لي إنْ تَحَامَاني أَخٌ وحَميمُ

أَخَوَانِ فَضْلُهُما عَليَّ عَظِيمُ

If a brother and intimate friend support me,

Their favor upon me is immense.

كَهْفَان آوِي في الخُطُوبِ إليهما

وعلى النَّصِيرِ يُعوِّلُ المظْلُومُ

They are two caves I take refuge in during adversities,

And the oppressed relies on the helper.

رُكْنَانِ ظَهري إنْ تمطَّى حَادِثٌ

لِيُطيحَني بهما مَعاً مَدْعُومُ

They are two pillars of my back, if an accident bends

To make me, with them both, fall headlong.

كلٌّ لَهُ من ضِئْضِئ النَّسَبِ الذي

يُعزَى إليه ذُرْوَةُ وصَمِيمُ

Each has a noble lineage to which belongs

The utmost and core of glory.

جَاءَتْ بهذا من قُريشَ جحاجحٌ

وأَتَتْ بذلكَ من تقيَّ قُرُومُ

This, Jahjaha brought from Quraish,

And that, the immaculate brought from pious Qura.

وهما فَتَى فِتْيانِ هاشمَ ناصرٌ

وجمَالُ آلِ تقيَّ إبراهيمُ

They are two valiant youths of Hashim, one an aider

And the beauty of the family of righteous Abraham.

أَخَذَا بأَسبابِ السَّمَاحِ فإنْ تقلْ

هَذَا سَخِيٌّ قُلْتَ ذَاكَ كريمُ

They took to the means of generosity. If you say,

“This one is generous,” you say, “That one is noble.”

وتَسَاوَيَا جُوداً فَذَا غَيثٌ وذَا

بحرٌ بِهِ سُفُنُ الرجاءِ تَعُومُ

They equaled each other in munificence, so this is a rain, and that

A sea in which the ships of hope float.

وتَشَابهَا حُسْناً فَذَا شمسٌ وذا

بَدْرٌ تجلَّتْ عن سَنَاهُ غُيُومُ

They resembled each other in beauty, so this is a sun, and that

A moon that shone as the clouds uncovered it.

وتَقاربا سِنّاً فأوشَكَ يومَ إذْ

وُلِدوا بِهذا يومَ ذَاكَ فَطِيمُ

They approximated each other in age, so the day when

They were born, this day drew near that auspicious one.

وتوافقا غَرَضاً فكلٌ مِنْهما

خَلْفَ الفَضَائِلِ والكمالِ يحُومُ

They agreed in purpose, so each of them hovers

Behind virtues and perfection.

إن قلتُ ذا نَطِقٌّ فَذَاكَ مُفَوَّهٌ

أَو قُلتُ ذَا فَطِنٌ فَذَاكَ فَهِيمُ

If I say this one is eloquent, then that one is articulate.

Or if I say this one is discerning, then that one is wise,

هَذَاكَ فردٌ في كتابته وذا

بِغَوامِضِ النظمِ العَوِيصِ عَلِيمُ

This one is unique in his writing, and that one

Is learned in the obscure intricacies of poetry.

لا مَوْرِدُ الآمَالِ في كَنَفَيهِمَا

مُرٌّ ولا مَرْعَى الرَّجَاءِ وخِيمُ

Neither the pasture of hopes in their care is bitter,

Nor the meadow of expectation bleak in it.

إنَّ امرءاً سَاواهُما بِسِواهما

لأَخُو عَمىً أو كالأغَرِّ بَهيمُ

A man who equated them with their likes

Is a blind brother or like the brutal beast.

أَو مَادِرٌ كأَخِي السَّمَاحَةِ حَاتِمٌ

خَطْبٌ لعَمْرُ أبي الكِرَامِ جَسيمُ

Or one who is unaware, like my brother Hatim of generosity

Whose concern, by my father’s honor, is momentous!

رعَيَا ليَ الذممَ المُضَاعَةَ وامرؤٌ

أَرْعَى فلم يرعَ الذّمامَ ذَميمُ

They shepherded for me the neglected promises, while a man

Shepherded but did not shepherd the blemished blames.

