أَحَقُّ عافٍ بِدَمعِكَ الهِمَمُ
أَحدَثُ شَيءٍ عَهداً بِها القِدَمُ
High ambitions have the greatest right to your flowing tears,
For the newest thing about them now is that they are ancient history.
وَإِنَّما الناسُ بِالمُلوكِ وَما
تُفلِحُ عُربٌ مُلوكُها عَجَمُ
For men are but a reflection of their kings,
And no Arab race shall prosper while ruled by foreign hands.
لا أَدَبٌ عِندَهُم وَلا حَسَبٌ
وَلا عُهودٌ لَهُم وَلا ذِمَمُ
They possess no culture, no lineage of renown,
No keeping of covenants, no honor to be found.
بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ وَطِئتُها أُمَمٌ
تُرعى لِعَبدٍ كَأَنَّها غَنَمُ
In every land I tread are nations vast,
Herded by a slave as though they were but sheep.
يَستَخشِنُ الخَزَّ حينَ يَلمُسُهُ
وَكانَ يُبرى بِظُفرِهِ القَلَمُ
He finds the silk too coarse against his skin,
Though once he sharpened reed-pens with his fingernail.
إِنّي وَإِن لُمتُ حاسِدِيَّ فَما
أُنكِرُ أَنّي عُقوبَةٌ لَهُمُ
Though I rebuke the ones who envy me,
I cannot deny that I am a punishment to them.
وَكَيفَ لا يُحسَدُ اِمرُؤٌ عَلَمٌ
لَهُ عَلى كُلِّ هامَةٍ قَدَمُ
For how could such a titan escape envy’s gaze,
When his foot rests upon every lofty skull?
يَهابُهُ أَبسأُ الرِجالِ بِهِ
وَتَتَّقي حَدَّ سَيفِهِ البُهَمُ
Even those most familiar hold him in awe,
And the bravest knights dread the edge of his sword.
كَفانِيَ الذَمَّ أَنَّني رَجُلٌ
أَكرَمُ مالٍ مَلَكتُهُ الكَرَمُ
It suffices for blame that I am but a man,
Whose most precious wealth is his nobility.
يَجني الغِنى لِلِّئامِ لَو عَقَلوا
ما لَيسَ يَجني عَلَيهِمِ العَدَمُ
Wealth gathers for the base—if they but knew—
Shame that poverty itself could not inflict.
هُمُ لِأَموالِهِم وَلَسنَ لَهُم
وَالعارُ يَبقى وَالجُرحُ يَلتَإِمُ
They belong to their gold, not it to them;
The flesh-wound heals, but disgrace endures forever.
مَن طَلَبَ المَجدَ فَليَكُن كَعَلِيـ
ـيٍ يَهَبُ الأَلفَ وَهوَ يَبتَسِمُ
Let him who seeks glory resemble Ali,
Who bestows a thousand coins while smiling.
وَيَطعَنُ الخَيلَ كُلَّ نافِذَةٍ
لَيسَ لَها مِن وَحائِها أَلَمُ
He pierces the cavalry with thrusts so swift,
The victims feel no pain from the sudden blow.
وَيَعرِفُ الأَمرَ قَبلَ مَوقِعِهِ
فَما لَهُ بَعدَ فِعلِهِ نَدَمُ
He perceives the event before it comes to pass,
So no regret pursues him when the deed is done.
وَالأَمرُ وَالنَهيُ وَالسَلاهِبُ وَالـ
ـبيضُ لَهُ وَالعَبيدُ وَالحَشَمُ
His are the command, the decree, the towering steeds,
The gleaming swords, the servants, and the slaves.
وَالسَطَواتُ الَّتي سَمِعتَ بِها
تَكادُ مِنها الجِبالُ تَنفَصِمُ
And the mighty assaults of which you have heard,
From which the very mountains nearly split apart.
يُرعيكَ سَمعاً فيهِ اِستِماعٌ إِلى الد
داعي وَفيهِ عَنِ الخَنا صَمَمُ
He lends an ear that listens to the supplicant,
Yet remains deaf to all obscenity and vice.
يُريكَ مِن خَلقِهِ غَرائِبَهُ
في مَجدِهِ كَيفَ تُخلَقُ النَسَمُ
He reveals through his nature such wonders to you,
Showing, in his glory, how noble souls are forged.
مِلتُ إِلى مَن يَكادُ بَينَكُما
إِن كُنتُما السائِلَينِ يَنقَسِمُ
I inclined toward one who would nearly divide himself
Between you both, were you to ask his aid.
مِن بَعدِ ما صيغَ مِن مَواهِبِهِ
لِمَن أُحِبُّ الشُنوفُ وَالخَدَمُ
After his lavish gifts had fashioned earrings
And provided servants for the one I love.
ما بَذَلَت ما بِهِ يَجودُ يَدٌ
وَلا تَهَدّى لِما يَقولُ فَمُ
No hand has ever bestowed what he bestows,
Nor any mouth been guided to speak as he speaks.
بَنو العَفَرنى مَحَطَّةَ الأَسَدِ ال
أُسدُ وَلَكِن رِماحُها الأَجَمُ
Sons of the Lion, dwelling in the lion’s den;
Lions they are, with lances for their thicket.
