لَقَد أَخَذَت مِن دارِ ماوِيَّةَ الحُقبُ
أَنُحلُ المَغاني لِلبِلى هِيَ أَم نَهبُ
Gone are the glorious days of Mayya's abode,
Do songs unravel for ruins or spoils?
وَعَهدي بِها إِذ ناقِضُ العَهدِ بَدرُها
مُراحُ الهَوى فيها وَمَسرَحُهُ الخِصبُ
My promise to it as the full moon broke his promise,
The passion there – its playground the fertile expanse.
مُؤَزَّرَةً مِن صَنعَةِ الوَبلِ وَالنَدى
بِوَشيٍ وَلا وَشيٌ وَعَصبٍ وَلا عَصبُ
Clad in the art of soft rain and dew,
With no sash yet a sash, and tribe yet no tribe.
تَحَيَّرَ في آرامِها الحُسنُ فَاِغتَدَت
قَرارَةَ مَن يُصبي وَنُجعَةَ مَن يَصبو
Beauty there lost itself, so it grew conceited
A settlement for whoever yearns, and rest for the weary.
سَواكِنُ في بِرٍّ كَما سَكَنَ الدُمى
نَوافِرُ مِن سوءٍ كَما نَفَرَ السَربُ
Tranquil in righteousness as the price rested,
Rampant in evil as the flock dispersed.
كَواعِبُ أَترابٌ لِغَيداءَ أَصبَحَت
وَلَيسَ لَها في الحُسنِ شَكلٌ وَلا تِربُ
Flirtatious maidens for a coquette turned
No shape or soil theirs in beauty and grace.
لَها مَنظَرٌ قَيدُ النَواظِرِ لَم يَزَل
يَروحُ وَيَغدو في خُفارَتِهِ الحُبُّ
A sight that binds all eyes never stopped
Going and coming in its tireless ardour, that love.
يَظَلُّ سَراةُ القَومِ مَثنىً وَمَوحَداً
نَشاوى بِعَينَيها كَأَنَّهُمُ شَربُ
The people’s horsemen in pairs and alone
Intoxicated with her eyes as if they were drink.
إِلى خالِدٍ راحَت بِنا أَرحَبِيَّةٌ
مَرافِقُها مِن عَن كَراكِرِها نُكبُ
To Khalid we came with a wide plain,
Its dismounted fighters like toppling hills.
جَرى النَجَدُ الأَحوى عَلَيها فَأَصبَحَت
مِنَ السَيرِ وُرقاً وَهيَ في نَجدِها صُهبُ
The soft sands blew over it and it became
Foliage though before in its plain a plateau.
إِلى مَلِكٍ لَولا سِجالُ نَوالِهِ
لَما كانَ لِلمَعروفِ نِقيٌ وَلا شُخبُ
To a king - if not for the strife of his gifts -
There would be no helper for good nor tower for aid.
مِنَ البيضِ مَحجوبٌ عَنِ السوءِ وَالخَنا
وَلا تَحجُبُ الأَنواءَ مِن كَفِّهِ الحُجبُ
Of pure descent, veiled from vice and rancour,
No clouds veil the sky from his generous hands.
مَصونُ المَعالي لا يَزيدُ أَذالَهُ
وَلا مَزيَدٌ وَلا شَريكٌ وَلا الصُلبُ
Lofty virtues – no increase makes him prouder
No excess, no partner, no kin to consult.
وَلا مُرَّتا ذُهلٍ وَلا الحِصنُ غالَهُ
وَلا كَفَّ شَأوَيهِ عَلِيٌّ وَلا صَعبُ
No twice foolish, no fortress confined him,
No mighty lion’s paw did Ali restrain.
وَأَشباهُ بَكرِ المَجدِ بَكرُ بنُ وائِلٍ
وَقاسِطُ عَدنانٍ وَأَنجَبَهُ هِنبُ
The excellent ancestors of Bakr ibn Wa’il
And Qahtanite Adnan and his father Nibt.
مَضَوا وَهُمُ أَوتادُ نَجدٍ وَأَرضِها
يُرَونَ عِظاماً كُلَّما عَظُمَ الخَطبُ
They passed and were Najd’s pillars and its land’s
Bones seen whenever disaster's threat loomed.
لَهُم نَسَبٌ كَالفَجرِ ما فيهِ مَسلَكٌ
خَفِيٌّ وَلا وادٍ عَنودٌ وَلا شِعبُ
Their lineage like dawn in which no path shows
Hidden, no rebel valley, no rugged cliff.
هُوَ الإِضحَيانُ الطَلقُ رَفَّت فُروعُهُ
وَطابَ الثَرى مِن تَحتِهِ وَزَكا التُربُ
He is the free-roaming sacrifice whose branches sprawled
And the ground was fragrant where he walked, the soil wholesome.
