يا ناق إِن أَثرى العُذَيبُ وَرَوَّضا
فَلَنا دُيون بِالأَسِنَّةِ تُقتَضى
O she-camel, if the perfumes of Udhayb delight me,
Then debts are owed through our tongues to be paid,
قَد ماطَلَ القَدَرُ الجَموحُ بِوَعدِهِ
فيها وَآنَ لِمُغمَدٍ أَن يُنتَضى
Destiny has lingered its extravagant promise therein,
And it is time for a sheathed one to be drawn.
بَيني وَبَينَ الذُّلِّ عِزُّ قَناعَةٍ
نَبَذَ الجَمامَ إباؤها وَتَبَرَّضا
Between me and disgrace is the honor of contentment,
Its repugnance has discarded worries and been gentle.
وَسِنانُ مُطَّرِدِ الكُعوبِ مُثَقَّفٌ
كَالصِّلِّ صَرَّحَ بِالوَعيدِ وَنَضنَضا
And the teeth of the herder of evil forebodings are refined
Like sparks that have clarified with threats and chuckled.
حُبُّ الغِنى عَقَلَ اللِّئامَ وَفاتَهُ
طَيّانُ أَترَبَ بِالثَّناءِ وَأَنفَضا
Love of wealth has bound the wicked and escaped him,
The flatterer of sand has praised with applause and shaken off.
غَصَبَ السّراحَ عَلى بَقِيَّةِ زادَها
وَقَرى فَأَمحَضَ لِلضُّيوفِ وَأَنحَضا
It has robbed the saddlebags of the remainder of its provisions,
And dwelled so it welcomes guests and rests.
عَرِّض ثَراءك لِلخُطوبِ وَشُلَّهُ
شَلَّ الطَّريدَةِ قَبلَ أَن يَتَعَرَّضا
Expose your wealth to disasters and paralyze it,
Paralyze the flock before it gets exposed.
وَاِنبُذ غِناكَ فَما رُزيتَ بِذاهِبٍ
لَم يَبدُ عِندَكَ نَفعُهُ حَتّى مَضى
And discard your riches for you have not been granted a vanishing
Whose benefit did not appear to you until it passed.
إِن راعَني وَضَحُ المَشيبِ فَإِنَّهُ
بَرق تَأَلَّقَ بِالخُطوبِ وَأَومَضا
If the radiance of old age preoccupies me, then it
Is a lightning that sparkled with disasters and briefly flashed.
وَلَقَد أَضاءَ وَأَظلَمَت أَيّامُهُ
حَتّى عَرَفتُ بِهِ السَّوادَ الأَبيَضا
It has illuminated and the days have darkened,
Until I knew the black from the white through it.
وَبِجانِبِ العَلَمَينِ شاكٍ سِرَّهُ
إِنّي رَعَيتُ لَهُ النُّجومَ وَغَمَّضا
And near the two banners, a secret it hides,
I have watched the stars for it and they have winked.
وَمُرَنَّحٍ فَطِنَ النَّسيمُ بِوَجدِهِ
فَرَوى لَهُ خَبَرَ العُذَيبِ مُعَرِّضا
And a passionate one whom the breeze understands his fervor,
It has narrated to him the news of Udhayb exposing.
نَم وَاحمَدِ اللَّيلَ القَصيرَ فَلَيلُهُ
بادي الهُمومَ فَلا انقَضَينَ وَلا اِنقَضى
He has slept and praised the short night, so his night
Has manifested worries, it did not end nor finish.
وَسَلِ الصَّباحَ وَقَد أَقامَ بحاجِرٍ
إِن كانَ أَضمَرَ أَن يَمُرَّ عَلى الفَضا
And ask the morning that has resided at stony grounds,
If it has intended to pass unto the horizon.
ذَمَّ الزَّمانَ فَما وَجَدتُ صُروفَهُ
إِلّا ذَلولاً في القِيادِ وَرَيّضا
It has blamed time, but I have not found its circumstances
Except submissive with leading and content.
صَفَحَت نَوائِبُهُ عَنِ ابنِ مُقَلَّدٍ
كَرَماً فَكَيفَ أَلومُهُ فيما مَضى
Its torment has pardoned the son of a ruler,
So how can I blame it for what has passed?
وَلَقَد أَلَمَّ بِهِ فَأَظهَرَ فَضلَهُ
وَالنّارُ لا تَشتَبُّ حَتّى تُحتَضى
It has afflicted him, so he has shown his merit,
And fire is not doubted until it is sparked.
راضَ الزَّمانَ فَأَصبَحَت أَخلاقُهُ
وَأَعادَ صَبغَ شَبابِهِ لَمّا نَضا
It has pleased time, so its ethics have become
And restored the dye of its youth when it glistened.
مِن مَعشَرٍ بَذَلوا النُّفوسَ سَماحَةً
وَحَموا بُيوتَ المَجدِ أَن تَتَقَوَّضا
Of a group who have given their souls generously
And protected the houses of glory from decaying.
عادَت بِهِم ظُلَمُ الخُطوبِ مُضيئَةً
وَالجَدبُ موشِيُّ البُرودِ مُرَوَّضا
With them, the darkness of disasters has been illuminated
And the barren, freezing cold has been watered.
