لِمَنِ الدِيارُ بِبُرقَةِ الرَوحانِ

دَرَسَت وَغَيَّرَها صُروفُ زَمانِ

For whom are the abodes with the radiance of the soul

After time has studied and changed them?

فَوَقَفتُ فيها ناقَتي لِسُؤالِها

فَصَرَفتُ وَالعَينانِ تَبتَدِرانِ

I halted my she-camel to ask about them

While my eyes hastened to let tears flow

سَجماً كَأَنَّ شُنانَةً رَجَبِيَّةً

سَبَقَت إِلَيَّ بِمائِها العَينانِ

Copiously, as if a she-camel of Rabī‘ brought to me

Its water with its eyes

أَيّامَ قَومي خَيرُ قَومٍ سوقَةٍ

لِمُعَصِّبٍ وَلِبائِسٍ وَلِعاني

The days of my people, the best people of Suqah

For one who binds on the turban, the miserable and the afflicted one

وَلَنِعمَ أَيسارُ الجَزورِ إِذا زَهَت

ريحُ الشِتاءِ وَمَألَفُ الجِيرانِ

And how good are the easy lives of neighbors when

The winter wind blows and the neighbor you know

أَمّا إِذا كانَ الطِعانُ فَإِنَّهُم

قَد يَخضِبونَ عَوالِيَ المُرّانِ

But when there is backbiting, they

Can redden spear-heads with blood

أَمّا إِذا كانَ الضِرابُ فَإِنَّهُم

أُسدٌ لَدى أَشبالِهِنَّ حَواني

And when there is fighting, they are

Lions when their cubs are threatened

أَمّا إِذا دُعِيَت نَزالِ فَإِنَّهُم

يَحبونَ لِلرُكَباتِ في الأَبدانِ

And when summoned to battle, they

Love knees on the ground in the bodies

فَخَلَدتُ بَعدَهُمُ وَلَستُ بِخالِدٍ

فَالدَهرُ ذو غِيَرٍ وَذو أَلوانِ

After them I lived on, though not immortal

For time has changing colors and aspects

اللَهُ يَعلَمُ ما جَهِلتُ بِعَقبِهِم

وَتَذَكُّري ما فاتَ أَيَّ أَوانِ

God knows what I was ignorant of in their trace

And my recollection of what time has passed, at what moment!