لِأَيَّةِ حالٍ حُكِّموا فيكَ فَاشتَطُوا

وَما ذاكَ إِلّا حينَ عَمَّمَكَ الوَخطُ

For what purpose have they judged you and become enraged?

That was only when misfortune enveloped you completely.

فَهَلّا وَأَيّامُ الشَبيبَةِ ثابِتٌ

بِفَودَيكَ في رَيعانِها الحالِكُ السَبطُ

Why not - the days of youth are lasting

With your cheeks in their prime overwhelmed by the exuberant youth.

وَإِذ أَنتَ في ضافٍ مِنَ العَيشِ لَم يَرُع

فُؤادَكَ لا نَأيٌ مُشِتُّ وَلا شَحطُ

And when you were in abundant livelihood, neither remoteness

Nor poverty upset your heart.

وَسَلمى كَشاةِ الرَيمِ تَرنُو بِطَرفِها

إِلَيكَ كَما تَرنُو وَتَعطُو كَما تَعطُو

And Salma flirts with you with a glance of her eye

As she flirts and acts coquettishly as she acts coquettishly.

قَلِيلَةُ تَجوالِ الدَماليج وَالبُرى

إِذا جالَ في مَيدانِ لَبَّتِها السِمطُ

Few are her outings with caravans and lands

When the stalwart youth roams in the field of his vigor.

مِنَ الآنِساتِ اللابِساتِ مَلابِساً

مِنَ الصَونِ لَم يُدنَس لَها بِالخَنا مرطُ

Of the gentlewomen wearing clothes

Of chastity not stained for them with shameful deeds.

شَرَطتُ عَلَيهِنَّ الوَفاءَ فَمُذ بَدا

بَياضُ عِذاري لِلعَذارى مَضى الشَرطُ

I stipulated loyalty from them so when the whiteness of my chastity

To the chaste women passed, the stipulation passed.

وَكَيفَ وَقَد جُزتَ الثَلاثينَ حِجَّةً

يُرى لَكَ حَظٌّ في هَواهُنَّ أَو قِسطُ

And how - when you have lived thirty pilgrimages -

Can you expect to have a share in their love or equity?

كَأَنَّ الفَتى يَرقى مِنَ العُمرِ سُلَّماً

إِلى أَن يَجُوزُ الأَربَعينَ فَيَنحَطُّ

It is as if the youth ascends an age ladder

Until he passes forty then declines.

فَلا يُبعِدِ اللَهُ المَشيبَ فَإِنَّهُ

مَطيّةُ حُكمٍ في الخِطيئَةِ لا يَخطُو

May God not delay gray hair for it

Is a bridled wisdom in sin that does not transgress.

فَدَع ذا وَلَكِن رُبَّ لَيلٍ عَسَفتَهُ

بِرَكبٍ كَأَنَّ العَيسَ مِن تَحتِهِم مُقطُ

So leave this - but you have often spent a night

With a caravan as if there were roaring lions under them.

وَجُبتَ بِهِم أَجوازَ كُلِّ تَنُوفَةٍ

لِكُدرِ القَطا حَولَ الثَمادِ بِها لَغطُ

And you crossed with them the terrain of every hill

For the coarse pebbles around the meadows murmuring among them.

كَأَنَّ عَزيفَ الجِنِّ في فَلَواتِها

دُفُوفٌ تَغَنَّت لِلنَدامى بِها الزُطُّ

It is as if the sound of jinn in the deserts

Is groups singing lamentations for the repentants.

يَحارُ دَليلُ القَومِ فيها إِذا طَفا

بِها الآلُ وَاُغبَرَّت دَيامِيمُها المُلطُ

The guide of the people gets lost in them when

The family roams and their abodes become obscured.

وَطارَ سَفا البُهمى بشها فَكَأَنَّهُ

إِذا عَصَفَت ريحُ الجَنوبِ لِحىً سُنطُ

And the mirage of the confused wandered aimlessly so it is as if

When the south wind blows, it is bearded chins blowing.

تَنائِفُ لِلظُلمانِ فيها مَعَ الضُحى

عَرارٌ وَلِلأَنضاءِ في جَوزِها خَبطُ

Darkness mingles in them with daylight so for the bright ones

There are flickering lights in their atmosphere.

إِذا ما قَطَعنا حِقفَ رَملٍ بَدا لَنا

عَلى إِثرِهِ حِقفٌ مِنَ الرَملِ أَو سِقطُ

When we cut across a stretch of sand, another stretch of sand appeared to us

In its wake or a plain from the sands.

وَصَحبي نَشاوي مِن نُعاسٍ كَأَنَّما

تَميلُ بِهِم صِرفٌ مِنَ الراحِ إِسفِنطُ

And my companions are listless from drowsiness as if

A gentle breeze from the winds causes them to lean.

عَلى كُلِّ مَوّارِ الوَضينِ كَأَنَّهُ

مَرِيرَةُ قِدٍّ لا يَبينُ لَهُ وَسطُ

On every undulating dune it is as if it

Is a bitter colocynth that its middle cannot be discerned.

بَراهُ البُرى حَتّى تَحَيَّرَ نِحضُهُ

وَسالَت نَجيعاً مِن تَأَكُّلِها الإِبطُ

The lands saw it until its slopes were confused

And its ravines altogether flowed from its erosion.

