سَأَلنا الرَبعَ لَو فَهِمَ السُؤالا

مَتى عَهِدَ الغَزالَةَ وَالغَزالا

We asked the desert, had it understood the question,

When did it make acquaintance with the gazelle and the deer?

وَما نَعني الظِباءَ لَهُ وَلَكِن

عَنَينا شَمسَ رامَةَ وَالهِلالا

We did not mean the wild animals to it, but

We meant the sun of Ramah and the crescent moon.

هِلالٌ مِن هِلالٍ غَيَّبَتهُ

جِمالٌ أُوقِرَت مِنهُ جَمالا

A crescent after a crescent it hid,

Beauty so adored from it beauty.

كَساهُ اللَيلُ فَرعاً وَالثُرَيّا

سِخاباً وَالرُدَينيُّ اِعتِدالا

The night clothed it with luxuriant branches and mist,

And the dew spread moderation.

كَأَنَّ الدِعصَ يَحمِلُ منه غُصناً

إِذا هَبَّت بِهِ النَكباءُ مالا

As if the bramble carries from it a branch,

When the stars sparkle, it tilts.

يَرى وَصلي بِنائِلِهِ حَراماً

وَقَتلي في مَحَبَّتِهِ حَلالا

It sees its unions as forbidden,

And its love for it is permitted killing.

تَنَقّى الضالَ وَالعُبرِيَّ داراً

سَقاهُ اللَهُ عُبرِياً وَضالا

The lost and the rover alike sought refuge there,

God watered them both: rover and lost.

وَجَرَّ عَلى شِمالِ الرِيحِ رُدناً

فَطَيَّبَ رِيحُهُ الريحَ الشَمالا

And it pulled to the left of the wind a tent,

So its scent sweetened the north wind.

لَقَد طَرَقَ الخَيالُ فَهاجَ شَوقاً

فَدَت رُوحي خَيالَكُم خَيالا

Imagination knocked indeed, so passion was provoked,

So my soul ransomed your imagination, imagination.

تَعَلَّمَ مِنكُمُ طُولَ التَجافي

وَصارَ يَغِبُّ مِثلَكُمُ الوِصالا

It learned from you long estrangement,

And became, like you, absent from union.

خَليليَّ انظُرا لَمَعانَ بَرقٍ

كَأَنَّ عَلى الرُبا مِنهُ ذُبالا

My two friends, look at the glittering lightning,

As if it loaded its retainers on the hillside.

تَأَلَّقَ مِن دُوَينِ حَزيزِ خَبتٍ

فَأَذكَرَني بِهِ الحَيَّ الحَلالا

It shone from the firebrand of dried wood,

So it reminded me through it of the pure, the permitted.

إِذا نَزَلُوا حِبالَ الرَملِ قُلنا

سَقى دَرُّ الحَيا تِلكَ الحِبالا

When they descended the sand dune ropes we said:

The rain of life watered those ropes.

بِحَيثُ يَسيلُ مَدفَعُ كُلِّ وَادٍ

فَرَوى سَيلُهُ ذاكَ السِيالا

Where the torrents of each valley flow,

Its floods quenched that flooding.

وَتُمرِعُ غِبَّهُ قُلَلُ الرَوابي

فَيَكتَهِلُ النَباتُ بِها اِكتِهالا

And its rain made the hilltops thrive,

So vegetation on them became abundant.

إِذا هَبَّت رِياحُ الصَيفِ باتَت

تُفَوِّقُ مِن سَفا البُهمى نِبالا

When the winds of summer blow, they spend the night

Surpassing the ardour of littleness from the clouds.

وَمائِرَةِ الأَزِمَّةِ مُبرَياتٍ

كَأَنَّ عَلى غَوارِبِها صِلالا

And the humiliated, blessed mares,

As if their necks had necklaces.

شَربنَ الخِمسَ بَعدَ الخِمسِ حَتّى

ظَمِئنَ فَكِدنَ يَشرَبنَ العُلالا

They drank the fifth after the fifth until

Thirsty, they almost drank tainted water.

كَأَنَّ الكُدرَ باتَت حَيثُ باتَت

تُلَبِّدُ في مَبارِكِها الرِمالا

As if the murkiness where they spent the night

Stirred up the sands in its blessedness.

