مُلِثَّ القَطرِ أَعطِشها رُبوعاً

وَإِلّا فَاِسقِها السَمَّ النَقيعا

O pouring rain, leave these abodes parched with thirst,

Or else, pour out for them a draught of lethal poison.

أُسائِلُها عَنِ المُتَدَيِّريها

فَلا تَدري وَلا تُذري دُموعاً

I question the ruins regarding those who dwelt within,

But they know nothing, nor do they shed a single tear.

لَحاها اللَهُ إِلّا ماضِيَيها

زَمانَ اللَهوِ وَالخَودَ الشُموعا

May God condemn these places—save for their bygone days,

That time of revelry, and the maiden, playful and bright.

مُنَعَّمَةٌ مُمَنَّعَةٌ رَداحٌ

يُكَلِّفُ لَفظُها الطَيرَ الوُقوعا

A sheltered beauty, forbidden, with hips of heavy grace,

Whose whispered word commands the flying birds to land.

تُرَفِّعُ ثَوبَها الأَردافُ عَنها

فَيَبقى مِن وِشاحَيها شَسوعا

Her ample curves lift up the fabric of her gown,

Leaving her jeweled sash to hang loosely at her waist.

إِذا ماسَت رَأَيتَ لَها اِرتِجاجاً

لَهُ لَولا سَواعِدُها نَزوعا

When she sways in walking, you see a ripple tremble through her,

That would tear her frame apart, were it not held by her arms.

تَأَلَّمُ دَرزَهُ وَالدَرزُ لَينٌ

كَما تَتَأَلَّمُ العَضبَ الصَنيعا

She suffers from the garment's seam, though the seam is soft,

As if she suffered the edge of a polished, sharp sword.

ذِراعاها عَدُوّا دُملُجَيها

يَظُنُّ ضَجيعُها الزَندَ الضَجيعا

Her forearms are the enemies of the bracelets that bind them,

Her bedfellow mistakes her wrist for a soft embrace.

كَأَنَّ نِقابَها غَيمٌ رَقيقٌ

يُضيءُ بِمَنعِهِ البَدرَ الطُلوعا

It is as though her veil were a wisp of slender cloud,

Illuminating the full moon even as it bars its rising.

أَقولُ لَها اِكشِفي ضُرّي وَقولي

بِأَكثَرَ مِن تَدَلُّلِها خُضوعا

I say to her: "Relieve my suffering, and speak words..."

"...That show more submission than your cruel coquetry."

أَخِفتِ اللَهَ في إِحياءِ نَفسٍ

مَتى عُصِيَ الإِلَهُ بِأَن أُطيعا

"Do you fear God's wrath for saving a dying soul?"

"Since when is the Lord disobeyed by an act of obedience?"

غَدا بِكَ كُلُّ خِلوٍ مُستَهاماً

وَأَصبَحَ كُلُّ مَستورٍ خَليعا

Because of you, the carefree heart wakes up enslaved by love,

And the dignified man becomes a shameless reveler.

أُحِبُّكِ أَو يَقولوا جَرَّ نَملٌ

ثَبيراً وَاِبنُ إِبراهيمَ ريعا

I shall love you until they say that a single ant has dragged

The massive Mount Thabir, or that Isaac was struck with fear.

بَعيدُ الصيتِ مُنبَثُّ السَرايا

يُشَيِّبُ ذِكرُهُ الطِفلَ الرَضيعا

A man of far-flung fame, whose armies spread abroad,

The mere mention of his name turns the nursing infant gray.

يَغُضُّ الطَرفَ مِن مَكرٍ وَدَهيٍ

كَأَنَّ بِهِ وَلَيسَ بِهِ خُشوعا

He lowers his gaze in cunning and deep strategy,

Feigning a humble reverence that he does not truly feel.

إِذا اِستَعطَيتَهُ ما في يَدَيهِ

فَقَدكَ سَأَلتَ عَن سِرٍّ مُذيعا

If you ask him to give you the bounty in his hands,

You ask a herald to reveal a secret he burns to tell.

قَبولُكَ مِنَّهُ مَنٌّ عَلَيهِ

وَإِلّا يَبتَدِئ يَرَهُ فَظيعا

Your act of accepting his gift is a favor done to him,

For if he cannot give unasked, he deems it a grave offense.

لِهونِ المالِ أَفرَشَهُ أَديماً

وَلِلتَفريقِ يَكرَهُ أَن يَضيعا

Holding wealth in contempt, he spreads it like a carpet,

Hating that gold be lost, only because he wishes to disperse it.

إِذا ضَرَبَ الأَميرُ رِقابَ قَومٍ

فَما لِكَرامَةٍ مَدَّ النُطوعا

When the Emir strikes off the heads of a rebel tribe,

He does not spread the executioner's mat to honor them.

فَلَيسَ بِواهِبٍ إِلّا كَثيراً

وَلَيسَ بِقاتِلٍ إِلّا قَريعا

He is not a giver, unless he gives in abundance,

Nor is he a slayer, unless he slays a noble chief.