لَولا مُخالَطَةُ الصَّوارِمِ وَالقَنا
مَنَعَ السَّماحُ أَكُفَّهُم أَن تُقبَضا
Had it not been for the mixing with swords and spears
Generosity would have prevented their palms from tightening.
قَومٌ إِذا استَنجَدتَهُم لِمُلِمَّةٍ
مَلأَت عَلَيكَ جِيادُهُم رَحبَ الفَضا
A people, if you seek their help in adversity,
Their coursers have filled the vast horizon for you.
السُّمرُ تَشرَعُ وَالدُّروعُ تَصونُها
سُحبِ السِّهامِ كَأَنَّها رُسُلُ القَضا
The Sumr-trees set forth and the armors protect them
Like the arrows’ clouds as if they are the messengers of fate.
وَالنَّقعُ يُسفِرُ بِالظُّبا فَكَأَنَّهُ
غَضَبٌ تَبَسَّم بَينَهُ لَمعُ الرِّضا
And An-Naqe’ displays his amusement with the oryx
As if it is wrath that is smiling amidst the brilliance.
أَسيافُهُم في راهِطٍ مَعروفَةٌ
مَنَعَت دَعائِمَ عِزِّهِم أَن يُدحَضا
Their swords are famous for being in Raheet,
Their pillars of honor have prevented them from crumbling.
وَتَقَلَّدَ العمري مِن إِيمانِهِم
عاراً يَطولُ عَلَيهِ حَتّى يُرحَضا
And Al-Umari has worn from their faith
A shame that lasts long upon him until he wipes it.
يا مَن إِذا ما ذادَ عَن أَحسابِهِم
يَومَ النِّضالِ أَصابَ لَمّا أَنبَضا
O you, if you counteracted from their accounts
On the day of strife, you would attain what you desire.
خَفِّض عَلَيكَ فَكَم ظَفِرتَ بِغايَةٍ
وَكَبا وَراءَكَ جاهِدٌ ما خَفَّضا
Overlook me, so how much have you attained of wishes
While a warrior follows behind you who has not lowered himself. Between me and you is an honored covenant,
بَيني وَبَينَك ذِمَّةٌ مَرعِيَّةٌ
حاشا مَرائِرُ عَهدِها أَن تُنقَضا
Far be it for its sanctuaries to be violated.
The eye of events, curses are below it,
عَينُ الحَوادِثِ دونَها مَطروفَةٌ
نَظَرَ المُحِبّ سَلا وَعاوَدَ مُبغِضا
The lover has seen and the hater has repeated.
So moan unto me and let his yearnings speak
فَأَصِخ إِليَّ وَلِلحَديثِ شُجونُهُ
حَتّى أَبُثَّكَ ما أَمَضَّ وَأَرمَضا
Until I relay what has passed and bubbled.
No determination has delayed me from your side,
ما أَخَّرَتني عَن جَنابِكَ هِمَّةٌ
وَجَدَت مِنَ الأَهواءِ عَنكَ مُعَوَّضا
And found compensation for the passions about you.
But it is destiny that has picketed my she-camels
لَكِنَّهُ قَدَرٌ أَناخَ رَكائِبي
قسراً وَقَيَّدَ هِمَّتي أَن تَنهَضا
By force and restricted my determination from rising.
And I knew that you are like the eternal breeze,
وَعَلِمت أَنَّكَ كَالنَّسيمِ مُخَلَّدٌ
أَبَداً وَلَيسَ يَصِحُّ حَتّى يَمرَضا
It is not right that you even fall ill.
So forgive a friend, if he sells your love,
فَاغفِر لِخِلٍّ لَو أبيعَ هَواكُمُ
بِحَياتِهِ هَجَرَ الحَياةَ وَأَعرَضا
He would abandon life and turn away.
May I be ransomed for a morning whose richness is deprived,
وَفِداكَ صَبٌّ بِالثَّراءِ مُحَرَّمٌ
بَسَطَ البَنانَ عَلَيهِ حَتّى يُقبَضا
It has laid out its roads unto him until he shrinks.
It has discarded dignity, so if an accident disowns,
نَبَذ الإِباء فَإِن تَنَكَّرَ حادِث
أَلقى مَقالِدَهُ إِلَيهِ وَفَوَّضا
He hands over its reins to it and delegates.
And listen to fleeting thoughts that do not bore an alienated one
وَاسمَع شَوارِدَ لا تَمَلُّ غَريبَها
حَتّى تَمَلَّ مِنَ البَقاءِ وَتَغرضا
Until you are bored of survival and become senile.
My ideas used to be easy, as if it
قَد كانَ يَسهُلُ خاطِري فَكَأَنَّهُ
سَئِمَت رَكائِبُهُ الرِّياضَ فَأَحمَضا
Has grown weary of meadows so they have become stringent.
A perception I lead the extravagance with, as if
فِكرٌ أَقودُ بِهِ الجَموحَ كَأَنَّما
طَبعُ الرَّضِيِّ لَهُ وَعِلمُ المُرتَضى
The stamp of the content and knowledge of the satisfied is for it.
