أَظُنُّ نَسيمَ الرِّيحِ مِن حَيثُ أَرسَلا

أَعادَ عَلى بَرقِ اللِّوا ما تَحَمَّلا

I think the soft breeze from where it was sent

Has brought back to the lightning of twilight what it has endured

وَما لاحَ مُختالاً عَلَينا بِعِلمِهِ

وَعَرَّضَ بِالدَّهناءِ إِلّا لِيُسأَلا

And it did not appear boastfully with its knowledge over us

Rather it pretended ignorance that it may be asked

رَوى مُجمَلاً وَالبانُ يَتلو حَديثَهُ

فَفَسَّرَ ما قالَ النَّسيمُ وَفَصَّلا

It related vaguely while the narrator interpreted its words

Explaining what the breeze said and elaborating

وَخَيَّرَ بِالمَحلِ الركائِبَ بَعدَ ما

ضَمِنّا لَها خِصبَ العُذَيبِ تَعَلُّلا

And it gave the choice to the riders after

We guaranteed the fertility of al-Udhayb for it to roam

فَما كانَ إِلّا صادِقاً غَيرَ أَنَّهُ

حَديثٌ هَوَينا فيهِ أَن يَتأَوَّلا

Yet it was truthful except that

It was a discourse we tended to interpret

وَهَل عَلِمَ البَرقُ اليَمانيُّ أَنَّنا

طَرَفنا بِهِ طَرفاً مِنَ اللَّيلِ أَكحَلا

Does the Yemeni lightning know that we

Have delighted in it for a wink of the night

وَما بالَهُ خَصَّ الغَضا بِابتِسامَةٍ

وَسَلَّ عَلى رَملِ الشَّقيقَةِ مَنصَلا

Why did it exclusively smile upon the young gazelle

And travel on the sands of al-Shaqq picking daisies

وَفي الرَّكبِ طاوٍ لَو أَتى الذِّئب ضافَه

عَلى الزّادِ إِمّا غادَة أَو تَفَضَّلا

And in the riders is a generous man who if a wolf visited would

Welcome him to the provisions whether absent or uninvited

إِذا خَطَرَت في جانِبِ البِشرِ نَفحَةٌ

تَرَنَّحَ في أَعطافِهِ وَتَمَلمَلا

If an aroma stirs on the side of mortals

It moans in their limbs tossing and turning

يَعُدُّ أَناتي لِلعَدوِّ قَساوَة

وَطَوعَ قيادي لِلصَّديقِ تَدَللا

It counts my firmness towards the enemy as cruelty

And my docility to a friend as coddling

يَلومُ عَلى عَيشٍ تَبَرَّضتُ عَفوَهُ

وَأَيُّ حُسامٍ لَم يُصادِف مِفصَلا

It blames the livelihood I disdained to forgive

And which sword has not met a joint

إِلَيكَ فَإِنّي قَد عَقَلتُ رَكائِبي

فَلَم أَرَ عاراً مِثلَ أَن أَتَرَحَّلا

To you I have tamed my riders

For I saw no shame like travelling

رَمى البُخل طُلّاب الغِنى في سُؤالِهِ

وَكُنتُ عَلى وَجهي أضِنُّ وَأَبخَلا

Stinginess has stricken the seekers of wealth when asking

While I was more demeaning and miserly on my face

وَأَثقَلُ رِفدٍ ما امتَطى المَنُّ ظَهرَهُ

وَشَرُّ ثَراء ما أَتاكَ تَطَوُّلا

The heaviest provision is what ingratitude rode its back

And the worst riches are those that came to you presumptuously

لأَخلفَ غَيثٌ بِالسُّؤالِ انتِجاعَهُ

وَأَجذَبَ رَوضٌ بِالمَذَلَّةِ يُجتَلى

For rainflow withheld by asking will diminish

And a meadow will dry up from humiliation when grazed

عذيري مِنَ الأَيّامِ تُلقى بِثابِتٍ

مِنَ البِشرِ رَوضاً أَو مِنَ الجودِ جَدوَلا

My excuse from the days comes upon steadfastness

From the mortals, a meadow, or from generosity, a stream

كَريمٌ إِذا ضَنَّ الغَمامُ فَكَفُّهُ

كَفيلٌ بِطَردِ العامِ أَغيَرَ مُمحِلا

Noble when the clouds are stingy for its palm

Is capable of dispelling the year without search or toil

يُغيرُ عَلى جُنحِ الظَّلامِ بِغُرَّةٍ

تُعَلِّمُ وَجهَ البَدرِ أَن يَتَهَلَّلا

It changes upon the wings of darkness suddenly

Teaching the full moon's face to sparkle

دَعَتهُ إِلى بَذلِ النَّدى أَريَحِيَّةٌ

تَعَوَّدَ مِنها أَن يَقولَ وَيَفعَلا

Its open-handedness invited it to generosity

It became accustomed to say and do

نَوالٌ يَعُمُّ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ

تَضَمَّنَ أَرزاقَ الوَرى وَتَكَفَّلا

A widespread bestowal that covers the land as though

It has undertaken the provision of all and assumed responsibility

إِذا استَحدَثَ المَجد الطَّريف أَبَت لَه

مَناصِبُهُ إِلّا القَديمَ المُؤثَّلا

When glory innovates elevations, only

Its positions accept the old and settled

عُلاً وُجِدَت وَالدَّهرُ في حِجرِ أُمِّهِ

وَخَيرُ خَليلَيكَ الَّذي كانَ أَوَّلا