وَلَيسَ مُؤَدِّباً إِلّا بِنَصلِ

كَفى الصَمصامَةُ التَعَبَ القَطيعا

He offers no discipline save through the sword's edge;

The sharp blade spares the herd the trouble of the whip.

عَلِيٌّ لَيسَ يَمنَعُ مِن مَجيءِ

مُبارِزَهُ وَيَمنَعُهُ الرُجوعا

Ali does not prevent a challenger from approaching,

But once the duel begins, he forbids him to return.

عَلِيٌّ قاتِلُ البَطَلِ المُفَدّى

وَمُبدِلُهُ مِنَ الزَرَدِ النَجيعا

Ali is the slayer of the hero whom men would ransom,

Dressing him in flowing blood instead of links of mail.

إِذا اِعوَجَّ القَنا في حامِليهِ

وَجازَ إِلى ضُلوعِهِمِ الضُلوعا

When the spears bend and warp within the warriors' bodies,

And the shafts pierce through ribs to reach the ribs within,

وَنالَت ثَأرَها الأَكبادُ مِنهُ

فَأَولَتهُ اِندِقاقاً أَو صُدوعا

And the livers exact their vengeance upon the spear-point,

Granting it nothing but splintering and cracks.

فَحِد في مُلتَقى الخَيلَينِ عَنهُ

وَإِن كُنتَ الخُبَعثِنَةَ الشِحيعا

So turn aside from him when the two armies collide,

Even if you are a lion, massive and courageous.

إِنِ اِستَجرَأتَ تَرمُقُهُ بَعيداً

فَأَنتَ اِسطَعتَ شَيئاً ما اِستُطيعا

If you dare but to glance at him from a distance,

You have achieved a feat that none else could achieve.

وَإِن مارَيتَني فَاِركَب حِصاناً

وَمَثِّلهُ تَخِرَّ لَهُ صَريعا

If you dispute my words, then mount a steed,

And simply picture him—you will fall prostrate to the earth.

غَمامٌ رُبَّما مَطَرَ اِنتِقاماً

فَأَقحَطَ وَدقُهُ البَلَدَ المَريعا

He is a cloud that may pour down a rain of vengeance,

Whose deluge turns the fertile land to barren dust.

رَآني بَعدَ ما قَطَعَ المَطايا

تَيَمُّمُهُ وَقَطَّعَتِ القُطوعا

He saw me after my mounts had crossed the wastes,

In search of him, traversing the severed paths.

فَصَيَّرَ سَيلُهُ بَلَدي غَديراً

وَصَيَّرَ خَمرُهُ سَنَتي رَبيعا

His torrent transformed my arid land into a lake,

And his vintage turned my barren year to spring.

وَجاوَدَني بِأَن يَعطي وَأَحوي

فَأَغرَقَ نَيلُهُ أَخذي سَريعا

He vied with me in giving—he to bestow, I to hold—

Until his bounty quickly drowned my power to receive.

أَمُنسِيَّ السُكونَ وَحَضرَمَوتا

وَوالِدَتي وَكِندَةَ وَالسَبيعا

O you who make me forget the lands of Sukun and Hadramawt,

And my own mother, and the tribes of Kinda and Sabi'a.

قِدِ اِستَقصَيتَ في سَلبِ الأَعادي

فَرُدَّ لَهُم مِنَ السَلبِ الهُجوعا

You have gone to the utmost in stripping your foes of power;

So return to them now one thing you stole: their sleep.

إِذا ما لَم تُسِر جَيشاً إِلَيهِم

أَسَرتَ إِلى قُلوبِهِمِ الهُلوعا

For even when you do not march an army against them,

You dispatch a secret terror into their trembling hearts.

رَضوا بِكَ كَالرِضا بِالشَيبِ قَسراً

وَقَد وَخَطَ النَواصِيَ وَالفُروعا

They accepted your rule as men accept old age—by force,

When gray has streaked the forelocks and the crown.

فَلا عَزَلٌ وَأَنتَ بِلا سِلاحٍ

لِحاظُكَ ما تَكونُ بِهِ مَنيعا

You are never unarmed, even when stripped of steel;

Your piercing glance alone makes you invincible.

لَوِ اِستَبدَلتَ ذِهنَكَ مِن حُسامٍ

قَدَدتَ بِهِ المَغافِرَ وَالدُروعا

If you were to wield your intellect instead of a sword,

You would cleave through iron helmets and coats of mail.

لَوِ اِستَفرَغتَ جُهدَكَ في قِتالٍ

أَتَيتَ بِهِ عَلى الدُنيا جَميعا

If you were to unleash your full might in battle,

You would bring an end to the entire world.

سَمَوتَ بِهِمَّةٍ تَسمو فَتَسمو

فَما تُلفى بِمَرتَبَةٍ قَنوعا

You soared with an ambition that climbs ever higher,

So that you are never found content with any rank.

وَهَبكَ سَمَحتَ حَتّى لا جَوادٌ

فَكَيفَ عَلَوتَ حَتّى لا رَفيعا

Granted, you were generous until no giver remained;

But how did you ascend until no heights remained?