ضَلالٌ مارَأَيتُ مِنَ الضَلالِ

مُعاتَبَةُ الكَريمِ عَلى النَوالِ

What misguidance I have not seen among misguidance

Reproaching the generous for gifts

وَإِنَّ مَسامِعي عَن كُلِّ عَذلٍ

لَفي شُغلٍ بِحَمدٍ أَو سُؤالِ

And my hearing is busy from all blame

With praise or supplication

وَلا وَاللَهِ مابَخِلَت يَميني

وَلا أَصبَحتُ أَشقاكُم بِمالي

By Allah, my hand was never stingy

Nor did I became your adversary with my money

وَلا أُمسي يُحَكَّمُ فيهِ بَعدي

قَليلُ الحَمدِ مَذمومَ الفِعالِ

Nor did I spend it without praise after me

Of little praise, blameworthy deed

وَلَكِنّي سَأُفنيهِ وَأَقني

ذَخائِرَ مِن ثَوابٍ أَو جَمالِ

But I will spend it and store up

Treasures of reward or beauty

وَلِلوُرّاثِ إِرثُ أَبي وَجَدّي

جِيادُ الخَيلِ وَالأَسَلِ الطِوالِ

And for the inheritors is the inheritance of my father and grandfather

The gallant horses and long spears

وَما تَجني سَراةُ بَني أَبينا

سِوى ثَمَراتِ أَطرافِ العَوالي

And the chieftains of the sons of our father reap

Only the fruits of the mountain tops

مَمالِكُنا مَكاسِبُنا إِذا ما

تَوارَثَها رِجالٌ عَن رِجالِ

Our realms are our livelihoods when

Men inherit them from men

إِذا لَم تُمسِ لي نارٌ فَإِنّي

أَبيتُ لِنارِ غَيري غَيرَ صالِ

If no fire touches me, I refuse

For the fire of others, unfit

أَوَينا بَينَ أَطنابِ الأَعادي

إِلى بَلَدٍ مِنَ النُصّارِ خالِ

Either we bring our tents among the tents of the enemy

To a land cleared of the Christians

نَمُدُّ بُيوتُنا في كُلِّ فَجٍّ

بِهِ بَينَ الأَراقِمِ وَالصِلالِ

We pitch our abodes in every valley

With it between mountain-pass and acacia

نَعافُ قُطونَهُ وَنَمَلُّ مِنهُ

وَيَمنَعُنا الإِباءُ مِنَ الزِيالِ

We enjoy its cotton and derive benefit from it

And refusal prevents us from contempt

مَخافَةَ أَن يُقالَ بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ

بَنو حَمدانَ كَفّوا عَن قِتالِ

Fearing it may be said in every land

The Hamdanites held back from fighting

أَسَيفَ الدَولَةِ المَأمولَ إِنّي

عَنِ الدُنيا إِذا ماعِشتَ سالِ

O sword of hoped for rule, I verily

From the world, if you live, turn away

وَمَن وَرَدَ المَهالِكَ لَم تَرُعهُ

رَزايا الدَهرِ في أَهلٍ وَمالِ

And whoever falls into perils, will not deter him

The catastrophes of fate in family and wealth

إِذا قُضِيَ الحِمامُ عَلَيَّ يَوماً

فَفي نَصرِ الهُدى بِيَدِ الضَلالِ

When the pigeons are launched at me one day

Then in aiding the truth by the hand of misguidance

إِذا مالَم تَخُنكَ يَدٌ وَقَلبٌ

فَلَيسَ عَلَيكَ خائِنَةُ اللَيالي

When no hand and heart betray you

Then the treacherous nights are not against you

وَأَنتَ أَشَدُّ هَذا الناسِ بَأساً

وَأَصبَرُهُم عَلى نُوَبِ القِتالِ

You are the most courageous of people

And the most patient of the ordeals of fighting

وَأَهجَمُهُم عَلى جَيشٍ كَثيفٍ

وَأَغوَرُهُم عَلى حَيٍّ حِلالِ

The most audacious against a dense army

And the deepest in raid on protected souls

ضَرَبتَ فَلَم تَدَع لِلسَيفِ حَدّاً

وَجُلتَ بِحَيثُ ضاقَ عَنِ المَجالِ

You struck and left no edge for the sword

You charged where the plain was too narrow

فَقُلتَ وَقَد أَظَلَّ المَوتُ صَبراً

وَإِنَّ الصَبرَ عِندَ سِواكَ غالِ

So you said, as death cast patience

And verily, patience with you is dear

أَلا هَل مُنكِرٌ يا اِبنَي نِزارٍ

مَقامي يَومَ ذَلِكَ أَو مَقالي

Lo! Is there any denier, O son of my Nizār

Of my stand that day or my words

أَلَم أَثبُت لَها وَالخَيلُ فَوضى

بِحَيثُ تَخِفُّ أَحلامُ الرِجالِ

Did I not prove to it as the horses were in tumult

Where the dreams of men grow fearful

تَرَكتُ ذَوابِلَ المُرّانِ فيها

مُخَضَّبَةً مُحَطَّمَةَ الأَعالي

I left the flowing beards in it

Bloodied, broken the high parts

وَعُدتُ أَجَرُّ رُمحي عَن مَقامٍ

تُحَدِّثُ عَنهُ رَبّاتُ الحِجالِ

And I returned, dragging my spear from a position

Of which the ladies of the carriages speak

فَقائِلَةٍ تَقولُ أَبا فِراسٍ

أُعيذُ عُلاكَ مِن عَينِ الكَمالِ

One saying, O Abu Firas

I seek protection for your highness from the evil eye

وَقائِلَةٍ تَقولُ جُزيتَ خَيراً

لَقَد حامَيتَ عَن حَرَمَ المَعالي

Another saying, blessings be unto you

Verily, you defended the sanctuary of glories

وَمُهري لايَمَسُّ الأَرضَ زَهواً

كَأَنَّ تُرابَها قُطبُ النِبالِ

And my steed's hoof disdains the ground proudly

As if its soil were the axis of shooting stars

كَأَنَّ الخَيلَ تَعرِفُ مَن عَلَيها

فَفي بَعضٍ عَلى بَعضٍ تُعالي

As if the horses recognize who is upon them

For upon some over others they rise

عَلَينا أَن نُعاوِدَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

رَخيصٍ عِندَهُ المُهَجُ الغَوالي

It is for us to renew every cheap day

Raids which count to him as grave perils

فَإِن عِشنا ذَخَرناها لِأُخرى

وَإِن مُتنا فَمَوتاتُ الرِجالِ

If we live, we store them up for another

And if we die, they are the deaths of men