إِنَّ عَهداً لَو تَعلَمانِ ذَميما

أَن تَناما عَن لَيلَتي أَو تُنيما

If you knew of a promise, however trivial,

To let me sleep one night or make me drowsy,

كُنتُ أَرعى البُدورَ حَتّى إِذا ما

فارَقوني أَمسَيتُ أَرعى النُجوما

I would tend flocks till, when they left me,

I tended the stars at nightfall.

قَد مَرَرنا بِالدارِ وَهيَ خَلاءٌ

وَبَكَينا طُلولَها وَالرُسوما

We passed by the abode, now empty,

And wept for its vestiges and graven marks,

وَسَأَلنا رُبوعَها فَاِنصَرَفنا

بِسَقامٍ وَما سَأَلنا حَكيما

And asked of its pastures, turning away

Sickened, nor asked of a wise man.

أَصبَحَت رَوضَةُ الشَبابِ هَشيماً

وَغَدَت ريحُهُ البَليلُ سَموما

The meadow of youth lies broken,

Its zephyr is now but poisonous fumes;

شُعلَةٌ في المَفارِقِ اِستَودَعَتني

في صَميمِ الفُؤادِ ثُكلاً صَميما

A flame in parting was entrusted in the core

Of my heart with a burning, searing grief.

تَستَثيرُ الهُمومُ ما اِكتَنَّ مِنها

صُعُداً وَهيَ تَستَثيرُ الهُموما

Cares arouse what they harbored of themselves-

Ascents-and they arouse cares.

غُرَّةٌ بُهمَةٌ أَلا إِنَّما كُن

تُ أَغَرّاً أَيّامَ كُنتُ بَهيما

Deluded, foolish soul! Truly, you were only

A fool in the days you were ignorant.

دِقَّةٌ في الحَياةِ تُدعى جَلالاً

مِثلَما سُمِّيَ اللَديغُ سَليما

A subtlety in life called majesty

As the vicious is named virtuous.

حَلَّمَتني زَعَمتُم وَأَراني

قَبلَ هَذا التَحليمِ كُنتُ حَليما

You claimed that I was forebearing, and I see

Myself before that forebearance patient.

مَن رَأى بارِقاً سَرى صامِتِيّاً

جادَ نَجداً سُهولَها وَالحُزوما

One who saw lightning stride silent

Across the plateau of Najd and its sand hills,

يوسُفِيّاً مُحَمَّدِيّاً حَفِيّاً

بِذَليلِ الثَرى رَؤوفاً رَحيما

One Joseph, one Muhammad, one vigilant

With the outcast vile, compassionate, tender,

فَسَقى طَيِّئاً وَكَلباً وَدودا

نَ وَقَيساً وَوائِلاً وَتَميما

Who gave drink to Tay, to Kalb, to Dowd,

To Na and Qais and Wail and Temim,

لَن يَنالَ العُلى خُصوصاً مِنَ الفِت

يانِ مَن لَم يَكُن نَداهُ عُموما

None attains glory, especially of youths

Unless his help embraces all.

نَشَأَت مِن يَمينِهِ نَفَحاتٌ

ما عَلَيها أَلّا تَكونَ غُيوما

From his right hand blows issued

Which it was not theirs to be clouds,

أَلبَسَت نَجداً الصَنائِعَ لا شي

حاً وَلا جَنبَةً وَلا قَيصوما

Clothing Najd in the skilled work, not coarse

Filigree nor embroidered gowns;

كَرُمَت راحَتاهُ في أَزَماتٍ

كانَ صَوبُ الغَمامِ فيها لَئيما

Who spared his rest in wars

When toward the clouds their temper was mean:

لا رُزَيناهُ ما أَلَذَّ إِذا هُزَّ

وَأَندى كَفّاً وَأَكرَمَ خيما

We enjoyed him not so much as when he shook

And his palm sweated and he honored tents;

وَجَّهَ العيسَ وَهيَ عيسٌ إِلى اللَ

هِ فَآلَت مِثلَ القِسِيِّ حَطيم

He turned Jesus,-and Jesus unto God-

So he became as fragments of potsherds;

وَأَحَقُّ الأَقوامِ أَن يَقضِيَ الدَي

نَ ثُمَّ لَمّا عَلاهُ صارَ أَديما

The most entitled of men to settle the debt

Then, towering over it, lasting;

لَم يُحَدِّث نَفساً بِمَكَّةَ حَتّى

جازَتِ الكَهفَ خَيلُهُ وَالرَقيما

His soul spoke not of Mecca till his steeds

And archers pierced the cave and Raqim;

حَرَمُ الدينِ زارَهُ بَعدَ أَن لَم

يُبقِ لِلكُفرِ وَالضَلالِ حَريما

The sanctuary after the Din was intact

Left not for unbelief or misguidance inviolate;

حينَ عَفّى مَقامَ إِبليسَ سامَي

بِالمَطايا مَقامَ إِبراهيما

When he pardoned the place of Iblis the accursed

With horses he made the place of Abraham sublime;

حَطَمَ الشِركَ حَطمَةً ذَكَّرَتهُ

في دُجى اللَيلِ زَمزَماً وَالحَطيما

He broke idolatry with a breaking that reminded him

In the darkness of night of Zamzam and the rubble;

فاضَ فَيضَ الأَتِيِّ حَتّى غَدا المَو

سِمُ مِن فَضلِ سَيبِهِ مَوسوما

So the grace of the Giver overflowed till the swords

From his bounty were patterned.