يَذُمُّ سَنيدُ القَومِ ضيقَ مَحَلِّهِ
عَلى العِلمِ مِنهُ أَنَّهُ الواسِعُ الرَحبُ
The tribe elder felt his place too small for his knowledge vast
He saw a glory some wished to steal - so remote from them, so near to his people.
رَأى شَرَفاً مِمَّن يُريدُ اِختِلاسَهُ
بَعيدَ المَدى فيهِ عَلى أَهلِهِ قُربُ
O pivot of life in Sheiban do not weaken!
O star of life in Sheiban do not fade!
فَيا وَشَلَ الدُنيا بِشَيبانَ لا تَغِض
وَيا كَوكَبَ الدُنيا بِشَيبانَ لا تَخبُ
None marched but in their homes did dew fall
None grew strong but in their dens did war grow.
فَما دَبَّ إِلّا في بُيوتِهِمُ النَدى
وَلَم تَربُ إِلّا في جُحورِهِمُ الحَربُ
They are people of repute - if not for their deeds,
The steps would cease as no glory remained.
أُولاكَ بَنو الأَحسابِ لَولا فَعالُهُم
دَرَجنَ فَلَم يوجَد لِمَكرُمَةٍ عَقبُ
The battle of Dhi Qar - gone, unmatched
Alone of its kind, no comrades had that day.
لَهُم يَومُ ذي قارٍ مَضى وَهوَ مُفرَدٌ
وَحيدٌ مِنَ الأَشباهِ لَيسَ لَهُ صَحبُ
By it the non-Arabs knew he
By it the Arabs expressed their soul's essence.
بِهِ عَلِمَت صُهبُ الأَعاجِمِ أَنَّهُ
بِهِ أَعرَبَت عَن ذاتِ أَنفُسِها العُربُ
It was the decisive stage by which no armband or cross
Remained for Chosroes son of Chosroes.
هُوَ المَشهَدُ الفَصلُ الَّذي ما نَجا بِهِ
لِكِسرى بنِ كِسرى لا سَنامٌ وَلا صُلبُ
I say to the border people, yearning has ended
And blessings poured and the people gathered.
أَقولُ لِأَهلِ الثَغرِ قَد رُئِبَ الثَأى
وَأُسبِغَتِ النَعماءُ وَاِلتَأَمَ الشَعبُ
So roam the horizon and graze
Without a road, Khalid's sanctuary your road.
فَسيحوا بِأَطرافِ الفَضاءِ وَأَرتِعوا
قَنا خالِدٍ مِن غَيرِ دَربٍ لَكُم دَربُ
A man with him – the best and worst of rewards
From him – disdainful denial or sweet kindness.
فَتىً عِندَهُ خَيرُ الثَوابِ وَشَرُّهُ
وَمِنهُ الإِباءُ المِلحُ وَالكَرَمُ العَذبُ
I smell a Syrian who walks ahead of him
A month’s march, dread in his regiments.
أَشَمُّ شَريكِيٌّ يَسيرُ أَمامَهُ
مَسيرَةَ شَهرٍ في كَتائِبِهِ الرُعبُ
When Tu’ayyil saw your banners that
Cannot be faced when they flutter, even by the firm.
وَلَمّا رَأى توفيلُ راياتِكَ الَّتي
إِذا ما اِتلَأَبَّت لا يُقاوِمُها الصُلبُ
He turned and fled not slowing his flight,
As if fleeing crazily, pouring onwards.
تَوَلّى وَلَم يَألُ الرَدى في اِتِّباعِهِ
كَأَنَّ الرَدى في قَصدِهِ هائِمٌ صَبُّ
As if by your cry the lands of Rome huddled
Gathering their beasts or their center rumbled.
كَأَنَّ بِلادَ الرومِ عُمَّت بِصَيحَةٍ
فَضَمَّت حَشاها أَو رَغا وَسطَها السَقبُ
The lesser end, Tinnis, and Iqritra
The lands of Carthage and Apolakia quaked.
بِصاغِرَةِ القُصوى وَطِمَّينِ وَاِقتَرى
بِلادَ قَرَنطاووسَ وابِلُكَ السَكبُ
Fearfully asking books’ aid, submitting to you
No messengers swayed you, no books.
غَدا خائِفاً يَستَنجِدُ الكُتبَ مُذعِناً
عَلَيكَ فَلا رُسلٌ ثَنَتكَ وَلا كُتبُ
The fierce lion never opposed
His roar, even if blamed or barked at by a dog.
وَما الأَسَدُ الضِرغامُ يَوماً بِعاكِسٍ
صَريمَتَهُ إِن أَنَّ أَو بَصبَصَ الكَلبُ
He passed as the fire of distress burned his heart
The soul feels only the grasp of distress.
