يا خَليلَيَّ هَل تَجيبُ الطُلولُ
إِن سَأَلنا أَينَ الخَليطُ نُزولُ
O my friend, do soft winds answer
If we ask where the rain clouds wander?
دِمَنٌ مِثلُنا يُقَلقِلُها الشُو
قُ وَيَعتادُها الجَوى وَالغَليل
Like us, a soul that weather tattered,
Heat and thirst have long time shattered.
قَد بَراها كَما بَرانا التَنائِي
وَعَراها كَما عَرانا النُحولُ
It saw barren wastes spread everywhere;
Naked hills, with beauty laid bare.
باكِياتٍ وَما لَهُنَّ دُموعٌ
مُغرَماتٍ وَما لَهُنَّ عُقولُ
Weeping, though their eyes know no tear,
Yearning, though no sense stays near.
دَرَسَتها الجنوبُ وَالشَمأَلُ الزَع
زَعُ وَاستَأصَلَت قُواها القَبولُ
South and north winds, fortune's blight,
Sapped their strength and killed their might.
أَسعَدَتنا فيها المَطايا عَلى الوَخ
دِ فَظَلّت مِثلَ المَطايا الخُيولُ
Happy there we were on horses fleet,
Like horses, made the sands our seat.
فَلَنا في النَوى زَفيرٌ وَلِلعِي
سِ حَنينٌ وَلِلجِيادِ صَهيلُ
For us, the winds sigh their threnody;
For horses, loud neighs their elegy.
يا خَليلَيَّ ساعِداني عَلى الوَج
دِ كَما يُسعِدُ الخَليلَ الخَليلُ
O my friend, help me mount again,
As friends help friends, joy to attain.
وَاِنظُرا البَرقَ كَيفَ تَنزِلُهُ الجِن
نُ كَما تَنزِلُ السُلافُ الشَمولُ
See the lightning, how it descends,
Like a necklace that a girl ends.
مُستَطيراً لَهُ عَلى جانِبِ الغَو
رِ طُلوعٌ مُرَدَّدٌ وَأُفُولُ
Its undulations have the lover's throes -
Pallor, wasting, tubercular woes.
فيهِ ما في المُتيَّمينَ مِنَ العِشقِ
خُفوقٌ وَصُفرَةٌ وَنُحولُ
Behind, our horses leapt up to pace
Through the gloom to it at full race.
لاحَ مِن خَلفِنا وَسِرنا وَأَعنا
قُ المَطايا إِلَيهِ في الجَوِّ مِيلُ
On that dim night, hillocks in the dark
Were like roaming beasts, confused, stark.
في ظَلامٍ تَساوَت الهَضَباتُ الشمُ
مُ فيهِ وَالغامِضاتُ الهُجولُ
Their hoofs struck fire bright and red
Till the grooms, in panic, fled.
خَبَطَتهُ مَناسِمُ العِيسِ حَتّى
طارَ فيها عَنِ الخِدامِ النَقيلُ
Shapes loomed like the Pleiades cluster
When the chains make the captive fluster.
بِشُخوصٍ كَأَنَّها صُرَدُ اللَي
لِ كَما ضَمَّتِ الأَسيرَ الكُبولُ
Dust of deserts made their hue fade;
Rags and misery on them weighed.
أَشحَبَتهُم غُبرُ الفَيافي وَأَزرَت
شُقَّةُ البِيدِ عِيسَهُم وَالذَميلُ
Better though it was they stayed to rest
With a host whose comforts are best.
أَو أَناخُوا بِخَيرِ مَن باتَ لِلوَف
دِ لَدَيهِ إِناخَةٌ وَرَحيلُ
A king of kings, of fearsome might,
Whose awe struck the valiant with fright.
مَلِكٌ مِن بَني المُلوكِ وَقَيلٌ
رَهِبَتهُ في الخافِقينِ القُيولُ
He inherited glory from his father
And his spears made his glory further.
