ذَريني فَضَرباً بِالمَهَنَّدَةِ البُترِ
وَلا لَومَ مِثلي يا أُمَيمُ عَلى وَترِ
Let me be struck with the blunted sword,
And blame not the likes of me, O mother of prey, for being out of tune.
فَقَد كُنتُ آبى الضَيمَ إِذ لَيسَ ناصرٌ
سِوى عَزمَتي وَالعيسِ وَالمَهمَهِ القَفرِ
For I refused injustice when there was no helper,
Save my resolve, the staff and the bleak desert.
فَكَيفَ أُقِرُّ اليَومَ ضَيماً وَناصِري
عَديدُ الحَصى ما بَينَ بُصرى إِلى مِصرِ
How can I accept injustice today when my helper
Is as numerous as the pebbles between my sight and Egypt?
إِذا ما دَعَوتُ اِبنَي نِزارٍ أَجابَني
كَتائِبُ أَنكى في العِدى من يَدِ الدَهرِ
When I call upon my son Nizar he answers me,
With the most steadfast battalions against the vicissitudes of fate.
تَداعى إِلى صَوتِ المُنادي تَداعياً
كَدَفّاعِ مَوجٍ جاءَ في المَدِّ لِلجَزرِ
They rally to the caller’s voice rallying,
Like the swelling waves that come with the tide to the shore.
عَلى كُلِّ ذَيّالٍ وَجَرداءَ شطبَةٍ
تَجيء كَسَيلٍ يَلطِمُ الطَلحَ بِالسِدرِ
Against every long-tailed and bare mountains,
They come like a torrent that beats down the tamarisks and sidrs.
نِتاجُ عُمَيرٍ وَالضُّبَيبِ وَكامِلٍ
وَذاتِ نُسوعٍ وَالنَعامَةِ وَالخَطرِ
The progeny of Umayr, Dubayb and Kamil,
And the lineage of Nusa’a, Na’amah and Al-Khatr.
سَوابِحُ لا تَغدو الرِياحُ غُدُوَّها
لِطَعنٍ وَلا تَسري النُجومُ كَما تَسري
Champions who do not set out on their daily patrols,
To stab, nor do the stars move as they move.
وَرِثنَ عَنِ الشَيخَينِ بَكرٍ وَتَغلِبٍ
وَعَن عَبدِ قَيسٍ ذي العُلى وَعَن النمرِ
They inherited from the two sheikhs, Bakr and Taghlib,
And from Abd Qays with glory, and from Al-Namr.
وَقَيسٍ أَبي الشُمِّ الطِوالِ وَبَعدَهُ
تَميمٍ وَأَكرِم والِداً بِأَبي عَمرِو
And Qays Abu Shumayt Al-Tiwal and after him,
Tamim, Akram and my kind father Amr.
وَعَن سَيِّدَي آباءِ كُلِّ قَبيلَةٍ
وَأَشرَفِها نَسلاً خُزَيمَةَ وَالنَضرِ
And from my masters, the fathers of every tribe,
And their noblest lineage, Khuzaymah and Al-Nadr.
وَما الخَيلُ إِلّا نِحلَةٌ مِن إِلَهنا
لَنا لا لِزَيدٍ مِن سِوانا وَلا عَمرِو
Horses are but a blessing from our God,
For us, not for Zayd from Siwan, nor Amr.
لَنا أُخرِجَت إِذ أُخرِجَت لا لِغافِقٍ
وَلا بارِقٍ أَو لا مُرادٍ وَلا قَسرِ
They were created for us when they were created, not for a coward,
A deserter, nor for Murad or Qasr.
وَطِئنا بِها جَمعَ العَماليقِ وَطأَةً
أَرَتها نُجومَ القَذفِ تَجري مَعَ الظُهرِ
With them we trampled the confederates with a trampling,
That made the stars of the Pleiades run with Al-Duhur.
وَلَولا تَلاقينا بِها حَيّ جُرهُمٍ
لآبَت بِأَيدٍ لا تَشُقُّ وَلا تَفري
Had we not met the tribe of Jurhum with them,
They would have perished at the hands of those who neither tear nor flee.
بِنَفسي وَما لي مِن نِزارٍ عِصابَةً
حِسانُ وُجوهٍ طَيِّبُو عُقَدِ الأُزرِ
By my life even without the aid of Nizar’s army,
The beautiful faced, pure, perfumed with musk.
جَلَوا بِصِفاحِ البيضِ هَمّي وَبَرَّدُوا
حَرارَةَ غَيظي بِالمُثقَّفَةِ السُمرِ
They healed my anxiety with their white blades,
And cooled the heat of my rage with the brown polished swords.
لَياليَ قادُوا الخَيلَ قَوداً أَصارَها
وَما الخَواطي كَاليَعاسيبِ في الضُمرِ
Nights they led the horses with bridles that made them
Nothing like the viziers in secrecy.
