راحَ يوافي طِرَادُه طَرَدَهْ

فالسُّمْرُ كالسُّمْرِ تَيَّمَتْ كَبِدَهُ

He set out to meet his fate, so it met and dismissed him,

Like a fasting camel yearning for its evening drink.

هيهات َيصطادُهُ الظِّباءُ وقَدْ

هَيَّجَ منه إِباؤُه صَيَدَهْ

Alas! The deer cannot catch him, for

His valor has aroused in them great fear.

كأنه من عيونِ رامِقِهِ

ظاهَرَ من فوقِ عِطْفِهِ زَرَدَهْ

As if from his bright eyes

An emerald shone above his chest.

أَبَتْ له ذاك هِمَّةٌ شُغِفَتْ

بالجُودِ لو ساعَدَتْ عليه جِدَه

That spirit disdained, though valor aided it,

To quench its thirst with lowliness.

وعزَّةٌ حَلاتْهُ عن آجِن

يظمَأُ بالذُّلِّ فيه من وَرَدَه

And honor adorned it, keeping it

From thirsting in vileness for water.

فلْيَعْجَبِ الدَّهْرُ أَنه وَلَدٌ

لو كانَ للدهرِ والِدٌ وَلَدَه

So let time wonder that he is a child;

If time had a father, he would be his son!

أَرَى اختلافَ الزَّمانِ يُوهِمُنِي

أَنْ ما دَرَى غَيِّه وَلا رَشَدَه

I see the changing times delude me

That he knew not his error or his right way.

من لَمْ يَرِدْ ثَمْدَهُ وزاخِرَهُ

ولم يَجُبْ وَعْسَهُ ولا جَدَدَه

He who craved not praise or wealth

And renewed neither his raiment nor his home,

بَهْرَجَهُ صَيرف الخطوب إِذا

باشَرَهُ بالمَحَكِّ فَانَتَقَدَه

Gave his soul no rest but wakefulness

That wearied his body to comfort his soul.

والبيت قَفْرٌ بِمَنْ أَبَنَّ ولو

كَثَّر بَيْتِي طُرَّاقُهُ عَمَدَه

The envious lessen no generosity,

However much its traces multiply their envy.

كم مُفْرَدٍ لم يَرِمْ جَمَاعَتُه

وكم غريبٍ لم يَجْتَنِبْ بَلَدَه

The sun is a sun, though the dim-sighted

Shun it out of blindness and bleary eyes.

ولم يُرِحْ نَفْسَهُ سوى يَقِظٍ

أَتعب فيماً يُرِيحُها جَسَده

How often wholesome food is revolting

To one whose stomach is corrupt!

وما يَحُطُّ الحسودُ من كَرَمٍ

كَثَّرَ منه فَكَثَّرَ الحَسَدَه

Why do you offer gems to one

Who approves not of generosity nor beauty?

الشمسُ شمسٌ وإن تَجَنَّبَهَا

بالرَّغْمِ أَهْلُ النواظرِ الرَّمِده

You forbid him to the yearning souls,

But would you give him to the ascetics?

رُبَّ طعامٍ مساغُ طَيِّبِهِ

مُمْتَنِعٌ عِند فاسِدِ المَعِدَه

If the noble silence his praise,

God has heard no praise from the praiser.

مالَكَ والدُّرَّ تنتقيهِ لمَنْ

لا يَرْتَضِي جَوْدَه ولا جَيِدَه

How often I said to the loud boaster:

"Your outstretched hands lengthen not your arm!"

أَنت على الراغِبينَ تَمْنَعُه

فهَلْ تَرَى بَذْلَهُ على الزَّهَدَه

Leave him and his cockleshells, in the early dawn

Blowing froth, casting foam.

لو حَجَبَ الحَمْدَ عنه ذو شَرَف

ما سَمِعَ اللهُ حَمْدَ مَنْ حَمِده

He gives you to drink of his plenty and rain,

For the youth's generosity is from what he has found.

كم مُعْجَبٍ من نداهُ قلتُ له

طولُ أَيادِيه لا يُطِيلُ يَدَه

When the preferred one shone forth

From the canopy of theforearm, fulfilling its glories,

دَعْهُ وأَصْدَافَهُ بمُلْتَطِمٍ

أَصْبح بالشَّيْب قاذِفاً زَبَدَه

The fertile stream and the blossoming meadow which

The singing maidens beautify and the easy life -

يسقيكَ من طَلَّه ووابِلِهِ

إِنَّ الفتى جَودُهُ بما وَجَدَه

How envied, when yesterday he glanced

At his beauty and extended his hand!

حتى إِذا أَشْرَق المُفَضَّل مِنْ

سُرادِقِ الدَّسْتِ مالِئاً سُدَدَه

To what high place did he aspire and ascend

Raising to him its ladder though it elevated him not?

فالمَنْهَلُ المستَمَدُّ والروضةُ ال

غنَّاءُ تزوهو والعيشَةُ الرَّغِده

In war, like the yellow flash when it closely

Follows in the air its lightning and its roar,

مُحَسَّدٌ يَوْمُهُ ثَنَى نَظَرَ ال

أَمْسِ إِلى حُسْنِهِ ومدَّ يَدَه

He plunged into the depths of the lances and then

The swords made reappear whom they had concealed.

