أَعَرَفتَ مِن عَبقِ النَّسيمِ الفائِحِ
خَبَرَ العُذَيبِ وَبانه المتَناوِحِ
The scent of the gentle breeze revealed
News of the aromatic wood and the sighing branches
وَاقتادَ طَرفَكَ بارِق مَلَكَت بِهِ
ريحُ الجَنوبِ عَنانَ أَشقَرَ رامِحِ
And your gaze was led by a flash of lightning
That the south wind had released from a blond bow
هَبَّ اختِلاساً في الدُّجا وَنُجومُهُ
يَكرَعنَ مِن حَوضِ الصَّباحِ الطَّافِحِ
Rising furtively in the darkness with its stars
Drinking from the basin of the abundant dawn
وَالنَّسرُ في أُفُقِ المَغارِبِ رايَةٌ
تَهفو بِعالِيَةِ السِّماكِ الرَّامِحِ
The eagle on the horizon of the west is a flag
Yearning with the height of the towering summit
فَطَوى حَواشِيهِ وَجادَ بِوَمضِهِ
مِثلَ الشَّرارَةِ مِن زِنادِ القادِحِ
It folded its edges and shone with its flashes
Like sparks from the flint of the kindling fire
دَقَّت عَلى لَمحِ العُيونِ وَما خَبَت
حَتّى تَضَرَّمَ في حَشا وَجَوانِحِ
Beating upon the glances of the eyes without fading
Until it crashed into cheeks and temples
بَعَثَ الغَرامُ المُدلِجينَ تَوَسَّدوا
أَكوارَ عُوجٍ كَالقِسِيِّ طَلائِحِ
Love awakened the slumbering ones who rested
On the bends of crooked wood like upright spears
فَتَرَنَّحوا فَوقَ الرِّحالِ كَأَنَّما
هَزَّت قُدودَهُمُ سُلافَةُ صابِحِ
They sighed upon the saddles as if
Their necks were shaken by the rider at dawn
دَبَّ الكَرى فيهِم فَمَوَّةَ زَورَة
خَفِيَت عَلَى نَظَرِ الرَّقيبِ الكاشِحِ
Lust crept into them so the visiting one
Was hidden from the sight of the vigilant guard
طَيفٌ تَضُوعُ بِهِ الرِّياضُ وَيَدَّعي
خَطَراتِهِ لَمعُ الصَّباحِ اللاَّئِحِ
A specter the gardens flourish with
Claiming its dangers are the shining morning’s beams
كَيفَ اِهتَدَيتَ وَدونَنا مَجهولَةٌ
بَهماء تَهزَأ مِن جَناحِ السَّارِحِ
How did you find your way while we are lost
In meaningless confusion mocking the wings of the retreating one
وَالحَرَّتانِ وَجَمرَة مَضروبَة
مَشبوبَةٌ بِذَوابِلٍ وَصَفائِحِ
The heated sands and scattered embers
And rising smoke and glistening white tents
وَمُثار قَسطَلَةٍ وَبيضُ صَوارِمٍ
وَدِلاصُ سابِغَةٍ وَجُردُ سَوابِحِ
And the stirred partridges and swords’ blades
And polished spears and swimming gray coats
مِن كُلِّ شارِدَةٍ كَأَنَّ عِنانَها
يُعطيكَ سالِفَةَ الغَزالِ السَّانِحِ
From every startled one as if its reins
Would give you the predecessor of the nimble gazelle
يَنفِرنَ عَن عَذبِ النُّمَيرِ وَلَو جَرى
بِدَمِ الطِّعانِ وَرَدنَ غَيرَ قَوامِحِ
They shy away from the sweet stream though it flowed
With spears’ blood unless it was turbid and roiling
ما كُنتَ تَبذُلُ لِلغَريبِ تَحِيَّةً
بُخلاً فَكَيفَ سَرَيتَ نَحوَ النَّازِحِ
You would not bestow greetings on the stranger
So how did you go towards the fleeing one
وَلَعَلَّ عَطفَكَ أَن يَعودَ بِمِثلِها
بَعدَ الرُّقادِ فَرُبَّ يَومٍ صالِحِ
Perhaps your kindness will return the like
After slumber, for many days can be wholesome
قَد أَصحَبُ الدَّهرَ الأَبِيَّ قِيادُهُ
قَسراً وَفَرَّجَ كُلَّ خَطبٍ فادِحِ
Fate has forced its cruel leader
And relieved every grave affliction
وَهَمى بَنانُ أَبي المُتَوَّجِ بَعدَما
نَسَخَ السَّماحَ وَعَزَّ صِدقَ المادِحِ
After erasing benevolence and rare became the sincere praiser
The resolves of my father the crowned one ambitiously strove
يوفِي عَلَى طَلَبِ العُفاةِ نَوالُهُ
كَالبَحرِ يَغرَقُ فيهِ قَعبُ المانِحِ
His generosity fulfills the destitute’s requests
Like a sea in which the diver’s palms are overwhelmed
لَو راض نافِرَةَ القُلوبِ بِرَأيِهِ
سَكَنَ البُغاثُ إِلى هَوِيِّ الجارِحِ
If he pleased the hearts averse with his opinion
The predators would settle to the lair of the wounding one
ما جارَ عَن سَنَنِ العُفاةِ نَوالُهُ
حَتّى يَدُلَّ عَلَيهِ صَوتُ النّابِحِ
His generosity to the destitute never deviated
Until the wailing voices proclaim it
مَغنىً إِذا وَرَدَ الضُّيوفُ فِناءَهُ
وَجَدوا قِرى الثّاوي وَزادَ الرّائِحِ
A haven if guests come to his abode
They find the hospitality of the sedentary and provision of the wind
حَلَبَ العِشارَ مِنَ النُّحورِ وَزادَ عَن
