وَبَلدَةٍ فيها زَوَر

صَعراءَ تَخطى في صَعَر

Many a land where the path deviates,

A barren waste, traversed with haughty strain,

مَرتٍ إِذا الذِئبُ اِقتَفَر

بِها مِنَ القَومِ الأَثَر

A waterless desert where, should the wolf hunt,

Seeking the faint traces of a caravan,

كانَ لَهُ مِنَ الجُزُر

كُلَّ جَنينٍ ما اِشتَكَر

His only portion of the slaughter would be

Whatever unformed fetus he might scavenge,

وَلا تَعَلّاهُ شَعَر

مَيتُ النَسا حَيُّ الشَفَر

Not yet covered by a coat of fur,

With deadened limbs but a living gaze.

عَسَفتُها عَلى خَطَر

وَغَرَرٍ مِنَ الغُرَر

I crossed it blindly, amidst great peril,

And risking the gravest of dangers,

بِبازِلٍ حينَ فَطَر

يَهُزُّهُ جِنُّ الأَشَر

Upon a mature camel, just cutting its tusks,

Shaken by a spirited, demonic energy,

لا مُتَشَكٍّ مِن سَدَر

وَلا قَريبٌ مِن خَوَر

Complaining neither of dizziness,

Nor anywhere near to exhaustion.

كَأَنَّهُ بَعدَ الضُمُر

وَبَعدَما جالَ الضُفُر

As though, after his flesh had thinned,

And after the saddle-girths had slipped loose,

وَراحَ فَيءٌ فَحَسَر

جَأتَ رُباعِ المُثَّغَر

And the afternoon shadow stretched and faded,

He were a sturdy wild ass, shedding his milk teeth,

يَحدو بِحُقبٍ كَالأُكَر

تَرى بِأَثباجِ القُصُر

Herding white-flanked females round as spheres.

You see upon the bases of their necks

شَهرَي رَبيعٍ وَصَفَر

حَتّى إِذا الفَحلُ جَفَر

The lush grazing of spring and Safar,

Until, when the stallion grew vast and sated,

وَأَشبَهَ السَفى الإِبَر

وَنَشَّ إِذخارُ النُقَر

And the dry grass became sharp as needles,

And the rush-grass in the hollows withered,

قُلنَ لَهُ ما تَأتَمِر

وَهُنَّ إِذ قُلنَ أَشِر

They seemed to ask him: 'What is your command?'

While they, in asking, were full of spirit,

غَيرَ عَواصٍ ما أَمَر

كَأَنَّها لَمَن نَظَر

Not disobeying whatever he might decree.

They appeared to the beholder's eye

رَكبٌ يَشيمونَ مَطَر

حَتّى إِذا الظِلُّ قَصُر

Like riders gazing intently at rain clouds,

Until, when the shadows grew short at noon,

يَمَّمنَ مِن جَنبَي هَجَر

أَخضَرَ طَمّامَ العَكَر

They set their course from the flanks of Hajar

Toward deep, dark waters covering the silt,

وَمَينَ إِخفاقِ القَتَر

سارٍ وَلَيسَ لِلسَمَر

Safe from the disappointment of the hunter's dust,

A night-traveler, seeking neither conversation

وَلا تِلاواتِ السُوَر

يَمسَحُ مِرناناً يُسُر

Nor the recitation of holy verses,

Polishing a resonant bow made of yusr wood,

زُمَّت بِمَشزورِ المِرَر

لامٍ كَحُلقومِ النَغَر

Strung tightly with twisted cords,

Curved like the throat of a young sparrow.

حَتّى إِذا اِصطَفَّ السَطَر

أَهدى لَها لَو لَم يَجُر

Until, when the herd stood in a line,

He sent forth a gift—had he not missed—

دَهياءَ يَحدوها القَدَر

فَتِلكَ عَيني لَم تَذَر

A calamity driven by inevitable fate.

Thus my eye has never ceased to watch

شِبهاً إِذا الآلُ مَهَر

إِلَيكَ كَلَّفنا السَفَر

A resemblance, when the mirage shimmers,

Towards you, O Fadl, we undertook this journey,

خوصاً يُجاذِبنَ النُخَر

قَدِ اِنطَوَت مِنها السُرَر

On sunken-eyed camels tugging at their reins,

Their bellies tucked in lean and tight,

طَيَّ القَرارِيَّ الحِبَر

لَم تَتَقَعَّدها الطِيَر

Like the folding of fine Yemeni cloaks.

No ill omens held them back,

وَلا السَنيحُ المُزدَجَر

يا فَضلُ لِلقَومِ البُطُر

Nor any unlucky bird crossing their path.

