أَلَمَّ خاليَها بَعد الهُجوعِ

فَعادَت إِذ رأَت سيفي ضَجيعي

After her tribe had moved on, she returned

When she saw my sword lying nearby

وَهاجَت لي بِزَورتها زَفيراً

يَكادُ يُقيم مُعوَجَّ الضُلوعِ

And roared at me with the roar of a lioness

That almost straightened my bent ribs

فَباتَت بَينَ أَعناق المَطايا

تَردَّدُ في المَجيء وَفي الرُجوعِ

She spent the night among the necks of the riding camels

Going back and forth, coming and returning

فَقُمتُ مُنادياً فَإِذا سُهَيل

مِنَ الخفقان كالقَلب المَروعِ

I stood up calling out, and there was Suhayl

Throbbing like a frightened heart

كَأَنَّ نُجوم لَيلك حينَ أَلقى

مَراسيَهُ مَسامير الدُروعِ

As if the stars of your night, when

It dropped its anchors, were nails in shields

وَفي الحَيِّ الحِجازيين سِربٌ

كَأَنَّ وجوههم زهر لرَبيعِ

And among the people of Hejaz a flock

Whose faces seemed like flowers of springtime

يَحُفُّ بأشنب الأَنياب أَحوى

كَأَنَّ رُضابَهُ ذوبُ الصَقيعِ

Circling the canines with more intense desire

As if its pleasantness was melting ice

يَنوبُ بِوَجهِهِ عَن كُلِّ شَمسٍ

يَغيب من الغُروبِ إِلى الطُلوعِ

Its face takes the place of every sun

Which sets from sunset to sunrise

شَفعتُ إِلَيهِ في نَومي فأعيا

فَجاءَ بِهِ المَنامُ بِلا شَفيعِ

I appealed to it in my dream, so it wearied,

And the dream brought it without an intercessor

وَلا أَنسى بروضِ الحُزنِ ريماً

يَبُثُّ الوَجدَ عَن قَلبٍ وَجيعِ

I do not forget in the garden of sorrow Reem

Who spreads passion from a wounded heart

وَأَحداقُ الحدائِقِ ناظِراتٌ

إِليَّ بأعيُنِ الزَهرِ البَديعِ

And the eyes of the gardens are looking

At me with eyes of exquisite flowers

تَرَقرَقَ لؤلؤ الأَنداء فيها

كَما امتلأت عُيونُ من دُموعِ

The pearls of dew in it glittered

As eyes brimmed over with tears

وَلست بِواثِق بِجُفون عيني

وَقَد أَظهرن ما أَخفت ضُلوعي

And I'm not confident in my eyelids

Which showed what my ribs had hidden

وَمن يستكتم الأَجفان حُباً

فَقَد أَظهرن ما أَخفَت ضُلوعي

And whoever conceals love with their eyelids

Showed what my ribs had hidden

سَقى اللَهُ الحيا نَجداً فَإِنّي

لذو قَلبٍ إِلى نجد نَزوعِ

May God water the living with passion, for I

Am one whose heart inclines towards Nejd

سَقاه وابِلٌ غَدقٌ ملتُّ

لَهُ جود كَجودِ أَبي المَنيعِ

He has watered it with pouring abundant rain

With generosity like that of my generous father

وَلَو يَحكي أَنامله سَحابٌ

لَكانَ الدَهرُ منهُ في رَبيعِ

And if his fingers were to tell of a cloud

The times would be in spring because of him

نَزَلتُ بِهِ فَقابَلَني بِوَجهٍ

أَغَرَّ كَغُرَّةِ الفَجرِ الصَديعِ

I descended on him, and he met me with a face

More radiant than the blushing dawn

وَماءٍ من بشاشته زُلالٍ

وروض من مَكارِمِهِ مُريعِ

And water from his cheerfulness fresh

And a garden from his virtues flourishing

لَهُ يَدُ مُحسِنٍ وَحياء جانٍ

وجود مبَذِّرٍ وَعُلى جُموعِ

He has the hand of a benefactor, and the modesty of a companion

The generosity of a squanderer, and high ambition

وَرأي مجرِّبٍ وقتال غِرٍ

وَذمَّةُ حافِظٍ وَنَدى مُضيعِ

