تمنَّاها بجهلِ الظنِّ سعدُ

وما هي من مطايا الظنِّ بعدُ

Saad wished for it in ignorant hope

Yet it was not of the steeds of hope afterwards

وخالَ ظهورَها قُعُداً لياناً

فرحَّلَ وهي مُزلِقةٌ تكُدُّ

And he left its appearance sitting wearily

So he rode it while it was slipping and stumbling

وراوحَها القِعابَ ليعتشيها

فضرعٌ زلَّ أو خِلفٌ يَنِدُّ

And the hyena howled at it to feed on it

So a young camel slipped or a latter one stumbled

براثنُ أَوْسَقَتْهُ دماً صبيباً

وفي قومٍ لها أَقِطٌ وزُبدُ

Its knees oozed oozing blood

And it had in its people a mangy camel and scum

لعلّك سعدُ غرَّك أن تراها

على الجرّاتِ تأكلُ أو تَرُدُّ

Perhaps Saad, desire deluded you to see it

Eating Al-Jarrat or returning

وأنّ العام أخلَفها فجاءتْ

حبائلَ في حبائلها تُمَدُّ

And that the year disappointed it, so it came

Pregnant in its pregnancies extended

مفلَّلةً على الأعطانِ فوضَى

هببتَ تظنُّ أنّ الفَلَّ طردُ

Adorned with the headstalls confusedly

You reckoned it the excellent riding beast

وما يُدريكَ من يَحمِي حماها

ويحضُرُ ذائداً عنها ويَبدو

And you don’t know who protects its protector

And attends, protecting it and becomes manifest

وإِنَّ وراءها لَقناً تَلظَّى

وأسيافاً وأَلسنةً تُحَدُّ

And that behind it there is a burning anger

And swords and tongues that wound

ومنتقصَ الطبائع إن أخيفت

لَشَدُّ الأُسْدِ أهونُ ما يَشُدُّ

And the fainthearted if frightened

Is firmer than the lion's firmness

إذا صاح الإباءُ به تنزَّى

يُطيع الغيظَ أغلبُ مستبِدُّ

When the father roars at it gloriously

Most of the enraged obey the enraged

ومشحوذاً من الكَلِم المصفَّى

به الأعراضُ تُفرَى أو تُقَدُّ

And sharpened from the refined utterance

With it honors are ransomed or burnt

إذا عصَبَ اللَّهاةَ الريقُ فاضت

دوافقُ منه واديها مُمَدُّ

If the licentious were enraged, their outpour

And their valleys overflowed extended

تَحاشَدُ يَعْرُبٌ إن قال نصراً

وتغضَبُ بالطباع له مَعَدُّ

The Arabs gather if he said victory

And they get angry with their nature for him, prepared

فما لك لا أبا لك تتَّقيها

وفيها السيفُ والخصمُ الألدُّ

So why, no father for you, do you fear it

While in it the sword and the hostile most hostile

طغَى بك أنْ وَنتْ عنك القوافي

وخلفَ فُتورِها دأبٌ ووخْدُ

You were deluded when the rhymes refused you

And after its languor, habit and ardour

لئن دَرِدَتْ فلا يَغررْك منها

أراقمُ يزدرِدنَ وهنَّ دُرْدُ

If it neighs, then its neighing does not deceive you

Racaam, it neighs and becomes gentle, Dard

وإن نأت البلادُ برافديها

فقومٌ آخرون لها ورِفْدُ

And if the lands bring it with their tributaries

Another people for it and provision

ولم يَقعُدْ عن المعروف جُندٌ

من الكرماء إلا قام جُندُ

And the generous did not refrain from good

Except a troop stood up, and a troop

وكم من حاضرٍ دانٍ كفاني

رجالاً لَفَّهُمْ سَفَرٌ وبُعدُ

And how many present, close whom remote

Made sufficient men wrapped by travel and remoteness

ولم أعدَمْ نوالَهُمُ ولكن

وجوهٌ بعدَها ألمٌ ووجدُ

And I did not lack their intimacy but

Faces after them are pain and passion

سقى اللّه ابنَ أيّوبٍ سماءً

تروح سحابُها ملأَى وتغدو

May Allah water the son of Ayyub with a sky

Whose clouds go filled and return

وإلا ماءُ خديه حياءً

وإلا خلَّةٌ منه وودُّ

Otherwise the water of his cheeks in shyness

Otherwise a mixture of it and love

وأيّ خلالهِ كرماً سقاه

كَفَى وسقَى نميرٌ منه عِدُّ

And which of its meadows in generosity he watered

It suffices and it watered an abundant number of it

أخوك فلا تغيِّره الليالي

إذا لم يُرعَ عند أخيك عهدُ

Your brother so nights do not change him

If the covenant was not kept with your brother

ومولاك الذي لا الغلُّ يسرِي

به ظَهْراً ولا الأضغانُ تحدو

And your Master whom neither error spreads

Therewith a back nor enmities wound

تَضَيَّفْهُ وأنت طريدُ ليلٍ

رمى بك فيه إِقتارٌ وجهدُ

Make him your guest while you are prey to night

Which threw at you scarcity and effort

وقد ألقت بكلكلها جُمادَى

لخيط سمائها حلٌّ وعَقْدُ

And February has knitted its celestial thread

For a strand of its sky a solution and a knot

وهبَّتْ من رياح الشامِ صِرٌّ

