سَما لَكَ مِن أُمِّ العُبَيدِ خَيالُ
وَدُونَ لِقاها أَجرُعٌ وَسَيالُ
A dream of your mother's slave girl pictures you,
And without seeing you my thirst is unquenched and my tears flow.
سَما وَمَطايانا كَأَنَّ اِقتِحامَها
غَوارِبَ أَمواجِ الفُراتِ فِيالُ
O Sama, our riding together was as though plunging
Through the billows of the Euphrates in flood.
فَأَهدى سُروراً عازِباً كانَ قَد مَضى
وَأَنسَتهُ أَيّامٌ مَرَرنَ طِوالُ
You brought back a joy that had gone,
And days bitter and long made me forget it.
وَعادَ فَلَم يَلبَث فَواقاً كَأَنَّما
عَلَيهِ بِتَعجيلِ الرُجوعِ كفالُ
Then you returned, and stayed not long away - as though
I had pledged myself hastily for your return.
فَشايَعتُهُ أَقضي الذِّمامَ لِأَنَّني
لِذاكَ أَبٌ في الحالَتَينِ وَخالُ
So I determined to pay the blood-price though
I am in both cases his father and uncle.
إِلى أَن بَلَغنا الجِسرَ وَالتُرعَةَ الَّتي
بِأَكنافِها الحَيُّ الكِرامُ حِلالُ
Until we reached the bridge and canal where
The dear, noble people make their homes.
وَحانَت لِعَيني يَقظَةٌ بانَ عِندَها
بِأَنَّ الَّذي قَد كُنتُ فيهِ مُحالُ
My eyes were opened, and it was clear to me there
That what I craved was unlawful to me.
فَواهاً لَها تَهوِيمَةً بَعَثَت جَوىً
حُرِمتُ لَهُ اللّذّات وَهيَ حَلالُ
Alas for her whose trick set my passion astir,
Though joys were forbidden me, hers were allowed!
أرَتني دِيارَ الحَيِّ قَومي وَدُونَها
وِهادٌ وَأَطوادٌ عَلَت وَرِمالُ
She showed me the camp of my tribe, and near it
Were hills and dunes, heights and sandy wastes.
وَكُلَّ اِبنِ شَرٍّ قَرنُهُ مِن رِدائِهِ
يَرى شَخصَهُ جِنُّ الفَلا فَيُهالُ
Each evil-natured son of villainy,
His form is shrunk by the Jinn of the waste who terrify him.
رَعى اللَهُ هاتيكَ الدِيارَ وَإِن سَرَت
إِلَينا أَفاعٍ أَنبَتَت وَصِلالُ
God watch over those camps! Though there crept
To us from them long caravans, winding trails,
أَقُولُ لِرَكبٍ مِن عُقَيلٍ لَقيتُهُم
وَأَعناقُها لِلقَريَتينِ تُمالُ
I say to a band from 'Uqail whom I met
As their camels moved towards one or other coast,
أَيا رَكبُ حُيِّيتُم وَجادَت بِلادَكُمُ
غَمائِمُ أَدنى سَحِّهِنَّ سِجالُ
"Greetings, men! your land is bountiful.
Though clouds come down to it dense, yet they unload no hail.
إِذا جِئتُمُ أَرضَ الحَساءِ وَقابَلَت
قِبابٌ بِضاحي بَرِّها وَتِلالُ
When you come to the land of Hasa and are faced
By tents against a background of long hills,
فَأَرخُوا لَها فَضلَ الأَزمَّةِ ساعَةً
وَإِن كانَ أَينٌ مَسَّها وَكَلالُ
Then rest there from the noonday heat awhile
Though some tired and thirsty camels sprawl there."
إِلى أَن تُوافوا الدَربَ وَالمَسجِدَ الَّذي
بِهِ الحَيُّ حَيٌّ وَالشَمالُ شَمالُ
Till you reach the road and mosque to which
Men living there and men dead there turn to pray.
فَثَمَّ تُلاقُونَ المُلوكَ بَني أَبي
وَيَكثُرُ عَنّي حينَ ذاكَ سُؤالُ
There you will meet the kings, sons of Abü
About me, at that point, questions multiply.
