أَمِنْ رَسْمٍ دَارٍ بِالجَنَاحِ عَرَفْتَها

إذَا رَامَهَا سَيْلُ الحَوَالِبِ عَرَّدَا

Do you recognize it from the outline of a house with wings

When the torrents of calamities batter it as though

كَأَنَّ خَصِيفَ الجَمْرِ في عَرَصَاتِهَا

مَزَاحِفُ قَيْنَاتٍ تَجَاذَيْنَ إِثْمِدَا

Sparks of embers were crawling over its threshing floors,

Competing firebrands advancing recklessly?

أَأُسْوَةَ بَاكٍ حَاوَلتْ أُمُّ عَاصِمٍ

بِمَا حَدَّثتْنِي أَمْ أَرَادَتْ لأَكْمَدَا

Did Umm ‘Âsim try to console a weeping woman

With what she told me, or did she want to suppress my grief?

بَنُو عَاِمرٍ حَيٌّ فَلَمْ أَرَ مِثْلَهُمْ

أَعَفَّ وأَعْطَى لِلْجَزِيلِ وأَنْجَدَا

The clan of ‘Âmir are alive; never have I seen the like of them:

Most generous to the noble and valiant when called upon.

كأَنَّكَ لَمْ تَشْهَدْ قَنَابِلَ خَيْلِنَا

إِذْ الدِّينُ هَرْجٌ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَعَبَّدَا

It is as though you never witnessed the charges of our horses

When religion was chaos before it was systematized.

ومَأْخَذَهَا الكِنْدِيَّ بَيْنَ لَهَازِمِ ال

عَدُوِّ بَيْنَ لَوْذٍ وأَسْوَدَا

And their raid led by Al-Kindi between the remnants

Of the routed enemy, between spineless cowards and lions.

يُسَامِيهِمْ عَارِي الأَشَاجِعِ لاَ يَرَى

مِنَ الغَيْبِ أَهْوَالاً إِذَا مَا تَجَرَّدَا

Baring his chest, heedless of the unseen horrors to come,

When the valiant strip themselves naked for the fight.

ونَحْنُ قَتَلْنَا القَوْمَ لَيْلَةَ أَحْجَمَتْ

هِلاَلٌ وقَالَتْ حَرِّزُوا وانْظُرُوا غَدَا

We killed the enemy one night when the crescent rose

And said, “Take precautions and wait till the morn.”

بِجَمْعِ بَنِي عَمْرو فَبَيَّتَ جَمْعُهُمْ

بَنِي أَسَدٍ فِيمَنْ غَذا وتَجَندَا

With the clan of ‘Amr we waylaid their assembled hordes—

The clan of Asad—both to nourish and equip ourselves.

فَبِتْنَا نُعِيدُ المَشْرَفِيَّةَ فِيهِمُ

ونُبْدِئُ حتَّى أَصْبَحَ الجَوْنُ أَسْوَدَا

We passed the night restoring our sovereignty among them

And we commenced until dawn turned the air jet black,

كَأَنَّ صَبِيراً فَوْقَهُمْ مِنْ غَمَامَةٍ

إِذَا جَانِبٌ مِنْهَا تَهَلّلَ أَبْرَدَا

As though a raincloud hovered over them, and a section of it

Streamed with a hailstorm when part of it scattered.

قَتَلْنَا وأَنْعَمْنَا فَكُلُّ قَبِيلَةٍ

يُغَادُونَ فِينَا أَبْيَضَ الوَجْهِ سَيِّدَا

We killed them, and we feasted, so every tribe

Still comes cringing to us, though once supreme in pride.

فَأَصْبَحَ فِينَا حَاجِبٌ في يَمِينِهِ

صَفِيحَةُ قِدٍّ قَدْ شَدَدْنَا بِهَا يَدَا

Thus in our ranks we count a chamberlain whose right hand

Wields a silver brace binding a sturdy wrist.

وأَرْضٍ بِهَا الْتَاثَ السُّعُونُ قَطَعْتُهَا

وأَوْدِيَةٍ قَفْرٍ يَصيحُ بِهَا الهَدَا

And we own a land whose ruins at As-Su‘ūn are parcelled out

And valleys laid waste, though once the echoing preserve of wild beasts.

فَإِنَّكَ لاَ تَبْلُو امْرَءاً دُونَ صُحْبَةٍ

وحَتّى تَعِيشَا مُعْفِيَينْ وتُجْهَدَا

You cannot assay a man but through his boon companions,

Or till both of you live and acquit yourselves with honour.

وقَدْ يَبْعَثُ الشَّرَّ الضَّعِيفُ ولاَ تَرَى

إِذَا غَابَتِ الأَحْسَابُ عَنْهُنَّ مِذْوَدَا

Yet the weakling may stir up mischief such as you never see

When considerations of fairness and equity sleep.

فَلِلْعَفْو أَقْوَامٌ ولِلْجَهْلِ غَيْرُهُمْ

إِذَا لَمْ تُوَفِّ البُزَّلُ الكُومُ مِرْفَدا

To pardon some men and blame others for ignorance

When the mule fails to fill the sack however plied!

خَلِيلَيَّ لاَ تَسْتَعْجِلاَ وانْظُرا غَداً

عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ المُكْثُ في الأمْرِ أَرْشَدَا

My two friends, do not be so quick: wait until the morrow;

Holding back awhile as to this affair may prove the wiser course—

لَعَلُكمَا أَنْ تَخْزَيَا قَرْضَ مِثْلِهَا

عَلَى حَاجَةٍ إِنْ نَائِبُ الدَّهْرِ أَطْرَدَا

Lest you incur a debt the like of which you must repay

If dire adversity demands this wealth of yours.

دَعَا الدَّهْرَ يَفعَلْ مَا أَرَادَ فَإِنَّهُ

إِذَا كُلِّفَ الإِفْسَادَ بِالنَّاسِ أَفْسَدَا

Let fate do as it wills, for if charged to corrupt mankind,

It has corrupted them—and ever faster.