جَزِعتَ وَما بانُوا فَكَيفَ وَقَد بانُوا

فَيالَيتَهُم كانُوا قَريباً كَما كانُوا

You grieved though they had not yet departed; yet how will it be when they are gone?

Would that they were near, as once they were near!

حَرِصنا عَلى أَن لا تَشِطَّ نَواهُمُ

فَشَطَّت وَبَعضُ الحِرصِ غَيٌّ وَحِرمانُ

We were eager that their tents should not be struck;

yet they were struck, and some eagerness is error and deprivation.

وَقَد سَأَلوا عَن شانِنا بَعدَ نَأيِهِم

فَقُلنا لَهُم لَم يَرقَ بَعدَكُمُ شانُ

They asked after our affairs when they had gone far from us,

and we told them that since your departure no affairs have prospered.

حُرمنا التَداني مِن مُحَرَّمِ عامِكُم

وَشَعَّبَكُم بَعدَ المُحَرَّمِ شَعبانُ

The sacred month, in which it was forbidden to approach them, kept us from entering it,

and after the sacred month came Shaban, then scattering.

وَبُحنا بِأَسرارِ الهَوى بَعدَ نَأيِكُم

أَلا كُلُّ سِرٍّ يَومَ نَأيِكِ إِعلانُ

When you were far from us we moaned with the secrets of passion -

indeed, every secret, when you are far, comes into the open!

وَبِالغَورِ مِن جَنبي خُفافٍ جَآذِرٌ

مِنَ الإِنسِ يبكِرنَ الأَنيسَ وَغِزلانُ

On my ribs are slender-waisted fair women,

of mankind, who make love sweet in the early dawn, and gazelles.

إِذا ما سَحَبنَ الرَيطَ ضَوَّعنَ لِلصَبا

نَسيماً كَما ضاعَ الخُزامِيُّ وَالبانُ

When the breeze draws its veil, it makes unto the zephyr

a breath, as the rind and date-spathe were wasted.

نَكَرنَ مَشيبي وَالغَواني فَوارِكٌ

إِذا لَم يَكُن فِينا شَبابٌ وَإِمكانُ

My gray hairs and the changing of my natural strength denied me,

so if there is no more youth or power in us, how are we to be blamed?

زِيادةُ ضَعفٍ بِالمَشيبِ وَحَسرَةٌ

فَمَوتُكَ إِكمالٌ حَياتُكَ نُقصانُ

To grow old is to grow weaker, and gray hairs mean sorrow,

yet your death makes life finish, not grow less.

وَقَد أَغتَدي وَاللَيلُ مُرخٍ رِدائَهُ

وَنَجمُ الثُرَيّا في المَغارِبِ وَسنانُ

I roamed at night when the night let down its mantle,

and the star of the Chained Woman rose in the west and glittered.

بِجائِلَةِ الأَنساعِ مالَت مِن السُرى

كَما مالَ مِن رَشفِ الزُجاجَةِ نَشوانُ

With a litter of noble ladies the litters inclined from the dwellings,

as the brim of a beaker turns aside when the beaker is filled to the full.

تَدُوسُ الحَصا أَخفافُها وَهُوَ لُؤلُؤٌ

وَتَرفَعُها مِن فَوقِهِ وَهوَ مَرجانُ

They tread on the gravel, and it is pearls,

and they lift their dresses above it, and it is coral.

تُناهِبُني مَرتاً كَأَنّ نَعامَهُ

قُسُوسٌ أَكَبَّت في مُسُوحٍ وَرُهبانُ

Now and then she attacks me, as though her ostriches

were religious monks in their cloisters.

إِذا قَطَعَت غِيطانَ أَرضٍ تَقابَلَت

عَلَيها سَبارِيتٌ سِواها وَغيطان

When she crosses the sandhills, one like her meets her,

driving away other sandhills.

إِلى خَيرِ مَن يُستَمطَرُ الخَيرُ عِندَهُ

وَيَأتَمُّ مَغناهُ رِكابٌ وَرُكبانُ

To the best of those from whom good is asked, and who is sought when it is needed,

and who is resorted to by riders and footmen;

فَتىً جَلّ عَمَّن جَلّ في الناسِ قَدرُهُ

وَباتَ لَهُ سَفٌّ عَليهِ وَرُجحانُ

A noble whose worth excels all men, excellent in worth,

and for whom at nightfall glory and eminence remain;

فَصُغِّرَ بِهرامٌ وَبُخِّلَ حاتَمٌ

وَجُبِّنَ بِسطامٌ وَغُلِّطَ لُقمانُ

In him are diminished Bahram and Hatim's liberality,

Bastam's courage is belittled, and Luqman's wisdom.

كَريمٌ غَرِقنا في نَداهُ كَأَنّنا

بِغَير أَذىً في لُجَّةِ البَحرِ حِيتانُ

We drowned in his boons, as though we

were, unharmed, in the midst of the sea's gulfs, great fish.

