في الرَكبِ بَينَ هَوادجِ الآرامِ
قَمرٌ يسايِرُهُنَّ تَحتَ لِثامِ
A moon accompanying them beneath their veils
Among the caravan between the valleys of peace
تِلكَ الرَكائبُ سارَ قَلبي خَلفَها
مُتَتَبِّعاً لِمَواطِئِ الأَقدامِ
My heart followed those maidens
Tracking the footsteps impressed in the sand
يَومٌ وَقَفتُ بِهِ كَئيباً حائِراً
لِلبينِ أَسألُ رَحمةَ الأَنعامِ
A day I stood there, distressed and confused
Seeking mercy from the flock for the separation
ساروا وَقَد قَطَعَ النَسيجُ كَلامَهُم
وَجداً وَخَطَّت عَبرتايَ كَلامي
They left, and their conversation was severed
My sincerity wept, and my words were outlined
مِن كُلِّ أَصفَرَ شاحِبٍ قَد راعَهُ
جَزَعِي فَاورَثَهُ الشُحوبُ سَقامي
Every pale face it met was shocked by my agony
So it inherited pallor and my disease
وَبَدا مُقلّدهُ بَعقديْ لُؤلؤٍ
مِن دُرِّ أَجفانٍ وَدُرِّ نِظامِ
And it appeared wearing my necklace of pearls
From the pearls of eyelids and the string of sleepiness
يا جيرةَ الحَيِّ الأُلى قَضَتِ النَوى
بِبعادِهِم فَقَضَت بِقُربِ حِمامي
Oh neighbor of the pleasant, alive quarter that spent my companionship
So it spent my nearness to doves
فَارقتمُ طَرفي القَريحَ وَحلتُمُ
بِالسُهدِ ما بَيني وَبَينَ مَنامي
You left my eye and took to barren plains
Between me and my sleep
وَتَرَكتُمُ لي مُهجَةً مَسلوبةً
في كَفِ كُلِّ مُغرِّبٍ نَسّامِ
And left me a plundered pavilion
In the palm of every western breeze
وَجَوانِحاً حَرّى تَذوبُ مِن الأَسى
وَجوارِحاً أَمسَت رَميمَ عِظامِ
Passions that melt from sadness
And limbs that became like brittle bones
نَزلَ الفِراقُ بِنا فَما لَكَ مَوضِعٌ
يا صَبرُ عِندي فَاِرتَحِل بِسَلامِ
Separation descended upon us, so patience has no place with me
So depart in peace
وَتَعهَّدي يا نَفسُ ما لَم تعهَدِي
تَركاً لَهُ مِن صبوةٍ وَهُيامِ
And pull yourself together, oh soul, as you have not composed yourself
Leaving it with infatuation and passions
وَإِذا خَشيتِ عَلى الصَبابةِ سَلوةً
فَتَعَوَّذي بِجَمالهم وَغَرامي
And if you fear corruption of the youth
Then seek refuge in their beauty and my love
وَإِذا رمتكِ يَد الزَمان بِنَكبةٍ
فَاِستَنجِدي بوزيرِنا المِقدامِ
And if the hand of time afflicts you with adversity
Then seek the aid of our intrepid minister
ذي الدَولةِ العُظمى الَّذي مَن أَمَّهُ
فَجِوارُهُ حَرمٌ عَلى الأَيَّامِ
Of great power, both of them
A vast sea of realities are collected
الراشدُ الهادي الأَمينُ المُقتَدِي
بِسَدادِ أَمرِ الواحدِ العَلَّامِ
In his eyelid a moon that illuminates
When the night of tribulations grows dark in the sky of rulings
قَد ساسَ أَطرافَ البِلادِ بِحكمةٍ
غمَضَتْ سَرائِرُها عَن الأَوهامِ
Wearing the sword over determination
Which in times of strife is sharper than the sword
بادي الحَصافة أَصغراهُ كِلاهُما
بحرٌ كَبيرٌ بِالحَقائقِ طامِ
A might mixed with qualities of gentleness
Like water blended with flasks in the cup
في جَفنِهِ قَمَرٌ يُنير إِذا دَجا
لَيلُ المَشاكلِ في سَما الأَحكامِ
The souls are reassured by his awe so they scarcely
Disturb the slumber, marvels of dreams
مُتَقَلِّد الصّمصامِ فَوقَ عَزيمةٍ
هِيَ في الوَغى أَمضى مِن الصّمصامِ
Horses surging in the iron sea foamed over
In every army like the waves of determination
بَأسٌ تُمازِجُهُ خَلائقُ رقَّةٍ
كَالماءِ مازجَ قرقفاً في الجامِ
Flowing after the most marvelous of his worries
Quenching the black eyeliner and the saliva of swords
أَمِنَت بِهَيبَتِهِ النُّفوسُ فلم تكدْ
