to every land from his horsemanship
نصرتَ سيفكَ بالرّي الذي علمت
به المواردُ أعقابَ المصاديرِ
You have supported your sword with the downpour
With which waterholes know the heels of water-drawers
وكنتَ كاللّيثِ غرته فريستُهُ
فضيعَ النابَ منه بالأظافيرِ
You used to be like an angry lion after his prey
Baring fangs with claws
إذا توسّدَ للأقرانِ ساعدُهُ
فلا مَحالَةَ من عقرٍ وتَعفيرِ
Whenever he rests his forearm for his peers
There is no escape from mutilation and plucking
لا يُبعِدُ اللهُ فتياناً رميتَ بهم
قلبَ الكريهةِ عن نزعِ وتوتيرِ
May Allah not distance our young men after you threw
The core of hatred away from pulling and provocation
رَدّوا صدورَ الغُضَينيات عاطفةً
على الأسنّةِ من ناجٍ ومَعقورِ
They have turned the breasts of the sullen
With sympathy upon the tongues of the delicate and broken
قد ثقّفَ الغزوُ منها فهي مُخطَفَةٌ
خُصورهنّ كأوساطِ الزّنابيرِ
The invasion had disciplined them, so they are snatched
At the waist like the bodies of wasps
لا يعرِفونَ صدوداً عن عدوّهم
والطّعنُ يهتِكُ منهم كلَّ مستورِ
They do not know any defenses against their enemy
And the stab unravels everything private from them
مواقعُ النبلِ في ضاحي جلودِهِمُ
مثلُ الدّنانيرِ في قَدٍّ وتَدويرِ
The positions of glory on the membranes of their skins
Are like coins on a necklace and bracelet
في جَحفلٍ سَجَدَتْ شمّ الحصونِ له
وبحثرتْ فيهِ انفاقُ المَطاميرِ
In a horde the sniffing citadels bowed to him
And the burrows of tunnels shook within
ما بينَ رُوميّةَ القصوى وأنقرةٍ
روعٌ تقلقلُ في أحشاءِ مَذعورِ
What is between the Roman Stronghold and Ankara
Is panic stirring inside the terrified one
أعطاكَ عنها مليكُ الرومِ جِزيتَه
وكان قد حلَّ فيها غيرَ مقمورِ
The King of the Romans gave you a tithe for it
And he had settled in without control
ما أدركوا ورُقاهُم فيكَ نافِثةٌ
غيرَ الأماني من ظَنٍّ وتقديرِ
They did not attain their leaves through you
Except wishes of assumption and foresight
وأهلُ جُرزانَ والأملكُ قاطبةً
ما بينَ مُنطلقٍ منهم ومَحصورِ
And all the people of Jurzan and Diyar Bakr
From a departing one to an inhibited one
لم يتركِ اللهُ غِشّاً في صدورِهمُ
إلاّ جَلاهُ بتاجِ الملةِ النّورِ
Allah has not left any wickedness in their consciences
Except He manifested it under the crown of the shining faith
مَنْ لا يُتَبّعُ جَدواهُ ببائقَةٍ
ولا ينغصُ نعماهُ بتكديرِ
Who does not augment his generosity without stint
Or spoil his blessings with bitterness
قدْ قوّمَ الزيغَ من أعطافِ مجلِسِهِ
بكلِّ منتقدِ الأخلاقِ مَخْبورِ
He has corrected crookedness from the edges of his council
With every refined mannered critic concealed
جَروا على أدَبٍ منهم فكلّهم
يأتي السّدادَ مُصيباً غيرَ مأمورِ
They have continued with an upbringing from it, so all of them
Come with integrity without being ordered
إنّ القِلاعَ التي نيلتْ ذَخائرُها
من قبلِ كَيدكَ لم تُقدَر لمقدورِ
The citadels whose treasures were obtained
By your stratagems were not attainable to one with means
