بِذاتِ المَكارِمِ ذاكَ الأَلَم
وَفي اللَهِ مانابَ تِلكَ القَدَم
With the noble virtues lies that pain,
And in God what those feet attained.
فَرَوَّعَ حَتّى نُجومَ العَلاءِ
وَضَعضَعَ حَتّى سَماءَ الكَرَم
It startled even the stars on high,
And shook even the generous sky.
مُهِمٌّ تَعاطى رُكوبَ السُرى
فَصَمَّمَ يَطرُقُ حَتّى أَلَم
A resolute one set out to ride,
Determined to tread though it pained.
وَوافى يُقَلِّصُ أَذيالَهُ
لِيَعبُرَ لُجَّةَ بَحرٍ خِضَم
He came lessening his garment's train,
To cross a turbulent, billowing main.
وَهابَ فَأَلقى عَلى وَجهِهِ
قِناعَ سَوادِ الدُجى وَاِلتَثَم
He shunned it and cast on his face instead,
The mask of night's darkness that he donned.
وَأَمَّ يَدِبُّ دَبيبَ الكَرى
وَيَمشي الضَراءَ بِذاكَ الحَرَم
He crept with the gait of the tried and true,
And walked adversity with that probity.
وَلِلسَعدِ طَرفٌ بِهِ كالِئٌ
يُراعي الهِزبَرَ وَيَحمي الأَجَم
Good fortune's eyes watch carefully,
Guarding the feeble, protecting the frail.
فَما طَرَقَ الحَيَّ حَتّى اِتَّقى
وَلا اِستَقبَلَ المَجدَ حَتّى اِحتَشَم
Not once trampling the alive, but wary,
Nor once meeting glory but humble and modest.
وَوَلّى يَكُدُّ الخُطى خَشيَةً
وَيَحذَرُ مِمّا اِجتَرى وَاِجتَرَم
He turned straining his steps warily,
And avoided the misdeeds and crimes.
فَلا زالَ يَرمي فَيُصمي العِدى
وَتَكتَنِفُ اِبنَ عِصامٍ عُصَم
So he kept striking till he stilled the foe,
And the son of firmness was girded safely.
هُمامٌ لِعَينِ الهُدى ناظِرٌ
بِهِ وَلِوَجهِ العُلى مُبتَسَم
Aspiring, to guidance's eyes glancing,
In it and to honor's face smiling.
أَضافَ إِلى مُجتَنىً
فَبَرقٌ يُشامُ وَرَوضٌ يُثَم
To his refuse he added a flash of lightning,
A garden he adorned and furnished sublimely.
وَفاتَ الرِياحَ وَطالَ الرِماحَ
فَطَولٌ عَميمٌ وَطولٌ عَمَم
He surpassed the winds and prolonged the spears,
A vast, all-encompassing, towering clime.
يَمُدُّ بِغُرِّ الأَيادي يَداً
تَصاحَبَ فيها النَدى وَالقَلَم
Extending with hands white as the full moon,
In them the dew and the pen entwined.
فَيَمحو مِدادَ سَوادِ الرَجا
بِما فاضَ مِن ماءِ بيضِ النِعَم
He wipes out with what overflowed from the grace,
The ink of sorrow with that pure boon.
وَيَكتُبُ وَالخَطبُ مُستَفحِلٌ
فَيَدفَعُ في صَدرِ ماقَد أَهَم
He writes while turmoil grows severe,
Repelling in the breast of one concerned.
فَيا رُبَّ حَيَّةِ وادٍ رَقى
هُناكَ وَرُقعَةِ وَشيٍ رَقَم
My Lord, the snake of the lofty valley,
There, and the page of excellent trace.
فَفي وَجهِ مَكرُمَةٍ غُرَّةٌ
تُنيرُ وَفي أَنفِ مَجدٍ شَمَم
In the face of one noble a glow,
That gives light, and in the nose of glory a sniff.
وَإِنّا إِذا ما تَصَدّى الصَدى
لَنَكرَعُ في ماءِ تِلكَ الشِيَم
And we, when glory calls,
Will kneel in the water of those morals.
