كَأَنَّ الَّتي يَومَ الرَحيل تَعَرَّضَت

لَنا مِن ظِباءِ الرَملِ أَدماءُ مُعزِلُ

As though the sand-colored gazelles that crossed

Our path on the day we departed were

تَصُدُّ لِمَكحولِ المَدامِعِ لابنٍ

إِذا خَلَّفَتهُ خَلفَها الطَرفَ يُعمِلُ

Maidens with tearful eyes, warding off

A boy left behind by his departing friends.

بَنو مَطَرٍ يَومَ اللِقاءِ كَأَنَّهُم

أُسودُ لَها في غيلِ خَفّانَ أَشبُلُ

The clan of Matar on the day we met were

Lion cubs in their lair, defending their home.

هُمُ يَمنَعونَ الجارَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

لِجارِهِمُ بَينَ السِماكَينِ مَنزِلُ

They forbid even a neighbor, as though

Between the two meadows they had built their house.

بَهاليلُ في الإِسلامِ سادوا وَلَم يَكُن

كَأَوَّلِهِم في الجاهِلِيَّةِ أَوَّلُ

The Bahila in Islam were leaders though

Not as they were in the Ignorance foremost.

هُمُ القَومُ إِن قالوا أًصابوا وإِن دُعوا

أَجابوا وَإِن أَعطوا أَطابوا وَأَجزَلوا

When they speak they hit the mark; when called they

Respond; when they give they bring joy and give plenty.

وَما يَستَطيعُ الفاعِلونَ فِعالَهُم

وَإِن أَحسَنوا في النائِباتِ وَأَجمَلوا

The doers cannot match their deeds

Though they did their best in times of trial.

ثَلاثٌ بِأَمثالِ الجِبالِ حُباهُمُ

وَأَحلامُهُم مِنها لَدى الوَزنِ أَثقَلُ

Three men with the glory of mountains

Whose dreams surpassed all on the scales.

تَجَنَّبَ لا في القَولِ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ

حَرامٌ عَلَيهِ قَولُ لا حينَ تَسأَلُ

He avoided even untruth in speech, as though

Any words but the truth were forbidden to him when asked.

تَشابَهُ يَوماهُ عَلَينا فَأَشكَلا

فَلا نَحنُ نَدري أَيُّ يَومَيهِ أَفضَلُ

So alike were his days to us that we

Could not say which of the two was better.

أَيَومُ نَداهُ الغَمرُ أَم يَومُ بِأسِهِ

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا أَغَرُّ مُحَجَّلُ

The day of his glory or the day of his might—

Both were days that drove scholars to despair.