رِدى مُرَّ الحتُوفِ وَلا تُراعِي
فَما خَوفُ المَنِيَّةِ مِن طِباعي
My stance remains firm despite the crushing blows of time,
Undeterred am I by the fear of mortality's grip.
وَعَزماً صادِقاً فَلَكَم مَضيقٍ
بِصِدقِ العَزمِ صارَ إِلى اِتِّساعِ
With true resolve many a strait seems spacious,
Through genuine determination it expands with ease.
وَمَن هابَ المَنيَّةَ أَدرَكَتهُ
وَماتَ أَذَلَّ مِن فَقعٍ بِقاعِ
Whoever dreads his end, it soon overtakes him,
And he dies more abject than crumbs in the dirt.
ذَريني وَالمُلوكَ بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ
أُكايلُها الرَدى صاعاً بِصاعِ
Leave me be with kings in every land,
For their might spans but handsbreadths to my acres.
فَما أَيمانُهُم تَعلو شمالي
وَلا أَبواعُهُم تَعدُو ذِراعي
Neither oaths nor wealth make them rise above my left,
Or exceed the reach of my hands in their plenty.
تُخَوِّفُني اِبنَةُ العَبديِّ حَتفي
وَإِقحامي المَهالِكَ وَاِفتِراعي
The slave girl's daughter admonishes my ruin,
And my plunge into perils against my will,
وَتَعذِلُني عَلى إِنفاقِ مالي
وَتَزعُم أَنَّهُ لِلفَقرِ داعِ
Chiding my spending of wealth unfairly,
Claiming it belongs to the needy, she insists.
فَقُلتُ لَها وَقَد أَربَت وَزادَت
رُوَيدَكِ لا شَقيتِ فَلَن تُطاعي
But I said, as she grew brazen and bold:
Gently girl, you'll not be obeyed in this.
أَما وَالأَريَحيَّةِ إِنَّ سَمعي
لِما تَهذي العَواذِلُ غَيرُ واعِ
By my soul! My hearing is deaf,
To the idle prattle of impudent women.
أَأَحفلُ بِالفِراقِ وَكُلُّ شِعبٍ
تُصَيِّرُهُ المَنونُ إِلى اِنصِداعِ
Shall I worry about parting, when every ravine,
Is rent asunder by death in the end?
وَأَرهبُ أَن أَمُوتَ وَكُلُّ حَيٍّ
سَينعاهُ إِلى الأَقوامِ ناعِ
Shall I dread my dying, when each living soul,
Will be mourned by kinsmen when his end is nigh?
وَأَخشى الفَقرَ وَالدُنيا مَتاعٌ
وَرَبّي بِالكِرامِ أَبَرُّ راعِ
Shall I fear poverty, when the world is but borrowed,
And my Lord in His bounty is of grace sublime?
دَعيني أَركَبُ الأَهوالَ إِنّي
رَأَيتُ رُكوبَها فيهِ اِتِّداعي
Let me ride the terrors - I see hope,
In facing them with steadfast will.
فَما لِلمَرءِ خَيرٌ في حَياةٍ
إِذا ما عُدَّ مِن سَقَطِ المَتاعِ
Of what use is life to a man,
If he's counted as trifles among men?
فَإِنَّ بِأَرضِنا بَقَراً شِباعاً
وَلَكِن بَينَ آسادٌ جِياعِ
Our land has cattle aplenty,
Though ravenous lions lurk between.
وَهَل يَهنا البَهيمَةَ خِصبُ مَرعىً
إِذا ما آنَسَت صَوتَ السِباعِ
Does a beast still graze, hearing but the cries
Of predators, midst the meadows green?
إِذا راعَ الوداعُ قُلوبَ قَومٍ
فَلي قَلبٌ يَحِنُّ إِلى الوداعِ
When longing severs a people's hearts,
Mine yearns for reunion, I confess.
وَإِن يَنزَع إِلى الأَوطانِ غِمرٌ
فإِنَّ إِلى النَوى أَبَداً نِزاعي
If sadness draws me to my homeland,
My purpose is always to reach my loved ones.
