حَنانيكِ ما ذا الهجرُ يا أُمَّ قاسِمٍ
فَرِفقاً بِوَلهانِ الفُؤادِ وَهائمِ
Have mercy—what is this estrangement, O Umm Qasim?
Be gentle with a heart-distraught man, bewildered and wandering.
وَليني عَلى الوَلهانِ ذي الوَجدِ وَالجوى
فُؤاداً قَسا كَالصّخرِ لَيسَ براحمِ
Be tender to the love-lorn man possessed by passion and torment;
soften a heart grown hard as rock, a heart without mercy.
فَما بالُهُ تَجفينَهُ وَهوَ سيّدٌ
كَريمٌ مِنَ الأَمجادِ عين الأكارمِ
Why do you shun him, when he is a lord,
noble in his glories, the choicest of the noble?
نَسيبٌ عَريقُ الأَصلِ طابَ نِجارُهُ
بُنَيُّ كِرامٍ في الورى وكرائمِ
High-born and deep-rooted, of excellent stock,
a son of noble men and noble women among humankind.
وَجيهٌ جَليلٌ في العُيونِ مُوقَّر
جَميلٌ وَسيمُ الوَجهِ لَيسَ بِجاهمِ
Eminent, august, revered in every eye,
handsome, fair-faced, never grim.
شُجاعٌ تَربّى في الوَغى وَهوَ ضَيغم
تَذِلُّ لَهُ خَوفاً أُنوفَ الضّياغمِ
Brave, raised amid battle, a lion,
before whom, in fear, the very noses of lions bow.
يكرُّ عَلى الآسادِ لا يرهبُ الرّدى
وَيَسطو قَسيَّ القَلبِ سَطوةَ ظالِمِ
He charges lions, never fearing death,
and strikes, hard-hearted, with a tyrant’s violence.
يَظنُّ إِذا ما كَرَّ أَن لَيسَ خلفهُ
طَريقٌ بِهِ يَبدو مفرّ لِهاجِمِ
When he charges, he thinks there is behind him
no road by which an assailant might flee.
وَيَنقَضُّ كالعقبانِ عندَ اِنقِضاضِها
فَيَرفَعُ كَفّيهِ بِأخذِ الجَماجِمِ
He swoops like eagles at the moment of their descent,
raising both hands to seize skulls.
يُعادِلُ آسادَ الوَغى لَو تَجَمّعوا
بِلا الأَسَدِ الرّئبالِ مُردي الهَياضمِ
He would equal all the lions of battle, were they gathered—
all but the fierce lion that fells the stoutest warriors.
أَبي العِزِّ خدنِ المَجدِ فَخرُ بَني العُلى
عَلِيّ السّجايا بَعضها جود حاتِمِ
Proud in honor, companion of glory, pride of exalted sons,
lofty in character—some of it the generosity of Hatim.
فَذاكَ هِزَبرٌ راجِحٌ لَو وَزَنتَهُ
مَدى الدّهرِ في الدّنيا بِكلِّ الضّياثمِ
That is a lion of such weight that, were you to weigh him
throughout all time in this world, he would outweigh every lion.
هَصور مهيب يَقصِمُ الظّهرَ صيتهُ
وَما كلُّ صيتٍ لِلظهورِ بِقاصِمِ
A fierce, awe-inspiring one whose renown breaks backs;
not every renown, merely heard, can break a back.
تَخافُ بِهِ الأَطفالُ وَهيَ بِمَهدِها
وَتهلكُ مِن ذكراهُ حمسُ الجَهاضِمِ
Children fear him even in their cradles,
and stout warriors perish at the mere remembrance of him.
فَيا سَعدَ مَن وافاهُ وَهوَ مُسالِمٌ
وَيا تَعس مَن وافاهُ غَير مُسالِمِ
Blessed is the one he meets while at peace;
wretched the one he meets as an enemy.
يَسيرُ عَلى أَقدامِهِ نَحوَ حَتفِهِ
وَلَيسَ مِنَ الهَيجا يَعودُ بِسالِمِ
The latter walks on his own feet toward his death,
and none returns safe from battle with him.
تَراهُ إِذا قَد رامَ حَربَ عِداتهِ
يَقومُ وثوباً مِثلَ وَثبِ الضراغمِ
When you see him resolve to fight his foes,
he springs like the pounce of lions.
وَيَنهَضُ ذا جدٍّ لأخذِ سلاحِهِ
بِجَزمِ أَخي عَزمٍ بِهمَّةِ حازمِ
In sober earnest he rises to take up his weapons,
with the resolve of a man of purpose and the mettle of the firm.
وَيَلبَسُ دِرعاً مُحكَماً صنع نَسجها
وَمَغفرهُ المُزري بِلبسِ العَمائِمِ
He puts on tightly wrought armor,
and a helmet that makes turbans seem paltry.
