جاءَ الذي قد كنتَ منه تحذُر

يا أيُّها الطِّفلُ الصَّغيرُ الأَطهَرُ

The one whom you were fearing has come

O you the purest little child

حَمَلوك فوقَ أكُفِّهِم من غَيرِما

إشفاقِ قَلبٍ مِنهُم وتَجمهَروا

They carried you on their palms without

Any kindness of heart or gathering

ويداكَ أُمرِرَتا بِباطِن رُكبَتَي

كَ وقابضٌ بهما الذي لا تُبصِرُ

And your hands were passed through the inside of both my knees

As if held by one whom you do not see

لا مِن أمامِكَ غيرُ وجهٍ عابِسٍ

عَيناهُ في قَطع الجُليدةِ تَنظُرُ

In front of you none but a sullen face

Its eyes looking to cut the throat

وكَأننَّي بكَ تَستَغَيثُ ولا مُغي

ثَ سِوى مِقصٍّ جائعٍ وَسيُفطِرُ

As if I see you scream for help, and no helper

Except a starving blade, and it will rip

تلكَ اللُّقَيمَةُ وَحدَها طَعمٌ لَه

وَإِذا تُريدُ تَزيدُه يَتَشَكَّرُ

That morsel alone has a taste for it

And if you want more it will thank you

عَجَباً لهم مُستَبشرِينَ لِمَا أصا

بَكَ مِن نَكادِ ظُلمِهم لا يُنكَرُ

How strange they are happy for what has afflicted you

Of their injustice that cannot be denied

دُقَّت طُبولُ البِشرِ ساعةَ خَتنِه

والقومُ تُنشِدُ والمَزامِرُ تَزمُرُ

The drums of people were beaten at his circumcision

And the group sings and the pipes sound

وعلَت زعاريدُ النِّساءِ وَوَلوَلَت

فَرَحاً وأنتَ أمامَهُم تَتَكَدَّرُ

And the cries of women arose, and they howled

With joy while you in front of them writhe

ورَأوا منَ الرَّي المُصيبِ صنيَعُم

وكأنني بِأبيكَ ذاك الأعورُ

And they saw the aptness of their deed

As if I see your father, that one-eyed

طوراً يَميلُ بِرَأسِهِ لِشِمالِه

حُمقاً وطوراً يَعتَريه تَهَوُّرُ

Sometimes he leans his head to his left

Stupidly, and sometimes recklessness befalls him

فيسيرُ عن عَجَلٍ ويَحبِسُ بَغتةً

رِجلَيهِ يرقصُ بعدَما تَهَوُّرُ

So he walks hastily and suddenly

Stops his feet, dances after recklessness

والرَّأسُ مُهتَزًّا على تَصفيقِه

وله فَمٌ بعدَ الغِناءِ يُصَفَّرُ

With head shaking at his own clapping

And he has a mouth that whistles after singing

هذا وإنَّه ذاهبٌ لِمُهِمَّةٍ

أو راجعٌ منها ولا يَتَضَرَّرُ

And this while he is going to a mission

Or returning from it, unharmed

أعظِم بها من فِتنةٍ ومُصيبَةٍ

عقلُ الفقيهِ أمامَها مُتحَيِّرُ

Greater than any sedition and affliction

The mind of the jurist in front of it perplexed

وكأنَّني بالشَّهمِ خالِك واقفاً

متَبسِّماً واللَّطفُ منهُ يُقطُرُ

And as if I see venerable Khalik standing

Smiling, kindness dripping from him

مُستقبِلاً للوافدينَ مُرَحِّباً

بِهمُ مُحَيَّاهُ لهم يَستَبشِرُ

Receiving visitors, welcoming

Them, his greetings to them delighted

أكرِم بِخالٍ مثلِ خالِكَ جامعٍ

مِن أحسن الأوصافِ ما لا يُحصَرُ

Blessed with an uncle like your uncle, combining

The best of qualities that cannot be counted

إن يَفتخر قُومٌ بأجدادٍ لَهم

فَهُوَ الذي أجدادُه به تَفخَرُ

If a people are proud of ancestors

He is the one whose ancestors through him are proud

فَتَرى الفَضيلةَ قَد كَسَتهُ خِلالها

فَيَرى صغيرَ القَومِ وهو الأوقَرُ

So you see merit has clothed him through them

He sees the little one of the people yet he is the most dignified

لم يَحتَجِب عني خَيالُه مَرَّةً

يا هل تُرى أنِّي بِباله أخطُرُ

His imagination did not hide from me once