يُراعُ لِفُرقَةِ الأَوطانِ نِكسٌ
ضَعيفُ العَزمِ أَخلى مِن يَراعِ
The weak-willed grieve their homelands from afar,
While the resolute roam unfettered and free.
وَكَم مِن فُرقَةٍ طالَت فَكانَت
بُعَيدَ اليَأسِ داعِيَةَ اِجتِماعِ
How many a long estrangement came to an end,
As hope summoned a joyous reassembly!
تُقارِعُني الحَوادِثُ عَن مُرادي
وَأَرجُو أَن يُذلِّلَها قِراعي
Events have opposed my will time and again,
But I trust my own strength to subdue them, God willing.
وَإِنّي وَالعُلى فَرَسا رِهانٍ
كَما أَنا وَالنَدى أَخَوا رَضاعِ
By the Most High! I and loftiness are twins,
Like myself and the morning dew, suckled together.
وَلَستُ إِذا الهُمومُ تَأَوَّبَتني
مُلاقيها بِآراءٍ شَعاعِ
When sorrows becloud me, I do not meet them
With desperate or fanciful ideas.
وَلَكِنّي سَأَلقاها بِعَزمٍ
وَباعٍ في المَكارِمِ أَيّ باعِ
Nay, but with resolute will and ample capacity
For noble deeds, however dire the plight!
سَئِمتُ تَقَلُّبي فَوقَ الحَشايا
وَنَومي بِالهَواجِرِ وَاِضطِجاعي
Weary am I of roaming the arid plains,
Sleeping among the boulders, fatigued each night.
إِذا يَوماً نَبَت بي دارُ قَومي
فَما تَنبُو المَطِيُّ عَنِ اِنتِجاعي
When my people's homes spring up before me,
My steed will bear me to them in all haste.
سَأَطلُبُ حَقَّ آبائِي وَحَقّي
وَلَو مِن بَينِ أَنيابِ الأَفاعي
I will reclaim my forefathers' rights and mine,
Though it be from between the vipers' fangs!
وَإِنَّ المَوتَ في طَلَبِ اِرتِفاعٍ
لَدَيَّ وَلا حَياتي في اِتِّضاعِ
Meeting death pursuing lofty goals,
Pleases me more than living in meek submission.
وَثَوبُ اللَيثِ فِيَّ إِذا تَبَدَّت
فَريسَتُهُ وَإِطراقُ الشُجاعِ
The lion bares his teeth when prey appears -
Such is the nature of the valiant and the brave.
يُخادِعُني عَنِ العَليا رِجالٌ
وَأَينَ بَنو الفَواعِلِ مِن خِداعي
Some beguile me from greatness, but where are
The true stalwarts against such trickery and deceit?
أَأَبقَى تابِعاً وَلَدَيَّ فَضلٌ
يَسومُ الناسَ كُلَّهُمُ اِتِّباعي
Shall I remain a follower when I excel all,
And all humanity follows in my steps?
يُطاوِلُني بِقَومي كُلُّ عَبدٍ
تَنَقَّلَ مِن لَكاعٍ في لَكاعِ
Every slave-born peon derides my clan,
Though he crawls from one shackle to the next.
أَهُمُّ بِهَجوِهِم فَأَرى ضَلالاً
هِجائي دونَ رَهطِ اِبنِ الرِقاعِ
Their raving concerns me not, for I see but raving,
While my rebuke spares not the rabble's brood.
أَنا اِبنُ السابِقينَ إِلى المَعالي
وَأَربابِ المَمالِكِ وَالمَساعي
I am descended from the early pioneers,
The lords of realms and towering deeds.
حَلَلنا مِن رَبيعَةَ في ذُراها
وَجاوَزنا الفُروعَ إِلى الفِراعِ
We are the pure origin of Rabi'ah's line,
Rising above the branches to the lofty trunk.
