أَلَم يَأنِ أَن تَروى الظِماءُ الحَوائِمُ
وَأَن يَنظِمَ الشَملَ المُشَتَّتَ ناظِمُ
Has not the time come for the thirsty to be watered,
And the scattered flock to be brought together by the herder?
لَئِن أَرقَأَ الدَمعَ الغَيورُ وَقَد جَرى
لَقَد رَوِيَت مِنهُ خُدودٌ نَواعِمُ
If tears have flowed from the zealous, though they have flowed,
Yet soft cheeks have been watered by them.
لَقَد كانَ يَنسى عَهدَ ظَمياءَ بِاللِوى
وَلَكِن أَمَلَّتهُ عَلَيهِ الحَمائِمُ
He would forget the pact with the thirsty at the water-skins,
But the doves reminded him of it upon themselves.
بَعَثنَ الهَوى في قَلبِ مَن لَيسَ هائِماً
فَقُل في فُؤادٍ رُعنَهُ وَهوَ هائِمُ
Passion awakened in the heart of one not passionate,
So say in the breast smitten by it, while it is passionate:
لَها نَغَمٌ لَيسَت دُموعاً فَإِن عَلَت
مَضَت حَيثُ لا تَمضي الدُموعُ السَواجِمُ
It has a melody – no tears - so if elevated tones sound,
They have gone where tears cannot go, hastening.
أَما وَأَبيها لَو رَأَتني لَأَيقَنَت
بِطولِ جَوىً يَنفَضُّ مِنهُ الحَيازِمُ
By my father, were she to see me, she would be certain
Of long passion from which resolution wavers.
رَأَت قَسَماتٍ قَد تَقَسَّمَ نَضرَها
سُرى اللَيلِ وَالإِسآدُ فَهيَ سَواهِمُ
She saw charms which gained their radiance from her,
The twilight of night and the gloaming are her fellow revellers.
وَتَلويحَ أَجسامٍ تَصَدَّعُ تَحتَها
قُلوبٌ رِياحُ الشَوقِ فيها سَمائِمُ
And the waving of bodies beneath which
Are hearts in which the winds of passion are tempests.
يَنالُ الفَتى مِن عَيشِهِ وَهوَ جاهِلٌ
وَيُكوي الفَتى في دَهرِهِ وَهوَ عالِمُ
The youth gains from his life while still ignorant,
And the youth is branded in his time while learned.
وَلَو كانَتِ الأَرزاقُ تَجري عَلى الحِجا
هَلَكنَ إِذَن مِن جَهلِهِنَّ البَهائِمُ
If livelihoods flowed to the needy,
Then the ignorant beasts would certainly perish for their ignorance.
جَزى اللَهُ كَفّاً مِلؤُها مِن سَعادَةٍ
سَعَت في هَلاكِ المالِ وَالمالُ نائِمُ
May God reward a hand filled with happiness
Which was generous in destroying wealth while the money slept.
فَلَم يَجتَمِع شَرقٌ وَغَربٌ لِقاصِدٍ
وَلا المَجدُ في كَفِّ اِمرِئٍ وَالدَراهِمُ
East and West have not been brought together for one who seeks,
Nor glory in the hand of any man along with coins.
وَلَم أَرَ كَالمَعروفِ تُدعى حُقوقُهُ
مَغارِمَ في الأَقوامِ وَهيَ مَغانِمُ
I have not seen rights called for good deeds
To be losses among people while they are spoils.
وَلا كَالعُلى ما لَم يُرَ الشِعرُ بَينَها
فَكَالأَرضِ غُفلاً لَيسَ فيها مَعالِمُ
Nor heights unless poetry saw among them,
Like the land in blindness with no landmarks.
وَما هُوَ إِلّا القَولُ يَسري فَتَغتَدي
لَهُ غُرَرٌ في أَوجُهٍ وَمَواسِمُ
It is but words flowing wantonly,
Having deceptions in faces and seasons.
يُرى حِكمَةً ما فيهِ وَهوَ فُكاهَةٌ
وَيُقضي بِما يَقضي بِهِ وَهوَ ظالِمُ
Deemed wisdom though there is none in it, while it is jest,
And judges with what it judges while it is unjust.