وَنَسري وَقَد قَرَّ لَيلُ السُرى
فَنَقبَسُ مِن نارِ ذاكَ الفَهَم
We will travel as the night of bliss darkened,
Kindling from the fire of that wisdom.
وَلَسنا وَآراؤُهُ أَنجُمٌ
نَضِلُّ وَغُرَّتُهُ بَدرُ تَم
We are not, while his opinions are stars,
Misguided, his glow is a full moon.
فَما شِئتَ مِن سَيِّدٍ أَيِّدٍ
يَصُدُّ العِدى وَيَسُدُّ الثُلَم
You want a peerless, supported master,
The Arabs pride themselves on taming the non-Arabs.
يَغارُ وَيَمنَعُ مِن غارَةٍ
فَيَحمي الحَريمَ وَيَرعى الحُرَم
Of lofty gifts, protective of presents,
Exalted traits, fulfilling promises.
وَيَغشى النَدِيَّ بِخُلقٍ نَدٍ
تَرى الماءَ يَجري بِهِ مِن عَلَم
He makes his morals shine with good tidings,
From his palms the water of generosity flows.
فَهَضبَةُ حِلمٍ إِذا ما اِحتَبى
وَقِسطاسُ عَدلٍ إِذا ماحَكَم
For the guest his servants bustle about,
And his confidants hasten to serve.
يَسيرُ بِهِ الحَقُّ سَيرَ القَطا
فَيَقضي وَيَمضي مُضِيَّ الخُذُم
Visit him and you visit a lush garden,
Alive, you will find the boughs of the lote-tree laden.
يُسَدِّدُ حَتّى صُدورَ القَنا
وَيَضرِبُ حَتّى رُؤوسَ البُهَم
Leave off from an ignorant, straying one,
As though you greeted an idol from him.
وَيَهجُرُ في اللَهِ حَتّى الكَرى
وَيَألَفُ في اللَهِ حَتّى نَعَم
The darkness of ignorance is but blindness,
While the prophecy of discernment is deafness.
وَحَسبُكَ مِن أَوحَدٍ أَمجَدٍ
تُباهي بِهِ العُربُ صيدَ العَجَم
Man's nobility is none but propriety,
Otherwise where existence is naught.
سَنِيُّ العَطايا حَفِيُّ التَحايا
عَلِيُّ السَجايا وَفِيُّ الذِمَم
Glory is but to shackle the foe,
To strike injustice and don oppression.
يُنَوِّرُ بِالبِشرِ أَخلاقَهُ
وَيَجري بِكَفَّيهِ ماءُ الكَرَم
To plunge into the hollows and ford the torrents,
To cleave the solid and tread the summits.
وَيَهتَزُّ لِلضَيفِ خُدّامُهُ
وَتُعدي سَجايا المَوالي الخَدَم
My enemies and foes suffice that I
Quaffed the banners and dyed the emblems.
فَزُرهُ تَزُر رَوضَةً غَضَّةً
وَحَيِّ تَجِد هِزَّةَ الغُصنِ ثَم
I disliked the breasts and flanks of the foes,
One recoiled and the other collapsed.
وَدَع عَنكَ مِن جاهِلٍ ذاهِلٍ
كَأَنَّكَ حَيَّيتَ مِنهُ صَنَم
I came facing the rejection grim,
I shot the dawn with it so it blazed.
فَما ظُلمَةُ الجَهلِ إِلّا عَمىً
وَلا نَبوَةُ الفَهمِ إِلّا صَمَم
As though the robe of darkness that draped me,
I mended its rift so it was whole.
وَلا شَرَفُ المَرءِ غَيرُ النُهى
وَإِلّا فَحَيثُ الوُجودُ العَدَم
By a night I kindled a resolve,
I lit up the darkness with it so it burned.
وَلا العِزُّ إِلّا اِعتِقالُ القَنا
وَضَربُ الطُلى وَاِعتِسافُ الظُلَم
I trampled its bowels chestnut brown,
As though I blew in some tinder and it caught flame.