بِرَأيٍ سَديدِ الرَأيِ أَلوى مُعَوَّد
بِجَرِّ الخَميسِ الضَخمِ وَالعَسكَرِ المَجرِ
With sound judgement and strong resolve,
Skilled with pulling the heavy Khamis and trained steed.
هُمامٌ تَعَدّى الأَربَعينَ فَجازَها
بِعَشرِ سِنينٍ أَو قَريبٍ مِن العَشرِ
Ambitions that crossed forty, and exceeded it
By ten years or close to ten.
فَأَصبَحَ لا شَيخاً يُخافُ اِنبِهارُهُ
وَلا حَدَثاً تِلعابَةً غائِبَ الفِكرِ
So he became one whose old age is not feared to lose his mind,
Nor a youth to be reprimanded, absent of thought.
أَخو عَزمَةٍ كَالنارِ وَقداً وَهِمَّةٍ
تَرى النَجمَ أَدنى مِن ذِراعٍ وَمِن شِبرِ
The brother of Azmah, like fire and tinder and determination,
Who sees a star closer than a cubit or span.
بَدَت في مُحيّاهُ أَماراتُ مَجدِهِ
صَبيّاً وَيَبدو العِتقُ في صَفحَةِ المُهرِ
The signs of his glory appeared on his face,
As a boy, and manliness shows on the surface of the seal.
سَما لِلعُلى طِفلاً وَبَرَّزَ يافِعاً
وَسُمّي وَلَمّا يَثَّغِر أَوحَدَ العَصرِ
He rose to loftiness as a child, and came of age
As a youth, and was named before his lips sprouted or he lost his milk teeth.
وَلَفَّ السَرايا بِالسَرايا وَقادَها
لِعَشرٍ وَرَدَّ الدُهمَ مِنهُنَّ كالشُقرِ
He rallied squadron after squadron and led them,
Repelling calamities from them like yellow orioles.
فَلِلّهِ بَكرٌ ما شَظى حَدُّ نابِهِ
وَفاقَ قُروماً بِالشَقاشِقِ وَالخَطرِ
By God! Bakr’s sharpness of incisor never blunted,
And he surpassed mountain peaks with glory and danger.
جَرى وَجَرى الساعونَ شَأواً إِلى العُلى
فَفاتَ بِأَدنى خَطوهِ مُلهَب الحُضرِ
He raced and raced the rivals, striving for supremacy,
So he reached the highest rank quicker than the blink of an eye.
سَليلُ المُلوكِ الصِّيدِ وَالسادَةِ الأُلى
بَنَوا مَجدَهُم فَوقَ السِماكينِ وَالنَسرِ
The progeny of kings of hunting and sublime chiefs,
Who built their glory above the fish and eagles.
إِلى ذروَةِ البَيتِ العُيونِيِّ يَنتَمي
وَهَل يَنتَمي الدِينارُ إِلّا إِلى التِبرِ
He traces his lineage to the peak of the noble Tayy,
Does a golden dinar belong to any but the pure gold?
وَأَخوالُهُ أَدنى عُقَيلٍ إِلى العُلى
بُيُوتاً وَأَقصاها مِنَ اللُؤمِ وَالغَدرِ
His uncles, the lowest of Uqayl to the highest,
Are houses, and the farthest of them from villainy and betrayal.
ذَوُو المُحكَماتِ السُردِ وَالبيضِ وَالقَنا
وَأَهلُ الجِيادِ الشُقرِ وَالنِّعَمِ الحُمرِ
Possessors of the elegant, white and speckled horses,
And owners of the blond, red and chestnut steeds.
وَإِنَّ عَلِيّاً للَّذي بِفَخارِهِ
يُطالُ وَيُستَعلى عَلى كُلِّ ذِي فَخرِ
Verily, Ali is the one whose pride
Makes him taller, and more sublime than any other proud man.
أَعَزُّ الوَرى جاراً وَأَوسَعُها حِمىً
وَأَشبَهُها بِاللَيثِ وَالبَحرِ وَالبَدرِ
The most honourable and generous neighbour,
And most resembling a lion, sea and full moon.
مَتى تَدعُهُ تَدعُ اِمرَءاً غَيرَ زُمَّلٍ
وَلا وَكِلٍ في النائِباتِ وَلا غَمرِ
Whenever you leave him you leave a peerless man,
Neither a regent in calamities nor a shirker of duties.
وَلا رافِعٍ بِالخَطبِ رَأساً وَإِنَّهُ
لَتُرفَعُ مِن جَرّائِهِ طُرَرُ الأُزرِ
Nor one who raises his voice while speaking - though he is -
One whose litter makes the necks of camels bow.