The experience of a seasoned veteran, and the valor of a warrior

And the preserved honor of an oath keeper, and an overflowing life

إِذا ذُكِرَ النَوال اهتَزَّ شَوقاً

إِلَيهِ كَهِزَّة السَيفِ الصَنيعِ

When gifts are mentioned he shakes with longing

For it like the quivering of a polished sword

يحنُّ إِلى العَطاء حنين قَيسٍ

إِلى لَيلى لعرفان الرُبوعِ

He yearns to give like Qays yearned

For Layla's recognition of the meadows

فَلا تَحمده في بَذلِ العَطايا

فَلَيسَ لِغَيرِ ذاكَ بِمُستَطيعِ

So do not praise him for giving gifts

For no other has the ability to do so

فَمِقبَضُ سَيفه مَجرى العَطايا

ومضربُ سيفهِ مَجرى النَجيعِ

The hilt of his sword is the course of gifts

And the strike of his sword the course of nobility

مُنىً وَمَنيَّةٍ كالصِلِ يَطوي

عَلى الدِرياقِ وَالسُمِّ النَقيعِ

A purpose and an end like poison folded over

Coating the shield and piercing spear

وَلَو بارى بِجودِ يَدَيهِ بَحراً

لآل البَحرُ كالآلِ المروعِ

And if the sea rained with the generosity of his hands

It would take on the colorations of the terrified

إِذا وازَنتُهُ بِالناسِ طُراً

رأَيت البَعض يَعدل بِالجَميعِ

When I weighed him against the people entirely

I saw some equalling the multitude

يُناطُ بِالرّأي منه بأَلمعيٍّ

يَرى الحِدثانِ من قبل الوقوعِ

He is endowed with an opinion by the discerning

Who see events before they occur

بِذي حُلُمٍ أَصَمُّ عَن الدَنايا

وَذي جودٍ لسائِلِهِ سَميعِ

With forbearance, deaf towards the worldly life

And hearing for the questioner of his generosity

مفيدٍ متلفٍ حُلو مُمِرٍّ

عَلى العالّات ضَرّارٍ نَفوعِ

Beneficial, yet destructive, sweet yet bitter

Harmful to the upper classes, beneficial to the weak

بِصَدرٍ مثل ساحتِهِ رَحيبٍ

وَبَذلٍ مثل نائِله سَريعِ

With a chest as vast as his horizon

And giving as quick as the asker

إِذا لاحَت بَنوه لنا شهدنا

لِطيب الأَصل مِن طيبِ الفُروعِ

When his sons appeared to us we witnessed

The fine origin from the fine branches

نُجومٌ سَبعة عدد الثُريّا

وَموضعُها من الحَسَبِ الرَفيعِ

Seven stars, the number of the Pleiades

And their position is one of high nobility

فَلا زالوا كأَنجُمها إِئتِلافاً

مِنَ الحِدثانِ في حِصنٍ مَنيعِ

They have not ceased to be as unified as its stars

Against events, in an impregnable fortress

تَراهُ وَحَولَهُ مِنهُمُ لُيوثٌ

إِذا نهل القَنا في كُلِّ رَوعِ

You see around him brave lions from among them

Whenever the time of trial descends in any misfortune

حَكوهُ شَمائِلاً وَعُلىً وَجوداً

وَبأَساً عِندَ مُعترِك الجُموعِ

They characterized him in appearance, nobility, generosity

And valor in the clash of multitudes

تَراهُمُ مِثلَما اطَّردَت كعوب

وَراء سنانها الماضي الرَفيع

You see them, whenever the heels

And the elevated past pushed forth

يَهُزُّ أَبو المَنيع بهم سُيوفاً

لِتَقويم المُخالِفِ وَالمُضيع

Abu Mani` brandishes swords around them

To straighten the defiant and restore the lost

فَدامَ لهم بِهِ وَلَهُ سُرورٌ

بِهِم حَتّى المَماتِ بِلا فَجيعِ

May he have pleasure in them, and they in him

Until death without any agony