إِلى أَحمَدَ المَحمودِ رامَت بِنا السُرى
نَواعِبُ في عَرضِ الفَلا وَرَواسِمُ
To Ahmad the praiseworthy our companions have inclined,
Does gently in the open space of the plain and headlands too,
خَوانِفُ يَظلِمنَ الظَليمَ إِذا عَدا
وَسيجَ أَبيهِ وَهوَ لِلبَرقِ شائِمُ
Protective friends who wrong the wrongdoer when he transgresses,
And guard his father’s horse from lightning that threatens.
نَجائِبُ قَد كانَت نَعائِمَ مَرَّةً
مِنَ المَرِّ أَو أُمَّهاتُهُنَّ نَعائِمُ
Beauties who were once beautiful, whether from bitterness
Or their mothers were beautiful.
إِلى سالِمِ الأَخلاقِ مِن كُلِّ عائِبٍ
وَلَيسَ لَهُ مالٌ عَلى الجودِ سالِمُ
To Salim, good of manners, from every critic,
And he has no wealth over generosity that is safe.
جَديرٌ بِأَن لا يُصبِحَ المالُ عِندَهُ
جَديراً بِأَن يَبقى وَفي الأَرضِ غارِمُ
Worthwhile that money not be worthy to remain with him,
Worthwhile that it remain though he owe debts in the land.
وَلَيسَ بِبانٍ لِلعُلى خُلُقُ اِمرِئٍ
وَإِن جَلَّ وَهوَ لِلمالِ هادِمُ
It is not manifested to the heights by anyone’s behaviour
Though he be eminent and for money a destroyer.
لَهُ مِن إِيادٍ قِمَّةُ المَجدِ حَيثُما
سَمَت وَلَها مِنهُ البِنا وَالدَعائِمُ
From his support is the pinnacle of glory wherever
It occurred, and from him construction and pillars.
أُناسٌ إِذا راحوا إِلى الرَوعِ لَم تَرُح
مُسالِمَةً أَسيافُهُم وَالجَماجِمُ
A people, if they set out to frighten, their swords
Do not make peace, neither skulls.
بَنو كُلِّ مَشبوحِ الذِراعِ إِذا القَنا
ثَنَت أَذرُعَ الأَبطال وَهيَ مَعاصِمُ
Sons of every loose-sleeved, when swords clash,
The arms of heroes bend while they grip.
إِذا سَيفُهُ أَضحى عَلى الهامِ حاكِماً
غَدا العَفوُ مِنهُ وَهوَ في السَيفِ حاكِمُ
When his sword rules heads,
Pardoning issues from it while it rules the sword.
أَخَذتَ بِأَعضادِ العُرَيبِ وَقَد خَوَت
عُيونٌ كَليلاتٌ وَذَلَّت جَماجِمُ
You have grasped the shoulders of the noble Arab and eyes
Cast down, wearied, and skulls bowed.
فَأَضحوا لَوِ اِسطاعوا لِفَرطِ مَحَبَّةٍ
لَقَد عُلِّقَت خَوفاً عَلَيكَ التَمائِمُ
So that from intense love they have become,
If able, fearful charms hung upon you.
وَلَو عَلِمَ الشَيخانِ أُدٌّ وَيَعرُبٌ
لَسُرَّت إِذَن تِلكَ العِظامُ الرَمائِمُ
If Ud and Ya’rub perceived,
Those bleached bones would then happily stir.
تَلاقى بِكَ الحَيّانِ في كُلِّ مَحفَلٍ
جَليلٍ وَعاشَت في ذَراكَ العَماعِمُ
The living have met you in every
Majestic assembly and eagles lived in your islands.
تَدارَكهُ إِنَّ المَكرُماتِ أَصابِعٌ
وَإِنَّ حُلى الأَشعارِ فيها خَواتِمُ
It has reached you – surely favors are fingers –
And surely the adornments of poetry are rings in them.
إِذا أَنتَ لَم تَحفَظهُ لَم يَكُ بِدعَةً
وَلا عَجَباً أَن ضَيَّعَتهُ الأَعاجِمُ
If you do not preserve it, it would be no innovation
Nor wonder that the non-Arabs have wasted it.
فَقَد هَزَّ عِطفَيهِ القَريضُ تَوَقُّعاً
لِعَدلِكَ مُذ صارَت إِلَيكَ المَظالِمُ
So the train has waved its forearms hoping
For your justice since injustice came to you.
وَلَولا خِلالٌ سَنَّها الشِعرُ ما دَرى
بُغاةُ النَدى مِن أَينَ تُؤتى المَكارِمُ
If not for habits the poetry produced, the shirkers
Of dew would not know whence nobility comes.
