كَسا الروضُ آثارَ الدِّيارِ النّواحِلِ

وجادَ علَيْها كلُّ طَلٍّ ووابِلِ

The meadow wore the traces of the abandoned abodes,

And every longing lover and downpour descended upon it.

ولا زالَ فيضُ الدّمْعِ من كلِّ عاشقٍ

حبيساً على أطلالِها والمَنازِلِ

The flow of tears continues to pour from every lover,

Imprisoned at its ruins and dwellings.

تَصِحُّ إذا فارَ الهجيرُ بِها الصَّبا

وتَمرضُ فيها بالضُحى والأصائِلِ

When the northern breeze blew upon it at dawn,

It recovered, then relapsed at forenoon and dusk.

فإني لَيَثْنيني عَواطِفُ حبِّها

على مثلِ صدرِ السّمْهَريّ المَغاوِلِ

So the passions for it make me cling

To the likes of the chest of the well-built and burly.

وما زالَ داعي الشّوقِ حتى أجَبْتَهُ

بمطروفةٍ تُدْمي نَواصي الأنامِلِ

The caller of longing continued till you answered him

With a frail one who softens the finger-tips.

وهبّتْ بمجرى نَفحَةٌ جاسِميّةٌ

تذكرُ منسي الهَوى كلَّ ذاهِلِ

A mighty breath blew giving life

To those who forgot love, all the heedless ones.

خَليلي قد هاجَ الغَرامُ وجَدَّدَتْ

ليَ السوق أنفاسُ الرّياحِ العَلائِلِ

My intimate! Passion was stirred up and renewed for me

The breaths of the gentle winds.

ونُفْرَةُ جُرحِ الحُبِّ بعدَ اندمالِهِ

عليَّ وعطفاتُ الهُمومِ الأوائِلِ

And the wound of love after its healing

Begot in me solicitudes of early times,

وخَبرتُما أنّ الحياةَ حبيبةٌ

على البُرْءِ منها والسقامِ المُطاوِلِ

And you both know life is a beloved

Even to one rid of it and prolonged ills.

فما لي وقد ودَّعْتُ أهلَ قُباقُبٍ

أرى كلَّ عيشٍ بَعدَهم غيرَ طائِلِ

So why, after bidding adieu to the lovely doe-eyed ones

Do I see every life without them as unavailing?

نظرتُ إلى الأظْعانِ نظرةَ مُقصِدِ

يُنازعُ سَهْماً نَصلُهُ في المَقاتِلِ

I looked at the deadly weapons with a gaze

Of an assailant whose blade in fights is not turned back.

سَبَقْتُ بها وفْدَ الدّموعِ وربّما

سَبَقتُ إلى اللّذّاتِ عَذْلَ العَواذِلِ

With it I outstripped the mission of tears, nay

Outstripped pleasures for the delicate, frail ones.

ألا هلْ أرى قَوسَ الفِراقِ حَنيّةً

وقد مرقتْ منها صدورُ الرّواحِلِ

Lo, shall I see the bow of separation humbled

And the shy doves escaped from it?

وهل أُبصِرُ الأعلامَ من مَرجِ دابِقٍ

بعينِ خَليٍّ مطمئِنِ البَلابِلِ

Shall I sight the flags from the battle-grounds of Daabiq

With a calm, friendly eye for turtle-doves?

أنِفْتُ لسعدٍ من مضاجعةِ المُنى

وقلتُ له شمِّر فضولَ الذّلاذِلِ

I scorned happiness through union, and said to it

'Roll up the skirts of vile lowliness!'

ولا تكُ كالمظْلومِ يَخذلُ عَزمهُ

ويَجعَلُ فيهِ الدّهْرُ أولَ خاذِلِ

'Do not be like the wronged one whose resolve is abandoned,

And time makes him the first to retreat!'

فإنّا على خُبْثِ الزّمانِ وغدرهِ

لنشرعُ في أحداثِهِ والزّلازِلِ

'We will set about its mischief and treachery,

And stir up its innovations and quakings.'

رمتْ خلفَها نجْداً ومرت بجوْشَنٍ

تُراجِمُ صَيّاح الحَصى بالجَنادِلِ

It left Najd behind, and passed by Jawshin,

The neighing of the hail-stones with the parasites.

وخولتِ الفرسانَ عنها قلائِصٌ

بقيةُ أذوادِ القِرى والمَعاقِلِ

The horsemen were stripped of its assets,

The remnants of the hamlets and fortresses.

كأنّ أكفَّ الرّكْبِ حولَ رِقابِها

تهزُّ أنابيبَ الرِّماح الذّوابِلِ

As if the palms of the riders around its forelocks

Shook the shafts of the well-feathered lances.

أُنيخَتْ بأبوابِ الوزيرِ محمدٍ

فلم تَرعَ إلاّ في سَماحٍ ونائِلِ

It bowed at the gates of the minister Muhammad,

Where it attained only kindness and bounty.

ونبئتُ أنّ الملكَ شُدَّتْ مُتونُهُ

بأروَعَ ميمونِ النّقيّةِ كامِلِ

And I was told the King fortified its texts

With the most blessed of protectresses, perfect and complete.

فتىً يستكينُ المجدُ في حركاتِهِ

ويُخْلَقُ من أخْلاقِهِ والشّمائِلِ

A knight the glory abases itself in his movements,

And is built from his character and fine traits,

بعيدُ المدى حتى تَفَجّرَ غارةً

تُغيّر ألوانَ الظّبا والعَوامِلِ

Far-shooting until it erupted in a raid

That changes the hues of the gazelles and oryxes.