Oh, do you think I ever cross his mind

وإزاءَهُ الرُّوحُ اللَّطيفةُ ضَمَّها

شَخصٌ بِأنواعِ المَحاسِنِ يُذكر

And facing him a gentle soul wrapped

In all kinds of beauty mentioned

ذاكَ الشَّريفُ الأَصلِ والأّخلاقِ

والنَّفسِ الَّذي مِن حاتمٍ هو أَشهَرُ

That noble man of origin and morals

And self who is more famous than Hatim

يَذكو أريجُ المِسكِ ساعةَ يُذكَرُ

خِلُّ الجَميع شريفُنا العَرَبيُّ مَن

The scent of musk spreads when mentioned

Everyone feels humble, our Arab nobleman became

كَرُمَت أُرومَتُه وطابَ العُنصُرُ

فَتَراهُما مُتَصفِّحينَ لأوجُهٍ

His heights and lineage purified and the lineage virtuous

So you see them glancing at faces

مُتَبادِلي نَظراتِ معنىً يَسحَرُ

يَتَراشقانِ منَ النَّكاتِ بِأسهُمٍ

Exchanging meaningful glances that captivate

Shooting jokes at each other with arrows

والطَّرفٌُ إن عَزَّ التَّفاهُم يُخبِرُ

وكأنَّني بجَرادةٍ مَعطُوبَةٍ

And the wink if understanding was hard expresses

And as if I see an infatuated locust

قد سافرت قَصداً لئلاَّ تَحضُرُ

أقبِح بها وبِشكلِها وبما يُسي

That traveled on purpose not to attend

I hate it and its shape and what its

لُه شِدقُها ذاك اللُّعابُ الأصفرُ

وكأنَّني بعَمائمٍ مُصطفَّةٍ

Protruding chin pours, that yellow saliva

And as if I see lined up turbans

مِن تَحتِهِنَّ جَماجِمٌ لا تَشعُرُ

ولِحىً لِمِثلِ اليومِ وُفِّرَ طولُها

Beneath them heads that do not feel

And beards for the likes of this day became plenty

وصديقنا العَربِيُّ فيها يَنظُرُ

جاءَت منَ الحَمر إلى البيضاءِ تَح

And our Arab friend among them watches

They came from red to white carrying

مِلُ مِن دِعايَةِ مُرجفٍ ما يَنشُرُ

رَجعٌ إليه إنَّني مُشتَاقُهُ

Propaganda of an agitator that spreads

Yearning back to him, I

شوقاً لهُ بينَ الضُّلوعِ تَسَعُّرُ

إِنِّي لَقَد أَصبَحتُ مِنهُ خائِفاًَ

Miss him with yearning that burns between the ribs

I have really become afraid of him

فَكَما عَلِمتَ الأَمرُ أَمرٌ أَكبَرُ

إنَّ العظيمَ منَ العَظيم إذا دَنا

As you know the matter is bigger

The great from the great when comes close

يَزدادُ منه تَجَبُّرٌ وتَكَبُّرُ

وَهوَ الذي حازَ الفَخارَ وراثةً

Grows in arrogance and pride

And he is the one who won pride hereditarily

ولهُ البِرِنسِيَةُ التي لا تُنكَرُ

قد كدتُ أنسي يا فقيهُ فَحَدِّثَن

And for him is the prince-ship that cannot be denied

I almost forgot, o jurist, so tell

سَمعي بِذاك فما لَدىَّ تَصَبُّرُ

يا هل ترى تلكَ الصداقةُ لم تَزَل

My hearing, about that as I have no more patience

Oh, do you think that friendship remains

أم هل عَراها يا صَديقُ تَغَيُّرُ

حاشا لقد يَبلى بِجِدَّتِه الزَّما

Or, o friend, has it been stripped of change?

Far it! By its oldness time

نُ وبعضُنا لِلبَعضِ لا يَتَنكَّرُ

ولقد جنيتُ جِنايةً لكنَّني

Passes and some of us to some do not change

And I have committed a crime, but if

إن كنتُ مَن يَجني فكُن مَن يَعذِرُ

لكن علِمتم مِن وفائي ما عَلِم

I am the one who commits then be the one who excuses

But you knew my loyalty what

تُم فاعذِروا مِن بعدُ أو لا تَعذِروا

اللهُ يعلمُ كيفَ حالي بَعدَكُم

You knew so excuse me afterward or do not excuse

God knows how my state is after you

فالجَفنُ منِّي دائماً مستَعِبرُ

So my eyelids from me are always crying