تَصَدَّت وَحَبلُ البَينِ مُستَحصِدٌ شَزرُ

وَقَد سَهَّلَ التَوديعُ ما وَعَّرَ الهَجرُ

She turned away while the rope of separation harvests sparks,

And parting has eased what remoteness complicated.

بَكَتهُ بِما أَبكَتهُ أَيّامَ صَدرُها

خَلِيٌّ وَما يَخلو لَهُ مِن هَوىً صَدرُ

She wept for what made her weep in the days of her prime,

While my heart is empty, devoid of love for anyone else.

وَقالَت أَتَنسى البَدرَ قُلتُ تَجَلُّداً

إِذا الشَمسُ لَم تَغرُب فَلا طَلَعَ البَدرُ

She said, “Can you forget the full moon?” I said, being stoic,

“As long as the sun doesn’t set, the full moon won’t rise.”

فَأَذرَت جُماناً مِن دُموعٍ نِظامُها

عَلى الصَدرِ إِلّا أَنَّ صائِغَها الشَفرُ

So she shed copious tears, strung together,

Pouring on her chest, except their pouring is done by the eyelids.

وَما الدَمعُ ثانٍ عَزمَتي وَلَوَ اَنَّها

سَقى خَدَّها مِن كُلِّ عَينٍ لَها نَهرُ

And shedding more tears was not my intention, even if

Every eye of hers were to water her cheek into a river.

جَمَعتُ شَعاعَ الرَأيِ ثُمَّ وَسَمتُهُ

بِحَزمٍ لَهُ في كُلِّ مُظلِمَةٍ فَجرُ

I gathered the rays of perception and branded it

With resolve that gives light in every dark place.

وَصارَعتُ عَن مِصرٍ رَجائي وَلَم يَكُن

لِيَصرَعَ عَزمي غَيرَ ما صَرَعَت مِصرُ

I struggled to fulfill my hope but nothing could defeat

My resolve other than what Egypt itself defeated.

فَطَحطَحتُ سَدّاً سَدُّ ياجوجَ دونَهُ

مِنَ الهَمِّ لَم يُفرَغ عَلى زُبرِهِ قِطرُ

So I became a barrier, blocking Gog and Magog,

With worries whose drops never cease flooding its dam.

بِذِعلِبَةٍ أَلوى بِوافِرِ نَحضِها

فَتىً وافِرُ الأَخلاقِ لَيسَ لَهُ وَفرُ

With a brave she-camel bucking mightily,

A generous gallant man who has no defect.

فَكَم مَهمَهٍ قَفرٍ تَعَشَّقتُ مَتنَهُ

عَلى مَتنِها وَالبَرُّ مِن آلِهِ بَحرُ

So I fancied many barren lands I walked on their backs

While the land is a sea and its people are the land.

وَما القَفرُ بِالبيدِ القَواءِ بَل الَّتي

نَبَت بي وَفيها ساكِنوها هِيَ القَفرُ

The barren land is not with sturdy pegs. But the land that grew

Me and whose dwellers grew in it, that is the barren land.

وَمَن قامَرَ الأَيّامَ عَن ثَمراتِها

فَأَحجِ بِها أَن تَنجَلي وَلَها القَمرُ

Whoever gambles with days against their gains

I fear for it to be unveiled while it owns the moon.

فَإِن كانَ ذَنبي أَنَّ أَحسَنَ مَطلَبي

أَساءَ فَفي سوءِ القَضاءِ لِيَ العُذرُ

If my sin was that my best interests went wrong,

Then the blame is on the misfortune of fate, I have an excuse.

قَضاءِ الَّذي ما زالَ في يَدِهِ الغِنى

ثَنى غَربَ آمالي وَفي يَدِيَ الفَقرُ

Fate which wealth never ceased to be in its hands

Has folded my hopes while poverty remains in my hands.

رَضيتُ وَهَل أَرضى إِذا كانَ مُسخِطي

مِنَ الأَمرِ ما فيهِ رِضا مَن لَهُ الأَمرُ

I accepted it - could I be pleased if the one discontent with me

In the matter is the one whose pleasure matters the most?

وَأَشجَيتُ أَيّامي بِصَبرٍ جَلَونَ لي

عَواقِبَهُ وَالصَبرُ مِثلُ اِسمِهِ صَبرُ

And I endured my days with composed patience that

Bore good consequences, and patience is true to its name.