من بعدِ ما دميتْ أيدي الخُطوبِ بها
وحاذَرَ الدهرُ منها سِنَّ مَغرورِ
After your hands were bloodied with battles against them
And the days of deceit feared it with edges
ويومَ جاشتْ جيوشُ التركِ مُعلَمَةً
جاءَ النفيرُ فلم يقعدْ عنِ العِيرِ
And when the Turkish armies gathered
The mustering was done without any lagging behind the caravan
لم يشكروكَ وقد نفستَ كربَهُمُ
وربَّ حامل عزمٍ غيرُ مشكورِ
They did not thank you though you relieved their plight
And many determined ones are not thanked
ومُنهَلينَ بقَصرِ الجُصِّ زادُهُمُ
دراكُ ضربٍ على الهاماتِ ممطورِ
The striking of the palace revived them
A stroke upon foreheads carefully aimed
رَضوا من الُنْمِ إنْ كَرّتْ جيادُهُم
يعدو إلى أهلِ مصرٍ بالمَعاذِيرِ
They were pleased with sleep if their steeds grew tired
Out pacing to the people of Egypt with excuses
فعلَ المُضجَّعِ خانتْهُ عزيمتُه
فطوّقَ العزمُ أعناقَ المقاديرِ
The desire of the laid inspector betrayed him
So determination collared the divine decrees
لو شاء عرّضَ يومَ الروعِ ثغرته
لوادقٍ كلسانِ النّارِ مَطرورِ
If he willed, he would have displayed his face
On the day of panic for the flashing sword
وهَبْ عليْهِ رياحُ النصرِ قد حُظرتْ
هلِ الحِمامُ على ساعٍ بمحظورِ
The winds of victory were hindered from him
Were the settlement of pigeons prohibited to the hours?
لا يعلُ شوقُك يا بنَ التغلبي إذا
هبتْ يمانيةُ من جانبِ الدورِ
Your longing, O son of Taghlib, does not know
When the auspiciousness blows from the houses
وعللِ الهمّ إنْ عنّاكَ طارقُهُ
بباردٍ من عصيرِ الكرمِ مقرورِ
And blame worries if its involvement preoccupied you
With a drink made from chilled wine
إذا المزاجُ جلاهُ قلتَ من طَربٍ
ليتَ الجزيرةَ تَغلي بالمغاويرِ
When the humor entertains you, you say in euphoria
“I wish the peninsula would seethe with scissors!”
فلن تُحاذِر بالحَصْباءِ معترضاً
مُردَ الكماةِ على جُردِ المضاميرِ
So in Hasba you will not fear an interceptor
Repelling the braves at the racing tracks
ولن تَرى جبلَ الجوديِّ ترمقُهُ
دونَ المجرةِ غيظاً أعينُ القورِ
You will not envy Mount Judi being examined
By the eyes of the heavy below the orbit
ولا الجزيرةَ ما ناحتْ مطوقةٌ
هيهاتَ ذلكَ كسرٌ غير مجبورِ
I swear the peninsula did not moan besieged
Never! That would be an unrepaired breakage
حيتكَ يا ملكَ الأملاكِ قافيةٌ
تزورُ مجدَكَ من نسْجي وتبريري
Greetings to you, O King of Kings, compatible couplets
Visit your glory intentionally from my prose and justification
أعليتَ كفّي وأقذيتَ النّواظرَ بي
في موقفٍ مثل حدِّ السيفِ مشهورِ
I raised my palms and dazzled the sights about me
In a stand like the sharp edge of a famed sword
تلكَ السياسةُ من بِرٍّ وتكرُمةٍ
مزجتها بنوالٍ غيرِ منزورِ
That policy of righteousness and nobility
I have blended with a string of unprecedented pearls
فالآنَ لا أقبلُ الميسورَ من زَمني
إنّ المشيعَ لا يرضى بمَيسورِ
So now I do not accept gifts from my era
The escort is not pleased with gifts
