هاجَت وَساوِسَهُ بِرَومَةَ دورُ
دُثُرٌ عَفَونَ كَأَنَّهُنَّ سُطورُ
His anxiety stirred him in Rome’s abode
An unkempt scroll as if they were lines
أَهدى لَها الإِقفارَ حَتّى أَوحَشَت
مِن بَعدِ أُنسٍ زائِرٌ وَغَيورُ
Solitude offered him the wilderness until it frightened him
After the company of a frequent and jealous visitor
جَرَتِ الرِياحُ بِها وَغَيَّرَ رَسمَها
هَزِمُ الكُلا داني الرَبابِ مَطيرُ
The winds blew him and changed his appearance
Defeating everyone, the rain clouds’ player is near
أَبكى نَعَم أَبكاهُ رَبعٌ بِاللِوى
تَسفى عَلَيهِ مَعَ العَجاجِ المُورُ
It cried over bliss that made it cry
With the crows, the owl keeps vigil over it
خَلَتِ الدِيارُ وَكانَ يُعهَدُ أَهلُها
وَأَجَدَّ بِالأَحبابِ عَنها مَسيرُ
The homes became empty though their people were once familiar
And separation from them was difficult for loved ones
تاللَهِ ما إِن كادَ يَقتُلُني الهَوى
لَولا رُسومٌ بِالعَقيقِ وَدورُ
By God, love did not nearly kill me
If not for ruins at Acacia and abodes
وَلَقَد تَكونُ بِها أَوانِسُ كَالدُمى
بيضُ التَرائِبِ ناعِماتٌ حورُ
With them would be intimate friends like statues
White shrouds, beautiful maidens
إِذ بِالحَوادِثِ طَرفَةٌ عَن أَهلِها
وَإِذا أَهلُها مُتَآلِفونَ حُضورُ
When events separated them from their people
And when their people gathered, they were present
حَتّى تَشَتَّتَ بِالجَميعِ وَخانَهُم
دَهرٌ بِخُلّانِ الصَفاءِ عَثورُ
Until time betrayed them all and failed them
The flow of congeniality stumbled
سَقياً لِأَيّامِ الهَوى إِذ عَيشُنا
غَضٌّ وَإِذ غُصنُ الشَبابِ نَضيرُ
Watering the days of passion when our life
Was fresh, and the youthful branch was verdant
أَيّامَ لا يَنفَكُّ مُقتَنِصاً بِها
وَطرَ الصَبابَةِ زائِرٌ وَمَزورُ
Days that cannot be escaped that hunt
The fleeting and frequented youth
كَم قَد تَخَمَّطَتِ القُلوصُ بِيَ الدُجا
وَرِداؤُها وَرِدائِيَ الدَيجورُ
How the hearts writhed over me at night
Their mantles and my black mantle
في ضُمَّرٍ مِثلِ القِداحِ سَواهِمٍ
أَزرى بِها التَفليسُ وَالتَهجيرُ
In a sleepless night like wakefulness
My bags and poverty made me travel and emigrate
تُطوى لَهُنَّ بِصَبرِهِنَّ عَلى السُرى
وَبِسَيرِهِنَّ سَباسِبٌ وَوُعورُ
Patience helps them endure the journey
And their travel —necklaces and fresh wounds
حَتّى يَزُرنَ مُهَذَّباً مِن حِميَرٍ
بِالزائِرينَ فَناؤُهُ مَعمورُ
Until they visit civilized rulers
Whose hospitality makes their homes flourish
مَلِكٌ إِذا اِستَعصَمتَ مِنهُ بِحَبلِهِ
خَضَعَت لَدَيكَ حَوادِثٌ وَدُهورُ
A king whom when you seek refuge in his rope
Events and times will submit before you
مَلِكٌ يَميرُ السائِلينَ بِسَيبِهِ
وَبِسَيفِهِ سَبُعَ الفَلاةِ يَميرُ
A king who provides the askers with his sword
And with his sword the beasts of the wilderness flock
مَلِكٌ يُجِلُّ نَعَم إِذا ما قالَها
حَتّى يَجودَ وَمالَها تَغيِيرُ
A king who respects gifts when he gives them
Until he becomes generous and they change
مَنَعَ العُيونَ فَما تَكادُ تُبينُهُ
مِن وَجهِهِ الإِجلالُ وَالتَوقيرُ
Eyes cannot discern him
From the veneration and esteem upon his face
حَمَلَ الصَنائِعَ عَن قَبائِلِ يَعرُبٍ
مَلِكٌ أَصابِعُها إِلَيهِ تُشيرُ
A king who won the allegiances of Arab tribes
Their fingers point towards him
مُستَكسِبٌ لِلحَمدِ يَومَ كُنوزِهِ
مُستَجهِلٌ في الحَربِ وَهوَ وَقورُ
Seeking praise the day his treasures
