بَوَّأتُ رَحلي في المَرادِ المُبقِلِ
فَرَتَعتُ في إِثرِ الغَمامِ المُسبِلِ
I pitched my tent in the withering meadow
And grazed in the wake of the pouring clouds
مَن مُبلِغٌ أَفناءَ يَعرُبَ كُلَّها
أَنّي اِبتَنَيتُ الجارَ قَبلَ المَنزِلِ
Who will convey to the Bedouin encampments
That I built my neighbor before my house
وَأَخَذتُ بِالطِوَلِ الَّذي لَم يَنصَرِم
ثِنياهُ وَالعَقدُ الَّذي لَم يُحلَلِ
And held fast to enduring covenants
Unraveling neither their knots nor twine
هَتَكَ الظَلامَ أَبو الوَليدِ بِغُرَّةٍ
فَتَحَت لَنا بابَ الرَجاءِ المُقفَلِ
Abu al-Walid rent the darkness with a raid
Opening for us the door of hope shut fast
بِأَتَمَّ مِن قَمَرِ السَماءِ وَإِن بَدا
بَدراً وَأَحسَنَ في العُيونِ وَأَجمَلِ
More perfect than the moon in the heavens though it appears
A full moon, most beautiful in the eyes and most glorious
وَأَجَلَّ مِن قُسٍّ إِذا اِستَنطَقتَهُ
رَأياً وَأَلطَفَ في الأُمورِ وَأَجزَلِ
Wiser than an old spear when you seek its counsel
In judgment, gentlest in affairs and most generous
شَرخٌ مِنَ الشَرَفِ المُنيفِ يَهُزُّهُ
هَزَّ الصَفيحَةِ شَرخُ عُمرٍ مُقبِلِ
A crack of highborn nobility that shakes it
Like the crack of an imminent earthquake shakes a platter
فَاِسلَم لِجِدَّةِ سُؤدُدٍ مُستَقبَلٍ
أُنُفٍ وَبُردِ شَبيبَةٍ مُستَقبَلِ
So surrender to the severity of ensuing epochs
And the coldness of approaching youth
كَم أَدَّتِ الأَيّامُ مِن حَدَثٍ كَفَت
أَيّامُهُ حَدَثَ الزَمانِ المُعضِلِ
How many events has time concealed
That his days concealed the riddles of time
لِلمَحلِ يَكشِفُهُ وَلَم يَبعَل بِهِ
وَالثِقلُ يَحمِلُهُ وَلَيسَ بِمُثقَلِ
Bearing but not burdened with position
And bearing the weight but not weighed down
وَالخَطبُ أُمَّت مِنكَ أُمُّ دِماغِهِ
بِالقُلَّبِ الماضي الجَنانِ الحُوَّلِ
From you, the affairs of the nation took
The mother of rationality, the fickle soul
وَمَقامَةٍ نَبلُ الكَلامِ سِلاحُها
لِلقَولِ فيها غَمرَةٌ لا تَنجَلي
And a sermon whose eloquence arms it
With words immersed in ceaseless waves
قَولٌ تَظَلُّ مُتونُهُ مُنهَلَّةً
سَمَّينِ بَينَ مُقَشَّبٍ وَمُثَمَّلِ
A discourse whose texts remain saturated
Lush, between desiccated and decayed
فَرَّجتَ ظُلمَتَها بِخُطبَةِ فَيصَلٍ
مَثَلٌ لَها في الرَوعِ طَعنَةُ فَيصَلِ
You burst its darkness with the sermon of reconciliation
A stab like the one from the sword of reconciliation
