أَمَّا الشُّرَيفُ مِنَ الغَضا فَبَعيدُ

لَولا الرَّكائِبُ وَالدُّجا وَالبيدُ

The noble man is far from stinginess,

Were it not for carriages, darkness and the desert,

وَضَوامِرٌ غَلَبَت عَلى صَهَواتِها

شُعثٌ تَطولُ مَعَ القَنا وَتَميدُ

And a plentiful rain has overcome its downpours,

Disheveled hair grows long with spears and extends,

يا سائِقَ الأَظعانِ أَيُّ لُبانَةٍ

بِالنَّعفِ تَنشُدُها المَهاري القُودُ

O driver of camels, which doe

Is sought by the skilled guide with a halter?

عَزَّت عَلى سَوم الغَرامِ فَما دَرى

وَلَعُ النَّسيمِ بِها وَلا التَّغرِيدُ

It was difficult for the passion of love, and it did not know

The madness of the breeze for it or the chirping,

وَعَلى الثَّنِيَّةِ مِن تَبالَة مَوعِدٌ

عَقَمَت بِهِ الآمالُ وَهيَ وَلودُ

And at the pass from Tabalah is an appointed tryst,

At it hopes were fruitless though it is one that gives birth,

وَمُهَوِّنٍ لِلوَجدِ يَحسَبُ أَنَّها

يَومَ العُذَيبِ مَدامِعٌ وَخُدودُ

And one who makes light of anguish thinks it

A day of sweet water, tears and cheeks.

سَل بانَة الوادي فَلَيسَ يَفوتُها

خَبَرٌ يَطولُ بِهِ الجَوى وَيَزيدُ

Ask the doe of the valley, for nothing escapes it,

A long story by which love grows and increases,

وَانشُد مَعي ضوء الصَّباحِ وَقُل لَهُ

كَم تَستَطيلُ بِكَ اللَّيالي السُّودُ

And recite with me in the morning light, and say to it,

How long are the black nights prolonged by you?

وَإِذا هَبَطتَ الوادِيَينِ وَفيهِما

دِمَنٌ حُبِسنَ عَلى البِلى وَعُهودُ

And if you alight in the two valleys, and in them

Are loves held fast to ruin and covenants,

وَاخدَع فُؤادي في الخَليطِ لَعَلَّهُ

يَهفو عَلى آثارِهِم وَيَعودُ

And deceive my heart in the thicket so that it

May yearn for their vestiges and return,

أَصَبابَةٌ بِالجزعِ بَعدَ سوَيقَةٍ

شُغلٌ لعَمركَ يا أُمَيمُ جَديدُ

Pouring with grief after Suwaqah

Is a new occupation, O Umaym, for your life

وَمُطَوَّح رَكِبَ الخَطيَّ بِعَزمَةٍ

هَبَّت وَسارِيَةُ النُّجومِ هُجودُ

And the rider of the valley was cast down with resolve,

And the banners of the stars scattered in defeat,

ذَعَروا الدُّجى فَتَناثَرَت مِن جيدِهِ

نَحوَ الصَّباحِ قَلائِدٌ وَعُقودُ

They fled the darkness so its necklaces and strings

Flew towards the dawn,

عَرِّج عَلى الحَيِّ الذَّمِيمِ فَدونَهُ

بُخلٌ يَصُدُّ عَنِ القِرى وَيَذودُ

Stop by the despicable tribe, for next to it

Is meanness that keeps people away and repels,

إِنَّ الَّذينَ يعزّ طالِبُ رفدِهِم

بَشَرٌ يُضَيَّعُ لَمعُهُ وَرُعُودُ

Those whose asker finds it hard to supply them

Are people whose light is wasted and lightning hidden,

لي في بُيوتِهِمُ القِصارُ أَوابِدٌ

مَعقولَةٌ بِاللُّؤمِ وَهيَ شُرودُ

For me in their short houses are deserts

Intelligent in villainy though they are distracted,

وَمُطَلَّحاتٍ يَنتَجِعنَ مَوارِداً

آلُ الظَهيرَةِ قَبلَها مَورودُ

And they hunt for pastures

While yesterday the morn drank from them,

حَوَّلنَ في طَلَبِ العُلا فَتَقاعَسَت

عَنهُنَّ أَيدٍ بِالنَّوالِ جُمودُ

They turned to seeking heights but hands grew idle

From helping them and sank into stagnation,

وَأَصابَها السُّلَمِيُّ نَشدَةَ باخِل

شَنعاء طائِرُ ذِكرِها غِرّيدُ

And the Sulami reproached them with a miserly

Ugly song, its fame chirping,

يا ابنَ اللَّئيمَةِ لَستَ مِن أَكفائِها

فارجِع فَإِنَّكَ بِالثَّراءِ عَميدُ

O son of a despicable woman, you are not their equal

So turn away, for you are eminent in wealth,

النّارُ مَطلول لَدَيكَ مَعَ النَّدى

سَيّانُ وَعدٌ كاذِبٌ وَوَعيدُ

The fire is unleashed for you with dew,

They are equal, a lying promise and a threat,

أَتَرَكتَ سَرحَكَ بِالجَزيرَةِ مُهمَلاً

وَعَجِبتَ حينَ عَدا عَلَيهِ السيِّدُ

Did you neglect your pasture in the island, leaving it untended,

And were amazed when the chieftain raided it?

