دعوا اليومَ ما عُوِّدتُمُ من تصبُّرٍ

فإنّ نزاعي غالبٌ لنزوعي

Leave today what you are used to of patience,

For my strife overcomes my inclination.

فما القلبُ منّي فارغاً من تذكّرٍ

ولا العينُ منّي غيرَ ذات دموعِ

My heart is never empty of remembrance,

Nor are my eyes other than those that shed tears.

ولو كنتُ مسطيعاً جعلتُ صبابةً

مكان دموعي في البكاءِ نجيعي

If I were able, I would make clouds

Instead of my tears during weeping my wailing women.

ففيما تركتُ لا يُخاف تردُّدي

وفيما وهبتُ لا يُخاف رجوعي

In what I have left, my return is not feared,

And in what I have given, my taking back is not feared.

وكيف بقائي لا أموت وإنّما

ربوعُ الأنامِ الهالكين ربوعي

How can I live if I do not die, when

The dwellings of the annihilated people are my dwellings.

وما أنَا إلّا منهُمُ وعليهِمُ

إِذا ما اِنقضى عمري يكون طلوعي

I am but one of them, so when

My life ends, it will be my rising.

أَلَمْ ترَ هذا الدّهرَ كيف أَظَلّنا

على غفلةٍ منّا بكلِّ فظيعِ

Have you not seen how this life has shaded us

In neglect from us with every horror.

وكيفَ اِنتقى عَظمِي وشرّد صَرْفُهُ

رُقادي وأودى عَنْوَةً بهجوعي

And how fate chose my bones and scattered its turning,

My rest, and forcibly seized my calmness.

وجرّ على شوك القَتادِ أخامِصِي

وأضرم ناراً في يبيسِ ضلوعي

It dragged me over the thorns of calamity,

And ignited a fire in the dryness of my ribs.

وأكرعنِي حزناً طويلاً ولم أكنْ

لغيرِ الّذي أختاره بكَروعِ

It hurried me with lasting sadness, and I was not

For other than what it chose, disposed.

رمانِي بخطبٍ لا يكفكفُ وَقعهُ

سوابقُ أفراسِي ونسجُ دروعي

It pelted me with constant afflictions

That my chargers and knitting of my armor could not deflect.

وما عاصِمي منه حُسامي وذابِلِي

ولا ناصري رَهْطِي به وجميعي

Neither my sword nor my withering protected me from it,

Nor did my tribe aid me against it or all my band.

أتانِي ضُحىً لا دَرَّ دَرُّ مجيئه

فعاد وما هاب النّهارَ هزيعي

It came to me in the morning, paying no heed to its coming,

Then returned and did not fear my shouting at it.

وضاعَفَ من شَجْوِي ورادف حزنَهُ

خضوعي عليه راغماً وخشوعي

It doubled my anguish and continued its sorrow,

Subduing me to it forcibly and humbly.

وصيّر في وادي المصائبِ مسكني

وفي جانب الحزنِ الطّويل ربوعي

It made my dwelling in the valley of misfortunes,

And on the side of lasting grief my meadows.

وقالوا بركن الدين ولّتْ يدُ الرَّدى

فخرّ صريعاً وهو خيرُ صريعِ

They said Barqan al-Din has fallen and the calamity has destroyed

The best fallen one, and he is the best fallen one.

فشبّوا لهيبَ النّارِ بين جوانحي

وجثّوا أُصولي بالجَوى وفروعي

They ignited the flames of fire in my chest

And felled my roots with ember and branches.

ومرّوا وقد أبقوا بقلبِيَ حَسْرةً

وذرّوا طويلَ اليَأس منه بروعي

They passed and left in my heart lasting regret,

And they scattered long despair from it with my intellect.

فلو كنتُ أسطيع الفداءَ فديتُهُ

وأعيا بداء الموت كلُّ جميعي

If I were able to ransom, I would ransom him,

And my whole band would be afflicted by the malady of death.

وشاطرتُهُ عمري الّذي كان طالعاً

عليه بما أهواه خيرَ طلوعِ

I would share my life with him which was

Rising upon him in what he loved, the best rising.

وَقالوا اِصطَبر والصّبرُ كالصّبر طعمُهُ

إذا كان عن خَرْقٍ بغير رَقوعِ

They said, "Be patient," but patience is like patience in taste

When it is about a rip without a patch.

وَعَن رَجلٍ لا كالرّجالِ فضيلةً

وعن جبلٍ عالِي البناءِ رفيعِ

And about a man not of virtuous men,

And about a high solidly built mountain.

وعزّاك مَن سقّاك كلَّ مرارةٍ

وحيّاك مَن لقَّاك كلَّ وجيعِ

He consoled you who made you drink every bitterness,

And greeted you who met you every pain.

