يا دارُ دارَ عَلَيكِ إِرهامُ النَدى
وَاِهتَزَّ رَوضُكِ في الثَرى فَتَرأَّدَ
O homeland, homeland, the dew rains down on you
And your garden quivered and swayed in the soil
وَكُسيتِ مِن خِلَعِ الحَيا مُستَأسِداً
أُنُفاً يُغادِرُ وَحشُهُ مُستَأسِدا
You were clothed in the garments of life like a lion
Whose nose disdains its den as a lion would
طَلَلٌ عَكَفتُ عَلَيهِ أَسأَلُهُ إِلى
أَن كادَ يُصبِحُ رَبعُهُ لِيَ مَسجِدا
A ruined abode I brooded over, questioning it
Until its quarter for me became like a mosque
وَظَلِلتُ أُنشِدُهُ وَأَنشُدُ أَهلَهُ
وَالحُزنُ خِدني ناشِداً أَو مُنشِدا
I lingered reciting verses to it and reciting to its people
While sadness teased me, whether reciting or being recited to
سَقياً لِمَعهَدِكَ الَّذي لَو لَم يَكُن
ما كانَ قَلبي لِلصَبابَةِ مَعهِدا
Watering your pact which, had it not been,
My heart would not have been devoted to youth
لَم يُعطِ نازِلَةَ الهَوى حَقَّ الهَوى
دَنِفٌ أَطافَ بِهِ الهَوى فَتَجَلَّدا
Passion’s halt was not given passion’s due
A victim of passion whom passion made forbearing
صَبٌّ تَواعَدَتِ الهُمومُ فُؤادَهُ
إِن أَنتُمُ أَخلَفتُموهُ مَوعِدا
A youth whose heart sorrows had promised
That if you fail him, they would keep their tryst
لِم تُنكِرينَ مَعَ الفِراقِ تَبَلُّدي
وَبَراعَةُ المُشتاقِ أَن يَتَبَلَّدا
Why do you act shyly with separation?
The lover’s skill is to act with shyness
يا صاحِبي بِدِمِشقَ لَستَ بِصاحِبي
إِن لَم تُمَهِّد لِلهُمومِ مُمَهَّدا
My friend in Damascus, you are no friend to me
If you do not smooth the way for cares
أَدنِ المُعَبَّدَةَ السِنادَ وَأَنئِها
بِالسَيرِ ما دامَ الطَريقُ مُعَبَّدا
Bring the camel-litter near and make it comfortable
As long as the road is smoothed and passable
وَإِلى بَني عَبدِ الكَريمِ تَواهَقَت
رَتكَ النَعامِ رَأى الظَلامَ فَخَوَّدا
Your camel continued till nightfall brought it
To the sons of ʿAbd al-Karīm it came wandering
كَم أَنجَموا قَمَراً حَمى بِفِعالِهِ
قَمَراً وَمَكرُمَةً تُناغي الفَرقَدا
How they shone like the moon whose deeds
Are a moon and a bright coin outvying the full moon
مُتَهَلِّلاً في الرَوعِ مُنهَلّاً إِذا
ما زَنَّدَ اللِحِزُ الشَحيحُ وَصَرَّدا
Exultant in fright, finding pasture when
The miserly palm-fibre robe becomes too patched
مَن كانَ أَحمَدَ مَرتَعاً أَو ذَمَّهُ
فَاللَهَ أَحمَدُ ثُمَّ أَحمَدُ أَحمَدا
Whoever took Ahmad as refuge or blamed him
God is Ahmad, then Ahmad, then Ahmad
أَضحى عَدُوّاً لِلصَديقِ إِذا غَدا
في الحَمدِ يَعذُلُهُ صَديقاً لِلعِدا
He who in praise opposed the friend
Became a foe to the friend, an aid to the enemy
أَفنَيتُ مِنهُ الشِعرَ في مُتَمَدِّحٍ
قَد سادَ حَتّى كادَ يُفني السُؤدُدا
I exhausted poetry in praise of him
Who prevailed until he almost exhausted the poets
عَضبُ العَزيمَةِ في المَكارِمِ لَم يَدَع
في يَومِهِ شَرَفاً يُطالِبُهُ غَدا
Wrathful resolve in noble deeds left
No glory in his day for which it tomorrow called
بَرَّزتَ في طَلَبِ المَعالي واحِداً
فيها تَسيرُ مُغَوِّراً أَو مُنجِدا
You have excelled in pursuing the heights, alone,
Proceeding obscured or distinct
عَجَباً بِأَنَّكَ سالِمٌ مِن وَحشَةٍ
في غايَةٍ ما زِلتَ فيها مُفرَدا
Amazing that you are unharmed by a loneliness
In which you have continuously remained solitary
وَأَنا الفِداءُ إِذا الرِماحُ تَشاجَرَت
لَكَ وَالرِماحُ مِنَ الرِماحِ لَكَ الفِدا
And I the ransom when lances engage
For you, and of lances you have the ransom of my life
وَسَلِمتَ أَنّا لا تَزالُ سَوالِماً
آمالُنا بِكَ ما سَلِمتَ مِنَ الرَدى
You are unharmed, and still we hope
Our hopes in you are unharmed from decline
كَم جِئتَ في الهَيجا بِيَومٍ أَبيَضٍ
وَالحَربُ قَد جاءَت بِيَومٍ أَسوَدا
How often you came in the fray on a shining day
While war brought a day darkened
أَقدَمتَ لَم تُرِكَ الحَمِيَّةُ مَصدَراً
عَنها وَلَم يَرَ فيكَ قِرنُكَ مَورِدا
You attacked, valor was not hindered
Nor did your fellows see in you a place of retreat
لِمَ تُغمِدِ السَيفَ الَّذي قُلِّدتَهُ
حَتّى تَمَنّى نَصلُهُ أَن يُغمَدا
Why do you sheathe the sword you are girt with
Until its blade desires to be sheathed
هَيهاتَ لا يَنأى الفَخارُ وَإِن نَأى
عَن طالِبٍ سيما مَطِيَّتُهُ النَدى
Alas! Glory does not abandon the glorious
Even if it abandons a seeker, especially one whose mount is the dew
أَنّى يَفوتُكَ ما طَلَبتَ وَإِنَّما
وَطَراكَ أَن تُعطي الجَزيلَ وَتُحمَدا
How could what you sought elude you
When your manner is to give generously and be praised
لَمّا زَهِدتَ زَهِدتَ في جَمعِ الغِنى
وَلَقَد رَغِبتَ فَكُنتَ فيهِ أَزهَدا
When you renounced, you renounced gathering wealth
Yet you desired it and so renounced it even more
فَالمالُ أَنّي مِلتَ لَيسَ بِسالِمٍ
مِن بَطشِ جودِكَ مُصلِحاً أَو مُفسِدا
Wealth, I am weary, not secure
From the blows of your open hand, whether correcting or corrupting
وَلَأَنتَ أَكرَمُ مِن نَوالِكَ مَحتِدا
وَنَداكَ أَكرَمُ مِن عَدُوِّكَ مَحتِدا
You are more generous than your giving, competing
Your help more generous than your enemy competing
لا تَعدِمَنَّكَ طَيِّئٌ فَلَقَلَّما
عَدِمَت عَشيرَتُكَ الجَوادَ السَيِّدا
May Tayyi’ not lose you, for rarely
Has your clan lost a generous, noble horseman
