أَجارَةَ بَيتَينا أَبوكِ غَيورُ

وَمَيسورُ مايُرجى لَدَيكِ عَسيرُ

My father's house rent, he is jealous

O neighbor of our home, your father is jealous,

And what you hope for is easy, what is difficult for you

And the ease I hope to find in you is hard to gain.

وَإِن كُنتِ لا خِلماً وَلا أَنتِ زَوجَةٌ

فَلا بَرَحَت دوني عَلَيكِ سُتورُ

And if you are neither a friend nor my wife

If you are neither a lover to me nor a wife,

The veils have not left you because of me

Then may the veils between us never be lifted.

وَجاوَرتُ قَوماً لا تَزاوُرَ بَينَهُم

وَلا وَصلَ إِلّا أَن يَكونَ نُشورُ

And I lived with a people who do not visit among themselves

I became neighbor to a people who visit not one another,

And no connection unless there is a resurrection

Sharing no bond until the Resurrection arrives.

فَما أَنا بِالمَشغوفِ ضَربَةَ لازِبٍ

وَلا كُلُّ سُلطانٍ عَلَيَّ قَديرُ

So I am not obsessed with hitting an opponent

I am not one infatuated by the sudden blow of love,

Nor is every authority over me capable

Nor does every sovereign authority hold power over me.

وَإِنّي لِطَرفِ العَينِ بِالعَينِ زاجِرٌ

فَقَد كُدتُ لا يَخفى عَلَيَّ ضَميرُ

And I caution the eye with the eye

Indeed, I rebuke the glance of my eye with my inner eye,

I almost do not hide my conscience

So that almost no secret thought remains hidden from my will.

كَما نَظَرَت وَالريحُ ساكِنَةٌ لَها

عُقابٌ بِأَرساغِ اليَدَينِ نَدورُ

As she looked while the wind was still for her

Just as she gazed, when the wind was still for her,

A hawk with the wrists is circular

An eagle, with talons turning elusive upon her wrists,

طَوَت لَيلَتَينِ القوتَ عَن ذي ضَرورَةٍ

أُزَيغِبَ لَم يَنبُت عَلَيهِ شَكيرُ

She crossed two nights, the food of the needy

She withheld food for two nights from a needy chick,

A foreigner who has not grown a beard on it

A downy creature whose true feathers had not yet grown.

فَأَوفَت عَلى عَلياءَ حينَ بَدا لَها

مِنَ الشَمسِ قَرنٌ وَالضَريبُ يَمورُ

She fulfilled Aliya when it appeared to her

She ascended a high peak when there appeared to her,

From the sun a horn and progress is boiling

A horn of the sun, while the frost was scattering.

تَقَلَّبُ طَرفاً في حِجاجَي مَغارَةٍ

مِنَ الرَأسِ لَم يَدخُل عَلَيهِ ذَرورُ

Turning an eye in the caves of a head

Turning her gaze within the sockets of a cavern,

From which no atom has entered

Set in a head that no cosmetic dust has ever entered.

تَقولُ الَّتي عَن بَيتِها خَفَّ مَركَبي

عَزيزٌ عَلَينا أَن نَراكَ تَسيرُ

The one who said from her house my ship departed

She says—the one whose house my mount left lightly behind—

It’s hard for us to see you walk

"It is grievous for us to see you ride away."

أَما دونَ مِصرٍ لِلغِنى مُتَطَلَّبٌ

بَلى إِنَّ أَسبابَ الغِنى لَكَثيرُ

Is there no purpose for money in Egypt sought?

"Is there no seeker of wealth anywhere short of Egypt?"

Yes, the reasons for money are many

"Yes," I replied, "indeed the paths to wealth are many."

فَقُلتُ لَها وَاستَعجَلَتها بَوادِرٌ

جَرَت فَجَرى في جَريِهِنَّ عَبيرُ

So I said to her and her first comers hurried her

I answered her, as tears hastened her words,

It flowed, and its flowing smells good

Flowing down, and in their flow, perfume ran too:

ذَريني أُكَثِّر حاسِديكِ بِرِحلَةٍ

إِلى بَلَدٍ فيهِ الخَصيبُ أَميرُ

Leave me to increase your envious with travel

"Let me increase your enviers by this journey"

To a country where the fertile one is the prince

"To a land where Al-Khasib is the Prince."