فَقُولُوا لَهُم إِنّا تَرَكنا أَخاكُمُ
بِحَيث مَآلُ الراغِبينَ مَآلُ
Then say to them, "We left your brother
Where the seeker of glory meets his fate;"
لَدى مَلِكٍ لا يَبلُغُ الوَصفُ مَدحَهُ
وَإِن أَطنَبَ المُدّاحُ فيهِ وَقالُوا
With a king whose praises no tongue can sound,
Though encomiasts prolong their efforts to extol.
حَمُولٌ لِأَعباءِ الأُمورِ وَإِنَّها
عَلى غَيرِهِ لَو رامَها لَثِقالُ
He shoulders alone duties that would make
On other shoulders weigh most heavily.
لَهُ أَبَداً عِرضٌ مَصونٌ عَنِ الخَنا
وَمالٌ لِمُمتاحِ النَوالِ مُذالُ
He preserves intact a name safe from all slurs
And wealth flows freely to freely-opening palms
هُوَ المَلكُ لا يَجري البَذا في نَدِيِّهِ
وَإِن طالَ قِيلٌ في الخِصامِ وَقالُ
He is the king whose court no false coin enters,
However long at law opposing pleaders brawl.
تَوَلّى فَأَولى كُلَّ خَيرٍ فَأَصبَحَت
بِهِ المُهَجُ العَطشى وَهُنَّ نِهالُ
He turned away, and turned all good our way,
So that barren lands became fertile this year,
وَلاقى الرَعايا خافِضاً مِن جَناحِهِ
وَفي بُردَتَيهِ هَيبَةٌ وَجَلالُ
And he went to his subjects with drooping wing,
On his garments the awe and the majesty clear.
جَوادٌ لَو اِنَّ البَحرَ عارَضَ جُودَهُ
لَما اِبتَلَّ لِلمُجتازِ فيهِ قِبالُ
His bounty, had the ocean vied with it
Would show no sign of exhaustion as crossers ply,
وَلَو أَنَّ لِلعَضبِ اليَمانِيِّ عَزمَهُ
لَما كادَهُ أَنَّ الرُؤوسَ جِبالُ
Had the Indian scimitar his temper's edge
It would not quail though heads were hills on high.
وَلَو أَنَّ لِلضِرغامِ قَلباً كَقَلبِهِ
لَما هالَهُ أَنَّ التُرابَ رِجالُ
Had the lion his heart, he would not blench
Though dust before him rose in human form.
هُوَ الشَمسُ نُوراً وَاِرتِفاعاً وَشارَةً
كَما قَد تَسَمّى وَالمُلوكُ ذُبالُ
He is the sun in splendour and height and mark
As his name denotes him, while kings are night stars.
بِهِ البَصرَةُ الفَيحاءُ أَقبَلَ سَعدُها
وَقَد كانَ فيها لِلنُحوسِ مَجالُ
By him Basrah the luminous turned to the fair breeze of fortune
Though channels for ill luck there used to abound,
تَوَخّى شَكاياها الَّتي بَرَحَت بِها
فَأَبرَأَ مِنها الداءَ وَهوَ عُضالُ
He sought to discover its chronic complaints
And heal disorders however obstinate,
وَلَولاهُ لَم يَبرَح مُقيماً بِأَرضِها
هوانٌ وَذُلٌّ شامِلٌ وَنَكالُ
But for him still residing in her land
Would be abasement, humiliation and defeat.
أَزالَ الأَذى عَنها اِحتِساباً وَرَغبَةً
وَما كانَ مَرجُوّاً لِذاكَ زَوالُ
He drove affliction away from her, hoping for reward,
Not as though disappearance of it was his aim,
وَأَقصى وُلاةَ الجَورِ عَنها حَميَّةً
لِيَسكُنَ مَرعُوبٌ وَيَنعُمَ بالُ
And he exiled from her the despots in his zeal
To calm the terrified and make glad the weak
فَلا عُدِمَت أَيّامُهُ الغُرُّ إِنَّها
لَتَعدِلُ طَعمَ الماءِ وَهوَ زُلالُ
Never may his days pass, they resemble
Water's cool taste, and the wish of men for rain,
وَأُقسِمُ ما تَأتي اللَيالي بِمِثلِهِ
وَأَنّى وَما كُلُّ الرِجالِ رِجالُ
And I swear the nights bring none such as he -
How, when not all men are men of worth?
