أَلَمَّت وَدوني مِن تِهامَةَ بَيدُها
وَعَهدي بِها عَنّي كَثير صُدودُها
She allured me, and her hands from Tehama played with me,
And my pledge to her - its renewals are many.
يَمانِيَّةَ لِلبَدرِ شُبِّهَ وَجهُها
وَلِلظَّبي مِنها مُقلَتاها وَجيدُها
Her face resembles the full moon of Yemen,
And to the gazelle belong her glance and her neck.
سِرتَ تَستَزيدَ الوَشي بَيني وَبَينَها
وَهَل لي وُد غَيرُها فَأَزيدُها
You crept to increase intimacy between me and her,
Is there for me any love other than hers to increase?
أَلَمَّت وَرحلي بَينَ شَعب رَمَت بِهِم
وَلي هِمَمٌ في رِفعَة أَستَزيدُها
She allured me, and my camel litter was between a shrub that she frequented,
And I have a purpose in the height of my desire for her.
وَقَد علقوا أَنضاءَنا بِرُؤوسِهِم
وَلَو خَلِيَت كانَ الكَلالُ قُيودُها
They hung our vessels on their camel litters,
And if they were to depart, the farewell would be their ropes.
وَساعَدَها في النَومِ بيض أَوانِس
قِصار الخُطى بيضُ السَوالِف غَيدُها
And the white brightness of her forearms resembles
The creeping of a serpent on a smooth rock.
تَضَوَّعَ مِنهُنَّ العَبير كَأَنَّما
أَتَتكَ بِغارِ المِسكِ غِباً برودُها
She comes perfumed with scent as though
She emerges from a gland of musk and ambergris.
أَغَضَّ مِن الوَردِ الجَنيِّ خُدودها
وَأَرشَق مِن شَرقِ الرِياضِ قُدودُها
Her cheeks are fairer than the rose in its freshness,
And more radiant than the horizon when it shines.
فَكَم مِن يَدٍ أَولَيتَني فَجَحدتُها
وَشُكر أَيادي الغانِيات جُحودُها
So how many a hand did you outstretch to me and I rejected,
And the regret of rejecting the hands of singing girls is shameful.
وَلَيسَ سفاحاً جئنَ لكن مُهورها
صَحيحُ وِدادٍ وَالغَرام يَقودُها
He is not insolent, but love drove him mad
Sincere affection and love that led him astray.
سَل اللَهَ تَهويم الكَرى لَيسَ غَيره
لَعَلَّ الكَرى يَوماً إِلَيكَ يُعيدُها
Ask Allah to protect me from the heat of ardour − no one else −
Perhaps ardour will someday return me to my senses.
أَيا حَبَّذا أَرض السَراةِ وَحَبَّذا
تَهائِمها مِن أَجلِها وَنجودُها
Most excellent is the land of Sara and best
Are its camels for her sake and best are its young she camels.
عَلى أَنَّهُم بانوا وَبَينَ جَوانِحي
هَوى مِثلَ لَذعِ النارِ شَبَّ وَقودُها
They showed themselves between my ribs though in me
Was a love like the burning heat of flames and its fuel.
وَلَم أَنسَها يَومَ النَوى وَقَد التَقى
جمانان جاري دَمعها وَعُقودُها
I did not forget her even on the day of departure when
My tears flowed freely and scattered my pearls.
لَها مَبسَم يَحكي المَساويك إِنَّهُ
بَعيد الكَرى عَذب الثَنايا بُرودُها
She smiles the smile of the fertile season as though she
Is an inaccessible mirage, of beautiful and fresh countenance.
وَهَل منصف مِنها فَيَلزم قَومها
حمالة ما قَد أَتلَفَت أَو يَقيدُها
Can an arbiter from her family compel them
To atone for what they ruined or else imprison her?
فَدَع ذكر سَعدى إِن فيكَ بَقيَّةَ
إِلّا إِنَّما يَبغي المَها مِن يَصيدُها
Leave off mentioning happiness, for surely you have some remnant of sorrow
Unless one is seeking prohibition where it can be attained.
أَتَرضى بِعَيش المقتَرين وَهَذِهِ
أَنامِل نور الدَولَة إِنهَلَّ جودُها
Will you be content with the life of a subservient one when she
Is one adorned with the light of fortune and its rain flows freely from her hands?