لَعَمْري لقد أهدَى النصيحةَ مرةً

لأهل عُمانٍ خيرُ حافٍ وناعِلِ

By my life, the sincere adviser gave advice one day

To the people of Oman, best of cautioners.

وناشدَهُم باللهِ حتى تقطّعتْ

عُرى القولِ وانحلّتْ عُقودُ الوسائِلِ

And adjured them by Allah till the ties of words were cut,

And the cords of methods disintegrated.

فلمّا رآهُم لا تَثوبُ حلُومُهم

رماهُم بأمثالِ القِسيّ العَواطِلِ

But when their wrong nature was not made right,

He pelted them with parables of the severe scolder;

فركّبَ أغضانَ المنيّة فيهمُ

رِواءَ الأعالي ظامئاتِ الأسافِلِ

He rode against them the branches of death,

Waterers of the heights, thirsty for the lowly levels;

أرقتمْ صُباباتِ الكَرى من جُفونِكم

وعرّضْتُمُ أعضاءَكم للأفاكِلِ

You have robbed the gazelle[-eyed] girls of sleep from their eyes,

And exposed your limbs to ravagers.

فلا يأمنُ الأعداءُ كيدَكَ بعدَما

سلكتَ فلم تتركْ مَقالاً لِقائِلِ

So after this enemies cannot feel safe from your plots

Once you advanced leaving no road for a sayer.

سَرَيتَ لهم ليلاً تَحولُ نجومُهُ

وهمُّكَ في إعجازِهِ غيرُ حائِلِ

You crept against them in a night whose stars

Whirl, and your concern routs all obstacles.

كأنّكَ إذْ جرّدْتَ رأيكَ فيهم

طَلَعْتَ عليهم في القَنا والقَنابِلِ

As if, when you bared your opinion regarding them,

You came down upon them with cannon and missiles.

دَنا الحقُّ حتّى نالَه كلُّ طالِبٍ

وكانَ بعيداً من يَدِ المتَناوِلِ

The truth drew nigh until every seeker attained it,

Though remote from one who seeks to attain.

وأصبحَ شَملُ الناسِ بعدَ تبدُّدٍ

يُنظَّمُ في سلكِ من الحكم عادِلِ

The bonds of people became ordered after disunion

In a sequence of a just government.

تبسّمْتَ فيهم عن وَميضِ غَمامةٍ

نقلِّم أظْفارَ السنينَ المواحِلِ

You smiled at them after the lightning of a cloud

We pluck the claws of the passing years.

وعمّا قَليلٍ يصرعُ الغَيُّ مفسداً

يُراصِدُ مَنْ يَنْتاشُهُ بالغَوائِلِ

Before long the mischief-monger falls a corpse

Who lies in wait for any downpour to uproot him.

أتَهْوي الدّواهي حولَهُ وهو سالِمٌ

لقد نامَ عنها الدهرُ نومةَ غافِلِ

Do the torrents whirl around him while he is safe?

Time has indeed slumbered heedlessly regarding him!

ولكنّما زانَ الوِزارَةَ ماجِدٌ

تَقَبَّلَ أخلاق الغُيوثِ الهَواطِلِ

But Maajid adorned the ministry, having assumed

The traits of the pouring rains, the showers.

تَرى فعلَه يحدو طليعةَ قولِهِ

وكم فيهمُ من قائِلٍ غير فاعِلِ

You see his actions expressing his words,

Though there is many a sayer who is no do-er!

هَلمّوا فإنّ الحقَّ عادَ لأهلِهِ

ألا وكَفَى بالشّكِّ جَهْلاً لِعاقِلِ

Come! For the truth has returned to its people,

Too much doubt is but foolishness for the wise one.

فإنّ بني العَباسِ هامةُ فارسٍ

علوا تُربَها قَبلَ الهِضابِ الأطاوِلِ

The Abbasids are theFILETYPE_NORMAL the raven of a knight,

In luxury their soil before hills lengthened.

كِرامٌ على أوراقِهم ونُضارِهم

لِئامٌ على أعراضِهم والطّوائِلِ

Generous over their pages and blossoms are they,

Base over their honour and chastity.

تحرّقُ أيديهم إذا ما تسربَلوا

بُرودَ العَوالي وارتَدّوا بالمَناصِلِ

Their hands burn when they robe themselves

In the cold of the heights and don the rich garments.

وألسنةُ الأقلامِ تَنطِقُ عنْهُمُ

إذا سكتوا في كلِّ حقٍّ وباطِلِ

The tongues of pens speak of them

When they are silent regarding each truth and falsehood.

رأيتُ سُيوفاً لا تقومُ صُدورُها

فهلْ لكَ في سيفٍ طويلِ الحَمائِلِ

I saw swords whose cores will not stand firm,

So do you have a lengthy, long-bladed sword

يَسركَ أنْ ولّيتَهُ غيرَ مِفصَلِ

ويُرضيكَ إنْ جربتَه في المَفاصِلِ

You would appoint though it has no hilt,

And you would test though it has no tested parts?

فإنّي لأرجو من عطائِكَ دولةً

تؤملني فيها شُعوبُ القَبائِلِ

For I hope from your gift a kingdom

In which I can hope for the allegiance of tribes.