بُدِّلَت عَبرَةً مِنَ الإيماضِ
يَومَ شَدّوا الرِحالَ بِالأَغراضِ
My tears changed to suppression
The day they set out with their luggage
أَعرَضَت بُرهَةً لَمّا أَحَسَّت
بِالنَوى أَعرَضَت عَنِ الإِعراضِ
She turned away for a while when she felt
The intention - she turned away from ignoring
غَصَبَتها نَحيبَها عَزَماتٌ
غَصَبَتني تَصَبُّري وَاِغتِماضي
Her weeping was suppressed by determinations
My composure and worry were forced upon me
نَظَرَت فَاِلتَفَتُّ مِنها إِلى أَح
لى سَوادٍ رَأَيتُهُ في بَياضِ
She looked, so I turned from her to the most
Beautiful darkness I saw in her radiance
يَومَ وَلَّت مَريضَةَ اللَحظِ وَالجَف
نِ وَلَيسَت دُموعُها بِمِراضِ
The day the sick glance and eyelid departed
Her tears were not from illness
إِنَّ خَيراً مِمّا رَأَيتُ مِنَ الصَف
حِ عَنِ النائِباتِ وَالإِغماضِ
Better than what I saw withdrawing
From misfortunes and ignoring
غُربَةٌ تَقتَدي بِغُربَةِ قَيسِ ب
نِ زُهَيرٍ وَالحارِثِ بنِ مُضاضِ
A stranger emulating the strangeness of Qais
Ibn Zuhair and Al-Harith ibn Mudar
غَرَضا نَكبَتَينِ ما فَتَلا رَأ
ياً فَخافا عَلَيهِ نَكثَ اِنتِقاضِ
Two setbacks almost made me stumble and fall
Fearing they would break my resolve
مَن أَبَنَّ البُيوتَ أَصبَحَ في ثَو
بٍ مِنَ العَيشِ لَيسَ بِالفَضفاضِ
Whoever abandoned homes woke up
In shreds of life not luxurious rags
وَالفَتى مَن تَعَرَّقَتهُ اللَيالي
وَالفَيافي كَالحَيَّةِ النَضناضِ
And the gallant whom the nights exhausted
Like the molting serpent's skin
صَلَتانٌ أَعداؤُهُ حَيثُ حَلّوا
في حَديثٍ مِن عَزمِهِ مُستَفاضِ
Two prayers: wherever his enemies settled
Speaking of his resolute determination
كُلَّ يَومٍ لَهُ بِصَرفِ اللَيالي
فَتكَةٌ مِثلُ فَتكَةِ البَرّاضِ
Each day in the passing of nights
He has a blow like the violent warrior's
وَإِلى أَحمَدٍ نَقَضتُ عُرا العَج
زِ بِوَخدِ السَواهِمِ الأَنقاضِ
And unto Ahmed I destroyed the handicaps of incapacity
With the cheeks of spears in ruins
فَكَأَنّي لَمّا حَطَطتُ إِلَيهِ الرَ
حلَ أَطلَقتُ حاجَتي مِن إِباضِ
As if, when I arrived to him, I released
My need from suppression
حَلَّ في البَيتِ مِن إِيادٍ إِذا عُدَّ
ت وَفي المَنصِبِ الطُوالِ العُراضِ
He settled in the house, when counted, among the generous
And in high enduring positions
مَعشَرٌ أَصبَحوا حُصونَ المَعالي
وَدُروعَ الأَحسابِ وَالأَعراضِ
A group who became fortresses of glory
And shields of reputations and honors
بِكَ عادَ النِضالُ دونَ المَساعي
وَاِهتَدَينَ النِبالُ لِلأَغراضِ
Through you, strife returned minus efforts
And arrows found their targets
وَغَدَت أَسهُمُ القَبائِلِ أَيقا
ظاً وَكانَت قَد نُوِّمَت في الوِفاضِ
And the tribes' spears awoke
When they were dormant in the scabbards
عادَتِ المَكرُماتُ بُزلاً وَكانَت
أُدخِلَت بَينَها بَناتُ مَخاضِ
The generous deeds returned in force and
The pretenders were introduced among them
كَم ظَلامٍ عَنِ العُلى قَد تَجَلّى
بِكَ وَالمَكرُماتُ عَنكَ رَواضِ
How much darkness about loftiness was illuminated
By you, and generous deeds are your meadows
أَيُّ ذي سُدَدٍ يُناويكَ فيهِ
ظالِماً وَالنَدى بِذَلِكَ قاضِ
What sane person intends to wrong you
When the dew itself prevents injustice?
كَم مَعانٍ وَشَّيتُها فيكَ قَد أَم
سَت وَأَصبَحَت ضَرائِراً لِلرِياضِ
How many meanings I suggested in you
Became properties of gardens
بِقَوافٍ هِيَ البَواقي عَلى الدَه
رِ وَلَكِن أَثمانُهُنَّ مَواضِ
With faces that are ruins over time
Yet their prices are meadows
ما أُبالي بَعدَ اِنبِساطِكَ بِالمَعرو
فِ مَن كانَ مِنهُمُ ذا اِنقِباضِ
After you were liberal with the renowned
I don't care who among them recoiled
أَنتَ لي مَعقِلٌ مِنَ الدَهرِ إِن را
بَ بِرَيبٍ أَو حادِثٍ مَضّاضِ
You are for me a fortress from time
If it was disturbed by doubt or distress
ما شَدَدتُ الأَوذامَ في عُقَدِ الأَك
رابِ حَتّى وَرَدتُ مِلءَ الحِياضِ
I did not tie the tent ropes in the
Encampment of nomads until I filled the meadows
أَنتَ أَمضى مِن أَن تَصُدَّ عَنِ الرَم
يِ إِذا ما جَدَدتَ في الإِنباضِ
You are too resolute to bar the spear
If you renew the charge
وَإِذا المَجدُ كانَ عَوني عَلى المَر
ءِ تَقاضَيتُهُ بِتَركِ التَقاضي
And when glory was my aid against
A person, I took its payment by not asking payment