أَبى لِيَ نَجرُ الغَوثِ أَن أَرأَمَ الَّتي

أُسَبُّ بِها وَالنَجرُ يُشبِهُهُ النَجرُ

The rivers of aid refused to let me pasture on what

I disparage, and the act of refusal resembles the rivers.

وَهَل خابَ مَن جِذماهُ في ضَنءِ طَيِّئٍ

عَدِيُّ العَدِيّينَ القَلَمَّسُ أَو عَمرُو

How disappointed can one be who gathered in the grasps of Tayyi’

‘Adiyy the most generous, or ‘Amr?

لَنا غُرَرٌ زَيدِيَّةٌ أُدَدِيَّةٌ

إِذا نَجَمَت ذَلَّت لَها الأَنجُمُ الزُهرُ

We have charms - Zaydi, Udaidi -

When they shine, even the bright stars submit to them.

لَنا جَوهَرٌ لَو خالَطَ الأَرضَ أَصبَحَت

وَبُطنانُها مِنهُ وَظُهرانُها تِبرُ

We have a gem - if it mixed with earth it would become

Its insides and outsides - nothing but dust.

جَديلَةُ وَالغَوثُ اللَذَينِ إِلَيهِما

صَغَت أُذُنٌ لِلمَجدِ لَيسَ بِها وَقرُ

Jadilah and Al-Gawth to whom an ear attentive

To glory inclines, while in it there is no tranquility.

مَقاماتُنا وَقفٌ عَلى الحِلمِ وَالحِجى

فَأَمرَدُنا كَهلٌ وَأَشيَبُنا حَبرُ

Our positions are a standstill upon wisdom and argument -

So our elders have grown old and our youths turned grey.

أَلَنّا الأَكُفَّ بِالعَطاءِ فَجاوَزَت

مَدى اللينِ إِلّا أَنَّ أَعراضَنا الصَخرُ

We are soft in giving so our gentleness exceeded

The extent of gentleness, except our manner is rock solid.

كَأَنَّ عَطايانا يُناسِبنَ مَن أَتى

وَلا نَسَبٌ يُدنيهِ مِنّا وَلا صِهرُ

Our gifts seem to suit whoever came to us

While no lineage brings them close to us, nor in-laws.

إِذا زينَةُ الدُنيا مِنَ المالِ أَعرَضَت

فَأَزيَنُ مِنها عِندَنا الحَمدُ وَالشُكرُ

If the adornment of life with wealth turned away

The finest adornment with us is praise and gratitude.

وُكورُ اليَتامى في السِنينَ فَمَن نَبا

بِفَرخٍ لَهُ وَكرٌ فَنَحنُ لَهُ وَكرُ

The nests of orphans in the years - so whoever mews

For a chick that has a nest, we are for it a nest.

أَبى قَدرُنا في الجودِ إِلّا نَباهَةً

فَلَيسَ لِمالٍ عِندَنا أَبَداً قَدرُ

Our fate in generosity refused to be anything but glorious

So wealth has never had any significance for us.

لِيُنجِح بِجودٍ مَن أَرادَ فَإِنَّهُ

عَوانٌ لِهَذا الناسِ وَهوَ لَنا بِكرُ

Whoever wants to succeed through generosity, it

Is a helper for people, and for us it is an early mark.

جَرى حاتِمٌ في حَلبَةٍ مِنهُ لَو جَرى

بِها القَطرُ شَأواً قيلَ أَيُّهُما القَطرُ

Hatem competed in an arena - if the rain competed

Therein, it would be said which of the two is the rain?

فَتىً دَخَرَ الدُنيا أُناسٌ وَلَم يَزَل

لَها باذِلاً فَاِنظُر لِمَن بَقِيَ الذُخرُ

A gallant man, people hoarded the life while he

Kept giving it away - so see for whom the treasures remained!

فَمَن شاءَ فَليَفخَر بِما شاءَ مِن نَدىً

فَلَيسَ لِحَيٍّ غَيرَنا ذَلِكَ الفَخرُ

Whoever wishes, let him take pride in whatever he wishes,

For no clan other than us has that pride.

جَمَعنا العُلى بِالجودِ بَعدَ اِفتِراقِها

إِلَينا كَما الأَيّامُ يَجمَعُها الشَهرُ

We gathered the heights and generosity after their separation

To us, as the days are gathered into months.