عسوفٌ لم تَرضها قطّ نجدُ

And there blew from the winds of the Levant, cold

‘Asuf not satisfied with it ever Najd

وأبوابُ البيوت مقرّناتٌ

فلا نارٌ ولا زادٌ مُعَدُّ

And the doors of houses shut off

So no fire and no provision prepared

تجِدْ وجهاً يضيء لك الدياجي

كأَنَّ جبينَه في الليل زَندُ

You find a face that illuminates the darkness for you

As if its forehead in the night is tinder

وكَفّاً تهرُبُ الأزَماتُ منها

تَرقرَقُ سَبْطةً والعامُ جَعدُ

And a palm by which troubles escape

Flowing gentleness while the year is arid

وبِتْ وقِراك مَيسَرةٌ وبِشرٌ

وزادُك نُخبَةٌ وثراك مَهدُ

You passed the night secured with good omen, and glad tidings

And your provision is blessing, and your bed luxury

تمامَ الليلِ واغْدُ بصالحاتٍ

من الأخلاق إن تَرَكتْك تغدو

The end of night and leave with good traits

Of morals if they let you leave

شمائلُ أصلُها حَسَبٌ وخِيرٌ

وزهرةُ فعلِها كرمٌ ومجدُ

Attributes whose origin is pedigree and goodness

And the blossom of its deed is generosity and glory

تقلَّبها أباً فأباً مؤدٍّ

كما أخَذَ العلا إرثاً يُرَدُّ

Circulating from father to father fulfilling

As the sublime took inheritance recurring

تَتِمُّ به إذا حُسِبَ المساعي

عن الآباءِ عِدَّةُ ما يُعَدُّ

With it you perfect when the efforts are counted

From the forefathers the number that is counted

تفرَّدَ بالمحاسن في زمانٍ

تنكَّرَ أن يقالَ البدرُ فردُ

He monopolized the virtues in a time

That refused to say the full moon is unmatched

وجاراه على غَرَرٍ رجالٌ

لهم شدٌّ وليس لهم أشُدُّ

And his peers wrongly are men

Who have firmness but have no greater firmness

فقصَّر كلُّ منتفخٍ هجينٍ

ومرَّ أقبُّ يطوِي الشوطَ نهدُ

So every pretentious hybrid fell short

And passed the dented that folds the distance, courageous

ثقيلٌ والحلومُ مشعشَعاتٌ

نصيعُ العِرض والأعراضُ رُبْدُ

Heavy while the necks are terrified

The weak honor and honor filth

ملكتُ به المنى وعلى الليالي

ديونٌ بعدُ لي فيه ووعدُ

I possessed wishes therewith and nights

Afterwards have debts in it and promise

وكان نوالُ أقوامٍ ضماناً

أسوَّفه وجودُ يديه نَقْدُ

And the attainment of some people was a guarantor

I procrastinated and its generosity was cash

أحدَّ بنصره نابَيَّ حتّى

فَرَسْتُ به الخطوبَ وهنُّ أُسْدُ

It encouraged a companion until

I judged the afflictions by it and they are gentle lions

وعاد أشلَّ كفُّ الدهر عنّي

بأنك لي به سيفٌ وزندُ

And the palm of time weakened from me

That for me by it a sword and flint

فلا يعدَمْك معتمِرٌ غريبٌ

له بك أسوة صَبْرٌ وحَشْدُ

So a strange pilgrim may not miss you

Who by you has example, patience, and resolve

ولايَفْقِدك منّي مستضيءٌ

بهَدْيِك في الظلام وأنتَ رُشْدُ

And a seeker of light by your guidance in the darkness, while you are uprightness

May it return to you the scent of my praise

وردَّ عليك رائحةً ثنائي

عزائبَ مثلُها لك يُسترَدُّ

Wonders the like of which to you are regained

The specialties of it or he finds in you pasture

خمائصَ أو يَجِدنَ إليك مرعىً

خوامسَ أو لهنَّ نداك وِرْدُ

The unique or for them your company and sweet basil

The pregnant from the produce of generosity filling

حواملَ من نتاج الجود ملء ال

جيوب فمالُها شكرٌ وحمدُ

Pockets so their gratitude and praise full

Of the words which if there is a limit

من الكلم الذي إن كان حدٌّ

لغاياتِ الفصاحة فهو حدُّ

To the goals of eloquence it is the limit

I surpassed the speech makers comfortably therewith

سبقتُ به المَقاولَ مستريحاً

ففتُّهُمُ وقد نَصِبوا وكدُّوا

So I cleaved them while they stood up and labored

The singular and the dual attack you thereby

تكُرُّ عليك واحدةً ومَثنَىً

بهنّ وفودُها ما قام أُحْدُ

With them and their delegations the unique did not stand

For the festival day while it was leisure

ليوم المهرجان وكان عُطْلاً

وشاحٌ من فرائدها وعِقْدُ

And a thread from its gems and knot

I robbed the people of its adornment stingily

سلبتُ الناس زينتَها ضنيناً

بها وبرودُها لك تَستحدُّ

Therewith and its coolness to you sought

My contentment with what you bestow freed me

عتقَني من الحِرص اقتناعي

بما تُولِي ومولى الحرِ

From greed, and the Master of the free