قَد بَلَونا أَبا سَعيدٍ حَديثاً

وَبَلَونا أَبا سَعيدٍ قَديما

We made trial of Abu Sa'id recent

And made trial of Abu Sa'id of old,

وَوَرَدناهُ ساحِلاً وَقَليباً

وَرَعَيناهُ بارِضاً وَجَميما

And we knew him barren and fertile

And knew him friendly and ungracious

فَعَلِمنا أَن لَيسَ إِلّا بِشِقِّ الن

نَفسِ صارَ الكَريمُ يُدعى كَريما

So we knew that only by the rending of selves

Is one named generous made generous

طَلَبُ المَجدِ يورِثُ المَرءَ خَبلاً

وَهُموماً تُقَضقِضُ الحَيزوما

Seeking glory leaves one confused

And with cares that fracture the mind;

فَتَراهُ وَهوَ الخَلِيُّ شَجِيّاً

وَتَراهُ وَهوَ الصَحيحُ سَقيما

You see him sound yet fractured

And see him well yet ill

تَجِدُ المَجدَ في البَرِيَّةِ مَنثو

راً وَتَلقاهُ عِندَهُ مَنظوما

You find glory in the wilderness like

Scattered clouds and receive it by him patterned

تَيَّمَتهُ العُلى فَلَيسَ يَعُدُّ ال

بُؤسَ بُؤساً وَلا النَعيمَ نَعيما

The sublime cloaked him so he counts not misery

Misery nor comfort comfort

وَتُؤامُ النَدى يُري الكَرَمَ الفا

رِدَ في أَكثَرِ المَواطِنِ لوما

The dew of bounty shows generosity solitary

In most places blamed

كُلَّما زُرتُهُ وَجَدتُ لَدَيهِ

نَسَباً ظاعِناً وَمَجداً مُقيما

Whenever I visited him I found by him

A pedigree decayed and lasting glory

أَجدَرُ الناسِ أَن يُرى وَهوَ مَغبو

نٌ وَهَيهاتَ أَن يُرى مَظلوما

Most deserving are men seen destitute;

Never can he be seen wronged

كُلُّ حالٍ تَلقاهُ فيها وَلَكِن

لَيسَ يُلقى في حالَةٍ مَذموما

Every state you meet him in, only

He cannot be met in a state condemned

وَإِذا كانَ عارِضُ المَوتِ سَحّاً

خَضِلاً بِالرَدى أَجَشَّ هَزيما

And if the encounter of death was inclining

To vile infidelity, it bolted disordered

في ضِرامٍ مِنَ الوَغى وَاِشتِعالٍ

تَحسَبُ الجَوَّ مِنهُما مَهموما

In the fray and fires, you'd think the atmosphere

Gloomy from both care and smoke

وَاِكتَسَت ضُمَّرُ الجِيادِ المَذاكي

مِن لِباسِ الهَيجا دَماً وَحَميما

The withers of chargers anointed with wars

Soaked the raiment of valor with blood and pus

في مَكَرٍّ تَلوكُها الحَربُ فيهِ

وَهيَ مُقَوَّرَةٌ تَلوكُ الشَكيما

In stratagems the war there chewed them

And it chewed the shoulders' bone

قُمتَ فيها بِحُجَّةِ اللَهِ لَمّا

أَن جَعَلتَ السُيوفَ عَنكَ خُصوما

You rose in it by the authority of God when

You made the swords disputing you adversaries

فَتَحَ اللَهُ في اللِواءَ لَكَ الخا

فِقِ يَومَ الإِثنَينِ فَتحاً عَظيما

God opened victory in the banner for you

On Monday an opening sublime

حَوَّمَتهُ ريحُ الجَنوبِ وَلَن يُح

مَدَ صَيدُ الشاهينَ حَتّى يَحوما

The south wind besieged it, and the falcon's prey

Shall not be underestimated till it swoops down;

في عَذاةٍ مَهضوبَةٍ كانَ فيها

ناضِرُ الرَوضِ لِلسَحابِ نَديما

In a punishment flogged that had in it

The freshness of meadow for clouds a boon friend

لُيِّنَت مُزنُها فَكانَت رِهاماً

وَسَجَت ريحُها فَكانَت نَسيما

Its roughness was softened so it was pliant

And its wind subsided so it was gentle

نِعمَةُ اللَهِ فيكَ لا أَسأَلُ اللَ

هَ إِلَيها نُعمى سِوى أَن تَدوما

God's blessing upon you-I ask not God

For blessings other than it should endure

وَلَو أَنّي فَعَلتُ كُنتُ كَمَن يَس

أَلُهُ وَهوَ قائِمٌ أَن يَقوما

Had I done so I would be like one asking Him

Standing to stand