صَدَعَ الخَليطُ فَشاقَني أَجواري
وَنَأَوكَ بَعدَ تَقارُبٍ وَمَزارِ
The fermented mixture broke me, my insides cracked
And you distanced, after closeness and pilgrimage
فَكَأَنَّما أَنا شارِبٌ جادَت لَهُ
بُصرى بِصافِيَةِ الأَديمِ عُقارِ
So it was as if I were drinking pure wine
Whose vision blinded my sight
صِرفٍ تَوارَثَتِ الأَعاجِمُ جَفنَها
وَحَماهُ حائِطُ عَوسَجٍ بِجِدارِ
Of lineage inherited blindness in their eyelids
And a rugged wall protected with a barrier
مِن مُسبِلٍ دَرَجَت عَلَيهِ عُيونُهُ
وَسَقاهُ عازِبُ جَدوَلٍ مَرّارِ
From a generous man, his eyes accustomed to grace
Quenched by a bachelor's fresh flowing bitter rivulet
حَتّى إِذا ما أَنضَجَتهُ شَمسُهُ
وَأَنى فَلَيسَ عُصارُهُ كَعُصارِ
Until when the sun ripened him
He came of age, yet his juice isn’t like other juices
وَتَفَصَّدَت مِن غَيرِ هَشٍّ عودُهُ
بالٍ وَلَيسَ بِحِصرِمٍ أَبكارِ
And his wood cracked without brittleness
Mature, not an adolescent just growing his first beard
وَتَجَرَّدَت بَعدَ الهَديرِ وَصَرَّحَت
صَهباءُ تَبدَأُ شَربَها بِفُتارِ
And it shed after tumult and became candid
An old flame beginning her drinking with embers
وَجداً بِرَملَةَ يَومَ شَرَّقَ أَهلُها
لِلغَمرِ أَو لِشَقائِقِ الأَذكارِ
And seriously, the day her people beamed
For the flood or for the pale morning glories
وَكَأَنَّ ظُعنَ الحَيِّ حائِشُ قَريَةٍ
داني الجِنايَةِ مونِعُ الأَثمارِ
It was as if the living community was devastated
Imminent in crime, preventing fruits
وَإِذا اِطَّلَعنَ مِنَ الخُدورِ لِحاجَةٍ
سُدَّ الخَصاصُ بِأَوجُهٍ أَحرارِ
And when they peeked from the rooms for a need
The bereaved closed with pale dignified faces
وَلَقَد حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ موسى جاهِداً
وَالبَيتِ ذي الحُرُماتِ وَالأَستارِ
And truly I swore by the Lord of Moses, struggling
By the sacrosanct house and its curtains
وَبِكُلِّ مُبتَهِلٍ عَلَيهِ مُسوحُهُ
دونَ السَماءِ مُسَبِّحٍ جَأَّرِ
And by all humble worshippers glorifying Him
Beneath the heavens with loud chanting
لَأُحَبِّرَن لِاِبنِ الخَليفَةِ مِدحَةً
وَلَأَقذِفَنَّ بِها إِلى الأَمصارِ
I shall versify praise for the Caliph’s son
And hurl it to all regions
قَرمٌ تَمَهَّلَ في أُمَيَّةَ لَم يَكُن
فيها بِذي أُبَنٍ وَلا خَوّارِ
A tribe lingered in Umayyah, among them
Were no people of insight or skill
نَبَتَت قَناتُكَ مِنهُمُ في أُسرَةٍ
بيضِ الوُجوهِ مَصالِتٍ أَخيارِ
Your ancestry sprouted among them in a family
Of bright faces, righteous and virtuous
جُهَراءُ بِالمَعروفِ حينَ تَراهُمُ
حُلَماءُ غَيرُ تَنابِلٍ أَشرارِ
Open with good when you see them
Wise, not conceitedly wicked
قَومٌ إِذا بَسَطَ الإِلَهُ رَبيعَهُم
جادَت رَحاهُ بِمُسبِلٍ دَرّارِ
A people - when God spreads their springtime
His mercy rains on them in a pouring stream
وَإِذا أُريدَ بِهِم عُقوبَةَ فاجِرٍ
مَطَرَت صَواعِقُهُم عَلَيهِ بِنارِ
And when punishment of a sinner is intended
Their lightning bolts strike him with fire
قَومٌ هُمُ نالوا التَمامَ وَأَزحَفَت
وَعَنهُ مَذارِعُ آخَرينَ قِصارِ
A people who attained completeness as others’
Fields of endeavor diminished small
وَأَبوكَ صاحِبُ يَومِ أَذرُحَ إِذ أَبى ال
حَكَمانِ غَيرَ تَهايُبٍ وَضِرارِ
And your father on the day of Adhruh when he refused
Any rule but openness and harm
لَمّا تُبُحِّثَتِ الضَغائِنُ بَينَهُم
أَفضى وَسارَ بِجَحفَلٍ جَرّارِ
When enmities stirred between them
He marched with a great army
وَأَهَلَّ إِذ غَنَطَ العَدُوَّ بِفَيلَقٍ
تَحتَ الأَشاءِ عَريضَةِ الآثارِ