وتشاطرا نَفْعِي فَهَذا جَنَّةٌ

آوي لبهجتِها وذَاكَ نَعِيمُ

They shared my benefit, so this one is a blissful garden

I take refuge in for its delight, and that one is bounty.

وَصَفَا بكلٍّ منهما عَيْشِي فذا

رَوْضٌ أُغازِلُهُ وذَاكَ نَسِيمُ

They characterized my life, so this one is a meadow

I flirt with, and that one is a breeze.

هذا يلازِمُني نَدَاهُ كأنَّهُ

لي حَيْثُ كنتُ من البِلادِ غَرِيمُ

This one always stays with me, his voice being as if

He is with me wherever in the lands I dwelled.

وجَميلُ ذَاكَ لا يُزايِلُني فلي

مِنهُ حَدِيثُ صَنِيعةٍ وَقَدِيمُ

And the beauty of that one does not abandon me, so his

Conversation of a feat and olden tie is mine.

وَلَرُبَّ قَولٍ بِتُّ منهُ كأنَّني

مما صَلِيتُ بِنَارِهِ مَحْمُومُ

And by my father, a saying of his saddens me as if

I am feverish from what I was healed by its fire.

كَشَفَاهُ عند سَمَاعِهِ عنّي فها

أَنَذا وشَارَفتُ الهَلاَكَ سَليمُ

He uncovered it when he heard of me, so here I am,

Having almost perished, now safe.

أَنَا عَينُ من لَهَجَ الأنامُ بذكرِهِ

فحدَا بذلكَ ظَاعِنٌ ومُقيمُ

I am the eye of him whose mention the people utter,

So the traveler and resident spoke of that.

حتى رَأيتُ العُرْبَ تَحْسِدُها بِهِ

عند التفاضُلِ فَارِسٌ والرومُ

Until I saw the Arabs envy them through it

When excelling, the Persian and the Roman.

أَو يَلْبسَا مما أَحُوكُ مَلابِساً

تبلَى الملابسُ غَيْرَها وتَدومُ

Or they wear some of what I wove, garments

Whose likes perish while they endure.

من كلِّ مُعْلَمةٍ إذا نُشرتْ طُوِي

زُهْداً لها الموَشِيُّ والمَرْقُومُ

Of each standard, if raised, the ascetic and the devout

Disdainfully fold it.

ما اجْتَابَها أَحدٌ فَأَدركَهُ الرَّدَى

وبقاءُ لابِسِ مِثْلِها مَحتُومُ

No one puts it on but ruin befalls him,

And the wearer of its like is destined to remain.

يستأنفُ العمرَ الجديدَ وعظمُهُ

من طُولِ ما أَلِفَ الترابَ رَمِيمُ

The new life takes its renewal and its greatness

From the soil it long inhabited and cherished.

فأَمَا ومَرْفُوعِ السقائِفِ مثلُها

عِوَلي على الفَحْلِ المُسِنِّ عَكُومُ

But if the likes of it are erected as high ceilings,

My dependence is on the aging stalwart stallion

نَاءٍ يشقُّ على المطيِّ بلاغُهُ

فتظَلُّ تقعدُ دُونَهُ وتَقُومُ

Who scarcely reaches the mare, so she remains

Sitting below him and standing up.

تستفرغُ الحمدَ الركائبُ نحوَهُ

فلهُنَّ وَجْهٌ دونَهُ ورَسِيمُ

The riding camels exhaust praise towards it,

For it has a presence they don’t and a pathfinder.

لَئِنِ استطالا بالنَوَالِ عَلَيَّ والْ

مُعطَى بِشُكْرِ عَطَائِهِ مَلْزُومُ

And if they continue bestowing favor upon me while the

Rewarding with gratitude for their gift is incumbent on me,

لأُكافئنَّهُما بِكلِّ قَصِيدةٍ

عِرْضُ الكرامِ بمثلِها مَرْسُومُ

I will reward them for every ode

As rewarding the honorable alike is customary.

يتهلّلُ الحرُّ الكريمُ لمثلِها

دَعْوَى وإلاّ مثلُها مَعْدُومُ

The free and noble glisten towards its like,

Or else the like of it is nonexistent.