وَجَوبُ الفَجاجِ وَخَوضُ الهُياجِ
وَشَقُّ العَجاجِ وَوَطءُ القِمَم
As though the night struggled against me,
I sparked a blaze in some live coal.
وَحَسبُ الدُمى وَالعِدى أَنَّني
رَشَفتُ اللِمى وَخَضَبتُ اللِمَم
My Lord, a night of fulfilled wishes,
Pleasing in refuge, with sweet-smelling games.
وَأَكرَهتُ صَدرَ القَنا وَالظُبى
فَهَذا تَثَنّى وَذاكَ اِنثَلَم
I revel and without the gleam of dawn,
There remains a slumbering, murky haze.
وَأَقبَلتُ وَجهَ الرَدى أَدهَماً
رَمَيتُ الصَباحَ بِهِ فَاِدلَهَمّ
The drink is chilled by the coolness of droplets,
And the wing of darkness with black emblems.
كَأَنّي وَقَد رَثَّ ثَوبُ الدُجى
رَتَقتُ بِهِ خَرقَهُ فَاِلتَأَم
The night concealed the secret of passion,
What it entrusted to the breeze slumbered.
وَلَيلٍ قَدَحتُ بِهِ عَزمَةً
قَدَحتُ الظَلامَ بِها فَاِضطَرَم
The dawn's diffuse glow brought to the garden,
Greetings that caress the boughs of peace.
وَأَوطَأتُ أَحشاءَهُ أَشقَراً
كَأَنّي نَفَختُ بِهِ في ضَرَم
It bore from gratitude to the just judge,
Praise it sculpted fragrantly so it slept.
كَأَنّي وَقَد خَبَطَ اللَيلُ بي
قَدَحتُ بِهِ شُعلَةً في فَحَم
I tossed and turned, diving for its pearls,
As the sea of darkness surged and roiled.
وَيا رُبَّ لَيلٍ جَنِيِّ المُنى
شَهِيِّ اللَمى مُستَطابِ اللَمَم
The night stood perplexed, not guided,
So steps to the Pleiades could not tread.
لَهَوتُ وَدونَ اِلتِماحِ الصَباحِ
ظَلامٌ سَجا وَغَمامٌ سَجَم
It gloomed till it sobbed heavily,
And flashed till it bled in profusion.
يُمَدُّ الشَرابُ بِبَردِ الرُضابِ
وَجِنحُ الظَلامِ بِسودِ اللِمَم
When I crooned it thrilled,
Hearing what I composed for you, so it smiled.
وَقَد كَتَمَ اللَيلُ سِرُّ الهَوى
وَنَمَّت بِما اِستَودَعَتهُ النَسم
My sun of joy, when it is proud,
My planet of intent, when it is resolute.
وَأَهدى إِلى الرَوضِ نَشرُ الصَبا
سَلاماً يَلُفُّ فُروعَ السَلَم
It refused for your glory to be slighted,
And your nature to be blamed.
تَحَمَّلَ مِن شُكرِ قاضي القُضاةِ
ثَناءً تَجَسَّمَ طيباً فَنَم
I, by your glory am not pleased,
Except your glory, proud through one who apportioned.
أَرِقتُ أَغوصُ عَلى دُرِّهِ
وَقَد ماجَ بَحرُ الدُجى وَاِلتَطَم
وَقَد وَقَفَ اللَيلُ لا يَهتَدي
فَتَخطو بِهِ لِلثُرَيّا قَدَم
وَغامَ فَأَجهَشَ حَتّى بَكى
سُحَيراً وَأَبرَقَ حَتّى اِلتَدَم
وَلَمّا تَرَنَّمتُ أَطرَبتُهُ
بِما صُغتُ أُطريكُمُ فَاِبتَسَم
فَيا شَمسَ سَعدٍ إِذا ما اِعتَزى
وَكَوكَبَ رَجمٍ إِذا ما اِعتَزَم
أَبى طَودُ عِزِّكَ مِن أَن يُضامَ
وَأَبطَحُ خُلقِكَ مِن أَن يُذَم
وَإِنّي وَمَجدِكَ ما راقَني
كَمَجدِكَ أَعزِز بِهِ مَن قاسَم