فَيُصبِحُ في حِصنٍ حصينٍ فَما بِهِ
يُؤثّر مِن رمحٍ وَقُضبٍ قَواصمِ
Thus he enters an impregnable fortress, where
neither spear nor shattering blade can touch him.
وَيَحمِلُ أَنواعَ الرّماحِ جَميعِها
فَمِن حَربةٍ تُسقى بِسُمِّ الأَراقمِ
He bears every kind of spear:
a lance steeped in the venom of serpents,
وَسُمرٍ عَوالٍ ثمّ لُدنٍ عَوارتٍ
يَقلُّ لَعمري مثلها في اللّهاذِمِ
tall brown shafts, then supple, slender ones—
by my life, their like is rare among spearheads.
وَجُعبَتُه ما إِن تعدّ سِهامها
وَما نَصلُها غير القُلوبِ بِطاعِمِ
His quiver—its arrows cannot even be counted,
and their points feed on nothing but hearts.
وَيَحمِلُ أَصنافَ السّيوفِ جَميعها
فَمِن مُرهَفٍ ماضٍ رسوبٍ وَحاسمِ
He bears every kind of sword:
keen, penetrating blades, decisive and severing;
وَمِن هندوانيٍّ وَعَضبٍ مُهنّدٍ
وإِصليتِ قُرضابٍ وَأَمضى الصّوارِمِ
Indian steel, a cutting, finely forged sword,
an Islit blade, a cleaver, the keenest of swords.
يَخوضُ إِلى الهَيجاءِ بَحرَ كَريهَةٍ
بِمُعترك الأَبطالِ عِندَ التّصادُمِ
He wades into the battle’s dreadful sea,
into the melee where champions crash together.
يَموجُ بِفُرسانٍ لُيوثٍ كَواسرٍ
وَما مِثلُهُ بِالمَوجِ مِن مُتَلاطِمِ
It surges with knights like ravening lions,
yet no wave within it is more turbulent than he.
يَصولُ على طِرفٍ أَصيلٍ مُشذَّبٍ
مِنَ الرّيحِ مَخلوق مقودِ الشّكائِمِ
He charges on a noble, lean, purebred steed,
fashioned from the wind, responsive to the reins.
فَإِنْ يَعدُ شمتَ الريحَ مَسبوقةً بهِ
وَما غَيرُهُ قَد نالَ سَبقَ النَّسائِمِ
If it runs, you see the wind itself outstripped by it;
none but it has ever outraced the breezes.
وَما خَيلُهُ إِلّا جيادُ أَصائِلٍ
صَوافن غرٍّ مِن هِجانٍ كَرائِمِ
His horses are none but purebred coursers,
clean and bright, born of noble mares.
فَمِن أَشهَبٍ صافٍ وَأحمَر رائقٍ
بِعَرفٍ كَمثلِ الذّيلِ أَسودَ فاحمِ
Among them are a pure gray and a gleaming red,
with a mane like a long, black tail;
وَثيج وَعُنجوج شَديدٍ وصلدمٍ
كَحيلٍ كريمٍ مِن جيادِ الصّلادِمِ
a robust, long-bodied, powerful, solid horse,
dark-eyed and noble, from the finest hard-running stock;
كَبيرٍ ثَلاث واسِع لِثلاثةٍ
بِطولُ ثَلاثٍ مِنهُ طولُ القَوائِمِ
large in three parts and broad in three,
long in three—the legs among its lengths;
قَصيرُ ثَلاثٍ لا ذنوب وَسَمحَجٍ
ذَريع وَسَهب سَلهب لم يصادمِ
short in three, with no trailing tail, broad-backed,
swift, far-striding, tall, and never bested.
أَغَرّ بِتَحجيلٍ بِغَيرِ يَمينِهِ
بِحُسنِ تَقاطيعٍ بِأَسنى المَياسِمِ
White-blazed, with white stockings except on its right foreleg,
finely proportioned and marked with the noblest signs;
بِسيّالَةٍ إِن يُسقَ تَشربْ بشربِهِ
بِثَغرٍ ظَريفٍ وَهوَ حلو المَباسِمِ
with a flowing lip that, when given water, drinks its fill,
and a graceful mouth, sweet in its smile;
بِحُسنِ نَياشينٍ لَها اليمنُ صاحِبٌ
بِها السّعدُ مَقرونٌ بِخَيرٍ مُلازِمِ
with fair markings whose companion is good omen,
good fortune joined to them, inseparably blessed.
إَذا أَفلتَ الخطّيَّ في القوم طاعناً
تَراهُ إِذن يَنسابُ مِثلَ الأراقمِ
When he lets the Khattian spear fly, thrusting amid the host,
you see it glide like serpents.
