سُقِيتَ الحَيا أَيُّها المَنزِلُ

وَجادَتكَ أَنواؤُهُ الهُطَّلُ

O dwelling, life has watered you,

And its clouds have generously rained upon you.

وَإِن أَنتَ لَم تُبقِ بَينَ المَلامِ

وَبَينَ الغَرامِ فَتىً يَعقِلُ

If you do not leave a rational man

Between blame and love,

تَمَنَّعتَ بُخلاً بِرَدِّ الجَوابِ

وَما زالَ يَأويكَ مَن يَبخَلُ

You stingily withheld answering,

And he who is stingy continues to seek you out.

خَدَلَّجَةُ الساقِ رُعبُوبَةٌ

يُجَلِّلُها وَارِدٌ مُسبَلُ

The ankles’ bangles are frightening,

Adorned by an arriving visitor.

تَقُولُ ذَهَلتَ غَداةَ الفِراقِ

فَقُلتُ لَها كَيفَ لا أَذهَلُ

You say you were shocked the morning of parting,

So I said to her, “How could I not be shocked?”

وَلِي بَعدَكُم مَدمَعٌ سائِلٌ

وَجِسمٌ كَما شِئتُمُ يَنحَلُ

After you, my tears flow

And my body dissolves as you wished.

وَقَد عَذَلُونا عَلى حُبِّكُم

فَما قَبلَ العَذلَ مَن يُعذَلُ

They blamed us for loving you,

But one who is blamed does not accept blame.

وَما مِن ضَلالٍ جَهلِنا الصَوابَ

وَلَكِن نَلِجُّ فَلا نَقبَلُ

We are not lost in ignorance of what’s right,

But we insist and do not accept.

كَمالَجَّ في المَكرُماتِ الأَمِيرُ

فَأَقصَرَ عَن عَذلِهِ العُذَّلُ

The prince was unfair in his favors,

So those who were treated unfairly fell short of blaming him.

لَهُ في أَخيرِ النَدى آخِرٌ

وَفِي أَوَّلِيِّ النَدى أَوَّلُ

He has the last of the dew,

And the first of the dew.

إِذا أَمحَلَت بَلدَةٌ حَلَّها

فَيَحيا بِهِ البَلَدُ المُمحِلُ

When a town is conquered by him,

The conquered town comes alive through him.

أَخُو ثِقَةٍ جارُهُ لا يُضامُ

وَداعِيهِ لِلنَصرِ لا يُخذَلُ

A brother of loyalty, his neighbor is not wronged,

His caller to victory is not abandoned.

إِذا حارَبَ القَومُ خَلّى الفِجاجَ

يَسُدُّ مَذاهِبَها القَسطَلُ

When the people fight, he empties the trenches,

Closing its conduits with his banners.

وَخَلّى الرِماحَ أَنابِيبَها

إِزا كُلِّ أُنبُوبَةٍ جَدوَلُ

And he empties the spears’ tubes,

If each tube is a stream.

كَأَنَّ السُيُوفَ وَقَد خُضِّبَت

سَنا النارِ أَوَّلَ ما تُشعَلُ

It is as if the swords, once stained with blood,

Are the teeth of fire when first ignited.

صَوارِمُ عَوَّدَها أَن تُهانَ

فَلَيسَت تُداسُ وَلا تُصقَلُ

Swords he disciplined so as not to be disgraced,

They are not to be trampled or polished.

فَوارَحمَتا لِبِلادِ العِدي

إِذا قَلِقُوا وَإِذا زُلزِلُوا

So may the country of enemies have mercy

When they are anxious and when they tremble,

لِأَيِّ هِزَبرِ وَغىً هَيَّجُوا

وَأَيِّ سَنا جَذوَةٍ أَشعَلُوا

For which vain fighting did they provoke

And which firebrand did they ignite?

وَفِي قَلعَةِ الجِسرِ قَومٌ تَدُوسُ

قَرِيباً جَباهَهُمُ الأَرجُلُ

In the fortress of the bridge are people being trampled,

Soon their foreheads will be stomped by feet.

رِجالٌ تَرِفُّ مَناياهُمُ

عَلَيهِم كَما رَفرَفَ الأَجدَلُ

Men whom their resting places excelled,

Upon them, as the partridge fluttered.

كَأَنّي بِهِم قُوتُ وَحشِ الفَلا

فَهُنِّيتِ رِزقَكِ يا جَيَأَلُ

It is as if I see them, the food of the wild beast,

So feast, O hyena!

فَنِعمَ الدِماءُ الَّتي تُمتَرى

وَنِعمَ اللُحُومُ الَّتي تُؤكَلُ

Excellent are the blood being bought

And the flesh being consumed.

لَعَمرِي سَتَعلَمُ أُمُّ القَتِيلِ

غَداً أَيَّماً وَلَدٍ تَثكَلُ

By my life, the mother of the slain will know

Tomorrow which son she mourns.

تَسَنَّمتَهُم في ذُرى شاهِقٍ

يَزِلُّ عَلى مَتنِهِ المِسحَلُ

You made them ascend a lofty summit,

Toppling onto its slope those despaired.

فَأَينَ الذَهابُ وَلا مَذهَبٌ

لَكُم في البِلادِ وَلا مَوئِلُ

So where to go and no destination for you

In the countries, and no shelters?

فَلا تَطلُبُوا العَفوَ عَن جُرمِكُم

فَأَحسَنُ عَفوِكُمُ المُنصُلُ

Do not ask for pardon for your crime,

For the best of your pardons is the sword.

أَبا صالِحٍ لا عَدَتكَ السُعُودُ

وَلا خانَكَ الزَمَنُ المُقبِلُ

O Abu Salih, neither fortune failed you,

Nor did advancing time betray you.

هَنِيئاً بِما خَوَّلتَكَ السُيوُفُ

وَأَعطَتكَ أَرماحُكَ الذُبَّلُ

Congratulations for what the swords entrusted you,

And what your spears made blunt for you.

رَأَوكَ صَحِيحَ عُقُودِ الوَفاءِ

فِيما تَقُولُ وَما تَفعَلُ

They saw you true to loyalty’s necklaces,

In what you say and what you do.

فَما اِستَعظَمُوا فِيكَ ما خَوَّلُوا

وَلا استَكثَرُوا فِيكَ ما أَرسَلُوا

They did not consider great what they entrusted you,

Nor did they consider much what they dispatched to you.

وَقَد طَوَّقُوكَ بِأَطواقِهِم

وَلَكِن إِمامِيُّها الأَفضَلُ

They crowned you with their crowns,

But its most splendid was yours.

بَقِيتَ لَنا وَلِأَهلِ البِلادِ

وَهَذِي العِبادِ الَّتي تَسأَلُ

You remained for us and the country’s people,

And these servants who ask.

فَأَنتَ السِراجُ إِذا أَظلَمُوا

وَأَنتَ الرَبيعُ إِذا أَمحَلُوا

You are the lamp when they are in darkness,

And you are the spring after their barrenness.

لَقَد أَدرَكُوا فِيكَ ما حاوَلُوا

وَنالُوا بِنُعماكَ ما أَمَّلُوا

They attained through you what they attempted,

And gained by your bounty what they hoped for.