سَقى عَهدَ الحِمى سَبَلُ العِهادِ

وَرَوَّضَ حاضِرٌ مِنهُ وَبادِ

The paths of devotion drank the covenant's drought,

And a present one irrigated and withered.

نَزَحتُ بِهِ رَكِيَّ العَينِ لَمّا

رَأَيتُ الدَمعَ مِن خَيرِ العَتادِ

My eyes shed copious tears

When I saw tears from the best of humans.

فَيا حُسنَ الرُسومِ وَما تَمَشّى

إِلَيها الدَهرُ في صُوَرِ البُعادِ

O beauty of features, throughout the ages

Time never walked to the likes of you in the lands of distances.

وَإِذ طَيرُ الحَوادِثِ في رُباها

سَواكِنُ وَهيَ غَنّاءُ المَرادِ

And if the birds of events chirp in their nests,

Your dwellings are still, they are the singer of purpose.

مَذاكي حَلبَةٍ وَشُروبُ دَجنٍ

وَسامِرُ فِتيَةٍ وَقُدورُ صادِ

Gatherings in Halab, and drinking Dajan,

And the entertainer of youths, and cooking pots of hunters.

وَأَعيُنُ رَبرَبٍ كُحِلَت بِسِحرٍ

وَأَجسادٌ تُضَمَّخُ بِالجَسادِ

And the eyes of a flirtatious one lined with magic,

And bodies covered in tree resin.

بِزُهرٍ وَالحُذاقِ وَآلِ بُردٍ

وَرَت في كُلِّ صالِحَةٍ زِنادي

With flowers and skillful ones and the family of Burd,

And spears in every righteous woman.

وَإِن يَكُ مِن بَني أُدَدٍ جَناحي

فَإِنَّ أَثيثَ ريشي مِن إِيادِ

If my wings are from the tribe of Udad,

Then the furnishings of my feathers are from Iyad.

غَدَوتُ بِهِم أَمَدَّ ذَوِيَّ ظِلّاً

وَأَكثَرَ مَن وَرائي ماءَ وادِ

I went with them, extending the shade of my loved ones,

And increasing behind me abundant valley water.

هُمُ عُظمى الأَثافي مِن نِزارٍ

وَأَهلُ الهَضبِ مِنها وَالنِجادِ

They are the great ones of Athafi from Nizar,

And the people of the plateau from it and Al-Nijad.

مُعَرَّسُ كُلِّ مُعضِلَةٍ وَخَطبٍ

وَمَنبِتُ كُلِّ مَكرُمَةٍ وَآدِ

Marrying every insoluble issue and discourse,

And originator of every generosity and custom.

إِذا حُدُثُ القَبائِلِ ساجَلوهُم

فَإِنَّهُمُ بَنو الدَهرِ التِلادِ

If the tribes dispute, then argue with them,

For they are the sons of time’s eternity.

تُفَرَّجُ عَنهُمُ الغَمَراتُ بيضٌ

جِلادٌ تَحتَ قَسطَلَةِ الجِلادِ

The clouds uncover for them - white,

Smooth skins under the armors.

وَحَشوُ حَوادِثِ الأَيّامِ مِنهُم

مَعاقِلُ مُطرَدٍ وَبَنو طِرادِ

And the contents of the days’ events are from them

Shelters of the exiled and sons of expulsion.

لَهُم جَهلُ السِباعِ إِذا المَنايا

تَمَشَّت في القَنا وَحُلومُ عادِ

They have the ignorance of beasts when death

Walks in the gullet and flesh of ‘Aad.

لَقَد أَنسَت مَساوِئَ كُلِّ دَهرٍ

مَحاسِنُ أَحمَدَ بنِ أَبي دُوادِ

The good traits of Ahmad bin Abi Duwad

Forgot the evils of every era.

مَتى تَحلُل بِهِ تَحلُل جَناباً

رَضيعاً لِلسَواري وَالغَوادي

Whenever you achieve victory, you achieve it as a youth

Pleasing the nobles and warriors.

تُرَشَّحُ نِعمَةُ الأَيّامِ فيهِ

وَتُقسَمُ فيهِ أَرزاقُ العِبادِ

The bounty of the days is centered around you

And livelihoods are divided through you for the slaves.

وَما اِشتَبَهَت طَريقُ المَجدِ إِلّا

هَداكَ لِقِبلَةِ المَعروفِ هادِ

And the path of glory did not become ambiguous

Except you guided towards the orientation of kindness.

وَما سافَرتُ في الآفاقِ إِلّا

وَمِن جَدواكَ راحِلَتي وَزادي

And I did not travel the horizons

Except your generosity provided my mount and provision.

مُقيمُ الظَنِّ عِندَكَ وَالأَماني

وَإِن قَلِقَت رِكابي في البِلادِ

I am settled in assumption and hopes in you

Even if my riding animals bustled in the lands.

مَعادُ البَعثِ مَعروفٌ وَلَكِن

نَدى كَفَّيكَ في الدُنيا مَعادي

The return of resurrection is known but

The outpouring of your palms in life is my return.

أَتاني عائِرُ الأَنباءِ تَسري

عَقارِبُهُ بِداهِيَةٍ نَآدِ

The passer of news came to me, moving

Its steps in certainty and calling.

نَثا خَبَرٌ كَأَنَّ القَلبَ أَمسى

يُجَرُّ بِهِ عَلى شَوكِ القَتادِ

It spun a report as if by evening

My heart is being dragged upon the thorns of Qatad.

كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ جَلَّلَها كُسوفٌ

أَوِ اِستَتَرَت بِرِجلٍ مِن جَرادِ

As if an eclipse clothed the sun

Or it was veiled by a leg of locusts.

