هاجَكَ مِنْ أَرْوَى كَمُنْهاضِ الفَكَكْ

هَمٌّ إِذَا لَمْ يُعْدِهِ هَمٌّ فَتَكْ

You left me like the shedding of a camel's coat,

A worry that knows no respite or relief.

كَأَنَّهُ إِذْ عادَ فِينَا وَزَحَكْ

حُمَّى قَطِيفِ الخَطِّ أَوْ حُمَّى فَدَكْ

When you came back it was as if

A fever had returned, or fever in al-Fadak.

وَقَدْ أَرَتْنَا حُسْنَها ذاتُ المَسَكْ

شادِخَةُ الغُرَّةِ غَرّاءُ الضَجِكْ

We saw her beauty, musk-scented,

Haughty, vivacious, laughing gaily;

تَبَلُّجَ الزَهْراءِ فِي جِنْحِ الدَلَكْ

لا تَعْذِلِينِي بِالرُذَالاتِ الجَمَكْ

She shone brightly in the wing of night,

Rebuke me not for vile deeds or bloodshed,

وَلا شَظٍ فَدْمٍ وَلا عَبْدٍ فَلِكْ

يَرْبِضُ فِي الرَوْثِ كَبِرْذَوْنِ الرَمَكْ

Or for a wretched slave covered in filth

Crouching in the mud like a dung beetle.

فَلا تَسَمَّعْ قَوْلَ دَسّاسٍ نُزَكْ

وَارْعَ تُقَى اللَّهِ بِنُسْكٍ مُنْتَسَكْ

Pay no heed to the words of a slanderous gossip;

Live piously, devoted to God,

وَجَوْزِ خَرْقٍ بِالرِياحِ مُؤْتَفِكْ

بِعاصِفٍ هابٍ وَذارٍ مُنْسَهِكْ

Like a cloak tattered by the winds, ripped apart.

I mended it patch by patch, like a dilapidated building

قَدَدتُهُ قَدَّ الرِواقِ المُنْتَهَكْ

بِقُلُصٍ يَنْتُقْن أَقْتاد الوُرُكْ

Riddled with holes letting in drafts.

With patches crudely stitched from burlap and rags

نَتْقَ المَحَالاتِ مِنَ الشِيزَى الدُمُك

تَنَشَّطُ البُعْدَ بِصَدْقاتٍ رُتَكْ

Torn by raging gales and driving rains.

When opponents come like wolves to the fold

تُقَطِّعُ الجُونِيَّ بِالخَرْقِ البَتِكْ

وَإِن أُنِيخَتْ رَهْب أَنْضاءٍ عُرُكْ

And I face the adversary’s compelling argument,

Defying the Roman in a contest of wits,

رَدَّتْ رَجِيعاً بَيْنَ أَرْجاءٍ دُهُكْ

مِنْ خَبْط أَيْدِيهِنَّ عادِيَّ الشَرَكْ

Leaving the sly and cunning helpless,

Flustered by strong debate and a formidable rival,

وَحاجَة أَخْرَجْتُ مِن أَمْرٍ لَبِكْ

أَخْرَجْتُها مِنْ بَيْنِ تَصْريحٍ وَلَكْ

By the logic of partisans quick to contend and dispute,

Who make claims, whether truth or falsehood,

إِذَا الخُصُومُ وَرَدَتْ وِرْدَ الأَبَكّ

وَقَدْ أُقاسِي حُجَّةَ الخَصْمِ المَحِكْ

I speak the shrewd judicious words

That seek the right path between mountains and dales

تَحَدِّيَ الرُومِيِّ مِنْ يَكٍّ لِيَكّ

يُعْجِزُ عَنْها حِيلَةُ المَغْدِ الرَبِكْ

In the smiling landscape and smooth passage;

I say - all kindred are interlinked, like loops in a net -

مِنْ دَهْو أَجْدالٍ وَمِنْ خَصْمٍ سَدِكْ

مِن أَشْعَريِّينَ وَمِنْ لَخْمٍ وَعَكّ

O wise heir of the family of Abdul Malik,

Inheritor of glorious houses crumbling in ruins

أَدْلَى بِحَقٍّ أَوْ بِكِذْبٍ مُبْتَشَكْ

فَقُلْتُ أَقْوالَ حَنِيكٍ مُحْتَنِكْ

Of enduring glory and fading splendor,

Of every shameless boaster and false pretender

يَقْصِدُ مَهْواها عَلَى خَيْرِ السِكَكْ

فِي مَذْهَبٍ بَيْنَ الجِبالِ وَالنَبَكْ

Whose unruly clan is armed to the teeth.