لَوِ اِصطَفَّ أَلفٌ واحداً خَلفَ واحِدٍ
وَأَفلَتَ ذاكَ الرّمح لَيسَ بِراحِمِ
If a thousand men stood in line, one behind another,
and he launched that merciless spear,
لَأخرجَ ذاكَ الرّمحَ مِنهم جَميعهم
وَصَيَّرَهم لِلوَحشِ أَهنى الوَلائِمِ
it would pass out through every one of them
and leave them to the beasts as the choicest feast.
وَلَو أَنّ ذاكَ الألف قَد دارَ حَلقَةً
وَمَدَّ لَهُ زنداً بأبيض صارِمِ
If those thousand instead formed a ring
and he stretched out his arm with a white, sharp sword,
لَشِمتَ رُؤوسَ الألفِ منهُ بِضَربَةٍ
تَطيرُ عَنِ الأَعناقِ نَحوَ النّعائمِ
you would see their thousand heads, with a single stroke,
fly from their necks toward the ostriches.
وَإِنْ يَرمِهمْ بِالنَّبلِ كانَت سِهامُهُ
تَصبُّ عَلَيهم مِثل وَبلِ الغمائِمِ
And if he shot them with arrows, his shafts
would pour upon them like a raincloud’s deluge.
وَلَو ضَربت كفّاهُ مِن غَيرِ آلةٍ
رُؤوسَ العِدى بِالخبطِ فَوقَ العَمائِمِ
If his two hands struck without any weapon,
battering his enemies’ heads above their turbans,
لَأَصبَحَ مِن أَقدامِهم نَحوَ سفلها
يُريكَ بِلا رَيبٍ خُروجَ الجَماجِمِ
their skulls would be driven down past their feet—
you would plainly see the skulls burst out.
كَذاكَ لَعَمري فَليَكُن كلّ فارِس
وَكُلّ شجاعٍ في الحروبِ مصادمِ
Thus, by my life, should every horseman be,
and every valiant man who clashes in war.
وَلَكِنّه قَد قَلَّ في الدّهرِ مثلهُ
وَقَد قَلَّ في الدّنيا وُجودُ الضّياغِمِ
But in all time, his like has been rare;
in this world, lions such as he are few.
فَيا أَيّها اللّيثُ الهمامُ أَبو العلى
وَيا مَن لَهُ العَلياءُ أَدونُ خادمِ
O lion, valiant hero, Abu al-Ula,
O you before whom even sublimity is a humble servant:
إِلَيكَ رَعاكَ اللَّه بِنتَ حماسَةٍ
لَعمريَ مِثلي مثلها غير ناظِمِ
To you—may God preserve you—comes a daughter of valor,
whose like, by my life, no one like me has composed.
تَذوبُ حَشا الأَعداءِ عندَ سَماعِها
لِذِكراك فيها يا وَجيهَ الأَعاظمِ
The innards of enemies melt when they hear it,
for the remembrance of you within it, O eminent one of the great.
وَتَصفَرُّ مِنهم حينَ تتلى أَنامِل
وَتحضر فيهِم أُمّهاتُ القَشاعِمِ
Their fingertips turn yellow when it is recited,
and the mothers of vultures come among them.
فَمُرْ إِن ترُمْ حَربَ الأَعادي بِشَدوِها
فَلا تَطلب الأَعداء غَير الهَزائمِ
So if you seek war with your foes, command that it be chanted;
then expect from the enemy nothing but defeat.
يُوَلّونَ أَدباراً يَضلّونَ في الفَلا
وَقَد شدَّ حبل الضّيقِ فَوقَ الحَلاقِمِ
They will turn their backs, wandering lost in the wilderness,
while the cord of distress tightens above their throats.
يَضيقُ بِهم ضيق السوارِ بِمِعصَمٍ
يَضيقُ بِهِم ضيقَ البَنانِ بِخاتَمِ
It constricts them as a bracelet clasps a wrist,
as a ring constricts the finger.
وَضَعها عَلى حِصنٍ وَلَو غير مانِع
فَتِلكَ لِدَفعِ القَومِ أَسنى التمائِمِ
Set it upon a fortress, even one otherwise undefended:
it is the finest of amulets for repelling a host.
وَدُم بِأَمانِ اللَّه في كَهفِ حِفظِهِ
مَعاناً بِعونِ اللَّه رَبِّ العَوالِمِ
Remain in God’s safety, within the shelter of His protection,
aided by the help of God, Lord of all worlds,
مَدى الدّهر ما هَبَّت نَسيمٌ من الصَّبا
وَدامَ عَلى الأَغصانِ شَدوَ الحَمائِمِ
for all time, while the zephyr’s breeze blows
and the doves’ song endures among the branches.