إِذا لَم تَزُر أَرضَ الخَصيبِ رِكابُنا

فَأَيَّ فَتىً بَعدَ الخَصيبِ تَزورُ

If our feet do not visit the land of the fertile

If our riding camels do not visit the land of Al-Khasib,

Then which hero after the fertile do you visit?

Then which young man, after Al-Khasib, shall they visit?

فَتىً يَشتَري حُسنَ الثَناءِ بِمالِهِ

وَيَعلَمُ أَنَّ الدائِراتِ تَدورُ

A young man who buys good praise with his money

A man who purchases fair praise with his wealth,

And knows that events are circular

And knows well that the wheels of fortune surely turn.

فَما جازَهُ جودٌ وَلا حَلَّ دونَهُ

وَلَكِن يَصيرُ الجودُ حَيثُ يَصيرُ

So neither generosity passed him, nor anything stopped him

Generosity did not bypass him, nor stop short of him,

But generosity happens where it happens

But rather, generosity becomes whatever he becomes.

فَلَم تَرَ عَيني سُؤدُداً مِثلَ سُؤدُدٍ

يَحِلُّ أَبو نَصرٍ بِهِ وَيَسيرُ

So my eyes did not see mercy like the mercy

My eye has seen no sovereignty like the sovereignty,

Abu Nasser solves it and walks

In which Abu Nasr settles and travels.

وَأَطرُقُ حَيّاتِ البِلادِ لِحَيَّةٌ

خَصيبِيَّةُ التَصميمِ حينَ تَسورُ

The snakes of the countries prostrate when it rises

And I strike the snakes of the land with a snake,

With a step that is short when standing

Khasibian in resolve when it strikes.

سَمَوتَ لِأَهلِ الجورِ في حالِ أَمنِهِم

فَأَضحَوا وَكُلٌّ في الوِثاقِ أَسيرُ

So whoever was ignorant of my words tonight

You rose against the people of injustice in their security,

The Commander of the Faithful is an expert

Until they became, one and all, bound captives.

إِذا قامَ غَنَّتهُ عَلى الساقِ حِليَةٌ

لَها خُطوَةٌ عِندَ القِيامِ قَصيرُ

And you have not ceased to advise him as a young man

When he stands, an iron anklet sings upon his leg,

Until grayness appeared in the temples

Constraining his step to be short when he rises.

فَمَن يَكُ أَمسى جاهِلاً بِمَقالَتي

فَإِنَّ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ خَبيرُ

If a matter becomes too much for him, then either you can restrain it

So whoever was ignorant of my words yesterday,

Or point him to someone equal to it

The Commander of the Faithful is well aware.

وَما زِلتَ توليهِ النَصيحَةَ يافِعاً

إِلى أَن بَدا في العارِضينَ قَتيرُ

They threw the people at you as if their skulls

You ceased not to give him counsel as a youth,

Above the epilators are graves

Until grey hair appeared upon your temples.

إِذا غالَهُ أَمرٌ فَإِمّا كَفَيتَهُ

وَإِمّا عَلَيهِ بِالكِفاءِ تُشيرُ

We traveled from Aqraquf and the dawn appeared

If a matter overwhelmed him, either you sufficed him,

From the splitting leather shining

Or you advised him on the means to suffice.

إِلَيكَ رَمَت بِالقَومِ هوجٌ كَأَنَّما

جَماجِمُها فَوقَ الحِجاجِ قُبورُ

We did not get water until I saw it with the sun

Violent winds cast the people toward you, as if

In my eyes Abagh immerses

Their skulls above their brows were open graves.

رَحَلنَ بِنا مِن عَقرَقوفَ وَقَد بَدا

مِنَ الصُبحِ مَفتوقِ الأَديمِ شَهيرُ

And we were given water from the Nuqayb with a drink

They departed with us from 'Aqarquf when there appeared

And the rooster’s dawn has approached

A bright sign of morning, its skin torn asunder.

فَما نَجَدَت بِالماءِ حَتّى رَأَيتُها

مَعَ الشَمسِ في عَينَي أَباغَ تَغورُ

And we reached, while the churches of Damascus shone

They did not settle at the water until I saw them

And they, for the incense burners, images

Sinking with the sun into the springs of Abagh.

وَغُمَّرنَ مِن ماءِ النُقَيبِ بِشَربَةٍ

وَقَد حانَ مِن ديكِ الصَباحِ زَميرُ

They greeted the people of Ghoutatayn as if

And they were plunged into the water of Nuqayb for a drink,

For them among the people of Ghoutatayn are weakness

Just when the rooster of the morning sounded its call.