قَومٌ بُلوغُ الغُلامِ عِندَهُمُ
طَعنُ نُحورِ الكُماةِ لا الحُلمُ
A people for whom a boy’s coming of age
Is piercing warriors’ throats, not the dreams of sleep.
كَأَنَّما يولَدُ النَدى مَعَهُم
لا صِغَرٌ عاذِرٌ وَلا هَرِمُ
It is as if generosity were born with them;
Neither youth nor age serves as an excuse.
إِذا تَوَلَّوا عَداوَةً كَشَفوا
وَإِن تَوَلَّوا صَنيعَةً كَتَموا
If they harbor enmity, they declare it openly;
Yet if they do a good deed, they veil it in silence.
تَظُنُّ مِن فَقدِكَ اِعتِدادَهُمُ
أَنَّهُم أَنعَموا وَما عَلِموا
You would think, seeing how little they recount their gifts,
That they bestowed their favors all unawares.
إِن بَرَقوا فَالحُتوفُ حاضِرَةٌ
أَو نَطَقوا فَالصَوابُ وَالحِكَمُ
If they thunder threats, then death is surely present;
And if they speak, it is wisdom and truth alone.
أَو حَلَفوا بِالغَموسِ وَاِجتَهَدوا
فَقَولُهُم خابَ سائِلي القَسَمُ
Or if they swear a binding oath, they strive only
To ensure the petitioner is never disappointed.
أَو رَكِبوا الخَيلَ غَيرَ مُسرَجَةٍ
فَإِنَّ أَفخاذَهُم نَها حُزُمُ
Or if they mount their steeds without a saddle,
Their gripping thighs become the steady girths.
أَو شَهِدوا الحَربَ لاقِحاً أَخَذوا
مِن مُهَجِ الدارِعينَ ما اِحتَكَموا
Or if they enter war when it is raging,
They claim whatever lives they choose from armored men.
تُشرِقُ أَعراضُهُم وَأَوجُهُهُم
كَأَنَّها في نُفوسِهِم شِيَمُ
Their faces and their honor shine so bright,
As if that radiance were etched into their souls.
لَولاكَ لَم أَترُكِ البُحَيرَةَ وَالـ
ـغَورُ دَفيءٌ وَماؤُها شَبِمُ
Were it not for you, I would not have left the Lake,
Where the valley is warm and the waters cool.
وَالمَوجُ مِثلُ الفُحولِ مُزبِدَةً
تَهدِرُ فيها وَما بِها قَطَمُ
And waves like stallions, foaming at the mouth,
Roaring aloud, though driven by no lust.
وَالطَيرُ فَوقَ الحَبابِ تَحسَبُها
فُرسانَ بُلقٍ تَخونُها اللُجُمُ
And birds above the ripples seem to be
Piebald steeds whose bridles have betrayed them.
كَأَنَّها وَالرِياحُ تَضرِبُها
جَيشاً وَغىً هازِمٌ وَمُنهَزِمُ
It seems, when winds are striking at its face,
A chaotic army, conquering and conquered.
كَأَنَّها في نَهارِها قَمَرٌ
حَفَّ بِهِ مِن جِنانِها ظُلَمُ
As if it were a moon amidst the day,
Encircled by the darkness of its groves.
ناعِمَةُ الجِسمِ لا عِظامَ لَها
لَها بَناتٌ وَما لَها رَحِمُ
Soft of body, possessing not a bone;
She bears daughters, yet she has no womb.
يُبقَرُ عَنهُنَّ بَطنُها أَبَداً
وَما تَشَكّى وَلا يَسيلُ دَمُ
Her belly is forever split for them,
Yet she complains not, and no blood is spilled.
تَغَنَّتِ الطَيرُ في جَوانِبِها
وَجادَتِ الرَوضُ حَولَها الدِيَمُ
The birds sing out along its verdant banks,
And rain clouds generously feed the gardens round.
فَهيَ كَماوِيَّةٍ مُطَوَّقَةٍ
جُرِّدَ عَنها غِشاؤُها الأَدَمُ
She gleams like a polished mirror, ringed with art,
Stripped of the leather sheath that covered it.
يَشينُها جَريُها عَلى بَلَدٍ
تَشينُهُ الأَدعِياءُ وَالقَزَمُ
Her only flaw is flowing through a land
Disgraced by bastards and by petty dwarfs.
أَبا الحُسَينِ اِستَمِع فَمَدحُكُمُ
في الفِعلِ قَبلَ الكَلامِ مُنتَظِمُ
O Abu al-Husayn, hear this: your praise
Is ordered in your deeds before my words.
وَقَد تَوالى العِهادُ مِنهُ لَكُم
وَجادَتِ المَطرَةُ الَّتي تَسيمُ
The rain-showers of praise have poured for you,
And generous is the cloud that marks your worth.
أُعيذُكُم مِن صُروفِ دَهرِكُمُ
فَإِنَّهُ في الكِرامِ مُتَّهَمُ
I seek God's guard for you against Time’s turns,
For Time stands accused of hunting down the noble.