بِنَجدَتِنا أَلقَت بِنَجدٍ بَعاعَها

سَحابُ المَنايا وَهيَ مُظلِمَةً كُدرُ

With our aid, the clouds of death cast their lightning in aid

While gloomy - it is our aid that cleared them.

بِكُلِّ كَمِيٍّ نَحرُهُ غَرَضُ القَنا

إِذا اِضطَمَرَ الأَحشاءُ وَاِنتَفَخَ السَحرُ

With every brave warrior charging his throat as prey

When bellies are inflamed and dawn approaches.

فَأَعجِب بِهِ يَهدي إِلى المَوتِ نَحرَهُ

وَأَعجَبُ مِنهُ كَيفَ يَبقى لَهُ نَحرُ

Be amazed - he guides his throat to death,

And more amazing - how does his throat remain for him?

يُشَيِّعُهُ أَبناءُ مَوتٍ إِلى الوَغى

يُشَيِّعُهُم صَبرٌ يُشَيِّعُهُ نَصرُ

He is seen off by the sons of death to the battlefield

Patience sees him off, victory sees him off.

كُماةٌ إِذا ظَلَّ الكُماةُ بِمَعرِكٍ

وَأَرماحُهُم حُمرٌ وَأَلوانُهُم صُفرُ

Archers - when the archers shaded the battlefield

Their spears red, their faces yellow.

رَأَيتَ لَهُم بِشراً عَلى أَوجُهٍ لَهُم

أَبى بَأسُهُم أَلّا يَكونَ لَها بِشرُ

You saw them with good tidings on faces that

Refused through their might to have other than good tidings.

بِخَيلٍ لِزَيدِ الخَيلِ فيها فَوارِسٌ

إِذا نَطَقوا في مَشهَدٍ خَرِسَ الدَهرُ

With horses exceeding horses - so many horsemen

That when they speak in dignity, even eternity falls silent.

عَلى كُلِّ طِرفٍ يَحسُرُ الطَرفَ سابِحٍ

وَسابِحَةٍ لَكِن سِباحَتُها الحُضرُ

On every edge, eyes squint at the sight of warriors

Swimming, though their swimming is but sitting aback.

طَوى بَطنَها الإِسآدُ حَتّى لَوَ اَنَّهُ

بَدا لَكَ ما شَكَّكتَ في أَنَّهُ ظَهرُ

Its belly is folded by the saddlecloth as though

Exposed, you would doubt that it is truly its back.

ضَبيبِيَّةٌ ما إِن تُحَدِّثُ أَنفُساً

بِما خَلفَها ما دامَ قُدّامَها وِترُ

My she-camel, when it narrates what came behind

As long as what’s ahead remains, the lute falls silent.

فَإِن ذَمَّتِ الأَعداءُ سوءَ صَباحِها

فَلَيسَ يُؤَدّي شُكرَها الذِئبُ وَالنَسرُ

If enemies blamed its terrible morning

Neither the wolf nor the eagle can pay its dues of gratitude.

بِها عَرَفَت أَقدارَها بَعدَ جَهلِها

بِأَقدارِها قَيسُ بنُ عَيلانَ وَالفِزرُ

Through it, the Aqdar knew their worth after ignorance

Of it - Qays bin ‘Ailan and Al-Fizar.

وَتَغلِبُ لاقَت غالِباً كُلَّ غالِبٍ

وَبَكرٌ فَأَلفَت حَربَنا بازِلاً بَكرُ

Taghlib met a vanquisher - every vanquisher,

And Bakr, so it befriended our war turned feeble, Bakr.

وَأَنتَ خَبيرٌ كَيفَ أَبقَت أُسودُنا

بَني أَسَدٍ إِن كانَ يَنفَعُكَ الخُبرُ

And you are well aware how our lions kept

The clan of Asad - if knowing benefits you.

وَقِسمَتُنا الضيزى بِنَجدٍ وَأَرضِها

لَنا خُطوَةٌ في عَرضِها وَلَهُم فِترُ

And we divided Al-Dhizya in aid and its land -

For us a foothold in its breadth, while for them frustration.

مَساعٍ يَضِلُّ الشِعرُ في طُرقِ وَصفِها

فَما يَهتَدي إِلّا لِأَصغَرِها الشِعرُ

An ear loses its way in describing its routes

So none is guided to it but the smallest ear of corn.