صَحا قَلبُهُ يا عَزَّ أَو كادَ يَذهَلُ
وَأَضحى يُريدُ الصَرمَ أَو يَتَبَدَّلُ
His heart was almost rent asunder, O nobility, or became confused,
And he came to desire death or a change of circumstance.
أَيادي سَبا يا عَزُّ ما كُنتُ بَعدَكُم
فَلَم يَحلَ لِلعَينَينِ بَعدَكِ مَنزِلُ
O hands of Saba, O nobles, after you I have not been
My eyes thus have no resting place after you.
وَخَبَّرَها الواشونَ أَنّي صَرَمتُها
وَحَمَّلَها غَيظَاً عَلَيَّ المُحَمِّلُ
And the slanderers told her I had rejected her,
And charged upon me rage - the vile informer.
وَإِنّي لَمُنقادٌ لَها اليَومَ بِالرِضى
وَمُعتَذِرٌ مِن سُخطِها مُتَنَصِّلُ
Yet today I yield to her in pleasure,
And apologize for her anger, withdrawing.
أَهيمُ بِأَكنافِ المُجَمَّرِ مِن مِنىً
إِلى أُمِّ عَمرٍو إِنَّني لَمُوَكَّلُ
I roam the precincts of al-Mujammir, from Mina,
To Umm 'Amr - I am indeed appointed.
إِذا ذَكَرتها النَفسُ ظَلَّت كَأَنَّها
عَلَيها مِنَ الوَردِ التَهامِيِّ أَفكَلُ
Whenever the soul recalls her, it remains as though
Upon it from the perfumed rose are mouthfuls.
وَفاضَت دُموعُ العَينِ حَتّى كَأَنَّما
بِوادي القرى مِن يابِس الثَغرِ تُكحَلُ
And the tears of the eye flow until it is as if
In the valley of Qura from dryness it is reddened.
إِذا قُلتُ أَسلو غارَتِ العَينُ بِالبُكا
غَراءً وَمَدَّتها مَدامِعُ حُفَّلُ
When I say, "Greet the cave of the eye," it weeps
Copiously, and its tears pour forth abundantly.
إِذا ما أَرادَت خُلَّةٌ أَن تُزيلَنا
أَبَينا وَقُلنا الحاجِبِيَّةُ أَوَّلُ
Whenever a party desires to separate us,
We refuse and say: "The veiled ones are first."
سَنوليك عُرفاً إِن أَرَدتِ وِصالَنا
وَنَحنُ لِتِلكَ الحاجِبِيَّةِ أَوصَلُ
We will grant you familiarity, if you want our union,
While we - those veiled ones are more linked.
لَها مَهَلٌ لا يُسطاعُ دِراكُهُ
وَسابِقَةٌ في الحُبِّ ما تَتَحَوَّلُ
She has scope - not to be overtaken -
And precedence in love - she does not change.
تَرامى بِنا مِنها بِحَزنِ شَراوَةٍ
مُفَوِّزَةً أَيدٍ إِلَيك وَأَرجُلُ
She hurls toward us in her roughness of sadness,
Waving hands to you, while I am the legs.
كَأَنَّ وِفارَ القَومِ تَحتَ رِحالِها
إِذا حُسِرَت عَنها العَمائِمُ عُنصُلُ
As if the calves of the people beneath her mount
When her face-veils are uncovered, are onsals.
يَزُرنَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ وَعِندَهُ
لِذي المَدحِ شُكرٌ وَالصَنيعَة مَحمِلُ
They visit the Commander of the Faithful, and with him
For the one who praises are gratitude and reward.
لَهُ شيمَتانِ مِنهُما أَنسِيُّةٌ
وَوَحشِيَّةٌ إِغراقُها النَهىَ مُعجَلُ
He has two traits, from which are friendliness
And gravity - plunging into prohibition hastily.
فَراعِهِما مِنهُ فإِنَّهُما لَهُ
وَإِنَّهُما مِنهُ نَجاةٌ وَمَحفِلُ
Guard against them, for they belong to him,
And through them are safety and an assembly.
وَأَنتَ المُعَلّى يَومَ لُفَّت قِداحُهُم
وَجالَ المَنيحُ وَسطَها يَتَقَلقَلُ
You are the lofty one the day their lances clashed
And the death-rattle moaned among them, writhing.
وَمِثلُكَ مِن طُلّابِها خَلصَت لَهُ
وَقارُكَ مَرضِيٌّ وَرَبعُكَ جَحفَلُ
The like of you, whom they have devotedly served,
Your dignity is agreeable, your quarters wide.
نَهَيتَ الأَلى راموا الخِلافَةَ مِنهُمُ
بِضَربِ الطُلى وَالطَعنِ حَتّى تَنَكَّلوا
You prevented the dregs when they coveted the caliphate from them
With striking the patches and stabbing until they retreated.
وَأَنكَرتَ أَن مارَوكَ في مُستَنيرَةٍ
لَكُم حَقُّها وَالحَقُّ لا يَتَبَدَّلُ
And you denied that which they spun for you in Mustaneerah
Was their right - and right does not change.
أَبوكُم تَلافى يَومَ نَقعاءَ راهِطٍ
بَني عَبدِ شَمسٍ وَهيَ تُنفى وَتُقتَلُ
Your father took vengeance the day of Naq'a on a group -
The clan of 'Abd Shams - while they are driven away and slain.
إِذا الناسُ ساموكُم مِنَ الأَمرِ خُطَّةً
لَها خَمطَةٌ فيها السَمامُ المُثَمَّلُ
When people devise for you from command a plan
Which for it the scheming, therein is death.
أَبى اللَهُ لِلشُمِّ الأُنوفِ كَأَنَّهُم
صَوارِمُ يَجلوها بِمُؤتَةَ صَيقَلُ
God has refused that to the vile-nosed ones, as if they are
Indian swords you unsheathe with Mu'tah's polish.
