بَينَ اللَوى وَحَزِيزِ الأَجرَعِ العَقِدِ
مَنازِلٌ أَخلَقَتها جِدّةُ الأَبَدِ
Between al-Lawá and Ḥazíz al-Ajra‘ al-‘Aqid
Are dwellings molded by the eternity of time
كَأَنَّها بَعدَ ما مُحّت مَعالِمُها
مامُحَّ لِلبَينِ مِن صَبري وَمِن جَلَدي
As though, after their features were erased
My patience and composure were features for separation
مَنازِلٌ طالَما طَلَّت عَقائِلها
دَماً جُباراً بِلا عَقلٍ وَلا قَوَدِ
Dwellings whose cords long drew
Arrogant blood without reason or restraint
مِن كُلِّ مَكحولَةِ العَينَينِ ما اكتَحَلَت
بِإِثمِدِ الحَضرِ بَل عُلَّت مِن الثَمَدِ
From every intoxicated eye that was lined
With the kohl of settlements - rather they rose from the cadaver
تَأَوَّدَت فَاِكتَسَت حُسناً وَأَحسَنُ ما
تَأَوَّدَ الفَنَنُ العالي مِنَ الأَوَدِ
They became friendly so they gained beauty and the finest
Beauty attained by the most noble arts
ظَبيٌ تَعَوَّدَ قَتلَ الإِنسِ وَاعَجَباً
أَن يَقتُلَ الإِنسَ ظَبيٌ مِن بَني أَسَدِ
A gazelle accustomed to killing man, how wondrous
That a gazelle from Bani Asad kills man
يا صاحِبيَّ سَقى رَبعاً بِكاظِمَةٍ
مَثَجِّجٌ مِن حَيِيِّ العارِضِ البَرِدِ
My friend, one who quenched a direction with restraint
Bristling from the living honorable bitterly cold
أَو يَكتَسي كُلُّ قُردُودٍ بِجَلهَتِه
ثَوباً مِنَ النَورِ لا ثَوباً مِنَ القَرَدِ
Does every monkey wrap itself in its ignorance
In a garment of light rather than one of monkey
فَرُبَّ ساحِبَةِ الأَذيالِ خاطِرَةٍ
قَبلَ السَحابِ بِذاكَ السَفحِ وَالسَنَدِ
So the train of a trailing dress flashes
Before clouds on that plain and support
عُجنا عَلَيهِ المَطايا عَوجَةً قَدَحَت
نارَ الصَبابَةِ في قَلبٍ وَفي كَبِدِ
We stirred restlessness in the steeds that stirred
The fire of youth in a heart and in a liver
وَبَلدَةٍ كَسَراةِ الظَبي عارِيَةٍ
ذَعَرتُ غِيلانَها بِالعِرمِسِ الأُجُدِ
And a land bare like the grazing land of a gazelle
I startled its whelps with the clubfooted she-camel
وَقُلتُ لِلرَّكبِ وَالأَنضاءُ لاغِيَةٌ
قَد بَلَّ أَكوارَها الإِنجادُ بِالنَجَدِ
And I said to the travelling company while the passes were unclear
Its valleys were filled by the roarings of camel drivers
خَلُّوا الثِمادَ فَإِنّي وارِدٌ بِكُمُ
بَحراً مِنَ الجُودِ طامي المَوجِ بِالزَبَدِ
Vacate the plateau for I am coming to you
A sea of generosity, its billows surging with foam
وَقاصِدٌ خَيرَ مَقصودٍ وَمُنتَجِعٌ
ريفَ العَزيزَينِ مِن قَيسٍ وَمِن أُدَدِ
Seeking the best goal and taking refuge
In the countryside of the Glorious from Qais and from Udad
مُعِزَّ دَولَةِ عَدنانٍ وَأَيَّ فَتىً
فيهِ غَرائِبُ فَضلٍ لَيسَ في أَحَدِ
Who brings honor to the state of Adnan, and what man
Has stranger merits that are in none other
حامي الحَقيقَةِ في عِرنِينِهِ شَمَمٌ
وَنَخوَةُ اللَيثِ لا تَخلُو مِنَ العَنَدِ
Defending truth in his sanctuaries with keenness of scent
And a lion's pride is not without sharp claws
مِن مَعشَرٍ أَصبَحَت غُراً مَناقِبُهُم
مِثلَ الكَواكِبِ لا يُدرَكنَ بِالعَدَدِ
From a people whose glories have become wrapped in prestige
Like the stars they cannot be counted in number
بَنَوا لَنا بَيتَ عِزٍّ صَيَّروا عَمَداً
لَهُ الرِماحَ فَأَغنَوهُ عَنِ العَمَدِ
They built a house of glory for us and made its pillar
Spears that spare it from needing pillars
أَبناءُ مِرداسِ خَيرُ الناسِ ما وَعَدُوا
وَعداً فَأَبطاكَ وَعدَ اليَومِ خُلفُ غَدِ
The sons of Mirdas, the best people when they promise
And fulfill it, while today's promise belies tomorrow
تَوارَثُوا الفَخرَ فَالماضي إِذا مُنِيَت
لَهُ المَنِيَّةُ خَلىَّ الفَخرَ لِلوَلَدِ
They inherited glory so when the past perishes
Dying, it leaves glory to the son
لا خَلقَ أَكرَمُ مِنهُم حينَ تَقصِدُهُم
وَلا أَشَدُّ مِراساً بِالقَنا القُصُدِ
No fairer people when you seek them
Nor firmer in stabbing with the spearheads
أَحلاسُ حَربٍ فَما يُربى صَغيرِهُمُ
إِلّا عَلى نَوفِ الضامِرِ العَنِدِ
Battle encampments, so their children are raised
Only on the stirrups of the blood-stained warhorse
إِنّي سُرِرتُ وَمِمّا سَرَّني لَكُمُ
مَوتُ الحَسُودِ بِما يَلقى مِن الكَمَدِ
I was delighted, and among what delighted me for you
Was the death of the envious from what he encounters of calamity
عادُوا إلى خَير ما اِعتادُوا فَإِن سُئِلُوا
جادُوا وَذادُوا عَنِ الأَعراضِ بِالصَّفَدِ
They returned to the best they were wont to
When asked, they spent and guarded honors with the sword scabbard
تَمَلَّكُوا الرَقَّةَ البَيضاءَ وَاِنتَقَلوا
بِالعِزِّ مِن بَلَدٍ رَغدٍ إِلى بَلَدِ
They possessed al-Raqqa al-Bayda and migrated
With glory from one flourishing land to another
مِثلُ السَحائِبِ ساقَ اللَهُ رَيِّقَها
إِلى ثَرىً لَم تَبِت مِنهُ عَلى خَلَدِ
Like clouds, God guided their banners
To a land they had not spent the night upon forever
إِن كُنتُ حُرّاً فَحَمدي دائِمٌ لَهُمُ
فَرضٌ عَلَيَّ كَحَمدِ الواحِدِ الصَمَدِ
Since I am free, my continual praise of them
Is a duty upon me like praising the One, the Eternal
