ما لي بِعادِيَةِ الأَيّامِ مِن قِبَلِ
لَم يَثنِ كَيدَ النَوى كَيدي وَلا حِيَلي
I have no patience with the tyranny of days gone by,
Scheming fate did not foil my schemes or tricks,
لا شَيءَ إِلّا أَباتَتهُ عَلى وَجَلٍ
وَلَم تَبِت قَطُّ مِن شَيءٍ عَلى وَجَلِ
Nothing but setbacks met me in my wretched state,
Never did a thing go well in my wretched life,
قَد قَلقَلَ الدَمعَ دَهرٌ مِن خَلائِقِهِ
طولُ الفِراقِ وَلا طولٌ مِنَ الأَجَلِ
Time made tears flow from all his creatures,
Prolonged absence but no reprieve from death,
سَلني عَنِ الدينِ وَالدُنيا أُجِبكَ وَعَن
أَبي سَعيدٍ وَفِقدَيهِ فَلا تَسَلِ
Ask me of religion, this world - I will answer you,
Of my father Sa‘īd and his loss - do not ask,
مَن كانَ حَليَ الأَماني قَبلَ ظَعنَتِهِ
فَصِرتُ مُذ سارَ ذا أُمنِيَّةٍ عُطُلِ
He whose hopes were dashed before their time,
I have since lost all hopes, no more wishing wells for me.
نَأيُ النَدى لا ثَنائي خُلَّةً وَهَوىً
وَالفَجعُ بِالمَجدِ غَيرُ الفَجعِ بِالغَزَلِ
The beloved shuns intimacy or affection with me,
Parting in glory unlike parting in passion’s throes,
لَئِن غَدا شاحِباً تَخدي القِلاصُ بِهِ
لَقَد تَخَلَّفتُ عَنهُ شاحِبَ الأَمَلِ
If he wakes up tomorrow, pale-faced disappointing me,
I fell behind, disappointed, hopes turned pale for me.
مُلقى الرَجاءِ وَمُلقى الرَحلِ في نَفَرٍ
الجودُ عِندَهُمُ قَولٌ بِلا عَمَلِ
In a group where hopes are dashed and journeys thwarted,
Kindness with them is but words, no deeds,
أَضحَوا بِمُستَنِّ سَيلِ الذَمِّ وَاِرتَفَعَت
أَموالُهُم في هِضابِ المَطلِ وَالعِلَلِ
They make light of the torrents of blame and their riches
Are built on the barren heights of sickness and frailty.
مِن كُلِّ أَظمى الثَرى وَالأَرضُ قَد نَهِلَت
وَمُقشَعِرِّ الرُبا وَالشَمسُ في الحَمَلِ
In all the dark, overcast earth that poured down rain
And the sun is wrapped in its mantle,
وَأَخرَسِ الجودِ تَلقى الدَهرَ سائِلَهُ
كَأَنَّهُ واقِفٌ مِنهُ عَلى طَلَلِ
The tongue-tied miser faces time, asking for its bounty,
As if standing on its ruins amidst its wreckage.
قَد كانَ وَعدُكَ لي بَحراً فَصَيَّرَني
يَومُ الزِماعِ إِلى الضَحضاحِ وَالوَشَلِ
Your promise was an ocean that left me on the day of discord
Floundering in shallows and swamps,
وَبَيَّنَ اللَهُ هَذا مِن بَرِيَّتِهِ
في قَولِهِ خُلِقَ الإِنسانُ مِن عَجَلِ
God has shown this weakness in His creation,
Saying man was created hasty.
لِلَّهِ وَخدُ المَهاري أَيَّ مَكرُمَةٍ
هَزَّت وَأَيَّ غَمامٍ قَلقَلَت خَضِلِ
O Nose of the Skilled One, what honor made it quake,
What clouds did it shake and stir?
خَيرُ الأَخِلّاءِ خَيرُ الأَرضِ هِمَّتُهُ
وَأَفضَلُ الرَكبِ يَقرو أَفضَلَ السُبُلِ
A people’s finest son, the finest steed takes the finest path,
The best of friends takes the best of roads.
حُطَّت إِلى عُمدَةِ الإِسلامِ أَرحُلُهُ
وَالشَمسُ قَد نَفَضَت وَرساً عَلى الأُصُلِ
The mounts were unpacked at the pillar of Islam
As the sun shook off motes upon the pillar.
مُلَبِّياً طالَما لَبّى مُنادِيَهُ
إِلى الوَغى غَيرَ رِعديدٍ وَلا وَكَلِ
Many times did its caller call out:
To battle! No cowardice or holding back!
