أَنا لائِمي إِن كُنتُ وَقتَ اللَوائِمِ
عَلِمتُ بِما بي بَينَ تِلكَ المَعالِمِ
I blame myself alone, if ever, amidst the scolding voices,
I realized what I suffered there, amongst those ancient signs.
وَلَكِنَّني مِمّا شُدِهتُ مُتَيَّمٌ
كَسالٍ وَقَلبي بائِحٌ مِثلُ كاتِمِ
Yet stunned by shock, I seemed aloof, though bound in passion’s chain,
Feigning neglect, while my heart betrays what silence seeks to hide.
وَقَفنا كَأَنّا كُلُّ وَجدِ قُلوبِنا
تَمَكَّنَ مِن أَذوادِنا في القَوائِمِ
We halted there, as if the heavy longing in our souls
Had seized our camels' very legs and rooted them to earth.
وَدُسنا بِأَخفافِ المَطِيِّ تُرابَها
فَلا زِلتُ أَستَشفي بِلَثمِ المَناسِمِ
We trampled down the soil beneath our mounts’ unfeeling pads,
And still I seek my cure by kissing footprints in the dust.
دِيارُ اللَواتي دارُهُنَّ عَزيزَةٌ
بِطولِ القَنا يُحفَظنَ لا بِالتَمائِمِ
The dwellings of those ladies fair, whose home is proud and high,
Protected by the length of spears, and not by amulet charms.
حِسانُ التَثَنّي يَنقُشُ الوَشيُ مِثلَهُ
إِذا مِسنَ في أَجسامِهِنَّ النَواعِمِ
With graceful gait, their patterned robes trace lines upon their skin,
As they glide forth, leaving marks upon their bodies soft and smooth.
وَيَبسِمنَ عَن دُرٍّ تَقَلَّدنَ مِثلَهُ
كَأَنَّ التَراقي وُشِّحَت بِالمَباسِمِ
They smile revealing pearls that match the jewels upon their chests,
As though their very collarbones were sashed with smiling light.
فَمالي وَلِلدُنيا طِلابي نُجومُها
وَمَسعايَ مِنها في شُدوقِ الأَراقِمِ
What use have I for this low world? My goals are in the stars,
And my pursuit lies dangerously betwixt the vipers' fangs.
مِنَ الحِلمِ أَن تَستَعمِلَ الجَهلَ دونَهُ
إِذا اِتَّسَعَت في الحِلمِ طُرقُ المَظالِمِ
'Tis wisdom’s part to wield the sword of ignorance at times,
When clemency but opens wide the paths of tyranny.
وَأَن تَرِدَ الماءَ الَّذي شَطرُهُ دَمٌ
فَتُسقى إِذا لَم يُسقَ مَن لَم يُزاحِمِ
And one must drink the water deep, though half of it be blood,
To slack your thirst, while those who fear to struggle go without.
وَمَن عَرَفَ الأَيّامَ مَعرِفَتي بِها
وَبِالناسِ رَوّى رُمحَهُ غَيرَ راحِمِ
And he who knows the ways of Time as deeply as I do,
And knows mankind, will drench his spear and show no mercy there.
فَلَيسَ بِمَرحومٍ إِذا ظَفِروا بِهِ
وَلا في الرَدى الجاري عَلَيهِم بِآثِمِ
For none will show him mercy if they gain the upper hand,
Nor is he sinful for the death he rains upon their heads.
إِذا صُلتُ لَم أَترُك مَصالاً لِصائِلٍ
وَإِن قُلتُ لَم أَترُك مَقالاً لِعالِمِ
When I attack, I leave no scope for any rival's strike,
And when I speak, I leave no words for any scholar's tongue.
وَإِلّا فَخانَتني القَوافي وَعاقَني
عَنِ اِبنِ عُبَيدِ اللَهِ ضُعفُ العَزائِمِ
Else have my rhymes betrayed my trust, and I was held aback,
From Ibn 'Ubayd Allah's side, by weakness of resolve.
عَنِ المُقتَني بَذلَ التَلادِ تِلادَهُ
وَمُجتَنِبِ البُخلِ اِجتِنابَ المَحارِمِ
He buys his glory by the gift of all his ancient wealth,
And shuns the miser's stingy ways as one shuns mortal sin.
تَمَنّى أَعاديهِ مَحَلَّ عُفاتِهِ
وَتَحسُدُ كَفَّيهِ ثِقالُ الغَمائِمِ
His foes wish they could stand within his beggars' humble place,
And heavy rain-clouds envy deep the bounty of his palms.
وَلا يَتَلَقّى الحَربَ إِلّا بِمُهجَةٍ
مُعَظَّمَةٍ مَذخورَةٍ لِلعَظائِمِ
He meets the face of war with nothing but a valiant soul,
A noble spirit, treasured up for calmities most dire.
وَذي لَجَبٍ لاذو الجَناحِ أَمامَهُ
بِناجٍ وَلا الوَحشُ المُثارُ بِسالِمِ
He leads a clamorous host; no bird can fly to escape its path,
Nor can the startled beast survive the sweeping of his force.