تُؤذي النِيامَ رَوائعُ الأَحلامِ
So ask the nomads where their group ended up
Facing the domination of that relentless warrior
جَرَّارُ خَيلٍ بِالحَديدِ تَموَّجَت
في كُلِّ جَيشٍ كَالغِطمِّ لُهامِ
The enormity of vanguards roared in his face
Until they scattered unlike any enormity
تَجري عَلى آثارِ أَروعَ هَمُّهُ
إِظماءُ مكحلةٍ وَريِّ حُسامِ
Their hearts shuddered in fear when
They were met with the standards of flags
فَسَلِ البَداوةَ أَينَ أَمسى جَمعَها
بِازاءِ سَطوةِ ذَلِكَ الضِّرغامِ
The only thing they encountered was a violent collision
Which they realized in war was a true collision
هَبَّت ضِخامُ طَلائعٍ في وَجهِهِ
حَتّى أَنهزَمنَ فَبُؤْنَ غَير ضِخامِ
So they dispersed over the plain when they saw
The scattering of their joints and ambitions around them
خَفَقَتْ قُلوبُهُم اِرتِياعاً عِندَما
وافاهُمُ بِخَوافقِ الأَعلامِ
And so they became as if the earth spewed out their cowardice
And as if they hastened over embers
ما كانَ حينَ لَقَوه إِلّا صَدمةً
عَلِموا بِها في الكَرِّ صِدقَ صِدامِ
Hastening their escape to the burrows
And into them the remnants of skulls surrendered them
فَتناثَروا فَوقَ الصَعيد وَقَد رَأَوا
نَثر المَفاصِلِ حَولَهُم وَالهامِ
They left their dead for the beasts of the desert, having taken
The position of beasts in the burrows
وَغَدَوا كَأَنَّ الأَرضَ تَطردُ فَلَّهم
وَكَأَنَّهُم يَسعَونَ فَوقَ ضِرامِ
And their bold one whose soul
Sought to comfort it by surrendering
يَتَعجَّلونَ إِلى الإِكامِ فِرارَهم
وَإَلَيهِ تُسلمهم ذُرى الآكامِ
Filled the expanse, their moaning, to the point that
Even the echo of desolation began to moan for them
تَرَكوا لوحشِ القَفرِ قَتلاهُم وَقَد
تخِذوا مَقامَ الوَحشِ في الآجامِ
And its swords wept with their bodily fluids until
Their sheaths bent, and their lids flowed perpetually
وَغَدا جَريئُهُمُ الَّذي ثَبَتَتَ لَهُ
نَفسٌ يِمَنِّيها بِالاستسلامِ
God is the greatest! Such is the consequence of those who are insolent
Requiting the making and ingratitude
مَلأ البِقاعَ أَنينُهُم حَتّى لَقَد
أَمسى يَئنُّ لَهُم صَدى الاهضامِ
Oh tribe of nomads, that is Mohammed
Who came to you with justice and laws
وَبَكَت بِماء جُسومِهِم أَسيافُهُ
حتَّى انثنَت وجُفونهنَّ دوامي
The affairs were entrusted to his wisdom, so he managed them
With the fangs of swords and the heads of pens
الله أكبرُ تلكَ عُقبى مَن بَغى
جزى بِكُفر صَنيعةٍ وَذِمامِ
An opinion as the dawn broke clearly and intuition
That possessed proper negation and affirmation
يا مَعشَر الأَعرابِ ذاكَ مُحَمَّدٌ
وافاكُمُ بِالقَسطِ وَالأَحكامِ
The master, the support, by which became
The approach of justice and clear signs
عَهِدتْ لحكمتهِ الأُمورُ فَساسها
بِظُبى النِّصالِ وَأَرؤُسِ الأَقلامِ
Spreading security on the roads, so every mounted one began
To sing its praise, each owner of a horse
رَأيٌ كَما سَفرَ الضُحى وَبَديهةٌ
مَلَكَت سَدادَ النَقضِ وَالابرامِ
And the countries were strengthened by his grace, and whoever
Sought refuge within them, of foreigner or countryman
السَيِّدُ السَنَدُ الَّذي أَضحى بِهِ
نَهجُ العَدالةِ واضحُ الأَعلامِ
And for the diction of history a seal, by prayer
Record his supremacy, and it is the best seal
نَشرَ الأَمانَ عَلى المَسالكِ فَاِنبَرى
بِثَناهُ يَحدو كُلّ رَبِّ خِطامِ
وَشَدَت بِمنَّتِهِ البِلادُ وَمَن ثَوى
فيها مِن الأَعرابِ وَالأَعجامِ
ولِمنطِقِ التأْريخِ خَتمٌ بالدُّعا
لِعُلاهُ أَرِّخْ وهو خيرُ خِتامِ
