أَمِن حَدَثِ الأَيّامِ عَينُكِ تَهمِلُ

تُبَكّي عَلى صَخرٍ وَفي الدَهرِ مُذهِلُ

Will your eye neglect the events of time,

Weeping over a boulder while the epochs make one forget?

أَلا مَن لِعَينٍ لا تَجِفُّ دُموعُها

إِذا قُلتُ أَفثَت تَستَهِلُّ فَتَحفِلُ

Isn't there one whose eyes their tears don't dry up

When I speak he is roused and begins to worry

عَلى ماجِدٍ ضَخمِ الدَسيعَةِ بارِعٍ

لَهُ سورَةٌ في قَومِهِ ما تُحَوَّلُ

About the magnificent, huge, skilled,

He has an eminence among his people never to change

فَما بَلَغَت كَفُّ اِمرِئٍ مُتَناوِلٍ

مِنَ المَجدِ إِلّا حَيثُ ما نِلتَ أَطوَلُ

So no person's palm has reached

Glory except where you have reached higher

وَلا بَلَغَ المُهدونَ في القَولِ مِدحَةً

وَلا صَدَقوا إِلّا الَّذي فيكَ أَفضَلُ

Nor have the eulogists in speech attained

A eulogy, nor were they truthful except in what about you is superior

وَما الغَيثُ في جَعدِ الثَرى دَمِثِ الرُبى

تَبَعَّقَ فيهِ الوابِلُ المُتَهَلِّلُ

The rain in the black fertile land

Didn't pour in it a constant dripping

بِأَوسَعَ سَيباً مِن يَدَيكَ وَنِعمَةً

تَعُمُّ بِها بَل سَيبُ كَفَّيكَ أَجزَلُ

With a more generous palm than yours and a blessing

Encompassing, but even your palm's flow is more ample

وَجارُكَ مَحفوظٌ مَنيعٌ بِنَجوَةٍ

مِنَ الضَيمِ لا يُؤذى وَلا يَتَذَلَّلُ

And your neighbor is protected, inaccessible, in salvation

From injustice, neither harmed nor debased,

مِنَ القَومِ مَغشِيُّ الرِواقِ كَأَنَّهُ

إِذا سيمَ ضَيماً خادِرٌ مُتَبَسِّلُ

Of the people, covering the porch, as if he

When raided with injustice, was sleepy and smiling

شَرَنبَثُ أَطرافِ البَنانِ ضُبارِمٌ

لَهُ في عَرينِ الغيلِ عِرسٌ وَأَشبُلُ

A fierce lion whose limbs are strong,

For him in the thicket of the valley a den and cubs

هِزَبرٌ هَريتُ الشَدقِ رِئبالُ غابَةٍ

مَخوفُ اللِقاءِ جائِبُ العَينِ أَنجَلُ

A hissing serpent, white of cheek, a forest of calamities,

Fearsome to meet, averting its eye, deadly,

أَخو الجودِ مَعروفٌ لَهُ الجودُ وَالنَدى

حَليفانِ ما دامَت تِعارُ وَيَذبُلُ

The brother of generosity, well-known for his generosity and dew,

Allies as long as thorns last and dry out