بَكيتُ يا رَبعُ حَتّى كِدتُ أَبكيكا

وَجُدتُ بي وَبِدَمعي في مَغانيكا

I wept, O dwelling, until I almost made you weep,

I wept, O ruined abode, until I nearly moved you to tears, / Sacrificing my very self and pouring out my grief within your bounds.

And I found myself and my tears among your melodies.

May your morning be blessed, though you have stirred deep sorrows in me, / So return our salutation, for we offer you our greeting.

فَعِم صَباحاً لَقَد هَيَّجتَ لي شَجَناً

وَاِردُد تَحِيَّتَنا إِنّا مُحَيّوكا

So good morning! Indeed, you have provoked a yearning in me,

By what decree of time have you come to take / The wild gazelle in place of the gazelle who once dwelt among you?

And we repeat our greetings, we surely greet you.

Days when suns resided within you, never rising before us / Without drawing forth blood, spilled by the sharpness of their glance.

بِأَيِّ حُكمِ زَمانٍ صِرتَ مُتَّخِذاً

رِئمَ الفَلا بَدَلاً مِن رِئمِ أَهليكا

By what decree of time have you become accustomed

When life was verdant and these ruins stood proud and tall, / As though the radiance of Ubaid Allah was shining upon you.

To the empty wilderness instead of your family?

Safe is the man, O Ibn Yahya, who seeks you as his goal, / While failure befalls the caravan that does not journey toward you.

أَيّامَ فيكَ شُموسٌ ما اِنبَعَثنَ لَنا

إِلّا اِبتَعَثنَ دَماً بِاللَحظِ مَسفوكا

Days in you whose suns were not revived for us

You have revived poetry for the poets, so that they now praise / All others by borrowing the virtues found only in you.

Except they shed blood with a glance poured out.

They taught the world glory through your example, and mastered / The subtlest of meanings drawn from your own depths.

وَالعَيشُ أَخضَرُ وَالأَطلالُ مُشرِفَةٌ

كَأَنَّ نورَ عُبَيدِ اللَهِ يَعلوكا

And life is green, and the ruins are magnificent,

So remain as you are, O peerless one with no equal, / Or be however you wish, for no creature compares to you.

As if the light of Ubayy's servants rises over you.

The gratitude of suppliants for your gifts has shown me / A well-trodden path of kindness leading straight to your bounty.

نَجا اِمرُؤٌ يا اِبنَ يَحيى كُنتَ بُغيَتَهُ

وَخابَ رَكبُ رِكابٍ لَم يَأُمّوكا

A man survived, O son of Yahya, you were his ambition,

Your immense stature across the horizons makes me fear / That by the paucity of my praise, I am merely mocking you.

And the caravan of riders missed you.

Suffice it that you are of Qahtan's noble lineage, / Yet were you to boast, all others would seem but your servants.

أَحيَيتَ لِلشُعَراءِ الشِعرَ فَاِمتَدَحوا

جَميعَ مَن مَدَحوهُ بِالَّذي فيكا

You revived poetry for the poets, so they praised

And were I to offer less praise than your generosity warrants to mankind, / The world would view me as one who reviles you.

All those they praised with that which is in you.

Your generosity answered my call, crying out for me to hear: / 'May my companions ransom you, O man, as I too offer my life for you!'

وَعَلَّموا الناسَ مِنكَ المَجدَ وَاِقتَدَروا

عَلى دَقيقِ المَعاني مِن مَعانيكا

And they taught people glory through you and managed

You continued to follow one favor with another, gift upon gift, / Until I began to believe my very life was one of your bestowals.

The subtleties of meanings from your meanings.

If you say 'Take,' it is but the custom you are known for; / As for 'No,' your lips are too generous ever to pronounce it.

فَكُن كَما أَنتَ يا مَن لا شَبيهَ لَهُ

أَو كَيفَ شِئتَ فَما خَلقٌ يُدانيكا

So be as you are, O incomparable one,

Or however you wish, for none can equal you.

شُكرُ العُفاةِ لِما أَولَيتَ أَوجَدَني

إِلى نَداكَ طَريقَ العُرفِ مَسلوكا

The thanks of the chaste one for what you granted found me

On the path of custom to your generosity traveled.

وَعُظمُ قَدرِكَ في الآفاقِ أَوهَمَني

أَنّي بِقِلَّةِ ما أَثنَيتُ أَهجوكا

And the greatness of your worth in the horizons made me imagine

That with little praise I insult you.

كَفى بِأَنَّكَ مِن قَحطانَ في شَرَفٍ

وَإِن فَخَرتَ فَكُلٌّ مِن مَواليكا

It suffices that you are of Qahtan in nobility

And if you take pride, they are all your followers.

وَلَو نَقَصتُ كَما قَد زِدتُ مِن كَرَمٍ

عَلى الوَرى لَرَأَوني مِثلَ شانيكا

And if I diminished as I have increased from generosity

Over all people, they would see me like you.

لَبّى نَداكَ لَقَد نادى فَأَسمَعَني

يَفديكَ مِن رَجُلٍ صَحبي وَأَفديكا

Your call answered me. Indeed, it called and I heard,

"May he ransom you," from a companion of mine, and I ransom you.

ما زِلتَ تُتبِعُ ما تولي يَداً بِيَدٍ

حَتّى ظَنَنتُ حَياتي مِن أَياديكا

You continue to follow what you turn your hand to, hand in hand,

Until I thought my life was from your hands.

فَإِن تَقُل ها فَعاداتٌ عُرِفتَ بِها

أَو لا فَإِنَّكَ لا يَسخو بِها فوكا

So if you say, "These are well-known qualities of yours,"

Or not, then you do not lack in nobility.