عُج بِالدِيارِ دَوارِسَ الأَعلامِ
قَفراً وَحيِّ رُسومَها بِسَلامِ
The abodes of glorious flags became desolate,
Their outlines left in peace and tranquility.
مَن في الرُصافَةِ وَالأَحَصِّ وَسِربِهِ
وَالدَيرِ وَالزَرقاءِ وَالحَمامِ
Who were in Rusafah, Ahsas, Sirbah,
Al-Dayr, Az-Zarqa and Al-Hamam.
وَمَلاعِبٍ بَينَ المَعانِ وَماسِحٍ
لَعِبَت بِهِنَّ حَوادِثُ الأَيّامِ
And the playgrounds between Ma'an and Masih,
Where the vicissitudes of time played with them.
وَخَلَت مِنَ النَفَرِ الكِرامِ وَعُوِّضَت
مِن أَهلِها بِنَوافِرِ الآرامِ
They were emptied of the generous souls and compensated
With the riffraff of the Arameans.
سَقياً لَها مِن دِمنَةٍ وَلِأَهلِها
مِن مَعشَرٍ غُرِّ الوُجوهِ كِرامِ
Who were given drink from Dimna and its people
From a vulgar mob with ignoble faces.
حَلُّوا بِها زَمَناً فَأَغنَوا أَرضَها
بِنَداهُمُ عَن صَوبِ كُلِّ غَمامِ
They stayed there for a while and enriched the land
With their munificence from every side of clouds.
وَتَنافَسُوا في المَكرُماتِ وَشَيَّدُوا
أَبياتَ عِزٍّ لِلفَخُورِ سَوامي
And they competed in acts of generosity and built
Lofty abodes for the proud summits.
أَولادُ مِرداسٍوَأَيَّةُ أُسرَةٍ
رامُوا مِنَ العَلياءِ كُلَّ مَرامِ
The sons of Mirdas and the family of Ayyah
Aspired for all glories from the most High.
شمُّ الأُنوفِ كَريمَةٌ أَحسابُهُم
لا يَلبَسُونَ مَلابِسَ الآثامِ
Noble were their lineages, their reputations
Wore no garments of sins and dishonor.
يَتَعَطَّفُونَ عَلى المُجاوِرِ بَينَهَم
وَيَرَونَ كَسبَ الحَمدِ غَيرَ حَرامِ
They were gentle to their neighbors amongst them
And saw acquiring praise as no disgrace.
يَتَوارَثُونَ مَكارِماً أَزَلِيَّةً
لَهُمُ عَن الأَخوالِ وَالأَعمامِ
They inherited congenital nobilities
From their uncles and paternal uncles.
صاحَبتُهُم فَصَحِبتُ أَكبَرَ مَعشَرٍ
وَسَأَلتُهُم فَسَأَلتُ غَيرَ لِئامِ
I befriended them so I befriended the greatest of all people,
And asked of them so I asked with no shame.
مِن كُلِّ فَيّاضِ اليَدَينِ كَأَنَّما
جادَت يَداهُ مَجادَ غَيثٍ هامِ
From every open-handed one, as if
His hands poured like heavy rains.
وَتَنائِفٍ كَاليَمِّ يَترُكُ نَصُنا
فِيهِنَّ أَخفافَ المَطِيِّ دَوامي
And smooth mounts as if the caravan
In it had drafts from cups of wine.
قَفرٍ كَأَنَّ الرَكبَ مِن سِنَةِ الكَرى
فِيها نَشاوى مِن كُؤُوسِ مُدامِ
They frequented the glory of Amer's state,
Like the cave for the fugitive and executioner of death.
يَتَأَمَّمُونَ مُعِزَّ دَولَةِ عامِرٍ
كَهفَ الطَريدِ وَطارِدَ الإِعدامِ
I saw a king, his right hand and forehead,
So I saw a sea of generosity and a full moon.
مَلِكاً رَأَيتُ يَمينَهُ وَجَبِينَهُ
فَرَأَيتُ بَحرَ نَدى وَبَدرَ تَمامِ
He surpassed all people, and his munificence increased
Beyond Hatem Al-Ta’i and the son of Omaymah.
فاقَ الأَنامَ وَزَادَ جُودُ يَمينِهِ
عَن حاتِمِ الطائِيِّ وَابنِ أُمامِ
Ask of him but beware of his palm’s fingers
Or you will drown, for his munificence is a high sea.
سَلهُ وَحاذِر مِن أَنامِلِ كَفِّهِ
غَرَقاً فَإِنَّ نَداهُ بَحرٌ طامي
O descendants of the generous, the game unwary of you,
Showed no resistance to reverence and glorification.
يا بنَ الكِرامِ الصِيدِ غَيرَ مُدافَعٍ
فِيهِم عَنِ الإِجلالِ وَالإِعظامِ
You were a blessing to a people who denied you
And rose in the most abject of positions.
كُنتُم لِقَومٍ نِعمَةً كَفَرُوكُمُ
فِيها فَقامُوا في أَذَلِّ مَقامِ
Had they been grateful, it would have lasted among them
But they were not given permanence.
كَفَرَوا وَلَو شَكَروا لَدَامَت فِيهِمُ
لَكِنَّهُم ما مُتِّعُوا بِدَوامِ
And by your grace they rode steeds and harvested
Cattle wealth for them and she-camels.