فَيا أَيُّها الساعي لِيُدرِكَ مَجدَهُ
أَفِق إِنَّ هَذا السَعيَ مِنكَ ضَلالُ
O you who seek his glory's pinnacle, awake!
You will find that course of yours is leading astray.
وَدَع عَنكَ ما لا تَستَطيعُ فَقَد تَرى
مَساعيَ شَمسِ الدَينِ لَيسَ تُنالُ
Spare yourself what you cannot attain, since you may see
The efforts of Shimsh al-Dawla will never repay.
إِذا عُدَّ أَهلُ الفَضلِ يَوماً فَكُلُّهُم
عَلى فَضلِهِ لَو يُنشَرونَ عيالُ
When scholars in merit are told off some day
Then all are attendants on his superior merit.
لِكُلِّ اِمرِئٍ مِنهُم خِصالٌ حَمِيدَةٌ
وَلَكِنّ شَمسَ الدّينِ فيهِ كَمالُ
To each one come honour and praiseworthy parts
But to him pertains accomplishment supreme;
تَرى عِندَهُ ما عِندَهُم مِن فَضِيلَةٍ
وَفيهِ خِلالٌ فَوقَها وَخِلالُ
In him you observe whatever of grace each owns
Together with fine traits none shares but he.
حَياءٌ وَإِقدامٌ وَحِلمٌ وَقُدرَةٌ
وَحَزمٌ وَجُودٌ لَيسَ فيهِ مِطالُ
Modesty, daring, clemency, strength and firm resolve,
Bounty unstinting - into bounty none pries -
وَعِلمٌ وَإِيمانٌ وَعَدلٌ وَرَأفَةٌ
وَنُسكٌ وَرَهبانِيَّةٌ وَجَمالُ
Knowledge and faith and justice and tenderness,
Piety, abstinence too, and comeliness;
تَزاحَمَ أَهلُ العِلمِ وَالطالِبُو النَدى
لَدَيهِ لِكُلٍّ في هَواهُ سُؤالُ
He is pressed on by those seeking knowledge or gentle rain
From the cloud, each with his request free to propose.
فَلِلطّالِبي الفَتوى بَيانٌ مُعَلَّلٌ
كَذاكَ لِطُلّابِ النَوالِ نَوالُ
To the student of law, solutions meticulously drawn,
To suitors of bounty, bounty he throws.
فِدىً لَكَ يا تاجَ المُلوكِ مَعاشِرٌ
سِيادَتُهُم لِلمُسلِمينَ وَبالُ
A ransom for you, diadem bright of all kings' brows,
Your stirring to action means laurels or loss
لَهُم عَن فِعالِ الخَيرِ أَيدٍ قَصيرَةٌ
وَلَكِنَّها في المُخزِياتِ طِوالُ
To Muslims, while for doing good, hands short is their span
But in things scandalous their arms are long.
فَدُونكَ عِقداً صاغَهُ الفِكرُ مِن فَتىً
يَرى أَنَّ مَدحاً في سِواكَ خَبالُ
Without you here is a necklace a wise youth's thought knotted -
Seeing all praise not addressed, Sir, to you mere gall.
وَلَستُ بِمُهدٍ لِلرِجالِ مَدائِحي
وَإِن قَلَّ مالٌ أَو تَغَيَّرَ حالُ
Nor am I smoothing the path with my eulogies
To the mighty, what though my wealth decline.
وَلَكِنَّ نُعمى حَرَّكَتني وَصُحبَةٌ
وَوُدٌّ وَهَذا لِلكِرامِ صِقالُ
But kindness stirred me, companionship too and love
And for noble hearts this is polish deserved.
فَلا ظَفِرَت مِنكَ الأَعادي بِغِرَّةٍ
وَلا زِلتَ تَغزُو أَرضَها فَتُدالُ
Never has foeman snatched sudden advantage of you
Unawares, while ever you raid on his land.
وَجُزتَ المَدى يابا شُجاعٍ وَلا عَدَت
فِناءَكَ مِن بَعدِ الرِجالِ رِحالُ
Full meed you attained, Sir, hero undaunted, your bier is not
Followed, after mighty men die, by encamping allies.