You were born noble while the religion of stinginess, its minaret was high

Thus you were brilliant in generosity, a messenger

مِنَ القَومِ حَلّوا في السَّماءِ فَمِنهُمُ الس

سَحائِبُ تُمري وَالأَهِلَّةُ تُجتَلى

They blamed you for wasting your money on charity

Far be it from you to be wealthy or pile up riches

أَقَمتَ عَزيز الدَّولَةِ الجودَ واصِفاً

لما غابَ مِن أَفعالِهِم وَمُمَثّلا

You have revived from benevolence what was dying

And clarified in kindness what was confusing

خُلِقتَ وَدينُ البُخلِ عالٍ مَنارُهُ

فَكُنتَ نَبيهاً بِالسَّماحَةِ مُرسلا

So if you are unique in this era, you have only

Taken a path that was neglected before you

وَلاموكَ في إِتلافِ مالِكَ بِالنَّدى

وَحاشاكَ أَن تَغنى وَأَن تَتَمَوَّلا

Your ransom is a watchtower whose guards

And fires are only for cattle to graze and twist

عَمَرتَ مِنَ الإِحسانِ ما كانَ دارِساً

وَأَوضَحتَ في المَعروفِ ما كانَ مُشكِلا

I dislike its slaughter for the stinginess of its owner’s palm

Did it feel safe from humiliation that it may be humiliated

فَإِن كُنتَ فَذّا في الزَّمانِ فَإِنَّما

سَلَكتَ سَبيلاً كانَ قَبلَكَ مُهمَلا

Your father whose bestowal has reached all people

That no good from his munificence remained barred

فِداؤُكَ مُثرٍ ما أعِدَّ سَوامُهُ

وَنيرانُهُ إِلّا لِتُرعى وَتُصطَلى

And how many generous souls have the days oppressed with injustice

To find none but him as the reliable source

أَذُمُّ لَها مِن نَحرِها بُخلَ كَفِّهِ

فَهَل أَمِنَت مِن ذِلَّةٍ أَن تُذَلَّلا

And who can the horizons and stars see

With your smile apparent and your face welcoming

أَبوكَ الَّذي عَمَّ الأَنامَ نَوالُهُ

فَلَم يَبقَ جيداً مِن نَداهُ مُعَطَّلا

And elevation has not come to you but as evidence

About you and an opinion in you that may change

وَكَم قَصَدَ الدَّهرَ الكِرامُ بِجورِهِ

فَما وَجَدوا إِلّا عَلَيهِ المُعَوَّلا

With the white dual blade you have contained

Your right hand from it that it may return folded

وَمَن لِبُدورِ الأُفقِ وَالمُزنِ أَن تَرى

بَنانَكَ مَبسوطاً وَوَجهَكَ مُقبلا

And bare hills that found no shade but its shadows

No shelters, and owned no land or homes

وَما جاءَكَ التَّشريفُ إِلّا دلالَةً

عَلَيكَ وَرَأياً فيكَ أَن يَتَبَدَّلا

It escapes sight’s opportunity so it was quicker than

The lightning unless it had been too hasty

بِأَبيَضَ ماضي الشَّفرَتَينِ تَضَمَّنَت

يَمينُكَ عَنهُ أَن يَعودَ مُفَلَّلا

And pliant sand dunes the wind has uncovered

Capped with a crescent and starry jewels

وَأَجرَدَ نَهد لَم يَجِد غَيرَ ظِلّه

رَسيلاً وَلَم يَملِك مِنَ الأَرضِ مَنزِلا

It has from the watcher a careful eye

And from the mannered one to sway

يَفوتُ مَجالَ الطَّرفِ حَتّى تَخالَهُ

مِنَ البَرقِ لَولا أَنَّهُ كانَ أَعجَلا

And purity like gardens visited by

The south wind’s joy and laden clouds

وَهَيفاء طَوعُ الرّيحِ قَد خَلَعَ الدُّجا

عَلَيها هِلالاً بِالنُّجومِ مُكَلَّلا

More beautiful than it are my curiosities that I send

To you and which praise clothes you with veneration

لَها مِن خِلالِ المَشرَفِيِّ صِقالَهُ

وَمِن شِيَمِ الخَطِّيِّ أَن يَتَمَيَّلا

My thoughts were wandering astray in leadership

Thus have not knocked on a door of the tribe shut close

وَصافِيَةٍ مِثلِ الرِّياضِ تَزورها ال

جَنائِبُ نَشوى وَالسَّحائِبُ حُفَّلا

Jealous that its ardour be content with other than you

Or hope, apart from you, longingly

لأَحسَن مِنها ما تَزف غَرائِبي

إِلَيكَ وَتَكسوكَ الثَّناء المُبَجِّلا

And if the caller of plenty had lured it, it would have

Shortened its steps and thinking thickened pulling it back

شَوارِدُ كانَت في القِيادِ أَبِيَّةً

فَما قَرَعَت باباً مِنَ القَومِ مُقفَلا

But it is frank affection and honour

Too far in its reins that it be loosened

أَغارَ عَلَيها أَن يُراضَ جُموحُها

لِغَيرِكَ أَو تَرجو سِواكَ مُؤَمَّلا

وَلَو رامَها داعي النَّوالِ تَقاصَرَت

خُطاها وَأَكدى الفِكرُ فيها وَأَجبَلا

وَلَكِنَّهُ وُدٌّ صَريحٌ وَذِمَّةٌ

بَعيدٌ عَلى أَمراسِها أَن تُحَلَّلا