لَو أَنَّ قَومَكَ مِن كِنانَةَ أَشرَعَت

أَيدٍ يَطولُ بِها القَنا وَالجُودُ

Had your people been from Kinanah hands would unfold

With which charity lasts long and flows,

قَومٌ يَلوحُ لَهُم عَلى عَليائِهِم

قَبلَ اللِّقاءِ دَلائِلٌ وَشُهودُ

A people for whom before the encounter signs appear

And witnesses on their loftiness,

فاللامِعاتُ أَسِنَّةٌ وَأَسِرَّة

وَالمائِساتُ ذَوابِلٌ وَقُدودُ

So the shining blades are tongues and the drinking vessels

Are provisions and cauldrons,

هَبّوا إِلى المَجدِ الرَّفيعِ فَأَحرَزوا

قَصَباتِهِ وَبَنو الزَّمانِ رُقودُ

They set out for glorious honor and gained

Its harvest while the people of the times slumbered,

وَبَنَت لَهُم أَحسابُهُم وَسُيوفُهُم

بَيتاً عَمودُ الصُّبحِ فيهِ عَمودُ

And their judgment and swords built for them

A house whose pillars are pillars from early morning,

جادوا وَأَندِيَةُ الغَمامِ بَخِيلَة

وَجَروا وَشارِدَةُ الرِّياحِ رُكودُ

They gave freely while the clouds of rain were stingy

And dragged while the winds of autumn slumbered,

مِن دينِهِم أَنَّ السَّماحَ عَلَيهِمُ

فَرض وَإِنَّ الرّافِدَ المَرفودُ

Part of their faith is that charity is a duty upon them

And that the rejected supplicant is cast off,

حَيٌّ تَناسَبَ في العُلا فَأُصولُهُ

أَغصانُهُ وَالوالِدُ المَولودُ

A living tribe harmonious in glory so its roots

Are its branches and the father is the born,

إِن قَصَّروا عَن غايَةِ ابنِ مُقَلَّدٍ

فَمِنَ الأَراكَةِ غُصنُها الأملودُ

If they fall short of the apex of the imitated son

Then that is the branch which is flexible,

شَأوٌ يَفوتُ طِلابَهُم غَلواؤُهُ

إِنَّ البَعيدَ عَلَيهمُ لَبَعيدُ

An eminence which its seekers miss in their exaggeration

For the distant to them is distant indeed,

لَولاهُ ما عُرِفَ النَّوالُ وَلَم تَكُن

تَدري الغَمامُ الغُرُّ كَيفَ تَجودُ

Were it not for them charity would not be known nor would

The ignorant cloud know how to show liberality,

وَعَفا الثَّناء مِنَ الزَّمانِ وَأَهلِهِ

فَتَشابَهَ المَذمومُ وَالمَحمودُ

And praise slipped away from time and its people

So the blameworthy and the praised became confused,

شَرَفاً بَني الأَجدادِ يُعدَمُ أَمسكَ ال

ماضي فَيَخلفُ يَومُكَ المَوجودُ

A nobility, O scions of ancestors, without your past

To replace your present time,

وَعُلاً أَبا حَسَنٍ فَرَهطُكَ رُم

حُها العالي وَأَنتَ لِواؤُهُ المَعقودُ

And a loftiness, Abu Hasan, so your kin folk

Were tossed high by the Most High and you are their streaming banner,

إِن لَم يَكُن بَيني وَبَينَكَ نِسبَةٌ

قَرُبَت فَإِنّي مِنكُمُ مَعدودُ

If there is no blood tie between me and you

Then I am counted as one of you,

لِي فيكَ مِن فِقَرِ الكَلامِ غَرائِبٌ

يُثني عَلَيها الدَّهرُ وَهوَ حَسودُ

For me in you are marvels of speech

For which time would praise though it is envious,

لَولا هَواك لَطالَ عَن تَثقيفِها

قَدري وَلَو أَنَّ النُّجومَ قَصِيدُ

Were it not for passion for you my power would have prolonged

Instructing it even if the stars intoned poems,

وَلَعَزَّ عَن طَوعِ القِيادِ زِمامُها

لَو أَنَّ غَيرَكَ كُفؤها المَقصودُ

And the reins of guidance would have slipped

Had other than you been its sought goal,

أَعرَضتَ عَن ذُلِّ الطِّلابِ وَرُبَّما

وَجَدَ المُريحُ وَأَخفَقَ المَكدودُ

You turned away from the disgrace of begging, and perhaps

The content gained while the afflicted was frustrated,

وَسَكَنتَ في ظِلِّ النَّزاهَةِ فَليُصَن

مالَ البَخيلِ رِتاجُهُ المَسدودُ

And you dwelt in the shadow of integrity so the wealth

Of the miser may be guarded while it is barred,

وَإِذا وَجَدتَ العَيشَ يُعقِبُ صَفوُهُ

كَدَراً فَإِنَّ شَقِيَّهُ لَسَعيدُ

And when you find life’s comfort followed by bitterness

Then its misfortunes are fortunate indeed,

العُمرُ حُلمٌ وَاللَّيالي قُلَّبٌ

وَالبُخلُ فَقرٌ وَالثَّناءُ خُلودُ

Life is a dream and the nights fickle moments,

Stinginess is poverty and praise is eternity,