ولو كنتُ أرجو عودَه لاِحتسبتُه

ولكنّه ماضٍ بغير رجوعِ

If I hoped for his return, I would deem it likely,

But he is gone without return.

كأنِّيَ ملسوعٌ وقد قيل لِي مضى

وما كنتُ من ذي شوكةٍ بلَسيعِ

As if I were touched and told, "He passed away,"

And I was not of those with spears, but unarmed.

فأيُّ اِنتِفاعٍ بالرّبيع وإنّه

زَماني وقد ولّى الرّدى بربيعي

So what benefit is there in the spring, though it is

My time, when misfortune has turned with my spring?

وَبِالعيشِ مِن بعد اِمرئٍ كان طيبه

ويُبدلُ منه ضيّقاً بوسيعِ

And in life after a man whose goodness was pleasant?

He is replaced by distress instead of spaciousness.

وبالمال من بعد الّذي كان مُخْلِفاً

لِكلِّ الّذي أفْنَته كفُّ مُضِيعِ

And in wealth after one who was leaving

All he expended in the palm of a squanderer.

وبالعِرْضِ من دون الّذي كان رمحُهُ

يقارع عنه الدَّهرَ كلَّ قريعِ

And in honor without one whose lance

Used to defend him from fate, every assailant.

ذَمَمْتُ سواك المالكين لأنّهمْ

تولَّوْا وما أوْلَوْا جميلَ صنيعِ

I blamed you sovereigns because you

Turned away and did not do good favor.

ولم تكُ منهمْ مِنَّةٌ بعد مِنَّةٍ

ولا نزعوا أثوابهمْ لنزيعِ

No favor came from you after favor,

Nor did you take off your clothes for tearing.

فكم بين مُعطٍ للأمانِي وسالبٍ

وبين مُجيعٍ لِي وقاتلِ جوعي

So how far between a giver of wishes and a depriver,

And between one gathering for me and a killer of my hunger!

ولمّا رأيتُ الفضلَ فيه أطعتُه

وما زلتُ للأملاكِ غيرَ مطيعِ

When I saw the superiority in him I obeyed him

And did not remain for the sovereigns disobedient.

ألمْ تَرَنِي لمّا بلغتُ فناءَه

عقرتُ بعيري أو قطعتُ نسُوعي

Did you not see me, when I reached his death,

I hamstrung my camel or cut its leading rope?

وقد علم الأقوامُ أنَّك فيهم الن

نفوعُ إذا لم يعثُروا بنفوعِ

The people knew you were the lofty among them

If they did not stumble upon the lofty.

وأنّك تُؤوي الخائفين من الورى

ذُرا كلِّ مَرهوب الشَّذاةِ رفيعِ

They knew you shelter the fearful of humankind,

Keep every meek outcast one lofty.

وأنّك لمّا صرّح الخوفُ في الوغى

بيومٍ صقيل الغُرّتين لَموعِ

They knew when open fear cried out

On a day of polished swords gleaming,

وللخيلِ من نسج الغبارِ براقعٌ

وأجلالُها من صوبِ كلِّ نجيعِ

When to the horses were veils of dust clouds

And their majesty from the direction of every host,

ولو لمْ تبضّعْ بالطّعانِ لحومُها

لآبَتْ وما سالتْ لنا ببضوعِ

If their flesh had not been pierced by the piercing ones,

They would not have flowed with blood for us.

أخذتَ لواءَ النّصرِ حتّى ركزتَه

بيُمناك من أرضِ اليقينِ بِقيعِ

You took the banner of victory until you planted it,

With your right hand, in the land of conviction, immaculate.

ولم تهبِ البيضَ الصّوارمَ والقَنا

يَرِدْن إذا أُورِدْنَ ماءَ ضلوعِ

You did not allow the white blades and spears

To return when dispatched to the water of ribs.

ولمّا ذكرتُ الموتَ يوماً وهَوْلَهُ

تقاصرَ خَطْوِي واِقشعرّ جميعي

When I mentioned death one day and its horror,

My steps faltered, and my whole body shuddered.

وما أَنَا إلّا في اِنتظارٍ لزائرٍ

قَدومٍ على رغم الأُلوفِ طَلوعِ

I am but waiting for a visitor,

A soon arrival, despite the many risings.

يمزّق أَثوابَ الّذي كنتُ أكتسِي

وينزعها بالرّغمِ أيَّ نزوعِ

It will tear the clothes I used to wear

And snatch them away forcibly, whatever inclination.

ويهدم ما شيّدتُهُ وبنيتُهُ

ويَحصُدُ من هذي الحياةِ زُروعي

It will destroy what I built and constructed

And reap from these lives, my crops.