بِأَنّي نِلتُ مِن مُضَرٍ وَخَبَّت

إِلَيكَ شَكِيَّتي خَبَبَ الجَوادِ

That I got from Mudar and my complaint slipped

To you the slipping of the gallant one.

وَما رَبعُ القَطيعَةِ لي بِرَبعٍ

وَلا نادي الأَذى مِنّي بِنادِ

I did not cut ties with a tribe

Nor called harm from me with a caller.

وَأَينَ يَجورُ عَن قَصدٍ لِساني

وَقَلبي رائِحٌ بِرِضاكَ غادِ

And where does my tongue deviate from purpose

While my heart travels to your approval.

وَمِمّا كانَتِ الحُكَماءُ قالَت

لِسانُ المَرءِ مِن خَدَمِ الفُؤادِ

And of what the wise have said:

The tongue of a person is from the servants of the heart.

فَقُد ما كُنتُ مَعسولَ الأَماني

وَمَأدومَ القَوافي بِالسَدادِ

So I was sweet of wishes

And rhythmical of poetry in integrity.

لَقَد جازَيتُ بِالإِحسانِ سوءاً

إِذاً وَصَبَغتُ عُرفَكَ بِالسَوادِ

Indeed I repaid good with evil

Thus I dyed your custom with blackness.

وَسِرتُ أَسوقُ عيرَ اللُؤمِ حَتّى

أَنَختُ الكُفرَ في دارِ الجِهادِ

And I went making the caravan of villains travel

Until I bent disbelief in the abode of jihad.

فَكَيفَ وَعَتبُ يَومٍ مِنكَ فَذٍّ

أَشَدُّ عَلَيَّ مِن حَربِ الفَسادِ

So how can the reproach of a day from you

Be more severe upon me than the war of corruption.

وَلَيسَت رَغوَتي مِن فَوقِ مَذقٍ

وَلا جَمري كَمينٌ في الرَمادِ

Nor is my foam from above taste

Nor my embers hiding in the ashes.

وَكانَ الشُكرُ لِلكُرَماءِ خَصلاً

وَمَيداناً كَمَيدانِ الجِيادِ

Gratitude was a trait of the generous

And a field like the field of steeds.

عَلَيهِ عُقِّدَت عُقَدي وَلاحَت

مَواسِمُهُ عَلى شِيَمي وَعادي

Upon it my ties were knotted

And its seasons shone upon my traits and habit.

وَغَيري يَأكُلُ المَعروفَ سُحتاً

وَتَشحُبُ عِندَهُ بيضُ الأَيادي

While others eat favors ravenously

And the hands of the generous shrivel with them.

تَثَبَّت إِنَّ قَولاً كانَ زوراً

أَتى النُعمانَ قَبلَكَ عَن زِيادِ

Verify that a false word came

To Nu’man before you from Ziyad.

وَأَرَّثَ بَينَ حَيِّ بَني جُلاحٍ

سَنا حَربٍ وَحَيِّ بَني مَصادِ

And it roused war between the living of Julah’s clan

And the living of Masad’s clan.

وَغادَرَ في صُروفِ الدَهرِ قَتلي

بَني بَدرٍ عَلى ذاتِ الإِصادِ

It left in the turns of fate my killing

The clan of Badr at That Al-Isad.

فَما قِدحاكَ لِلباري وَلَيسَت

مُتونُ صَفاكَ مِن نُهَزِ المُرادي

So I am not an igniter towards the Creator

And my integrity texts are not from the shaking of the cranes.

وَلَو كَشَّفتَني لَبَلَوتَ خَرقاً

يُصافي الأَكرَمينَ وَلا يُصادي

Had you uncovered me you would have found a rip

That makes even the generous pale.

جَديراً أَن يَكُرَّ الطَرفَ شَزراً

إِلى بَعضِ المَوارِدِ وَهُوَ صادي

Worthy of the glance returning resentfully

To some springs while it flows.

إِلَيكَ بَعَثتُ أَبكارَ المَعاني

يَليها سائِقٌ عَجِلٌ وَحادي

To you I sent the first fruits of meaning

Followed by an urgent driver calling.

جَوائِرَ عَن ذَنابى القَومِ حَيرى

هَوادِيَ لِلجَماجِمِ وَالهَوادي

Straying from the tails of the people, confused -

Valleys for skulls and those calling.

شِدادَ الأَسرِ سالِمَةَ النَواحي

مِنَ الإِقواءِ فيها وَالسِنادِ

Armor's binders, intact of regions,

From supporting therein and dependence.

يُذَلِّلُّها بِذِكرِكَ قَرنُ فِكرٍ

إِذا حَزَنَت فَتَسلَسُ في القِيادِ

A regiment of thought subdues it

When it grieves, so it slides in leading.

لَها في الهاجِسِ القَدحُ المُعَلّى

وَفي نَظمِ القَوافي وَالعِمادِ

It has in obsession the shining goblet

And in arranging rhyme and columns.

مُنَزَّهَةٌ عَنِ السَرَقِ المُوَرّى

مُكَرَّمَةً عَنِ المَعنى المُعادِ

Elevated from stolen patched verse,

Honored from redundant meaning.

تَنَصَّلَ رَبُّها مِن غَيرِ جُرمٍ

إِلَيكَ سِوى النَصيحَةِ وَالوِدادِ

Its Lord disowns without crime

Except advice and affection towards you.

وَمَن يَأذَن إِلى الواشينَ تُسلَق

مَسامِعُهُ بِأَلسِنَةٍ حِدادِ

And whoever lends ear to slanderers, his ears

Are skinned with sharp tongues.