أَيُّ مَحَلٍّ سمى فمَدَّ له

علاءَه سُلَّماً وما صَعِدَه

HeCharged on till the jackals howled at him

And charged till thelions roared over him.

بالجَيْش كالعارِضِ الأَحَمِّ إِذا

أَتْبَعَ في الجَوِّ بَرْقَه بَرَدَه

In the battles novelty which kindled his

Quick wit he made blaze continually.

غابَ بغابِ القنا فأَطْلَعَهُ

فَتْكُ حسام يغيبُ من شَهِده

If rest had multiplied his tremors

It would have multiplied from his foe the thunderbolts.

وراغَ حتَّى دَعَوْهُ ثَعْلَبَهُ

وراعَ حتى دَعَوا بهِ أَسَده

A star shone high but then hastened to

Put out, through its light, the eyes of the deniers.

بَدائِعٌ فِي الحروبِ ولَّدَها

من فِطَنٍ لا تزالُ مُتَّقِدَه

The sharp edge of his blade above his saddle

Runs with the water of the firn-land ever-flowing.

لو كَثَّر الإِرتياحُ هِزَّتَهُ

لَكَثَّرَتْ من عَدُوِّهِ رِعَدَه

He who killed fate and led it by the nose

Made it a bridge for him over his destruction.

نَجْمٌ علا نورُه فَأَوشَكَ أَنْ

يَفْقَأَ بالضوءِ عَيْنَ من جَحَدَه

Ask of him whom its caprices deluded,

So he died of fear though it unsheathed him not.

وصارِمُ الحدِّ فوقَ صفحتِهِ

تجرِي مياهُ الفِرِنْدِ مُطَّرِده

Did not planets that took counsel

To destroy his deceitful magic stone him?

من قَتَلَ الدهرَ واسْتقادَ به

مَلَّكه من حَيَاتِه قَوَدَه

So make him climb the mountain of punishment for

In it, in his ignorance, he brought down his leap.

سائِلْ به من نَضَتْه غرّته

فماتَ من خَوْفِهِ وما غَمَدَه

Finally the rule came to its protector

So God prolonged with him its duration,

أَلم تَزُرْهُ كواكِبٌ ضَمِنَتْ

رَجْمَ شياطِينِ كَيْدِهِ المَرَدَه

And the Imam Saud became, through it,

Its strengthening pillar in a state strengthened.

فابتَزْهُ ذِرْوَةَ العُقابِ وقد

أنْزَلَ فيها بِجَهْلِهِ ردَدَه

And the countenance smiled through the preferred one

At what God had chosen for his seriousness and affection.

حتى انتهى المُلْكُ عندَ ناصِرِه

فطوَّلَ الله عنده أَمدَه

So he practiced justice in his culture

Until he strengthened and straightened its pegs.

وأَصبح العاضِدُ الإِمامُ به

في دولةٍ بالسعودِ مُعْتَضِدَه

And he faced the Feast as was his custom

With the great number, bearing its burdens.

واستضحك الثغرُ عن مُفَضَّلهِ

بما ارْتَضَى اللهُ جِدَّهُ ودَدَه

The air is covered, its sides

With the barking of dogs, and the horsemen ready.

فاستْعَمَل العَدْلَ فِي ثَقَافتِه

بحيثُ قَوَّتْ وقَوَّمَتْ أَوَدَه

And the eggs are opened, their coverings

Removed, and the tied flags unfurled.

واستقبل العِيدَ مِثْلَ عادَتِه

بالعَدَدِ الجَمِّ حامِلاً عُدَدَه

He tires eyes with his beauty

While they by his beauty are oppressed.

فالجَوُّ مكسُوَّةٌ جَوانِبُهُ

بالنَّقْعِ والجُرْدُ فيه مُنْجَرِدَه

Until, when fair praise sprang up and ceased not

To reap new harvests in ears,

والبِيضُ مُنْحَلَّةٌ أَزِرَّتُها

وخافِقاتُ البُنودِ مُنْعَقِدَه

And found the goal of his grandeur

The height of his hopes, so he lost it not,

وهو يَكُدُّ العيونَ منظَرُهُ

وهْيَ بذاكَ الجمالِ مُضْطَهَدَه

Men fell down before him prostrate even if

You numbered the stars in their prostrations.

حتى إِذا استَنْبَتَ الثناءَ ولَمْ

يَأُلُ جديداً بالسَّمْعِ أَن حَصَدَه

Slaying of enviers attends his sacrifice even if

He flees from it and worships it.

وأَوجَدَ الدِّسْتَ من جلالَتِه

غايَة آمالِهِ فلا فَقَدَهْ

خَرَّ له الناسُ ساجِدينَ ولو

شِئْتَ عَدَدْتَ النجومَ في السَّجَدَهْ

لا زَايَل النَّحْرُ حاسِدِيه وإِنْ

عدا عنه وإِنْ عَبَدَهْ