أَلبانِها دَرَّ النَّجيعِ السّافِحِ
He milked the camels’ udders and beyond
Their milk, the valleys’ descending honey overflowed
مُتَوَقِّدُ العَزَماتِ فَيّاضُ النَّدى
جَذلانُ يَبسِمُ في الزَّمانِ الكالِحِ
Kindling resolutions, abundant in bounty
Flowing open-handed in the arid times
فَرَعَت بِهِ عَوفُ بنُ مُرَّةَ هَضبَةً
في المَجدِ تَحسِرُ كُلَّ طَرفٍ طامِحِ
Auf, son of Murrah, prized him with nobility
At which every ambitious gaze falls short
قَومٌ إِذا رُفِعَ الصَّريخُ لِغارَةٍ
سَبَقَت إِجابَتُهُم نِداء الصّائِحِ
A people, if the battle cry is raised
Their response precedes the screaming summons
وَإِذا رَبيعُ العامِ صَوَّحَ نَبتُهُ
وَجَرَت رِياحُ القَرِّ غَيرَ لَواقِحِ
And if the spring of the year whistled with vegetation
And the rains of autumn fell without impregnating
وَخَبَت بَوارِقُهُ وَحَرَّمَ جَدبُهُ
بَذلَ القِرى وَأَباحَ عَقرَ النّاصِحِ
Its lightning faded and its barrenness deprived
Homes of generosity and permitted betraying the advisor
نَصبوا العِماقَ الرّاسِياتِ وَأَعجَلوا
نِيرانَها بِعَقائِرٍ وَذَبائِحِ
They set up lofty pillars and hurried
Their fires with religious dues and sacrifices
كَرم تَوارَثَهُ الأَكُفُّ وَحلبَةٌ
في الفَضلِ يُقرَنُ مُهرُها بِالقارِحِ
A nobility inherited by the open-handed, and an arena
In virtue its charging steed contends with the warrior
يَهفو بِأَعطافِ الوَليدِ مِراحُهُ
فَإِذا اِحتَبى فَالهَضبُ لَيسَ بِراجِحِ
Panting for the turns of Al-Walid, if he inclines
The nobility cannot outweigh his preference
سَبَقَ الكِرامَ مُقَلَّدٌ في غايَةٍ
جُهدُ الجَوادِ بِها كَعَفوِ الرّازِحِ
He surpassed the generous wearing an unmatched achievement
That the exertion of the steed cannot match like the trotting camel
وَجَرى فَقَصَّرَ طالِبُوهُ وَإِنَّما
ضَلُّوا عَلى أَثَرِ الطَّريقِ الواضِحِ
They fell short in pursuing him, though they only
Strayed on the path that was evident
يا جامِعَ الآمالِ وَهيَ بَدائِدٌ
شَتّى وَرائِضُ كُلِّ صَعبٍ جامِحِ
O gatherer of hopes while they are scattered
Far and wide, the yearnings of every arduous endeavor
شَرَّفت مِن أَيدي عُلاكَ وَإِنَّما
عَبقُ اللَّطيمَةِ مِن بَنانِ الفاتِحِ
You were ennobled at the hands of your ascent, for only
The lasting scent is from the youth of the conqueror
وَحَبَوتَ أَلقاب الإِمام نَباهَةً
وَسِواكَ طَوَّقَها بِعارٍ فاضِحِ
You assumed the titles of the Imam with splendor
While none but you adorned them without disgrace
لَو ماثَلوا اللَّفظَينِ كُنتَ بِرَغمِهِ
سَعدَ السُّعودِ وَكانَ سَعدَ الذَّابِحِ
Had they paralleled the two terms, you would have despite him
Been Saad the Fortunate, while he was Saad the Slaughterer
ما طالَ قَدرُكَ عَن مَداهُ وَإِنَّما
هَزّوا قَناتَكَ بِاللِّواءِ الطّائِحِ
Your esteem was not beyond its extent, but rather
They shook your spear with the hovering banners
فَاسلَم لِمُلكٍ أَنتَ غَربُ حُسامِهِ ال
ماضي وَعبقَةُ رَوضِهِ المُتَفاوِحِ
So make peace with a rule whose swords you are the setting sun
With no yesterday, and the aroma of its garden still lingers
وَفِداكَ مُغتَصِبُ الثَّراءِ جَديدُهُ
أَخَذَ الرِّياسَةَ فَلتَةً مِن مازِحِ
For your sake, usurper of the wealth, its newness
Seized leadership jokingly from the humorous one
نَسَبٌ كَما جَنَّ الظَّلامُ فَلَم يَلُح
لِلمُدلِجينَ بِهِ ضِياء مَصابِحِ
A lineage as the darkness beget darkness without gleaming
With the lamps for the sleepers from it
نَبَذَتهُ دَولَتُهُ وَكانَت رَوضَةً
يَخلو الذُّبابُ بِها وَلَيسَ بِبارِحِ
His state discarded him, and it was a meadow
Wherein only flies roamed without a roamer
وَتملّ ما أَهدى إِلَيكَ فَإِنَّها
نَظمُ الشَّقِيقِ وَنَبتُ فِكرِ النّاصِحِ
And overlook what was bestowed upon you, for it is
The prose of the loyal and thoughts of the advisor
وَسَميرَةُ النّادي وَمُطلَقَةُ الجبا
وَزَميلَةُ السّاري وَأُنسُ الصّادِحِ
And the confidante of the club, releaser of worries
And companion of the caravan, and friend of the chanter
وَالباقِياتُ الصّالِحاتُ وَرُبَّما
كانَت بَواقي القَولِ غَيرَ صَوالِحِ
And lasting good deeds, though perhaps
The remainder of words may not be wholesome