O Fadl, standing against the insolent crowd,

إِذ لَيسَ في الناسِ عَصَر

وَلا مِنَ الخَوفِ وَزَر

When there is no refuge among men,

Nor any shelter from terror,

وَنَزَّلَت إِحدى الكُبَر

وَقيلَ صَمّاءُ الغِيَر

And when a great calamity descends,

And they cry, 'This is a disaster deaf to all pleas,'

فَالناسُ أَبناءُ الحَذَر

فَرَّجتَ هاتيكَ الغُمَر

And men become the children of caution,

You dispelled those overwhelming floods

عَنّا وَقَد صابَت بِقُر

كَالشَمسِ في شَخصِ البَصَر

From us, when they struck with freezing bite.

You are like the sun filling the eye;

أَعلى مَجاريكَ الخَطَر

أَبوكَ جَلّى عَن مُضَر

Your orbit is in the highest eminence.

Your father removed from the tribe of Mudar

يَومَ الرَواقِ المُحتَضِر

وَالخَوفُ يَقري وَيَذَر

The darkness, on the Day of the Crowded Tent,

When fear struck some and spared others.

لَمّا رَأى الأَمرَ اِقمَطَر

قامَ كَريماً فَاِنتَصَر

When he saw the situation grow dire,

He stood with nobility and claimed victory,

كَهِزَّةِ العَضبِ الذَكَر

ما حَسَّ مِن شَيءٍ هَبَر

Like the brandishing of a sharp, masculine sword,

Severing whatever it touched.

وَأَنتَ تَقتافُ الأَثَر

مِن ذي حُجولٍ وَغُرَر

And you follow in those very footsteps,

Heir to a lineage of blaze and white-stockinged glory,

مُعيدُ وَردٍ وَصَدَر

وَإِن عَلا الأَمرُ اِقتَدَر

Master of the approach and the return.

If a matter looms high, you overpower it.

فَأَينَ أَصحابُ الغُمَر

إِذ شَرِبوا كَأسَ المِقَر

Where now are the men of petty grudges,

Since they have drunk from the cup of bitterness?

أَصحَرتَ إِذ دَبّوا الخَمَر

شُكراً وَحَرٌّ مِن شُكُر

You stood in the open while they crept in the shadows,

Accepting gratitude and the warmth of praise.

فَاللَهُ يُعطيكَ الشَبَر

وَفي أَعاديكَ الظَفَر

May God grant you ample power,

And victory over your enemies,

وَاللَهُ مَن شاءَ نَصَر

وَأَنتَ إِن خِفنا الحَصَر

For God grants victory to whom He wills.

And you, should we fear distress,

وَهَرَّ دَهرٌ وَكَشَر

عَن ناجِذَيهِ وَبَسَر

And should Time growl and bare its teeth,

Revealing its fangs and frowning,

أَغنَيتَ ما أَغنى المَطَر

وَفيكَ أَخلاقُ اليَسَر

You provide abundance just as the rain does,

Possessing the virtues of ease and generosity.

حَتّى تَرى تِلكَ الزُمَر

تَهوي لِأَذقانِ الثُغَر

Until you see those crowds

Prostrating themselves, chins to the ground,

مِن جَذبِ أَلوى لَو نَتَر

إِلَيهِ طوداً لَأَنأَطَر

Drawn by a mighty force; were he to pull

A mountain toward him, it would surely bend.

صَعباً إِذا لَقى أَبَر

وَإِن هَفا القَومُ وَقَر

A formidable figure who destroys whatever he confronts,

Yet remains dignified when others stumble.

أَو رَهِبوا الأَمرَ جَسَر

ثُمَّ تَسامى فَفَغَر

If they fear a task, he acts with boldness,

Then he rises tall and roars,

عَن شَقشَقٍ ثُمَّ هَدَر

ثُمَّ تَجافى فَخَطَر

Like a camel braying from his throat,

Then he stands apart and strides with pride,

بِذي سَبيبٍ وَعُذَر

يَمصَعُ أَطرافَ الإِبَر

Like a stallion with flowing mane and forelock,

Brushing against the tips of the thorns.

هَل لَكَ وَالهَلُّ خِيَر

فيمَن إِذا غِبتَ حَضَر

Will you—and is there a choice in asking?

Consider one who represents you in your absence,

أَو نالَكَ القَومُ أَثَر

وَإِن رَأى خَيراً نَشَر

And defends your name when others attack,

If he sees good, he broadcasts it,

أَو كانَ تَقصيرٌ عَذَر

أَو كانَ تَقصيرٌ عَذَر

And if there is a fault, he makes excuses,

And if there is a fault, he makes excuses.