مَنازِلُهُمْ تَبْكِى إليكَ عَفاءَها

سَقَتْهَا الثُّرَيّا بالغَريِّ نِحاءَهَا

Their abodes weep to you their windswept plains,

Watered by the Pleiades in the darkness of night.

أَلَثَّتْ علَيْهَا المُعْصِراتُ بقَطْرِهَا

وجَرَّتْ بها هُوجُ الرِّيَاحِ مُلاءَهَا

The rainy constellations pour out their drops upon them,

The spirits of the storm blast them with their blowing.

حَبَسْتُ بها عَدْواً زِمَامَ مَطِيَّتِى

فَحَلَّتْ بها عَيْنِي عليَّ وِكاءَهَا

I detained a foe there, holding back his steed,

So my eyes poured tears of sorrow over them.

رَأَتْ شُدُنَ الآرامِ في زَمَنِ الهَوى

ولم تَرَ لَيْلى فهي تَسْفَحُ ماءَهَا

They saw the tents of the Arabs in the days of love,

But saw no Layla, so they spill their water.

خَلِيلَىَّ عُوجا بارَكَ اللَّهُ فيكما

بدارتِها الأُولى نُحَيِّ فِناءَهَا

O my two friends, may God bless you both

In their first abode—greet their courtyard!

ولا تَمْنَعانِي أَنْ أَجُودَ بأَدْمُعٍ

حَوَاها الجَوى لمّا نَظَرْتُ جِواءَهَا

Do not prevent me from being generous with tears

When sorrow enclosed them as I looked upon their desolation.

فأُقْسِمُ ما شِمْتُ الغَدَاةَ وَقُودَها

وَقد شِمْتُ ما رابَ الحِمى وأَساءَهَا

I swear by the fire I kindled in the morning

And whose smoke offended the asylum and its inmates.

مَيادِينُ أَفْرَاسِ الصِّبا ومَراتِعٌ

رَتَعْتُ بها حتَّى أَلِفْتُ ظِباءَهَا

Racecourses for the horses of youth and pastures

I grazed in them until I knew their rock rabbits.

فلم أَرَ أَسْرَاباً كأَسْرَابِهَا الدُّمَى

ولا ذِئْبَ مِثْلي قد رَعَى ثَمَّ شاءَهَا

I have not seen horse herds like their roe herds

Nor a wolf like me who then felt pity for them.

وَلا كضَلالٍ كانَ أَهْدَى لِصَبْوتِي

لَيَالِيَ يَهْدِيني الغَرامُ خِباءَهَا

Nor is there one led more straight by his passion

In the dark nights when love guides me to their ruins.

وما هاجَ هَذا الشَّوْقَ إلَّا حَمائِمٌ

بَكَيْتُ لها لمّا سَمِعْتُ بُكَاءَهَا

And none provoked this passion save the doves

Who wept for them when I heard their weeping.

تَغَنَّ فلا يَبْعُدْ بذِي الأَيْكِ عاشِقٌ

بَكى بَيْنَ لَيْلى فَاسْتَحَثَّ غِنَاءَهَا

One who loves the slender-waisted will sing—

A lover wept for Layla and it stirred up her singing.

عَجِبْتُ لنَفْسِي كَيْفَ مُلِّكَها الهَوَى

وكَيْفَ اسْتَفَزَّ الغانِيَاتُ إِبَاءَهَا

I am astonished at myself—how love has conquered me,

How the singing girls have provoked my refusal.

أَنا البَحْرُ لا يَسْتَوْهِنُ الخَطْبُ طاقَتى

وتَأْبَى الحِسانُ أَنْ أُطِيقَ لِقَاءَهَا

I am the sea—peril cannot cope with my power,

Beauty refuses that I should attain its presence.

تَيَمَّمَ قَصْدِي النَّائِباتُ فرَدَّها

فتًى لم يُشَجِّعُ حِينَ حَانَ رِيَاءَهَا

Misfortunes waylaid my purpose but he drove them back,

A man whom cowardice did not encourage when sandgrouse flocked.

إِذَا طَرَقَتْهُ الحادِثَاتُ أَعارَهَا

شَبا فِكَرَاتٍ قد أَطالَ مَضَاءَهَا

When disasters assail him he is steadfast before them,

A youth whose thoughts have prolonged their duration.

أَما وأَبى الأَعْدَاءُ ما دَفَعَتْهُمُ

يَدٌ سَبَقَتْهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ عَدَاءَهَا

But no! By God, the enemies did not drive him back,

A hand that forestalled them, which they fear to oppose.

جَزَاهُم بما حازُوا مِن الجَهْلِ حِلْمُهُ

كَرِيمٌ إِذَا راءَ المَكَارمَ جاءَهَا

His forbearance rewarded them for the ignorance they displayed.

He is generous when the noble deeds present themselves.

ولَوْ أَنَّنِى أَنْحَتْ عليّ أَكَارِمٌ

تَرَضَّيْتُ بالعِرْضِ الكَرِيمِ جَزَاءَهَا

If only nobles carved my stature,

I would be content with splendid payment.

وَلَكِنَّ جِرْذَانَ الثُّغُورِ رَمَيْنَنِي

فأَكْرَمْتُ نَفْسِى أَن تُرِيقَ دِماءَهَا

But the vermin of the marches shot me down

So I honored myself by shedding their blood.

إِلَيْكَ أَبا مَرْوَانَ أَلْقَيتُ رابِياً

بِحاجَة نَفْسٍ ما حَرَبْتُ خَزَاءَهَا

To you Abu Marwan I cast my cause

Though my soul did not war for their refuse.

هَزَزْتُكَ في نَصْرِي ضُحًى فكأَنَّنِي

هَزَزْتُ وقَدْ جِئْتُ الجبَالَ حِرَاءَهَا

I roused you at dawn to support me as though

I roused even mountains in their nakedness.

نَقَضْتُ عُرَى عَزْمِ الزَّمَانِ وإِن عَتا

بعَزْمَةِ نَفْس لا أُريدُ بَقَاءَهَا

I broke the bonds of fate though it recoiled

With the resolve of a soul who refuses its survival.

وكَم لكَ مِن يَوْمٍ وَقَفْتَ بظِلِّهِ

وقد نَازَلَتْنَا الحادثَاتُ إِزاءَهَا

How many a day you stood in its shadow

When disasters confronted us face-to-face!

ومِن مَوْقِفٍ ضَنْكٍ زَحَمْتَ به العِدى

وقَد نَفَضَتْ فيهِ العُقَابُ رِداءَهَا

And from a terrible stand you plunged into the foe

And the eagles there stripped off their plumage.

وَكَم أُمّة أَنْجَدْتَها وكأَنَّهَا

يَرابِيعُ سَدَّتْ خِيفةً قُصَعاءَهَا

How many a nation you rescued—they were like

Wild cows blocking up their passes in fear!

ومِن خُطْبَة في كَبّة الصَّكِّ فَيْصَلٍ

حَسَمْتَ بها أَهْواءَهَا ومِراءَهَا

And by an eloquent speech amid the roar of battle

You resolved its passions and controversy.