أَلا حَيِّ مَيّاً إِذ أَجَدَّ بُكورُها
وَعَرِّض بِقَولٍ هَل يُفادى أَسيرُها
Alas! What a marvelous life whose mornings are renewed
And say, can its prisoner be ransomed?
فَيا مَيُّ لا تُدلي بِحَبلٍ يَغُرَّني
وَشَرُّ حِبالِ الواصِلينَ غَرورُها
So do not lure me, oh life, with your ropes
For the worst ropes are those that entice
فَإِن شِئتِ أَن تُهدي لِقَومِيَ فَاِسأَلي
عَنِ العِزِّ وَالإِحسانِ أَينَ مَصيرُها
If you want to guide my people then ask
Where is the dignity and benevolence headed?
تَرَي حامِلَ الأَثقالِ وَالدافِعَ الشَجا
إِذا غُصَّةٌ ضاقَط بِأَمرٍ صُدورُها
You see the bearer of burdens and the repeller of adversity
When distress constricts, their hearts withstand
بِهِم تُمتَرى الحَربُ العَوانُ وَمِنهُمُ
تُؤَدّى الفُروضُ حُلوُها وَمَريرُها
With them, war is waged, succor found
Religious duties fulfilled, sweet and bitter
فَلا تَصرِميني وَاِسأَلي ما خَليقَتي
إِذا رَدَّ عافي القِدرِ مَن يَستَعيرُها
So do not blame me and ask what is my nature
When the turn of fate returns, who can borrow it?
وَكانوا قُعوداً حَولَها يَرقَبونَها
وَكانَت فَتاةُ الحَيُّ مِمَّن يُنيرُها
And they were sitting around it watching over it
And it was the damsel of the tribe who illuminated it
إِذا اِحمَرَّ آفاقُ السَماءِ وَأَعصَفَت
رِياحُ الشِتاءِ وَاِستَهَلَّت شُهورُها
When the horizons of the sky reddened and
The winter winds raged and its months began
تَرَي أَنَّ قَدري لا تَزالُ كَأَنَّها
لِذي الفَروَةِ المَقرورِ أُمٌّ يَزورُها
You see my fate is ever like
A devoted mother visiting her well-groomed son
مُبَرَّزَةٌ لا يُجعَلُ السَترُ دونَها
إِذا أُخمِدَ النيرانُ لاحَ بَشيرُها
Exposed, with no veil before her
When fires die down, her embers glow
إِذا الشَولُ راحَت ثُمَّ لَم تَفدِ لَحمَها
بِأَلبانِها ذاقَ السِنانَ عَقيرُها
When the emaciated camel’s udders cease, still
Its milk is tasted by the teeth of the sucklings
يُخَلّى سَبيلُ السَيفِ إِن جالَ دونَها
وَإِن أُنذِرَت لَم يَغنَ شَيئاً نَذيرُها
The sword is unsheathed if it comes before her
And if warned, the warner benefits her naught
كَأَنَّ مُجاجَ العِرقِ في مُستَدارِها
حَواشي بُرودٍ بَينَ أَيدٍ تُطيرُها
As if the sweat on its roundness
Were cool hands fanning it
وَلا نَلعَنُ الأَضيافَ إِن نَزَلوا بِنا
وَلا يَمنَعُ الكَوماءَ مِنّا نَصيرُها
We do not curse guests if they descend upon us
And the guardian cannot prevent his flock
وَإِنّي لَتَرّاكُ الضَغينَةِ قَد أَرى
قَذاها مِنَ المَولى فَلا أَستَثيرُها
And I see you harboring rancor
I shun its filth as it comes from the Lord
وَقورٌ إِذا ما الجَهلُ أَعجَبَ أَهلَهُ
وَمِن خَيرِ أَخلاقِ الرِجالِ وُقورُها
Dignified, when ignorance amazes its people
One of the best traits in a man is his dignity
وَقَد يَئِسَ الأَعداءُ أَن يَستَفِزَّني
قِيامُ الأُسودِ وَثبُها وَزَئيرُها
The enemies have despaired of provoking me
With the lions' stance, pounce, and roar
وَيَومٍ مِنَ الشِعرى كَأَنَّ ظِباءَهُ
كَواعِبُ مَقصورٌ عَلَيها سُتورُها
And one day with cubs like veiled damsels
Whose tents restricted what they cover
عَصَبتُ لَهُ رَأسي وَكَلَّفتُ قَطعَهُ
هُنالِكَ حُرجوجاً بَطيئاً فُتورُها
I wrapped its mane around my head and tasked myself to get it
There a sluggish old lion, weakened
تَدَلَّت عَلَيهِ الشَمسُ حَتّى كَأَنَّها
مِنَ الحَرِّ تَرمي بِالسَكينَةِ قورُها
The sun draped itself over it as if
It threw its calmness on it from the heat
وَماءٍ صَرىً لَم أَلقَ إِلّا القَطا بِهِ
وَمَشهورَةَ الأَطواقِ وُرقاً نُحورُها
And water I met with only the wild goats
With prominent throat bones and slender necks
كَأَنَّ عَصيرَ الضَيحِ في سَدَيانِهِ
دَفوناً وَأَسداماً طَويلاً دُثورُها
As if the juice of angsa in its veins
Were bouza and mead, thick and turbid
وَلَيلٍ يَقولُ القَومُ مِن ظُلُماتِهِ
سَواءٌ بَصيراتُ العُيونِ وَعورُها
And a night whereof the people said, in its darkness
The sights of eyes and the blind are equal
كَأَنَّ لَنا مِنهُ بُيوتاً حَصينَةً
مَسوحٌ أَعاليها وَساجٌ كُسورُها
As if we had from it impregnable homes
With high roofs and decorated walls
تَجاوَزتُهُ حَتّى مَضى مُدلَهِمُّهُ
وَلاحَ مِنَ الشَمسِ المُضيئةِ نورُها
I surpassed it until its galloping ended
And the illuminating light of the sun appeared