Pretending ignorance in war though dignified
غادٍ عَلى كَسبِ المَحامِدِ رائِحٌ
في راحَتَيهِ مَنِيَّةٌ وَنُشورُ
Going to earn accolades walking gently
In his comforts, gifts and help abound
قَد كانَ شَملُ المالِ غَيرَ مُشَتَّتٍ
حيناً فَشَتَّتَ شَملَهُ مَنصورُ
Possessions were once undivided
Then Mansur divided their unity
سَنّى يَزيدُ لَهُ البِناءَ فَشادَهُ
وَإِلَيهِ أَعناقُ المَكارِمِ صُورُ
Yazid perfected construction for him, exalting it
And necks of generosity likened themselves to him
مُغرىً بِنُجحِ نَعَم وَلَيسَ يَكيدُهُ
عَن تَركِ لا المَيسورُ وَالمَعسورُ
Tempting with the success of gifts, nothing prevents him
From leaving neither the affluent nor the poor
لا يَبلُغُ الدُنيا كَثيرَ عَطائِهِ
وَقَليلُهُ عِندَ الكَثيرِ كَثيرُ
His abundant gifts do not exhaust the world’s riches
And its paucity to the abundant is great
يا أَيُّها المَلِكُ الَّذي أَضحى لَهُ
غُرَرُ المَدائِحِ في البِلادِ تَسِيرُ
O King! Praises for you in the lands pace
Whose pearls of eulogies roam
أَشرَبتَ أَرواحَ العِدى وَقُلوبَها
خَوفاً فَأَنفُسُها إِلَيكَ تَطيرُ
You quenched the souls of enemies and their hearts
Flew to you in fear
لَو حاكَمَتكَ وَطالَبَتكَ بِذَحلِها
شَهِدَت عَلَيكَ مَلاحِمٌ وَنُسورُ
If your feats and lions had tried you
They would have testified against you
وَذَعَرتَ صَرفَ الدَهرِ حينَ ضَمِنتَهُ
فَالدَهرُ مِنكَ وَصَرفُهُ مَذعورُ
You tamed the turns of fate when you secured it
So fate is scared of you and its turns cower
يا اِبنَ التَبابِعَةِ المُلوكِ أُولي النُهى
ما مِثلُهُم في سالِفٍ مَذكورُ
O descendant of kings, masters of glory
None like them were mentioned in the past
كَم مِن أَبٍ لَكَ ماجِدٍ مِن حِميَرٍ
جَزلِ النَّوالِ عَطاؤُهُ مَشكورُ
How many glorious fathers you have from Khimyar
Whose abundant gifts are appreciated
يا مَن يُجيرُ مِنَ الزَمانِ وَصَرفِهِ
مَن ذا سِواكَ مِنَ الزَمانِ يُجيرُ
O you who protects from fate and its turns
Who but you protects from fate?
نَفَحاتُ كَفِّكَ لَم تَزَل مَذكورَةً
تَشقى بِهِنَّ جَماجِمٌ وَبُدورُ
The breezes of your palm have not ceased being remembered
By which skulls and heads prosper
كَم رائِحينَ إِلَيكَ آبوا بِالغِنى
وَغَدوا عَلَيكَ وَحَظُّهُم مَوفورُ
How many came poor to you
And left you, their share plentiful
قَومٌ هُمُ مَوتٌ إِذا ما حارَبوا
قَوماً وَإِمّا سالَموا فَبُحورُ
A people who are death if they fight a people
And if they make peace, then seas
جابوا البِلادَ وَأَهلُها خَوَلٌ لَهُم
مُستَسلِمينَ فَمُطلَقٌ وَأَسيرُ
They roamed the lands and its people surrendered
Given freely or captive
مَنَحوا العَدُوَّ مَعَ الصَوارِمِ وَالقَنى
جُمهورَ خَيلٍ خَلفَها جُمهورُ
They endowed the enemy with swords and spears
Hordes of horses behind which are hordes
مِن كُلِّ نَهدٍ لا يَزالُ كَأَنَّهُ
يَومَ الهِياجِ عَمَلَّسٌ مَمطورُ
From every rugged valley as if it still
On the day of excitement, is slippery and smooth
حَتّى تَذَلَّلَتِ البِلادُ لِحَربِهِم
وَأُبيخَ مِن نارِ العَدُوِّ سَعيرُ
Until the lands submitted to their war
And the enemy’s flames blazed
كانوا المُلوكَ بَني المُلوكِ وِراثَةً
وَالمُلكُ فيهِم لا يَزالُ يَدورُ
They were kings, heirs of kings
Kingship between them continues to alternate
أَعطاهُمُ ذُلَّ المَقادَةِ قَيصَرٌ
وَجَبى إِلَيهِم خَرجَهُ سابورُ
Caesar gave them the humiliation of obedience
And Sapur collected levies unto them