لَهُ هَيبَةٌ مِلءُ الصُدورِ فَلو رَنا
إِلى المَوتِ مُزوَرّاً لَماتَ مِنَ الذُعرِ
He has such majesty as fills the chests, so if he called
Death falsely, it would come from fright.
وَلو قالَ لِلأَفلاكِ في سَيرِها قِفي
لَباتَت رُكوداً لا تَدورُ وَلا تَجري
If he asked the orbiting spheres to stand still in their course,
They would stop still, neither rotating nor revolving.
فَتىً لَو لِلَيثِ الغابِ بَأسٌ كَبَأسِهِ
لَأَغناهُ عَن نابٍ حَديدٍ وَعَن ظُفرِ
A stalwart, if the forest lion had his might,
It would spare it fangs of steel and claws.
وَلَو أَنَّ لِلعَضبِ اليَمانيِّ جَوهَراً
كَعَزمَتِهِ لَم يَنبُ عَن قُلَلِ الصَخرِ
If the Arabian Oryx had his determination,
It would not grow on the peaks of the rocks.
وَلَو أَنَّ لِلأَنواءِ جُوداً كَجُودِهِ
لَما اِنتقَلَ الإِرباعُ يَوماً إِلى العِشرِ
If the clouds had his generosity,
The fourth would never change to a tenth.
عَلا في النَّدى أَوساً وَفي الزُهدِ وَالتُقى
أُوَيساً وَفي الحِلمِ اِبنَ قَيسٍ أَبا بَحرِ
He excelled in generosity and asceticism,
And in forbearance, the son of Qays Abu Bakr.
وَأَبغَضُ شَيءٍ عِندَهُ لا وَإِنَّهُ
لِيَهوى نَعم لَو أَنَّ فيها ثَوى العُمرِ
The most hateful thing to him is - though he
Yearns for pleasures, even if life was spent seeking them -
يَريشُ وَيَبري عِزَّةً وَسَماحَةً
وَلا خَير فيمَن لا يَريشُ وَلا يَبري
To plummet and soar in honour and generosity,
And no good is in one who does not plummet and soar.
أَبى غَيرَ عِزَّ النَفسِ وَالعَدلِ وَالتُقى
وَرَأبِ الثَأى وَالحِلمِ وَالنائِلِ الغَمرِ
He refused all but the honour of the self, justice and piety,
Mending rifts, forbearance, attainment and covering faults.
وَلَمّا تَولّى المُلكَ باءَ مُشَمِّراً
بِأَعبائِهِ مِن غَيرِ لَهثٍ وَلا بُهرِ
And when he assumed kingship he girded himself
With its burdens, without panting or confusion.
وَعَفَّ فَلم يَمدُد إِلى مُسلِمٍ يَداً
بِسُوءٍ وَلا باتَت لَهُ عَقرَبٌ تَسري
He pardoned so he never extended his hand
To harm a Muslim, nor did a scorpion crawl in his night.
وَلا باتَ جُنحَ اللَيلِ يَشكُوهُ شابِحٌ
إِلى اللَّهِ مَقتورٌ عَليهِ وَلا مُثرِ
Nor did the wings of night complain of one aggrieved by him,
Crying grievance to God while subjected and wronged by him.
فَيا أَيُّها الساعي لِيُدرِكَ مَجدَهُ
رُوَيدَكَ فَاِنظُر مَن عَلى إِثرِهِ تَجري
So O you who strives to attain his glory,
Restrain yourself and see who you run after!
فَلَيسَ بِعارٍ أَن شَآكَ مُطَهَّمٌ
أَغَرُّ جَموحٌ لا يُنَهنَهُ بِالزَجرِ
For it is no shame that one led astray by passions,
Is the most ignorant camel that cannot be reined.
فَما ضاقَ عَنهُ الوُسعُ غَيرُ مُطالِبٍ
بِهِ المَرءُ في أَكنافِ بَرٍّ وَلا بَحرِ
The capacity was not too narrow for him except for one
Who asks of a man in the valleys of righteousness and seas of generosity.
فَدَع عَنكَ ما أَعيَا المُلوكَ طِلابُهُ
وَقِف عَنهُ وَاِطلُب ما تُطيقُ مِن الأَمرِ
So leave what has wearied kings in seeking it,
Refrain from it, and seek what you can accomplish.
وَخَلِّ أَثيراتِ المَعالي لِسَيِّدٍ
هُمامٍ كَنَصلِ الهُندُوانِيِّ ذي الأَثرِ
And leave the noble things to a mighty Sheikh,
Like the Indian sword in its tracks.
فَلا مَلِكٌ إِلّا عَلِيُّ بنُ ماجِدٍ
جَميلُ المُحَيّا وَالإِنابَةِ وَالذِكرِ
For no king but Ali son of Majid,
Beautiful of face, returning penitently and remembering.