وَمُحرِماً أَحرَمَت أَرضُ العِراقِ لَهُ
مِنَ النَدى وَاِكتَسَت ثَوباً مِنَ البَخَلِ
The land of Iraq donned pilgrim garb for him,
Shunning moisture, clad in miserliness,
وَسافِكاً لِدِماءِ البُدنِ قَد سُفِكَت
بِهِ دِماءُ ذَوي الإِلحادِ وَالنِحَلِ
Shedding the blood of bodies, blood was shed
Of dissenters and people of different faiths,
وَرامِياً جَمَراتِ الحَجِّ في سَنَةٍ
رَمى بِها جَمَراتِ اليَومِ ذي الشُعَلِ
Hurling pebbles at the day of Hajj one year,
He hurled the pebbles of each day of burning grief,
يَردي وَيُرقِلُ نَحوَ المَروَتَينِ كَما
يَردي وَيُرقِلُ نَحوَ الفارِسِ البَطَلِ
Swaying to and fro between the two hillsides,
Swaying like a valiant knight.
تُقَبِّلُ الرُكنَ رُكنَ البَيتِ نافِلَةً
وَظَهرُ كَفِّكَ مَعمورٌ مِنَ القُبَلِ
Your palm kisses the corner of the Holy House time and again
And your back is blessed by kissing,
لَمّا تَرَكتَ بُيوتَ الكُفرِ خاوِيَةً
بِالغَزوِ آثَرتَ بَيتَ اللَهِ بِالقَفَلِ
When you left the homes of unbelief empty
You preferred God’s House, locking its door,
وَالحَجُّ وَالغَزوُ مَقرونانِ في قَرَنٍ
فَاِذهَب فَأَنتَ زُعافُ الخَيلِ وَالإِبِلِ
Pilgrimage and holy war coupled in one moment -
Go! You are the bolt of steeds and camels!
نَفسي فِداؤُكَ إِن كانَت فِداءَكَ مِن
صَرفِ الحَوادِثِ وَالأَيّامِ وَالدُوَلِ
My soul is your ransom, if it could ransom you
From fate’s caprice, time and destiny’s changing ways,
لا مُلبِسٌ مالَهُ مِن دونِ سائِلِهِ
سِتراً وَلا ناصِبُ المَعروفِ لِلعَذَلِ
None wears his wealth, hiding it from a beggar,
Or does good then regrets it afterwards,
لا شَمسُهُ جَمرَةٌ تُشوى الوُجوهُ بِها
يَوماً وَلا ظِلُّهُ عَنّا بِمُنتَقِلِ
His sun no ember singeing faces therewith
Nor does his shade desert us,
تَحولُ أَموالُهُ عَن عَهدِها أَبَداً
وَلَم يَزُل قَطُّ عَن عَهدٍ وَلَم يَحُلِ
His wealth is never diverted from the path
And never swerves from a promise or changes,
ساري الهُمومِ طَموحُ العَزمِ صادِقُهُ
كَأَنَّ آراءَهُ تَنحَطُّ مِن جَبَلِ
Sadness’ companion has grand ambitions, his truthfulness
As if his views were hewn from a great rock,
أَبقى عَلى جَولَةِ الأَيّامِ مِن كَنَفَي
رَضوى وَأَسيَرُ في الآفاقِ مِن مَثَلِ
You remain, despite the varying days’ caprice
A mercy, journeying through the horizons as an exemplar,
نَبَّهتَ نَبهانَ بَعدَ النَومِ وَاِنسَكَبَت
بِكَ الحَياةُ عَلى الأَحياءِ مِن ثُعَلِ
You awakened after sleep, and through you
Life poured into the living from its source,
كَم قَد دَعَت لَكَ بِالإِخلاصِ مِن مَرَةٍ
فيهِم وَفَدّاكَ بِالآباءِ مِن رَجُلِ
How often in that tribe did someone pray
For you sincerely, fathers for their sons!
إِن حَنَّ نَجدٌ وَأَهلوهُ إِلَيكَ فَقَد
مَرَرتَ فيهِ مُرورَ العارِضِ الهَطِلِ
If Najd feels affection for you, you have indeed
Passed by it like a passing cloud’s rain.
وَأَيُّ أَرضٍ بِهِ لَم تُكسَ زَهرَتَها
وَأَيُّ وادٍ بِهِ ظَمآنُ لَم يَسِلِ
What land but you clothed it in flowers?
What thirsty valley but you gave it to drink?
مازالَ لِلصارِخِ المُعلي عِقيرَتَهُ
غَوثٌ مِنَ الغَوثِ تَحتَ الحادِثِ الجَلَلِ
Ever the desperate caller finds with you
Succor against dreadful, momentous events,
مِن كُلِّ أَبيَضَ يَجلو مِنهُ سائِلُهُ
خَدّاً أَسيلاً بِهِ خَدٌّ مِنَ الأَسَلِ
From every shining white face its seeker derives
A cheek, and from it a cheek of the beautiful gazelle,