وَرِثَ الفَخرَ عَن أَبيهِ وَأَعطَتهُ
المَعالي رِماحُهُ وَالنُصولُ
The star descended from its height,
In the sky halting, no more in flight.
نَزلَ النَجمُ عَن مَعاليهِ فَالعَيّوقُ
في الجَوِّ نازِلٌ لا يَزولُ
From the spring of glory and grace he drew,
And his branches and roots virtue knew.
شَبَّ مِن نَبعَةِ المَكارِمِ وَالمَجدِ
وَطابَت فُروعُهُ وَالأُصولُ
The family of Saleh are pearls rare;
The best that the lands anywhere bear.
إِنَّما آلُ صالِحٍ غُرَرُ الدَه
رِ وَما في الوَرى الشَوى وَالحُجولُ
In virtues and glory they outpaced all,
As guides do, trav'llers to enthrall.
سَبَقُوا الناسَ بِالمَكارِمِ وَالفَخ
رِ كَما يَسبِقُ الصِحابَ الدَليلُ
Almuizz restored their lost renown
When sloth their spirit had beaten down.
وَاستَعادَ المُعِزّ عِزّهُمُ الذا
هِبَ مِن بَعدِ ما اِعتَراهُ الخُمولُ
After he had broken the spears in the field
And turned the white swords that refuse to yield.
بَعدَ أَن حَطَّمَ الرِماحَ وَرَدَّ ال
بِيضَ قَد خَرَّبَت ظُباها الفُلولُ
A charger whose neigh filled the air,
Whose scent made the stallions despair.
ولُهامٌ يَسُدُّ عِثيَرُهُ الجَوَّ
وَيَخفى عَنِ الرَعيلِ الرَعيلُ
The spear in his hand struck with clang and clamor,
Putting war horses to flight in tremor.
صَحَّ فيهِ القَنا وَظَلَّ عَلى ها
مِ الأَعادي لِلمُرهَفاتِ صَليلُ
O glorious one, whose glory no more would fit,
And no more paths to glory were lit,
أَيُّها الماجِدُ الَّذي ضاقَ بِالمَج
دِ إِلى غَيرِهِ الهُدى وَالسَبيلُ
You're a blessing we thank God for, and our nation's bar,
An honor that never would set or mar.
إِنَّما أَنتَ نِعمَةٌ نَشكُرُ اللَ
هَ عَلَيها وَعِصمَةٌ لا تَزولُ
None like you are found in our band;
While you live, blessings fill our land.
لا خَلا مِنكَ مَعشَرٌ أَنتَ بالخَي
رِ لَهُم ما حَيِيتَ بَرٌّ وَصُولُ
Last night, of a noble youth I spoke
Who was virtuous, though far he broke.
بِنتُ بِالأَمسِ عَن فَتىً طالَما با
تَ بِخَيرٍ وَالغائِبونَ قَليلُ
From you he drew fair deeds; and you gracefully bore
What faults Abu Mani' had before.
حامِلٌ مِنكُمُ الجَميلَ وَما ضا
عَ لَكُم في أَبي المَنيعِ جَميلُ
If his burden you bore, so too will you carry
Our burdens; strong, patient, unwary.
إِن تَحَمَّلتَ ثِقَلهُ فَكَذا أَن
تَ لِأَثقالِنا صَبورٌ حَمولُ
You're brothers in candor, as were ʿAli and Jaʿfar, ʿAqil true.
May you never desert us; we'll ne'er desert you.
أَنتُمُ إِخوَةُ الصَفاءِ كَما كا
نَ عَلِيٌّ وَجَعفَرٌ وَعَقيلُ
No absence of yours the good would impair,
Nor will time make you less generous and fair.
لا عَدِمناكُمُ فَما نَعدَمُ الخَي
رَ وَلا غالَكُم مِنَ الدَهرِ غُولُ