أَقُولُ لَهُم وَاللَيلُ مُعتَكِرُ الدُجى

وَحُدبُ المَطايا تَحتَهُم حُدُبٌ تَمطُو

I say to them and the night is clothed in thick darkness

And the humps of the camels beneath them are humps bending.

وَقَد لاحَ لِلرَكب الصَباح كَأَنَّما

بَدا مِن جَلابِيبِ الدُجى لِمَمٌ شُمطُ

And dawn has appeared to the caravan as if

Dawn's garments unveiled a shining thread.

وَنَجمُ الثُرَيّا في السَماءِ كَأَنَّهُ

صَنوبَرَةٌ مِن ناصِعِ الدُرِّ أَو قِرطُ

And the star Aldebaran in the sky is as if it

Is a conifer of brilliant jewels or a pendant.

أَقيمُوا صُدُورَ العيسِ نَحوَ ابنِ صالِحِ

فَما بَعدَهُ لِلعَيسِ رَفعٌ وَلا حَطُّ

Set up the chests of the camels towards Ibn Salih

For beyond it there is no elevation or descent for the camels.

وَدُونَكُمُ البَحرُ الَّذي لا يُرى لَهُ

إِذا ما طَمى عَبرٌ قَريبٌ وَلا شَطُّ

And before you is the sea which has no

Near shore visible when it becomes turbulent.

تُمَزَّقُ بِالتَقبِيلِ وَاللَثمِ سَبطَةٌ

فَتَبلى وَما تَبلى مِنَ القِدَمِ السُبطِ

An armpit is torn by kissing and biting

So it wears out and does not wear out from the elevated armpit.

حَليمٌ عَلى الذَنبِ العَظيمِ وَإِنَّهُ

لَفَظٌّ عَلى أَعدائِهِ في الوَغى سَلطَ

Forbearing of major sins yet

Harsh towards his enemies in war and authoritative.

أَبادَ سُيوفَ الهِندِ بِالضَربِ في الصِبا

وَأَفنى بِطُولِ الطَعنِ ما أَنبَتَ الخَطُّ

He destroyed the Indian swords with striking in youth

And exhausted with long stabbing what the pen produced.

عَجِبنا لَهُ أَن تَقبِضَ السَيف كَفُّهُ

وَأَكثَرُ شَيءٍ عُوِّدَت كَفُّهُ البَسطُ

We were amazed that his palm closes the sword

While the thing his palm was most accustomed to was extending.

إِذا صُغتَ مَدحاً فيهِ لَم أَخشَ قائِلاً

يَقُولُ فُلانٌ في الَّذي قالَ يَشتَطُّ

When you praised him, I did not fear a sayer

Saying so-and-so exaggerates in what he said.

فَتى كَرَمٍ مِن خَيرِ رَهطٍ وَمَعشَرٍ

مَرادِسَةٍ يا حَبَّذا ذَلِكَ الرَهطُ

A young man of nobility from the best people and tribe

Maradisha - excellent is that tribe!

إِذا سُئِلُوا أَنطَوا جَزيلاً مُوَسَّعاً

وَكَم مَعشَرٍ سِيلُوا نَوالاً فَلَم يُنطُوا

When asked, they give ample and abundant gifts

And how many tribes are asked for gifts but do not give!

لَيُوثٌ وَما جارُ اللُيُوثِ بِآمِنٍ

وَهَذِي لُيُوثٌ لَم يُرَع جارُها قَطُّ

They are lions and the neighbor of lions is not safe

And these are lions whose neighbor was never calm.

إِذا ما سَطا خَطبٌ سَطَونا بِبَأسِهِم

عَلى ذَلِكَ الخَطبِ المُلِمِّ الَّذي يَسطُو

When an alarming event shocked, we were audacious with their might

Against that shocking alarming event which shocked.

بَنى لَهُمُ بَيتاً مِنَ العِزِّ باذِخاً

ثِمالٌ فَما انحَطَّ البِناءُ وَلا انحَطُّوا

He built for them a lofty citadel of honor

Supporting so the structure did not decline nor did they.

فَتىً رَبَطتَني في ذُراهُ مَواهِبٌ

رَبَطت عَلَيها الحَمدَ فَاستَحكَمَ الرَبطُ

O youth, your qualities in his prime bound me

I bound praise to them so the bond held firm.

وَحَبَّرت فيهِ كُلَّ عَذراءَ زانَها

مَديحُ أَبي العُلوانِ لا الشَكلُ وَالنَقطُ

And I made every chaste girl whose adornment

Is Abu Al-Alwan’s praise - not figure and makeup - fall for him.

وَعَدَّدتُ لِلأَعداءِ فيها قَواتِلاً

إِذا نَفَثَت بِالسَمِّ أَصلالُها الرُقطُ

And I enumerated lethal weapons for the enemies through it

When its roots exhale poison, its twigs drip.

فَعِش عُمرَها لا عُمرَ خَطّي فَإِنَّها

سَتَبقى وَيَبلى كاتِبُ الخَطِّ وَالخَطُّ

So may it live its life not the life of my lines for it

Will remain while the writer of lines and lines perishes.