لَهفي عَلى صَخرٍ فَإِنّي أَرى لَهُ

نَوافِلَ مِن مَعروفِهِ قَد تَوَلَّتِ

My yearning is for a rock, for I see it

Performing acts of kindness though abandoned;

وَلَهفي عَلى صَخرٍ لَقَد كانَ عِصمَةً

لِمَولاهُ إِن نَعلٌ بِمَولاهُ زَلَّتِ

And my yearning is for a rock - it was protection

For its lord though his slipper slipped off;

يَعودُ عَلى مَولاهُ مِنهُ بِرَأفَةٍ

إِذا ما المَوالي مِن أَخيها تَخَلَّتِ

It returns to its lord with sympathy

When loyal fellows have deserted each other;

وَكُنتَ إِذا كَفٌّ أَتَتكَ عَديمَةً

تُرَجّي نَوالاً مِن سَحابِكَ بُلَّتِ

You used to be such that when a palm came to you,

Destitute, you would hope for favour from your clouds that poured;

وَمُختَنِقٍ راخى اِبنُ عَمروٍ خِناقَهُ

وَغُمَّتَهُ عَن وَجهِهِ فَتَجَلَّتِ

And one being strangled, Ibn ‘Amr relaxed his strangling

And his gloom dispersed from his face;

وَظاعِنَةٍ في الحَيِّ لَولا عَطاؤُهُ

غَداةَ غَدٍ مِن أَهلِها ما اِستَقَلَّتِ

And a woman in the tribe who, were it not for his support

On a morning of days, would not have been independent of her folk;

وَكُنتَ لَنا عَيشاً وَظِلَّ رَبابَةٍ

إِذا نَحنُ شِئنا بِالنَوالِ اِستَهَلَّتِ

And you were for us a life and the shade of a grove -

When we wished, you would begin the favour;

فَتىً كانَ ذا حِلمٍ أَصيلٍ وَتُؤدَةٍ

إِذا ما الحُبى مِن طائِفِ الجَهلِ حُلَّتِ

A man of inherent, noble magnanimity and gentleness

When the uncouth are stripped of their gowns of ignorance;

وَما كَرَّ إِلّا كانَ أَوَّلَ طاعِنٍ

وَلا أَبصَرَتهُ الخَيلُ إِلّا اِقشَعَرَّتِ

He attacked only to be the first assailant

And no sooner did the horses sight him than they shook with terror;

فَيُدرِكُ ثَأراً ثُمَّ لَم يُخطِهِ الغِنى

فَمِثلُ أَخي يَوماً بِهِ العَينُ قَرَّتِ

So he obtains vengeance, and no wealth made him forgetful

A brother the like of whom one day gladdened the eye and then was laid in the grave;

فَإِن طَلَبوا وِتراً بَدا بِتِراتِهِم

وَيَصبِرُ يَحميهِم إِذا الخَيلُ وَلَّتِ

When they seek a protector, he appears with his bands

And he restrains himself, protecting them when the horses bolt;

فَلَستُ أَرَزّا بَعدَهُ بِرَزِيَّةٍ

فَأَذكُرَهُ إِلّا سَلَت وَتَجَلَّتِ

I have no concern after him - rather my concern

Is that I remember him and my tears begin to flow.