أَتُرى طَيفُكُم لَمّا سَرى
أَخَذَ النَّومَ وَأَعطى السَّهَرا
Do you see their specter when they set out
Taking sleep and giving wakefulness?
أَم ذَهَلنا وَتَمادى لَيلُنا
فَتَوَهَّمنا العِشاء السَّحَرا
Or did we become confused and our night prolonged
That we imagined the late supper as dawn?
ما نَلومُ اللَّيلَ بَل نَعذُرُهُ
إِنَّما طَوَّلَهُ مَن قَصَّرا
We do not blame the night, but excuse it -
He who shortened it lengthened it
إِن لَبِسناهُ ظَلاماً داجِياً
فيما كانَ صَباحاً مُسفِرا
If we clothed it in dark gloom
While it was a bright morning
يا عيوناً بِالغَضى راقِدَة
حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيكُنَّ الكَرى
O eyes asleep with resentment
God has forbidden you from seeing me
لَو عَدَلتُنَّ تَساهَمنا جَوىً
مثلَما كُنّا اشتَرَكنا نَظَرا
If you were fair, we would share intimacy
As we once shared glances
سَل فُروعَ البانِ عَن قَلبي فَقَد
وَهِمَ البارِقُ فيما ذَكَرا
Ask the boughs of the acacia about my heart, for
The lightning in what it mentioned was mistaken
قالَ في الرَّبع وَما أَحسَبَهُ
فارَقَ الأَظعانَ حَتّى انفَطَرا
It said in the open country and I did not think
That it parted from the clouds until it cracked
ما عَلى الغَيرانِ مِن سُقيا الحِمى
أَحَرامٌ عِندَهُ أَن يُمطَرا
The rain clouds have no prohibitions
From watering the blazes when your Lord is angered
وَإِذا أَغضَبَهُ ريُّكُمُ
فَسَقى اللَّهُ الفَضا وَالسُّمُرا
So God watered the expanse and the faded traces
Good words were suited to you
حَبَّذا فيكَ حَديث طاهِرٌ
فَطِنَ الدَّمعُ بِهِ فانتَشَرا
So tears flowed with them
The slanderer told and we had misgivings
خَبَّرَ الواشي وَفينا رَيبَةٌ
توجِبُ التُّهمَةُ فيما خَبَّرا
Suspicion necessitates blame in what he told
A glance that hid tears that did not cease
نَظَرٌ مَوَّهَ دَمعاً لَم يَزَل
يُفصِحُ الوَجدُ بِهِ حَتّى جَرى
Passion expressed through them until they flowed
O people of the tent, does your disgrace
يا بَني العَوّام هَل ذُلُّكُمُ
يَمنَعُ المَوتورَ أَن يَنتَصِرا
Prevent the distressed from gaining vengeance?
No free soul attains its goal
دونَ نَيلِ الضَّيم نَفسٌ حُرَّة
وَالمَطايا وَالفَيافي وَالسُّرى
With the mounts and tents being struck
I am not one who crouches in his den
لَستُ مَن يَقبَعُ في حَبوَتِهِ
يَتَمَنّى في الأَعادي الظَّفَرا
Wishing for triumph over the enemies
Do I see the incapacity as a cradle
أَمِنَ العَجزِ مِهاداً أَرى
طَلَبَ العِزِّ يُثيرُ الخَطَرا
Seeking glory stirs up danger?
And he is overcome by his opponent
وَهوَ مَغلوب عَلى صارِمِهِ
يَتبَعُ الدَّهرَ إِذا ما أَمَرا
Following fate wherever it leads
O you who slumber from his vigor
أَيُّها الرّاقِدُ عَن نُهزَتِهِ
ما يَروعُ السَّيفُ حَتّى يُشهَرا
The sword does not frighten until it is drawn
Your people, if you throw them
إِنَّما قَومُكَ إِن رُمتَهُمُ
فَقعَةٌ تَسكُن وَعثاً قَرقَرا
Are a troop that settles and stirs up turmoil
Provoke them and they are, due to their defects
شُنَّها فَهيَ عَلى عِلَّاتِها
تُلبِسُ الجَوَّ عُجاجاً أَكدَرا
Cloaking the atmosphere in darker clouds
Perhaps they will reveal an event
عَلَّها تُسفِرُ عَن حادِثَةٍ
يَسبِقُ الأَبيَضُ فيها الأَسمَرا
In which the white outpaces the black
Our cavalry in which riders mix
فَالهُوَينا مَركَبٌ ما خِلتُهُ
يُشرِكُ البادونَ فيهِ الحَضَرا
With the Bedouin in settlements and towns
A band whose herder roused them
ثُلَّةٌ هَوَّمَ راعيها فَما
يَعتَفي سِرحانُها أَن يَعقرا
And their departure cannot be prevented
We hoped in you, so roll up your sleeves
قَد رَجَوناكَ فَشَمِّر جاهِداً
إِنَّما يُدرِكُها مَن شَمَّرا
For only one who rolls up his sleeves will achieve it
Glory refused except for one
وَأَبي المَجدُ لَقَد فازَ بِهِ
