نَزَلُوا فادَّعَوْا نزَالِ نَزالِ

بَعْدَ مَيْلِي عن حَرْبِهِمْ واعتزالي

They dismounted and called for a halt, a halt,

After my withdrawal from their war and withdrawal.

وأَقاموا حِيالَ قلبِيَ عَيْناً

أَلْقَحَتْ حَرْبَ حُبِّهِمْ عن حِيالِ

And they positioned opposite my heart an eye

That kindled the war of their love over the hillocks.

قرِّبا مَرْبِطَ الصَّبابَةِ منِّي

شابَ رُشْدِي بهم وشَبَّ ضلالي

Bring near the tethering place of youth to me,

My maturity was imbued by them and my misguidance became immature.

لا لقيتُ العيونَ من حَلَقِ الشَّيْ

بِ بدرعٍ وإِن رَمَتْ بِنِبالِ

Had I not met the eyes from the throng of the night

With a coat of mail even if it aimed with arrows.

فامسحا عارِضِي فَلَيْسَ قتيراً

ما بدا فيه من غُبارِ الليالي

So wipe my cheek for it is not sullied

By what appeared on it from the dust of nights.

كَلَفِي بالهلالِ عَوَّضَ رأْسي

عنه من كل شَعْرَةٍ بِهلالِ

Like the new moon compensated my head

For it with every hair by a new moon.

يا خَلِيلِي سائِلْ صُروفَ الليالي

هل خِلالاً نَحَتْنَهُ من خِلالِ

O my friend ask the turns of nights

Whether serene moments carved out of serene moments.

صَقَلَتْنِي الخطوبُ والسيفُ يَخْفَى

عَيْبُهُ في صَدَاهُ قَبْلَ الصِّقالِ

Hardships and sword polished me and its flaw is hidden

In its resonance before polishing.

ظَهْرُ ذاتِ الحُجولِ إِنْ طُلِبَ المج

دُ وإِلا فَبَطْنُ ذاتِ الحِجالِ

The back of she-camels, if a race is wanted

Otherwise the belly of she-camels with burdens.

والمعالِي مثلُ الرماحِ ففيها

رُتَبٌ من سَوَافلٍ وعَوالِ

And high goals are like spears so in them

Are ranks from lowlands and highlands.

إِن تَأَخَّرْتَ فالمُحَرَّمُ عُطْلٌ

من حِلَى العيد وَهْوَ في شَوَّالِ

If you are late then the sacred month is leisure

From the adornments of Eid while it is in Shawwal.

عَزَّ سَفْحٌ به الأُسودُ وذَلَّتْ

قُنَّةٌ ما بها سِوَى الأَوْعَالِ

A plain which lions made great and

A meadow that has nothing but grass.

أَيْنَ أَمثالُ ما أَقولُ ولَفْظِي

باتَ يقتادُ شارِدَ الأَمْثَالِ

Where are the likes of what I say and my utterance

Took to leading the stumblers of proverbs?

صُحْبَةُ الدهرِ وَهْوَ مشتهرُ النق

صِ هَدَتْنِي إِلى خَفِيِّ الكمال

The company of time, and it is notorious for backbiting,

Guided me to the hidden of perfection.

فاعْتَضِدْ بالرِّفيقِ في مُشْكِلِ الأَم

رِ وإِن لم يَكُنْ من الأَشْكَالِ

So seek support from a kind friend in the problem of affairs

Even if he is not from forms.

جُعِلَ القَرْعُ لِلْيَمِين فإِنْ جا

ءَ جوابٌ فالرَّدُّ حَدُّ الشِّمالِ

The knocking was made for the right so if an answer comes

Then the return is the limit of the left.

أَنا مالِي وللبخيل وعندِي

فِكْرَةٌ قد جَعَلْتُها رَأْسَ مالي

I have what I have, and for the stingy one, and I have

A thought that I made the capital of my wealth.