هُوَ اللَيثُ أَردى اللَيثَ وَاللَيثُ مُخدِرٌ

هُوَ الغَيثُ فاقَ الغَيثَ وَالغَيثُ هتّانُ

He is the lion who has outdone the lion, but the lion slinks away;

He is the rain whose rain excels the rain's, but the rain is pouring down.

هُوَ البَحرُ أَهدى السُحب شَرقاً وَمَغرِباً

فَرَوّى فِجاجَ الأَرضِ وَالبَحرُ مَلآنُ

He is the sea who has guided the clouds east and west,

and so irrigated the parched land, and the sea is full.

حَليمٌ كَأَنّ العَضبَ يُلقي نِجادَهُ

عَلى يَذبُلٍ أَن يَلبَسُ البُردَ ثَهلانُ

He is forebearing, as though anger dressed itself

in robes of patience when shabby obstinacy puts on the fur cloak.

عَلا قَدرُهُ حَتّى كَأَنّ نَديمَهُ

لِبَعض مَصابيحِ الدُجُنَّة نَدمانُ

His worth rose high until it was as if his boon-companion

were one of the lamps of heaven.

إِذا قُلتُ شِعراً فيهِ خِفتُ اِنتِقادَهُ

عَليَّ كَأَنِّي باقِلٌ وَهوَ سَحبانُ

When I said a poem in which I feared his criticism,

it was as though I were a fulsome praiser and he the noble hero.

شَكَرتُ لَهُ النُعمى فلا أَنا جاحِدٌ

وَلا واهِبُ النُعمى بِنُعماه منّانُ

I thanked him for bounty, so I am not ungrateful,

nor is the bestower of bounty, by his gifts, made conceited.

وَما زادَهُ فَخراً مَديحي لِأَنَّه

صَباحٌ لَهُ مِنهُ دَليلٌ وَبُرهانُ

My praise did not increase his pride, for he is a dawn

which needs no indication or proof from me.

أَدِينُ بِنُصحي للأَمينِ وَمَحضِه

أَلا إِنَّما بَذلُ النَصائِحِ أَديانُ

I am indebted, with my good advice, to the faithful trustee, pure in counsel,

for the offering of advice, in truth, is a duty owed by the noble.

كَريمٌ مِنَ القَومِ الَّذين سَأَلتُهُم

فَأَعطوا وَما مَنَّوا وَقالوا وَما مانُوا

A generous man, of the folk I asked for favors, and they gave,

and did not boast, and spoke well, and did not refuse.

مَدَحتُهُمُ طِفلاً وَكَهلاً فَأَفضَلُوا

عَلَيَّ وَهُم وَشِيبٌ وَشُبّانُ

As a child and grown man I praised them, but they showed more

bounty toward me when they were old and youths.

أَبا صالِحٍ طُلتَ المُلوكَ وَطَأطَأَت

لِأَخمَصِكَ الحَيّانِ قيسٌ وَقحطانُ

O Abu Salih, you have sought the kings abjectly and humbly,

and for your sake Qais and Khatan bowed to the ground.

فَأُقسِمُ لَولا أَنتَ لَم يُخلَقِ النَدى

وَلَولاك لَم يَفخَر مَعَدُّ وَعَدنانُ

I swear were it not for you, benevolence would not have been created,

and but for you, neither Ma'add nor Adnan would have taken pride.

ذَخَرتَ اللُهى عِندَ العُفاة كَأَنَّما

عُفاتُك حُفّاظُ عَلَيك وَخُزّانُ

You stored wealth among the chiefs as though your chiefs

were its treasurers and guardians.

قَهَرتَ مُلوكَ الأَرضِ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

عَلى كُلّ سُلطانٍ لِسَيفِكَ سُلطانُ

You conquered the kings of earth so that it was as if

over every ruler your sword held sway.

وَأَهوَنتَ بِالأَعداءِ لَمّا تَأَلَّبوا

فَهانُوا وَلَولا عِظمُ شانِكَ ما هانُوا

You thought little of enemies when they acted haughtily,

so they became contemptible - had your glory not been so great, they would not have been contemptible.

فَإِن تَعفُ عَمَّن يَطلُبُ العَفوَ مِنهُمُ

فَعِندَكَ لِلجاني عِقابٌ وَغُفرانُ

If you pardon those who seek pardon,

with you there is punishment for the sinner and pardon.

وَأَنتَ الحُسامُ العَضبُ يَخشُنُ لِلعِدى

وَفيكَ مَعَ الإِحسانِ لينٌ إِذا لانُوا

You are the sword, harsh toward the foe,

and in you with beneficence there is gentleness when they bend.

فَعِش عُمرَ ما حَبَّرتُ فيكَ فَإِنَّه

سَيَبقى إِذا لَم يَبقَ إِنسٌ وَلا جانُ

Live long as the letters I have traced spell your name,

for they will outlast men and jinn.

وَكُلُّ غَمامٍ غَيرِ كَفِّكَ مُخلِفٌ

وَكُلُّ مَديحٍ غَيرِ مَدحِكَ بُهتانُ

Every cloud not your palm leaves no rain,

and every eulogy not yours is false and futile.