سالِكٌ فيهِ السَّبيلُ الأَوعَرا
Who took its most difficult path
Were it not for his restraint
مِن بَني الأَحرارِ لَولا كَفُّهُ
سَبَقَت في الجودِ قَيسٌ حِميَرا
Qais would have outdone Himer in generosity
Impoverished in wealth but rich in munificence
مُعسِرٌ مالاً وَمُثرٍ كَرَماً
إِنَّما أَترَبَ لَمّا أَقتَرا
He only drew near when he became destitute
A gathering in which doubt was planted
مُنتَدى قَد غُرِسَ الظَّنُّ بِهِ
ثُمَّ ما أَورَقَ حَتّى أَثمَرا
Then it did not flourish until it bore fruit
From generous men whose eggs hatched
مِن كِرام رَتَقَت بَيضُهُمُ
فُرَجَ المَجدِ وَكانَت ثُغَرا
Into openings of glory and gates
They grew accustomed to the shade of loftiness and built
أَلِفوا ظِلَّ العَوالي فَبَنوا
بِرِماحِ المَجدِ أَبياتَ القِرى
With the spears of glory, the houses of encampments
An aid that clothed the land with water
نَجدَة سَربَلَتِ الأَرضَ وَماً
وَحَثَت فَوقَ السَّماءِ العَفَرا
And stirred the dust high in the sky
And rain held back, so they constantly gave
وَنَأى الغَيثُ فَجادوا دِيماً
وَدَجا الخَطبُ فَلاحوا غُرَرا
And adversity struck, so they shone brightly
A bestowal from palms that necessitated
وَنَوالٌ مِن أَكُفّ أَوجَبَت
طاعَةَ الجودِ فَصارَت أَبحُرا
Obedience to munificence, so it became oceans
Ask about it, it almost flows
سَل بِهِ يوشِكُ إِذ أَرسَلَها
كَقَنا الخِطِّ خِفافاً ضُمَّرا
Like channels of calligraphy, pure and gushing
Passion drove it, and when it arrived
قادَها هَميا فَلَمّا وَرَدَت
حَظَرَ الطَّعنُ عَلَيها الصَّدَرا
Blame was prevented from touching it
An onslaught, if pride speaks of it
وَقعَةٌ إِن نَطَقَ الفَخرُ بِها
فَضَلَت قَحطانُ فيها مُضَرا
Qahtan gained precedence over Mudar
And on the battlefield, their eggs returned
وَعَلى المَرجِ أَعادَت بَيضُهُم
كُلَّ جَون في مَعَدٍّ أَشقَرا
Every light-colored intestine to a dark-colored abdomen
They unfurled in it mighty palms
أَشرَعوا فيها أَكُفّاً سَبطَةٌ
عَلَّمَت وَخزَ العَوالي زُفَرا
That taught the lofty summits lessons
And steeds that it supposed were attacking
وَجِياداً ظَنَّها واثِبَةً
مُطرِقُ القَينِ أَثارَ الشَّرَرا
With hooves striking sparks
The clan of Sawwar son of Zayd grew accustomed
رَهطُ سَوّارِ بنِ زَيد أَلِفوا
كَرَماً دَثراً وَماء ثَرثَرا
To abundant generosity and pouring water
And with Ali they had
وَاِستَطالَت بِعَلِيٍّ لَهُمُ
دَوحَةً لَم تَكُ تَشكُ القِصَرا
A vast basin that the palaces did not equal
He saw them while he is the one who informs them
فَشَآهُم وَهوَ مَن يُخبِرُهُم
يَجمَعُ الأُفقَ السُّها وَالقَمَرا
Bringing together the horizon, the star and the moon
O Abu Nasr, a prayer from one
يا أَبا نَصرٍ دُعاء أَمِنَ ال
خَطبِ مَن كانَ بِهِ مُنتَصِرا
Made victorious by it averts disasters
I am, when raiding to protect you
أَنا عِندَ الذَّبِّ عَن أَحسابِكُم
لَجِبٌ عَبٌّ وَقَرمٌ هَدَرا
A fearless lion, a cunning horseman and a charging warrior
I have, due to the sincerity of the affection between us
لِي فيكُمُ عَن وِدادٍ أَمِنَت
صَفوَةُ الإِخلاصِ فيهِ الكَدَرا
A select few whose sincerity the bitterness did not spoil
Every cunning deceitful person envied
كُلُّ غَرّاء شَرودٍ حَسَدَت
أَوَّلُ الدَّهرِ عَلَيها الأخَرا
The later ones against the earlier ones
When I recite it to a caravan, they find
يَجِدُ الرَّكبُ إِذا أَنشَدتُها
عبقَةَ الرِّيحِ تَنوشُ الزَّهَرا
The scent of the wind, intimate with flowers
The speeding camels halt their pace
يَحبِسُ العَجلانُ عَن حاجَتِهِ
وَيَصُمُّ السَّمعُ فيهِ البَصَرا
And hearing in it falls silent before seeing
So make excuses, for we have not swerved
فَابسُطِ العُذرَ فَما زِلنا إِلى
بَحرِكَ الزَّاخِرِ نُهدي الدُّرَرا
From sending to your abundant sea, its pearls
