تَأَبَّدَتْ مَعْقُلَةٌ فَوَاحِفُ

فَمِذْنَبُ البُرْدَيْنِ فَالنَواصِفُ

Everlasting are the castles though assailants strike

So the tails of the coats of mail and the piercing blades.

وَقَدْ يُرَى حَيٌّ بِهَا لَفَائِفُ

وَلِلْنَوَى بِالمُنْتَوَى مَصَارِفُ

And the living may be seen in them wrapped in winding sheets

And for resolve at the tryst are diversions.

وَالصَرْفُ يُنْئِي عَنْكَ أَوْ يُساعِفُ

يَوْماً بِمَنْ أَنْتَ لَهُ مُؤَالِفُ

Time may favour or augment thee

One day with him whose intimacy thou seekest.

وَخَلْج أَشْطان النَوَى مَقَاذِفُ

وَبَلْدَةٍ لِغَوْلِها نَسائِفُ

And the writhing of the curvature of resolve hurls

At a land whose darkness enshrouds it, chargers.

لِلْهامِ فِي أَرْجائِها هَواتِفُ

وَلِارْتِجَاسِ الجِنِّ فِيها عازِفُ

By the suggestions implanted in its environs, whisperers;

And by the shaking of the jinn in it, pipers.

وَظُعْنُها وَالعِيسُ بِي خَوانِفُ

إِلَى سُدىً تُشْفَى بِهِ الشَفاشِفُ

Its splendour and the many flocks I tend

Lead to a barren land which sates all quenchers of thirst,

دَاوٍ عَلَى جَمَّاتِهِ قَراطِفُ

كَأَنَّما أَنْقَعَ وَرْساً دائِفُ

A remedy for him who mounts his ragged old camel,

As if letting a crooked rope trail behind.

لأَمْدَحَنَّ وَالعَرُوفُ عارِفُ

بِمُسْتَجِدّاتٍ لَها طَرائِفُ

I will praise the unique, the peerless, the singular

With novelties that have subtleties.

لَها مَسِيرٌ وَلَها مَواقِفُ

أَسَّسَها صَنْعٌ بِهِنَّ قَائِفُ

It has a journey and halting-places,

Founded by an artificer who has built for it boxwood huts,

خَلِيفَةً آباؤُهُ خَلائِفُ

لَهُ إِذَا عُدَّ القَدِيمُ الآثِفُ

A caliph whose forefathers were themselves caliphs.

When the ancients are counted, he is the plodder.

مَجْدُ القَدِيمِ وَالجَزِيلُ الرادِفُ

وَسالِفٌ مُرْتَفِعٌ وَسَالِفُ

The glory of the ancients and the abundant successor,

And a sublime dynasty and a sublimer yet.

في مُشْمَخِرّاتٍ لَهَا مَناعِفُ

دُونَ الَّتِي مِنْ دُونِهَا نَفانِفُ

In lofty eyries that multiply

Beyond those that fall short and are deficient.

وَمِنْ بَنِي مَرْوانَ عِزٌّ شارِفُ

راسٍ إِذا مَا اهْتَزَّتِ الرَواجِفُ

And from the House of Marwan a noble branch

Firm of root when foundations shake.

ما طَرَدَ اللَيْلَ النَهارُ العاطِفُ

وَوُدُّ أَخْوَالِكَ كَهْفٌ كاهِفُ

Neither has the day driven away the night that enfolds

And the love of your maternal uncles is a sheltering cave

إِذَا أَضَرَّ بِالقَنَا المُحَاجِفُ

أَيّامَ آجالٍ لَها مَتالِفُ

When the squanderer injures the treasure vaults -

Days of respites that succeed each other.

أَسَوْكَ حَتَّى يَأْمَنَ المَخَاوِفُ

وَلِلْوَلِيدِ العَدْلُ وَالتَكَالِفُ

It embraced you until the fears are allayed,

And for al-Walid are equity and vying in glory,

مِن أَوْق أَثْقالٍ لَها مَآزِفُ

لا تَسْتَطِيعُ حَمْلَها المَزَاحِفُ

With burdens that mountains find heavy,

Which the tall sailing ships cannot carry

وَلا السَرَاةُ الجِلَّةُ الغَطارِفُ

إِذَا أَلَحَّ القُحَم الأَوانِفُ

Nor the glorious regiments of chargers.

When the zealots importune,

وَمَنْحُ كَفَّيْكَ رَبِيعٌ وَاكِفُ

جَوْد إِذا ما أَخْلَف المُخالِفُ

Your palm's favours are a copious spring,

Generosity, when the dissenters are niggardly,

غَيْثٌ إِذَا ما اغْبَرَّتِ العَواصِفُ

يُفْرِغُ فِي بَحْرِكَ بَحْرٌ قاصِفُ

A downpour when the winds blow wild.

It pours into your sea a cleaving sea,

مَدٌّ وَمِنْ بَحْرِكَ يُسْقَى الغارِفُ

رِيّاً وَبَعْضُ المُسْتَقَى مَرَاشِفُ

An ebb bore away by your sea when it swells high,

A current whose drawn water is turbid,

ثَمْدٌ بَكِيءٌ وَقَلِيلٌ ناشِفُ

يا ابْنَ اليَزِيدَيْنِ اليَزِيدُ الطارِفُ

Some taken and some left dry.

O son of the two Yazids, the most glorious Yazid,

مِنَ الرَدَى وَالكامِلُ الخُنادِفُ

وَبِالعِراقَيْنِ لِمَنْ يُخَالِفُ

Free of all fault, the perfect and complete.

With the two Iraqs, for whoever contends,

ذُو مِرَّة أَنْيَابُهُ صَوارِفُ

يُوسُفُ وَالعايِفُ ضَيْماً عائِفُ

Baring fangs that rend and tear.

Joseph in the plenty and lean years contained

بِالمُحْسِنِينَ مُحْسِنٌ مُلاطِفُ

وَهوَ لِمَنْ شاوَسَ سَمٌّ ذائِفُ

Is equitable to the virtuous and gentle to those who do good,

But to him who is stubborn, deadly poison.

وَفِيهِ حِينَ تُبْتَغَى الشَراسِفُ

قَهْرٌ وَإِضْرارٌ وَعَسْفٌ عاسِفُ

In him, when rapines are sought, are

Subjugation, oppression, and overbearing pride.

وَقَاصِدٌ إِنْ قَصَدُوا مُناصِفُ

يَشْتَدُّ حَتَّى تَبْرأَ النَكائِفُ

And he counters if they counter,

Hardening until the ulcers are healed

مِنَ المِراضِ وَالطِحالُ الشاغِفُ

Of diseases, and the craving heart is sated.