وَوافَينَ إِشراقاً كَنائِسَ تَدمُرٍ

وَهُنَّ إِلى رَعنِ المُدَخِّنِ صورُ

And they woke up in the Golan, crushing its rock

They arrived at the churches of Palmyra in the radiance,

And none of their wounds remained

While leaning toward the peak of Al-Mudakhin.

يُؤَمَّمنَ أَهلَ الغوطَتَينِ كَأَنَّما

لَها عِندَ أَهلِ الغوطَتَينِ ثُؤورُ

And they spent a night before Baisan, it almost

Heading for the people of the two Ghoutas, as if

Dawned on them to warn

They had a blood feud with the people of the two Ghoutas.

وَأَصبَحنَ بِالجَولانِ يَرضَخنَ صَخرَها

وَلَم يَبقَ مِن أَجراحِهِنَّ شُطورُ

And they woke up after they crossed the River Fotros

By morning in the Golan, they were crushing its rocks,

While away from Jerusalem on a pilgrimage

And no trace of their wounds remained.

وَقاسَينَ لَيلاً دونَ بَيسانَ لَم يَكَد

سَنا صُبحِهِ لِلناذِرينَ يُنيرُ

Seeking the pilgrims of the Hashimite lead

They endured a night near Baysan, whose

While in troubles among their pilgrims

Morning light barely shone for those watching.

وَأَصبَحنَ قَد فَوَّزنَ مِن نَهرِ فُطرُسٍ

وَهُنَّ عَنِ البَيتِ المُقَدَّسِ زورُ

When she came to the Fustat of Egypt, it gave her refuge

By morning they had crossed the desert from the river of Futrus,

To her ride, it will not cease to protect them

While turning aside from the Holy House of Jerusalem.

طَوالِبَ بِالرُكبانِ غَرَّةَ هاشِمٍ

وَفي الفَرَما مِن حاجِهِنَّ شُقورُ

From the people is Bassam, it is as if his forehead

Seeking, with the riders, the blazing star of Hashim,

Dawn spreads its light and brightens

While in Farama, some of their needs remained.

وَلَمّا أَتَت فُسطاطَ مِصرٍ أَجارَها

عَلى رَكبِها أَن لا تَزالَ مُجيرُهُ

The sword and the spear adorned Al-Khasib in battle

And when they reached Fustat of Egypt, he protected them,

And in peace a pulpit and throne beautify him

The one who never ceases to be a protector to his riders.

مِنَ القَومِ بَسّامٌ كَأَنَّ جَبينَهُ

سَنا الفَجرِ يَسري ضَوءُهُ وَيُنيرُ

A steed, when hands refrain from dew

From a people, smiling, as if his forehead

And jealous of women's nudity

Were the light of dawn, its beam traveling and shining.

زَها بِالخَصيبِ السَيفُ وَالرُمحُ في الوَغى

وَفي السِلمِ يَزهو مِنبَرٌ وَسَريرُ

He has ancestors among the non-Arabs as if they

The sword and spear boast of Al-Khasib in the fray,

When they are greeted on the day of peace, are houses

And in peace, the pulpit and the throne boast of him.

جَوادٌ إِذا الأَيدي كَفَفنَ عَنِ النَدى

وَمِن دونِ عَوراتِ النِساءِ غَيورُ

And I deserve when I have given you hope

Generous when other hands hold back from giving,

And you deserve what I expected from you

And strictly jealous over the honor of women.

لَهُ سَلَفٌ في الأَعجَمَينِ كَأَنَّهُم

إِذا استُؤذِنوا يَومَ السَلامِ بُدورُ

So if you grant me favor, then it suits it

He has ancestors among the Persians, who seem,

Otherwise, I'm sorry and grateful

When permission is sought on the day of greeting, like full moons.

وَإِنّي جَديرٌ إِذ بَلَغتُكَ بِالمُنى

وَأَنتَ بِما أَمَّلتُ مِنكَ جَديرُ

And I am worthy, having reached you, of my desires,

And you are worthy of all I have hoped from you.

فَإِن تولِني مِنكَ الجَميلَ فَأَهلُهُ

وَإِلّا فَإِنّي عاذِرٌ وَشُكورُ

So if you grant me your favor, you are the source of it,

And if not, I shall still make excuses and give thanks.