أَلَم تَعلَمي يا أُمَّ تَوبَة أَنَّني
أَنا الفارِسُ الحامي حَقائِقَ مَذحَجِ
Did you not know, O mother of repentance, that I
Am the knight who truly protects the facts
وَأَنّي صَبَحتُ السِّجنَ في رَونَقِ الضُّحى
بِكُلِّ فَتىً حامي الذِّمارِ مُدَجَّجِ
And I became the prison in the splendor of morning
With every youth, protector of guitars, armed
فَما إِن بَرَحنا السِّجنَ حَتّى بَدا لَنا
جَبينٌ كَقرنِ الشَّمسِ غَيرُ مُشَنَّجِ
No sooner did we leave the prison, than there appeared to us
A brow like the horn of the sun, not wrinkled
وَخَدٌّ أَسيلٌ مِن فَتاةٍ حَييَّةٍ
أَلا فَسَقاها كُلُّ مُزنٍ مُبَعِّجِ
And a cheek flowing from a lively girl
That every mean drunkard waters
فَما العَيشُ إِلا أَن أَزورَكِ آمِناً
كَعادَتِنا مِن قَبلِ حَربي وَمَخرَجي
So life is only that I visit you safely
As was our custom before my war and my way out
وَما أَنت إِلا مُنيَةُ النَّفسِ وَالهَوى
عَلَيكِ سَلامٌ مِن حَبيبٍ مُسَحَّجِ
And you are nothing but the death of the soul and passion
Peace be upon you from a loving, ruffled lover
وَمازِلتُ مَحبوساً لِحَبسِكِ واجِماً
وَأَنّى بِما تَلقَينَ مِن بَعدِهِ شَجي
And I am still imprisoned by your imprisonment, silent
And how could I bear what comes after it, difficult
فَبِاللَّهِ هَل أَبصَرتِ مِثلِيَ فارِساً
وَقَد وَلَجُوا عَلَيك مِن كُلِّ مولجِ
By God, did you see a knight like me
As they crept upon you from every corner
وَمِثلي يُحامي دونَ مِثلَكِ إِنَّني
أَشُدُّ إِذا ما غَمرَةٌ لَم تُفَرَّجِ
And one like me protecting the likes of you, I
Am firmer when a flood does not recede
أُضارِبُهُم بِالسَّيفِ عَنكِ لترجعي
إِلى الأَمنِ وَالعَيشِ الرَّفيعِ المُخَرفَجِ
I strike them away from you with the sword so you may return
To security and lofty, luxurious life
إِذا ما أَحاطوا بي كَرَرتُ عَلَيهِم
كَكَرِّ أَبي شِبلَينِ في الخَيسِ مُحرَجِ
When they surround me, I charge upon them
Like the charge of Abi Shibl in al-Kheys, confused
دَعَوتُ إِلَيَّ الشاكِرِيَّ اِبنَ كامِلٍ
فَوَلَّى حَثيثاً رَكضُهُ لَم يَعَرِّجِ
I called upon Shakiri, son of Kamil
He galloped away briskly, not zigzagging
وَإِن هَتَفوا بِاِسمي عَطَفتُ عَلَيهِمُ
خُيولَ كِرامِ الضَّربِ أَكثَرُها الوَجي
And if they shouted my name, I turned upon them
The horses of generous striking, most of them terrified
وَلا غَروَ إِلا قَولُ سَلمى ظَعينَتي
أَما أَنتَ يا اِبنَ الحُرِّ بِالمُتَحَرِّجِ
No wonder except the saying of Salma, my lamb:
"As for you, O son of the Freeman, take care!"
دَعِ القَومَ لا تَقتُلهُم وَاِنجُ سالِماً
وَشَمِّر هَداكَ اللَّهُ بِالخَيلِ وَاِخرُجِ
"Leave the people, do not kill them and get out safely
And prepare, may God guide you, with the horses and set out"
وَإِنّي لأَرجو يا اِبنَةَ الخَيرِ أَن أُرى
عَلى خَيرِ أَحوالِ المُؤَمِّلِ فَاِرتَجي
And I do hope, O daughter of goodness, that I see
In the best state of the hopeful, so desire
أَلا حَبَّذا قولي لأَحمَرِ طَيِّءٍ
وَلابنِ خُلَيدٍ قَدَدنا الصُّبحُ فَاِدلُجِ
How excellent are my words to Red Tayy’
And Ibn Khulayd, the morning hastened, so slip away
وَقولي لِهَذا سِر وَقولي لِذا اِرتَحِل
وَقولي لِذا مِن بَعدِ ذَلِكَ أسرِجِ
And say to this one, go secretly, and say to that one, set out
And say to another after that, release
وَسيري بِفِتيانٍ كِرامٍ أُحِبُّهُم
مغِذّاً وَضوءُ الصُّبحِ لَم يَتَبَلَّجِ
And send honorable young men I love
As the dawn's ablution has not yet faded
يُطيعونَ متلافاً مُفيداً مُعَدَّلاً
بِهِ يَرتَجي عَفوَ الغِنى كُلُّ مُرتَجِ
They obey an advisor, beneficial, disciplined
Through him, the pardon of the wealthy is sought by every aspiring one