You raised them to the heights of glory

فِي ضاحِكِ المَطْلَعِ سَهْلِ المُنْسَلَكْ

وَقُلْتُ وَالأَرْحامُ شَبْكٌ ذُو شَبَكْ

To the lofty citadel, the towering height.

To you I complain of the cruelty of fate

يا حَكَمُ الوارِثَ مِنْ عَبْدِ المَلِكْ

مِيراث أَحْسابٍ وَجُودٍ مُنْسَفِكْ

That has struck me down, left me in tatters,

Ravaged by passing years and destroying time,

فِي القَدَمِ العادِيِّ وَالعِزِّ العَرِكْ

مِنْ كُلِّ زأَّارٍ وَمَخَّاضٍ عَلِكْ

My joints all disjointed, my knees buckled under me.

We know this for certain, do not doubt it -

لِعيصِه أَعْياصُ مُلْتَفٍّ شَوِكْ

مِنَ العِضاهِ وَالأَراكِ المُؤْتَرِكْ

That you, after God, if you do not forsake us,

Are the key to all we crave and desire;

صَعَّدَكُمْ فِي بَيْتِ مَجْدٍ مُنْسَمِكْ

إِلَى المَعَالِي طَوْدُ رَعْنٍ ذِي حُبُكْ

Free us from the prison of so many needs.

You may one day save us from those sorrows;

إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو عَضَّ دَهْرٍ مُنْتَهِكْ

بِالمَنْكِبَيْنِ وَالجِرانِ مُبْتَرِكْ

I confess, if you do not love my raptures,

That I remember you, while you reap the rewards,

مِنَ السِنِين وَالهَلاكِ المُهْتَلِكْ

مُنْجَرِدِ الحارِكِ مَحْصُوصِ الوَرِكْ

Since your door is barred against me.

Soothe my soul from the anguish of longing;

وقَدْ عَلِمْنَا ذاكَ عِلْماً غَيْرَ شَكّْ

أَنَّكَ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ إِنْ لَمْ تَتَّرِكْ

Requite it with sweet perfumes, purer than musk,

With scents more fragrant than camel dung,

مِفْتاحُ حاجاتٍ أَنَخْنَاهُنَّ بِكْ

فَنَجِّنَا مِنْ حَبْسِ حاجاتٍ وَرَكّ

Though once you rewarded me with the valley's dew,

You were neither barren land nor desert sands.

فَرُبَّمَا نَجَّيْتَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الدُوَكْ

أَوْدَيْتُ إِنْ لَمْ تَحْبُ حَبْوَ المُعْتَنِكْ

Ever you remain in the sanctuary of time,

Hunting your prey in a whirlwind's rush.

فَالذِكْرُ مِنْهَا عِنْدَنَا وَالأَجْرُ لَكْ

إِذ حالَ دُونِي مِصْرَعُ البابِ المِصَكْ

The true steed is not like a stubborn mule.

أَنْ تَشْفِ نَفْسِي مِن حَزازاتِ الحَسَكْ

أَجْزِ بِهَا أَطْيَبَ مِنْ رِيح المِسَكْ

ذاكِيهِ نَفّاحٌ مِن الفَأْرِ الصَئِكْ

وَكُنْتَ تَجْزِي مِنْ نَدَى العَقْبِ المَحِكْ

وَلَسْتَ بِالخَبِّ وَلَا الجَدْبِ المَعِكْ

وَلَمْ تَزَلْ فِي وَعْكَةِ اليَومِ الوَعِكْ

تَشْأَى المَحاضِيرَ بِعَدوٍ مُمَّهِكْ

لَيْسَ الجَوادُ المَحْضُ كَالْخَبِّ المِدَكْ