And readied when the enemy took pride in regiments
Under banners spreading wide traces
حَتّى رَأَوهُ بِجَنبِ مَسكِنَ مُعلِماً
وَالخَيلُ جاذِيَةٌ عَلى الأَقتارِ
Until they saw him by the teacher’s dwelling
As the horses trampled the hills
وَلَقَد تَناوَلتَ القُعورَ بِضَربَةٍ
وَبَني أَبي بَكرٍ ذَوي الأَصهارِ
And you grasped the heights with one strike
And the clan of Abu Bakr, your in-laws
وَرِجالُ عَبدِ القَيسِ تَحتَ نُحورِها
كانوا لَها جَزَراً مِنَ الأَجزارِ
And Abd Al-Qays’s men beneath them
Were like prey for them from amongst the prey
وَعَلى خُزاعَةَ وَالسُكونِ تَعَطَّفَت
وَأَصابَهُم ظُفُرٌ مِنَ الأَظفارِ
And upon Khaza’ah and the stillness they turned
And were granted victory by some claws
وَالخَيلُ تَمشُقُ عَنهُمُ أَسلابَهُم
في كُلِّ مُعتَرَكٍ وَكُلِّ مُغارِ
As their horses tore away their garments
In each battleground and every cave
حَتّى إِذا عَلِمَ الإِلَهُ نَكالَهُ
وَتَصاغَروا لِلحَربِ أَيَّ صَغارِ
Until when God knew His vengeance
And they shrunk from war, how very small
حَقَنَ الدِماءَ وَرَدَّ أُلفَتَهُم لَهُم
وَجَزاهُمُ بِالعُرفِ وَالإِنكارِ
He spared blood and restored their harmony
And rewarded them with honor and prevention
شُدَّت رَحائِلُ خَيلِهِ وَتَكَشَّفَت
عَنهُ الحُروبُ بِفارِسٍ مِغوارِ
The tethers of his horses were loosened and wars
Uncovered before him with a conquering knight
بِأَغَرَّ ما وَلَدَ النِساءُ شَبيهُهُ
أَحَداً عَلِقنَ بِهِ عَلى الأَطهارِ
The fairest women bore one resembling him
Upon whom the chaste doted in longing
تَسمو العُيونُ إِلى عَزيزٍ بابُهُ
مُعطى المَهابَةِ نافِعٍ ضَرّارِ
Eyes look up to the dear one whose door
Grants awe, benefits, and harms
وَتَرى عَلَيهِ إِذا العُيونُ شَزَرنَهُ
سيما الحَليمِ وَهَيبَةَ الجَبّارِ
And you see on him when eyes incite him
The traits of the Clement and awe of the Almighty
وَلَقَد أُناجي النَفسَ لَمّا شَفَّها
خَوفُ الجَنانِ وَرَهبَةُ الإِقتارِ
And truly I spoke to myself when fear of hellfire
And dread of wretchedness alarmed me, by
بِأَبي سُلَيمانَ الَّذي لَولا يَدٌ
مِنهُ عَلِقتُ بِظَهرِ أَحدَبَ عاري
My father Suleiman - had it not been for a hand
From him I’d be hung on a humpbacked bare camel
وَإِذاً دُفِعتُ إِلى زَناءٍ بابُها
غَبراءَ مُظلِمَةٍ مِنَ الأَجفارِ
And then handed to an adulteress whose door
Was dusty, gloomy, blocked from sight
لَولا فَواضِلُهُ غَداةَ لَقيتُهُ
بِالجُدِّ شابَ مَسائِحي وَعِذاري
Had it not been for his mediations one morning when
I met him solemnly, a youth in my prime
مِن مَعشَرٍ حَنقينَ لَولا أَنتُمُ
يا اِبنَ الخَليفَةِ ما شَدَدتُ إِزاري
From a hostile group - had it not been for you
O son of the Caliph, I'd not have tightened my waistband
وَالشافِعونَ مُغَيِّبونَ وُجوهثهُم
زَرِمو المَقالَةِ ناكِسو الأَبصارِ
As defenders are absent, hiding their faces
Silent in speech, downcast in sight
غَيرَ اِبنِ أَحمَرَ شاهِدي بِنَصيحَةٍ
وَحَمى اِبنُ أَحمَرَ بِالمَغيبِ ذِماري
Except for Ibn Ahmar who witnessed advising me
And Ibn Ahmar protected my absence from blame
وَأَخٌ بِهِ جَلَتِ البَوارِحُ إِذ جَرَت
أَجبالَ تَدمُرَ مِن دُجىً وَغُبارِ
And a brother whose limbs were drained when the mountains
Of Tadmor flowed in night and dust
يَكفي إِذا شَهِدَ العَدُوُّ بِنَفسِهِ
غَيبي وَيُطلِعُني عَلى الأَسرارِ
It suffices when the enemy himself testifies
To my absence, informing me of secrets
فَهُوَ الخَليلُ إِذا تَنَكَّرَ بَعضُهُم
دونَ الخَليلِ وَهَمَّ بِالإِدبارِ
For he is the friend though some of them disguise
Themselves, less than a friend, and consider fleeing