إِنْ ثَنَتْ خَلَّةٌ إِليه يَمِيني

فبعضبٍ تَبْرِيهِ بَرْيَ الخِلالِ

If a flaw inclined to it, I would rebuke it

With a rebuke that heals the flaws.

شَرفِي جاوَزَ الغِنَى ومن العا

رِضِ ما انْحَطَّ عن رءُوسِ الجِبالِ

My honor surpassed wealth and from the prominent

Nothing descended from the heads of mountains.

ونُحولى أَجْدَى عَلَيَّ ولولا

دِقَّةُ السِّلْكِ لم يَفُزْ بِاللآلي

And my distinguished deeds are more useful to me

And were it not for the fineness of the thread, the gleaming would not win.

كيف لا أُسْرِعُ التَّنَقُّلَ والمش

هورُ للبدرِ سُرْعَةُ الإِنْتِقَالِ

How can I not hasten moving and the famous

Has the speed of transition for the full moon?

إِنْ تَرَيْنِي على الثلاثينَ أَرْقَى

من حضيضِ الصِّبَا إِلى الاكْتِهَالِ

If you see me at thirty rising

From the lowliness of youth to maturity.

فَلَقَدْ كنت في الشيوخِ زماناً

كنتُ في عَصْرِهِ من الأَطْفَالِ

For I was among the old for a time

I was among their time from the children.

لا تَغُرَّنَّكَ اللِّحَى من أُنَاسٍ

دَرَجُوا كالحمير تَحْتَ المَخَالِي

Let not the beard trick you from people

Who walked like donkeys under saddles.

ولئِنْ خَفَّ عارِضايَ فإِنِّي

لا أُبَالِي بكلِّ وافِي السِّبالِ

And if my cheek faded, I do not

Care about every long-bearded man.

إِنما الشيخُ من تَقَدَّمَ بالفَضْ

لِ إِلى الشيخِ ياسِرِ بْنِ بِلالِ

But the old man is one who preceded with virtue

To old age, O Yasir son of Bilal.

وتَولَّى تقبيلَ كَفٍّ غَدَتْ في

حَرِمَ اليُمْن قِبْلَةَ الإِقْبَالِ

And he turned to kissing a palm that became

In the sanctuary of Yemen a place for turning toward.

إِذَا وَظِيفُ الثناءِ مُرْتَبَطٌ تَحْ

تَ رِواقِ العُلاَ بِقَيْدِ النَّوَالِ

When the duty of praise is tied

Under the porch of elevation with the tether of attainment.

وغيوثُ العَطَاءِ مُنْشَأَةُ السُّح

بِ وما أُلِّفَتْ بِرِيحِ شَمالِ

And the rains of gifts are the clouds of pride

And were not brought up in the wind of the left.

والنَّدِيُّ الذي يرِفُّ عليهِ

نَضْرَةٌ من أَزاهِرِ الآمالِ

And the neighbor who waves unto him

A greenness from the flowers of hopes.

والجبينُ الذي يُوضِّحُ شَمْساً

لم نَزَلْ من شُعاعِها في ظِلالِ

And the forehead that shows a sun

We have not descended from its rays into shadows.

والمساعِي التي تَرُدُّ إِليها

قَصَبَ السَّبْقِ في ارْتِقَاءِ المعالي

And the endeavors to which return

The spears of preceding in ascending high goals.

خَيْرُ شَدِّ الرِّحالِ ما حَلَّ مَغْنًى

ضَمِنَتْ ساحَتاهُ حَطَّ الرِّحالِ

The best firm tying of sandals is what sufficed independence,

Its arena necessitated setting down the sandals.

وَأَجلُّ الثناءِ ما صِيغَ تاجاً

لِجَبينٍ مُتَوَّجٍ بالجَلالِ

And the greatest praise is what was made into a crown

For a crowned forehead with majesty.

لِلَّذِي نِلْتُ عندَهُ سِمَنَ الكِي

سِ وقد كانَ غَايةً في الهُزالِ

For the one I gained mature fat from

And he had been the utmost emaciation.