إِلَيكَ أَبا المَنصورِ عَقدُ جَواهِرٍ
قَلَمَّسُها صَدري وَغَوّاصُها فِكري
To you Abu Mansur I offer pearls,
That my chest has touched and my mind is its diver.
نَفِستُ بِها عَمَّن سِواكَ وَسُقتُها
إِلَيكَ لِعِلمي أَنَّها أَنفَسُ الذُخرِ
I delighted in them over all others and poured them
To you, knowing they are the best treasure.
وَعَدَّيتُها عَن رِقِّ لُؤمٍ مُوَكَّرٍ
قَليلِ اِكتِراثٍ بِالمَحامِدِ وَالأَجرِ
I enumerated them over the saliva of a despicable frowning man,
Who cares little for praise or reward.
يَروحُ وَيَغدُو مِثلَ غَيمٍ تَرى لَهُ
صَواعِقَ يَحرقنَ البِلادَ بِلا قَطرِ
Who comes and goes like a cloud you see having
Lightning that burns the country without rainfall.
تَصَدَّرَ مِن شُؤمِ الزَمانِ وَإِنَّهُ
لَأَخفى مِن البُعصوصِ في نَقرَةِ الظَهرِ
He sneaked out of the misfortune of time, though he is
More hidden than jerboas in the back of a dune.
فَصارَ مَعَ الجُهّالِ صَدراً وَإِنَّهُ
لَمِن خُبُثِ الأَعجازِ عِندَ ذَوي الخُبرِ
So he came to be the chief of the ignorant, though he is
Of the worst dregs with men of experience.
مَضى زَمَنٌ وَالهُرطُمانُ طَعامُهُ
وَبيّوتُ ما يَبتاعُ بِالطِّينِ وِالسِّدرِ
An era passed with ruins as his food,
And houses of what he buys with mud and sidr.
تُشَرَّفُ نَعلي عَن قيامٍ بِبابِهِ
وَتُكرَمُ عَن مَشيٍ بِساحاتِهِ الغُبرِ
My slipper is too noble to stand at his door,
And too dignified to walk in his dusty courtyards.
وَلَولاكَ بِالأَحساءِ لَم تُحدَ نَحوها
قَلوصِي وَلَم يَصهل بِجَرعائِها مُهري
If it were not for you in Ahsa its marshes would not
Have been delimited, nor its stallion sired.
فَما أَنا مِمَّن يَجهَلُ الناسُ فَضلَهُ
فَيَرضى بِحَظٍّ واشِلٍ بِالعُلى مُزرِ
For I am not one who is ignorant of his merit,
So I accept a disappointing share of the sublime unwillingly.
وَإِنّي لَصَوّانٌ لِمَدحي وَإِن نَبا
بِيَ الدَهرُ وَاِجتاحَت نَوائِبُهُ وَفرِي
I protect my praise, though time was harsh to me
And its afflictions overwhelmed and alienated me.
وَلَكِنَّكَ المَلكُ الَّذي مِن سَمائِهِ
نُجومي الَّتي تُصمي وَمِن شَمسِهِ بَدري
But you are the king from whose sky
are my stars that guide me, and whose sun is my full moon.
وَمِن لَحمِهِ لَحمي وَمِن دَمِهِ دَمي
وَمِن عَظمِهِ عَظمي وَمِن شَعرِهِ شَعري
From his flesh is my flesh, from his blood my blood,
From his bone my bone, from his hair my hair.
وَآباؤُكَ الغُرُّ الكِرامُ أُبُوَّتي
وَبَحرُكَ مِن تَيّارِ آذِيِّهِ بَحري
Your noble fathers are my fathers,
And your sea from its currents is my sea.
فَداكَ مِنَ الأَسواءِ كُلُّ مُعَلهَجٍ
مِنَ القَومِ لَم يَعبَأ بِعُرفٍ وَلا نُكرِ
May you ransom me from every wretched
Nosed ring of people who care not for customs or foreigners!
وَجُزتَ المَدى في خَفضِ عَيشٍ وَدَولَةٍ
مُؤَيَّدَةٍ بِالأَمنِ وَالأَمرِ وَالنَصرِ
And may you have the scope in lowering a life and a state
Supported by safety, authority and victory!
تَحوطُ نِزاراً حَيثُ كانَت وَلا خَلا
جَنابُكَ مِن شُكرٍ وَبابُكَ مِن ذِكرِ
Nizar is protected wherever it is, and never
Was your side devoid of gratitude, nor your door of mention.
وَعاشَ اِمرُؤٌ ناواكَ ما عاشَ خائِفاً
يَروحُ وَيَغدو بِالمَذَلَّةِ وَالصُغرِ
And may a life as long as yours be for one who tends you,
Coming and going in humiliation and smallness!