وَمَرَّ وَنارُ الكَربِ تَلفَحُ قَلبَهُ
وَما الرَوحُ إِلّا أَن يُخامِرَهُ الكَربُ
He went fleeing East, his soul
Of itself expecting the worst because of ill thoughts.
مَضى مُدبِراً شَطرَ الدَبورِ وَنَفسُهُ
عَلى نَفسِهِ مِن سوءِ ظَنٍّ بِها إِلبُ
He shunned the East until an ignorant man thought
The Christians faced West in their prayers.
جَفا الشَرقَ حَتّى ظَنَّ مَن كانَ جاهِلاً
بِدينِ النَصارى أَنَّ قِبلَتَهُ الغَربُ
You returned the cloth of religion smooth after
Its days and nights had become coarse.
رَدَدتَ أَديمَ الدينِ أَملَسَ بَعدَما
غَدا وَلَياليهِ وَأَيّامُهُ جُربُ
With every young warrior exposing himself to the spear
Welcoming death, his adornment stab and strike.
بِكُلِّ فَتىً ضَربٍ يُعَرِّضُ لِلقَنا
مُحَيّاً مُحَلّىً حَليُهُ الطَعنُ وَالضَربُ
Firm mountains when called to battle near the frenzy
You see them - their feet as if riding!
كُماةٌ إِذا تُدعى نَزالِ لَدى الوَغى
رَأَيتَهُمُ رَجلى كَأَنَّهُمُ رَكبُ
Of the well-armed, no dawn clears but by them
No fate turns nor time passes but through them.
مِنَ المَطَرِيّينَ الأُلى لَيسَ يَنجَلي
بِغَيرِهِمُ لِلدَهرِ صَرفٌ وَلا لَزبُ
No virgin distinguished herself in fierce war
Nor did a matron unless by them, her suitors.
وَما اِجتُلِيَت بِكرٌ مِنَ الحَربِ ناهِدٌ
وَلا ثَيِّبٌ إِلّا وَمِنهُم لَها خِطبُ
You set the system of gifts so no millstone turned
Except by you its pivot.
جُعِلتَ نِظامَ المَكرُماتِ فَلَم تَدُر
رَحى سُؤدُدٍ إِلّا وَأَنتَ لَها قُطبُ
Whenever Rabia boasted you were its heart
Beating behind two covers of glory.
إِذا اِفتَخَرَت يَوماً رَبيعَةُ أَقبَلَت
مُجَنَّبَتَي مَجدٍ وَأَنتَ لَها قَلبُ
By it the ground is watered and your softness sprouts
By it the rainwater bubbles though it bubbles not.
يَجِفُّ الثَرى مِنها وَتُربُكَ لَيِّنٌ
وَيَنبو بِها ماءُ الغَمامِ وَما تَنبو
By your generosity clouds disperse when thick
And the white becomes varied in its hues.
بِجودِكَ تَبيَضُّ الخُطوبُ إِذا دَجَت
وَتَرجِعُ في أَلوانِها الحِجَجُ الشُهبُ
He is the ship of glory to every mistress
And the lofty - but a towering, formidable ship.
هُوَ المَركَبُ المُدني إِلى كُلِّ سُؤدُدٍ
وَعَلياءَ إِلّا أَنَّهُ المَركَبُ الصَعبُ
If a reason finds a man lost, in your presence
My wish finds the angry reason submissive.
إِذا سَبَبٌ أَمسى كَهاماً لَدى اِمرِىءٍ
أَجابَ رَجائي عِندَكَ السَبَبُ العَضبُ
A journeyer on earth whom no departing
Distracts from it - profound, endless sadness.
وَسَيّارَةٍ في الأَرضِ لَيسَ بِنازِحٍ
عَلى وَخدِها حَزنٌ سَحيقٌ وَلا سَهبُ
Shedding sunbeams in every town
Moving unrestrained - no West turns it back.
تَذُرُّ ذُرورَ الشَمسِ في كُلِّ بَلدَةٍ
وَتَمضي جَموحاً ما يُرَدُّ لَها غَربُ
You did not defend the helpless virgins
No injustice that, no force.
عَذارى قَوافٍ كُنتَ غَيرَ مُدافِعٍ
أَبا عُذرِها لا ظُلمَ ذاكَ وَلا غَصبُ
When recited among the people they are like
Hidden grandeur or enveloped in pride.
إِذا أُنشِدَت في القَومِ ظَلَّت كَأَنَّها
مُسِرَّةُ كِبرٍ أَو تَداخَلَها عُجبُ
Strung with chosen pearls, of poetry only
That it is juicy, succulent pearls.
مُفَصَّلَةٌ بِاللُؤلُؤِ المُنتَقى لَها
مِنَ الشِعرِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ اللُؤلُؤُ الرَطبُ