وَتَشَكَّيْتُ نَقْبَ فَقْرِي فوافَى

بهِناءِ الغِنَى ونِعْمَ الطَّالِي

And I complained of the burrow of my poverty so he compensated

With ease of wealth and excellent extension.

ورمانِي بالأَكثَرِينَ من الأَع

دَاءِ لِلْقُرْبِ منه والأَعْدالِ

And he threw me among the multitudes of enemies

For being near him and justice.

وسَمَا لي بجاهِهِ فَسَمَا بِي

ورآني بفَضْلِهِ فرأَى لي

And he elevated me with his prominence so he elevated me

And he saw me with his merit so he saw good in me.

فلئن عُدْتُ دونَهُ غيرَ ناسٍ

فلقد عُدْتُ غَيْرَهُ غَيْرَ سَالِ

So if I fall short of him unlike people

I have fallen short of him unlike others.

وبدا لي أَنْ أَنْتَمِي لِسِواهُ

فتذكَّرْتُ صُنْعَهُ فَبَدَا لي

And it seemed to me that I should belong to another

So I remembered his favor so it seemed to me...

ملِكٌ تنظرُ الملوكُ إِليهِ

مثلَ ما تنظرُ العبيدُ الموالي

A king whom kings look to

Like what servants look to their masters.

رقدوا عن خُيولِهِ فأَتَتْهُمْ

وَهْيَ أَسْرَى في ظُلْمَةٍ من خيالِ

They neglected their horses so they came to them

While they were captives in darkness of imagination.

فتراقَوْا إِليه من كل فَجٍّ

وإِلى البَحْرِ مَرْجِعُ الأَوْشَالِ

So they flocked to him from every valley

And to the sea the return of meadows.

فإِنِ استَسلَمُوا فإِنَّ الرعايا

عِزُّها في انقيادِها للوالي

So if they surrender then the subjects

Their honor is in their obedience to the governor.

يا مُجيبَ الدُّعَاةِ والعَضْبُ والعّذْ

بُ لِسانَا جِلادِهِ والجِدالِ

O answerer of supplicants and anger and punishment are for us

The whip of his tongue and arguing.

عَجَبُ العَزْمِ أَنْ دَعَوْكَ سِراراً

فَتَسَمَّعْتَهُ بصُمِّ العوالي

The wonder of determination is that they called you secretly

Yet you heard them with the deafness of heights.

وسَقَيْتَ العَدُوَّ مُرًّا من الطَّعْ

نِ على أَنَّهُ من العَسَّالِ

And you made the enemy drink bitter

Poison while he thought it was honey.

فَرَعَى اللُّه دّوْلَةً أَنْتَ فيها

ناظِرٌ صانَها مِنَ الإِهْمَالِ

So may God protect a state in which you are

A supervisor who protected it from neglect.

وسلامٌ على خلائِقِكَ الخُضْ

رِ ومُنْهَلِّ جُودِكَ السَّلْسَالِ

And greetings to your green creatures and your

Flowing river of generosity and waterfalls.

أَنتَ أَهلٌ لأَنْ تَجُودَ بمُلْكٍ

فقليلٌ بأَن تجودَ بمالِ

You are worthy to be generous with a kingdom

So it is little that you are generous with money.

كم بَدَرْتُ الرجالَ فيك فلا زا

لَ مَحَلَّ النَّدَى

How I surpassed men in you, so the dew still has no place.

So I am - whenever I recited your praise -

فأَنا ما تَلَوْتُ مَدْحَكَ إِلا

وإِبو طاهِرٍ مُحِبُّكَ تالِ

And Abu Tahir your lover, reciting.

And whenever I wish, fresh

وإذا ما أشاءُ زَارَكَ رطباً

من مول فإنه من مُوالي

Dates visit you for he is from those loyal to you.

So take my gratitude for what I experienced from drifting

فالْقَِ شُكْرِي بما عَهِدْتُ من التِّرْ

حابِ من قبل حادِثِ التَّرْحَالِ

Before the incident of traveling.