وَقَد عَلِمت نِزارٌ أَنَّ قَومي
سُيوفُ ضِرابها يَومَ المَصاعِ
The Nizar know our swords strike on the day,
When warring factions meet in the melee.
وَأَنّا المانِعُونَ حِمى مَعَدٍّ
وَأَهلُ الذَبِّ عَنها وَالدِفاعِ
We are Ma'add's unfailing defenders,
Her champions in combat, stalwart and staunch.
نُهينُ لَها التِلادَ وَلا نُحاشي
وَنُوطِئُها البِلادَ وَلا نُراعي
We forbid her foes from setting foot therein,
Routing them from her lands without remorse.
وَنَشري البَيِّعاتِ بِكُلِّ خَطبٍ
عَناها لا لِبَيعٍ وَاِبتِياعِ
We declare her banned to all suitors,
No courtship or chase will she abide!
وَما زالَت مَدى الأَيّامِ فينا
لَها راعٍ وَساعٍ أَيّ ساعِ
She has ever found in us a guardian,
At all times a keeper - her every need met.
وَما حِفظُ العُلى وَالمَجدِ شَيءٌ
مِنَ الأَشياءِ كَالمالِ المُضاعِ
Naught preserves eminence and glory,
Like wealth freely given and freely spent.
وَإِن نَفخَر نِجِيءُ بِكُلِّ مَلكٍ
حَليمٍ قادِرٍ عاصٍ مُطاعِ
When we boast, we speak of every wise and forbearing king,
Mighty, capable, defiant, obeyed.
بَنَينا عِزَّنا وَرَسى عُلانا
بِضَربِ الهامِ وَالكَرَمِ المُشاعِ
Through courage and generosity we raised our glory,
And the lofty stars of auspiciousness shone upon us.
بِنا يَستَنسِرُ العُصفُورُ تِيهاً
وَتَخشى الأسدُ صَولاتِ الضِباعِ
Through us the sparrows sing carefree,
While lions quake at the hyenas' howls.
وَمَجهولٌ إِذا يُعزى كَشَيءٍ
وَإِنسانٌ وَأَخفى مِن نُخاعِ
Once ignored as a trivial speck,
Man's now obscured, concealed in his very marrow.
تَرَكناهُ كَأَنتَ وَذا وَأَضحى
كَمِثلِ الطَودِ ما بَينَ البِقاعِ
We left him as if never worth a mention,
While he became like a hillock 'twixt the dunes.
وَإِرِّيسٍ جَعَلناهُ رَئيساً
يَسومُ الناسَ غَيرَ المُستَطاعِ
We crowned a fool our tribal chief,
That he might lord over commoners and fools.
فَصارَ يُعَدَّ ذا رَأيٍ وَعَقلٍ
وَكانَ يُعَدَّ في الهَمَجِ الرِعاعِ
Thus he came to be counted wise and rational,
When once he was dismissed as rabble of no account.
وَأَرعَنَ باذِخٍ صَعبِ المَراقي
صَكَكناهُ فَآذن بِاِنقِشاعِ
We feared him, a raging tyrant -
His tyranny heralded collapse and ruin.
فَلا يَستَغرِقَنَّ الحُمقُ قَوماً
فَكَم مِن رفعَةٍ سَبَبُ اِتِّضاعِ
Let not ignorance thus lead astray a people,
For often it is meekness that uplifts the lowly.
فَإِنَّ سُيُوفَنا ما زالَ فيها
شِفاءٌ لِلرُؤوسِ مِن الصُداعِ
Our swords have ever harbored healing,
Curing heads of the pains that plague them.
يَخَبِّرُ تُبَّعٌ عَنها وَكِسرى
بِذا وَالمُنذِرانِ وَذُو الكَلاعِ
Tubba', Caesar, both the Nizar, and Dhu l-Qal'a
Tell of them - their temper fine and keen.
فَكَم قِدماً رَبَعنا مِن رُبوعٍ
بِهنَّ وَكَم أَبَرنا مِن رَباعِ
How many lands we've toured on their wings!
How many deserts we've roamed, far and wide!