تَمُرُّ عَلَيهِ الشَمسُ وَهيَ ضَعيفَةٌ
تُطالِعُهُ مِن بَينِ ريشِ القَشاعِمِ
The sun passes o'er his troops, its brilliance rendered weak,
Glancing down timidly between the vultures' crowding wings.
إِذا ضَوؤُها لاقى مِنَ الطَيرِ فُرجَةً
تَدَوَّرَ فَوقَ البَيضِ مِثلَ الدَراهِمِ
And if a ray of light finds gap amidst the birds of prey,
It gleams in circles on the helms, like silver dirhams cast.
وَيَخفى عَلَيكَ البَرقُ وَالرَعدُ فَوقَهُ
مِنَ اللَمعِ في حافاتِهِ وَالهَماهِمِ
The thunder and the lightning flash are lost to sight and sound,
Amidst the glitter of the steel and roar of marching men.
أَرى دونَ ما بَينَ الفُراتِ وَبَرقَةٍ
ضِراباً يُمَشّي الخَيلَ فَوقَ الجَماجِمِ
I see, betwixt the Euphrates' bank and Barqa's distant sand,
A slaughter forcing battle-steeds to tread on human skulls.
وَطَعنَ غَطاريفٍ كَأَنَّ أَكُفَّهُم
عَرَفنَ الرُدَينِيّاتِ قَبلَ المَعاصِمِ
The thrusts of noble warrior-lords, whose hands appear to know
The feel of slender spear-shafts before their own wrists' bone.
حَمَتهُ عَلى الأَعداءِ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ
سُيوفُ بَني طُغجِ بنِ جُفِّ القَماقِمِ
Defended him from every side against the hostile horde,
The swords of Tughj's noble line, the sons of warlords great.
هُمُ المُحسِنونَ الكَرَّ في حَومَةِ الوَغى
وَأَحسَنُ مِنهُ كَرُّهُم في المَكارِمِ
Masters of the counter-charge within the battle's heat,
Yet greater still their eager haste to do a noble deed.
وَهُم يُحسِنونَ العَفوَ عَن كُلِّ مُذنِبٍ
وَيَحتَمِلونَ الغُرمَ عَن كُلِّ غارِمِ
They practice grace and pardon well for every sinner's fault,
And bear the heavy burden of the debtor's unpaid load.
حَيِيّونَ إِلّا أَنَّهُم في نِزالِهِم
أَقَلُّ حَياءً مِن شِفارِ الصَوارِمِ
Modest and shy in peace are they, but when the battle joins,
They show less bashfulness than edges of the sharpest blades.
وَلَولا اِحتِقارُ الأُسدِ شَبَّهتُها بِهِم
وَلَكِنَّها مَعدودَةٌ في البَهائِمِ
Did I not hold the lions cheap, I'd liken them thereto,
But lions are, when all is told, mere beasts of common breed.
سَرى النَومُ عَنّي في سُرايَ إِلى الَّذي
صَنائِعُهُ تَسري إِلى كُلِّ نائِمِ
Sleep fled my eyes as I journeyed on by night to reach the one,
Whose favors travel through the dark to comfort those who sleep.
إِلى مُطلِقِ الأَسرى وَمُختَرِمِ العِدا
وَمُشكي ذَوي الشَكوى وَرَغمِ المُراغِمِ
To him who sets the captives free and cuts the foeman down,
Who answers every plaintiff's cry and spites the spiteful face.
كَريمٌ نَفَضتُ الناسَ لَمّا بَلَغتُهُ
كَأَنَّهُمُ ما جَفَّ مِن زادِ قادِمِ
A noble lord; I shook the dust of others from my hand,
Casting them off like dried-up crumbs from off a traveler's pack.
وَكادَ سُروري لا يَفي بِنَدامَتي
عَلى تَركِهِ في عُمرِيَ المُتَقادِمِ
And yet my joy could scarce outweigh the sorrow of regret,
That I had left him unpraised through my wasted years of old.
وَفارَقتُ شَرَّ الأَرضِ أَهلاً وَتُربَةً
بِها عَلَوِيٌّ جَدُّهُ غَيرُ هاشِمِ
I parted from the vilest land, in soil and people base,
Ruled by a false 'Alawi lord, of no true Hashimite race.
بَلى اللَهُ حُسّادَ الأَميرِ بِحِلمِهِ
وَأَجلَسَهُ مِنهُم مَكانَ العَمائِمِ
May God afflict the Prince's foes with his own clemency,
And set him high above their heads, where royal turbans sit.
فَإِنَّ لَهُم في سُرعَةِ المَوتِ راحَةً
وَإِنَّ لَهُم في العَيشِ حَزَّ الغَلاصِمِ
For in a swift and sudden death, they might find some relief,
But living on is agony, like blades upon the throat.
كَأَنَّكَ ما جاوَدتَ مَن بانَ جودُهُ
عَلَيكَ وَلا قاتَلتَ مَن لَم تُقاوِمِ
As though you had not outstripped all whose bounty is renowned,
Nor fought against the ones who failed to stand their ground.