وَبِفَضلِهِم رَكِبُوا الجِيادَ وَثَمَّرُوا
أَموالَ ماشِيَةٍ لَهُم وَسَوامُ
And they controlled Greater Syria and Salih
Let for them the springs of that Syria flow.
وَتَمَلَّكُوا الشامَ الأَغَرَّ وَصالِحٌ
أَجرى لَهُم يَنبُوعَ ذاكَ الشامِ
Until when time turned against you
And showed you realities like dreams.
حَتّى إِذا دارَ الزَمانُ عَلَيكُمُ
وَأَراكُمُ اليَقَظاتِ كَالأَحلامِ
The friend became few and your favor was lost
Among both distant and near relations.
قَلَّ الصَديقُ لَكُمُ وَضاعَ جَميلَكُمُ
في الأَبعَدِينَ وَفي ذَوي الأَرحامِ
You were patient, so you were destined,
And you were fortunate, so you regained souls in bodies.
وَصَبَرتُمُ فَقَدِرتُمُ وَسُعِدتُمُ
فَرَدَدتُمُ الأَرواحَ في الأَجسامِ
The Kings of Tay were evicted from their reign
To the desert, resorting to Bahram.
وَمُلوكُ طَيٍّ زُحزِحُوا عَن مُلكِهِم
في البَدوِ وَاستَنَدُوا إِلى بَهرامِ
And they are the Kings, sons of Kings,
But the world shot them without arrows.
وَهُمُ المُلوكُ بَنُوُ المُلوكِ رَمَتهُمُ
عَن قَوسِها الدُنيا بِغَيرِ سِهامِ
Then they inclined and built houses of nobility
Healed by them of sickness, back to glory.
ثَمَّ اِنثَنَوا فَبَنَوا بُيُوتَ مَكارِمِ
صَحُّوا بِها في المَجدِ بَعدَ سَقامِ
And Muhammad praised the stay in Yathrib,
A neighbor, leaving the Holy Kaaba of Islam
وَمُحَمَّدٌ حَمِدَ المُقامَ بِيَثرِبٍ
جاراً وَخَلّى كَعبَةَ الإِسلامِ
For a time, then returned to Quraysh as victor
In the power of God, the All-knowing.
زَمَناً وَعادَ إِلى قُرَيشٍ عَودَةً
عَزت بِقُدرَةِ خالِقٍ عَلّامِ
And Abu Ali’s steeds were unsaddled
For a time, from saddles and reins.
وَأَبُو عَلّيٍ عُطِّلَت أَفراسُهُ
زَمَناً مِنَ الإِسراجِ وَالإِلجامِ
On the back of a towering wall, at the bottom of which
Was darkness as the brightness of dawn.
في ظَهرِ شاهِقَةٍ تَساوى عِندَهُ
في قَعرِها الإِصباحُ بِالأَضلامِ
Until victory came to him, its good omen fluttering
From under the fringes of the banners.
حَتّى أَتاهُ النَصرُ يَخفِق سَعدُهُ
مِن تَحتِ ظِلِّ ذَوائِبِ الأَعلامِ
He controlled the lands of Syria by force then retired
Leading each opponent by the bridle.
وَحَوى بِلادَ الشامِ غَصباً وَاِنثَنى
يَقتادُ كُلَّ مُعانِدٍ بِزِمامِ
Despair not, for not every cloud
Was created to enjoy lasting permanence.
لا تَيَأسَنَّ فَلَيسَ كُلُّ غَمامَةٍ
نَشَأَت مُمَتَّعَةً بِطُولِ دَوامِ
O descendants of Mirdas! You have raised
My name with your sublime name.
يا آلَ مِرداسٍ لَقَد أَعلَيتُمُ
ذِكرِي بِذِكرِكُم الرَفيعِ السامي
You made me attain what was not attained
By Al-Buhturi or Abu Tammam.
نَوَّلتُمُوني نائِلاً ما نالَهُ
لا البُحتُرِيُّ وَلا أَبُو تَمّامِ
I will dress you in robes of finer beauty
And whiter than the robes of censurers.
فَلألبِسَنَّكُمُ بُرُودَ محاسِنٍ
أَبهى وَأَسنى مِن بُرُود رئام
And I will thank you for what I gained
From your grace until my worries disappear.
وَلَأَشكُرَنَّكُمُ عَلى ما نِلتُهُ
مِن فَضلِكُم حَتّى يُحَمَّ حِمامي
Do not hoard anything but words forged for you
For there is no treasure like my words.
لا تَكنِزُوا إِلّا كَلاماً صُغتُهُ
لَكُمُ فَلَيسَ الكَنزُ غَيرَ كَلامِي
Remaining like the two shining lights, immortalized for you,
Over eras and years.
يَبقى بَقاءَ النَيِّرَينِ مُخَلَّداً
لَكُمُ عَلى الأَحقابِ وَالأَعوامِ
You always were deceits of time and joys of the world,
And adornment of the gatherings of all peoples.
لا زِلتُمُ غُرَرَ الزَمانِ وَبَهجَةَ
الدُنيا وَزَينَ مَجالِسِ الأَقوامِ