شَكَت فَرطَ الكَلال فَقُلتُ أُميِّ

ثِمالاً تَحمَدي هَذا الكَلالا

She complained of exhaustion so I said: Mother,

Be thankful for this exhaustion.

وَحُطّي الرَحلَ عَنكِ بِخَيرِ أَرضٍ

يَحُطُّ المُعتَفونَ بِها الرَحالا

And pitch the saddle from you in a good land,

Where the reverent pitch their saddles.

لَدى مَلِكٍ إِذا أَعطى العَطايا

حَقَرنا عِندَها السُحُبَ الثِقالا

By a king, when he gives gifts,

We belittled in their presence heavy coffers.

أَنالَ فَنالَ غايَةَ كُلِّ حَمدٍ

وَكَم مَن لا يَنالُ وَقَد أَنالا

He attained and attained the summit of all praise,

While many do not attain though they attained.

كَريمُ الخِيَمِ تَصحَبُهُ طَويلاً

فَتَصحَبُ خَيرَ مَن صَحِبَ الرِجالا

The generous of tent, long may he be accompanied,

Thus may the best of men accompany him.

إِذا كَشَّفتَ عَنهُ وَجَدتَ فيهِ

خِلالاً لا تَرى فيها اِختِلالا

If you unveiled him you’d find in him

A purity in which you’d see no flaw.

أَبادَ المالَ حَتّى لَيسَ تُلفي

لَهُ إِلّا جَميلَ الذِكرِ مالا

He exhausted wealth until nothing remains

For him except the beauty of renown as wealth.

إِذا ما أَمحَلَت أَرضٌ لِقَومٍ

وَلَم يَجِدوا الحَيا نَجَعوا ثِمالا

When a people loathed a land,

And found no life in it, they migrated.

فَتىً سَمحُ اليَدَينِ إِذا أَراقَت

سِجالاً كَفُّهُ مَلَأت سِجالا

A young man generous of hand, when

His palms spill blood, his palm fills spilling.

إِذا عِفنا مَوارِدَ كُلِّ بَحرٍ

شَرَعنا بَحرَهُ العَذبَ الزُلالا

If we disdained the springs of every sea,

We’d venture its fresh, limpid sea.

وَأَصدَرنا الرَكائِبَ حامِداتٍ

إِلَيهِ النَصَّ وَالرَكبَ العِجالا

And we sent the ships, sharp and swift,

To it both people and traveling caravans.

مُحَمَّلَةً ثَناً لَو حُمِّلَتهُ

جِبالُ تِهامَةٍ أَوهى الجِبالا

Laden with goods that if mountains bore

The mountains of Tihama or those mountains.

إِذا صُفَّ المُلوكُ غَدا يَميناً

لِكُلِّ فَضيلَةٍ وَغَدَوا شِمالا

When kings stand in ranks tomorrow, right

To every merit, and stand left

مِنَ القَومِ الَّذينَ إِذا أَنالوا

نَوالاً عَلَّموا الناسَ النَوالا

Of the people who when they gained

Access, taught people access.

طِوالٌ يَحمِلونَ إِلى الأَعادي

طِوالاً تَحمِلُ الأَسَلَ الطِوالا

Tall, carrying to the enemies

Tall, carrying tall spears.

عَلى قُبِّ الأَياطِلِ حامِلاتٍ

بِحَيثُ يُضيِّقُ الخَوفُ المَجالا

On the humps of vain things bearing

Where fear tightens the course.

إِذا خاضُوا النَجيعَ بِها ثَنَوها

بِشُهبٍ في سَنابِكَها تَلالا

When they plunged into the pool with them, they bent them

With flames in its loops flashes.

كَأَنَّ أَهِلَّةَ الظَلماءِ صيغَت

لِأَيديها وَأَرجُلِها نِعالا

As if the new moons were forged

For their hands and feet horseshoes.

مَعَوَّدَةٌ بِهِم خَوضَ المَنايا

فَقَد عَرَفَت كَما عَرَفُوا القِتالا

Trained with them to wade into deaths,

So they knew as the combatants knew combat.

إِذا فَكَّرتُ في الدُنيا وَفيهِم

وَجَدتُ مُلوكَها لَهُمُ عِيالا

When I think of the world and of them,

I find its kings have dependents.