دَعى جودَ ذي العزَين عيسى وَلَم يَزَل
مِن اليمن الأَقصى نَداهُ يَقودُها
Good fortune calls out greetings to Jesus, constantly,
From the furthest point in Yemen its call guides him.
فَجاءَتهُ مَكتوباً عَلى حَرِّ وَجهها
حَرامٌ إِلى غَيرِ الأَمير وَخيدُها
So she came to him inscribed on her unblemished face:
"Unlawful, to other than the Commander, woe to him who inclines to others."
سَليل مُلوك مِن ذؤابَة عامِرٍ
تُرَجّى عَطاياها وَيُخشى وَعيدُها
A scion of kings, from glorious Dhul-Yazan,
Whose favours are hoped for and whose threats are feared.
مهذَّبها قَمقامها تاج فَخرِها
موفَّقها في كُلِّ رأي سَديدها
Correct in her judgement, excellent in every opinion, brave in every battle,
Her affair is well-regulated in every celebrated occurrence.
مقدمها في كُلِّ حَرب شجاعها
مُدَبِّرُها في كُلِّ خَطبٍ حَميدها
Honoured, preferred, loud is her fame,
And she is protected in calamities by her noble deeds.
مكرَّمها مفضالها لَو ذعيُّها
وَمَلجأؤها في النائِباتِ عَميدها
Adorned with the light of truth and faith, a treasure of glory,
Equitable, fulfiller of promises and rightly guided.
مُسوَّدُها مقدامها كَنز عِزَّها
سنميدعها مصداقها وَرَشيدها
To her the angels in heaven bow down prostrating
And for her the birds refrain from singing and bow down.
تَخُرُّ لَهُ الأَملاك في الأَرضِ سُجَّدا
وَقَلَّ لَهُ تَعفيرَها وَسُجودَها
If one day she begins with a blessing she completes it.
O Lord, initiator of a blessing without End.
إِذا ما ابتَدى يَوماً بِنعمي أَعادَها
وَيا رَبَّ مبدي نِعمَةٍ لا يُعيدُها
Every pulpit yearns for her name
If only it could move, it would sway and turn green in joy.
يَحن إِلى أَسمائِهِ كُلَّ مِنبَرٍ
فَلَو يَستَطيع اهتَزَّ واخضَرَّ عودُها
She leads the masters Nobles and Chiefs
And surely the masters cannot dispense with one who leads them.
يَسودُ عُقيلاً وَهيَ لِلناسِ سادَةً
وَلا بُدَّ لِلساداتِ مِمَّن يَسودها
She defends her family with her power
And carries for her elders what exhausts them.
يُدافِعُ عَن أَحسابِها بِنَوالِهِ
وَيَحمِل عَن أَشياخِها ما يوؤدُها
She repels those who show enmity to her family with an army
Whose sharp swords drive back the eyes of spies.
وَيَردي أَعاديها بِكُلِّ كَتيبَةٍ
يَرُدُّ عُيونَ الناظِرينَ حَديدُها
Weighty when she is encountered, light is her riding,
Many are her captives and few her number.
ثَقيلٌ مَلاقيها خَفيف رُكوبها
كَثيرٌ سَباياها قَليل عَديدُها
When they fall upon a company they wreak havoc upon it
And they are her cubs and her lions.
إِذا وَقَعوا في وَقعَةٍ أَوقَعوا بِها
وَبالاً فَهُم أَشبالِها وَأسودُها
They plunged into the waves of death fearless,
While the harsh and difficult situation was slight for them.
وَخاضوا إِلى المَوتِ الصَفائِح وَالقَنا
وَهانَ عَلَيهِم صَعبُها وَشَديدُها
It is the sea except that its water is sweet
And how many seas are there whose waters are not sweet?
هوَ البَحرُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ طابَ وَردُهُ
وَكَم مِن بِحارٍ لا يَطيب ورودُها
It is the lightning except that its water is a pond for it
And its water did not diminish until its wood turned green.
وَما البَرقُ إِلّا دوحَة هوَ ماؤُها
وَلا غاضَ مِنها الماء ما اخضَرَّ عودُها
I saw the people followers of the family of Musayyab
And if it not for people's talk I would say they were their slaves.
رَأَيتُ الوَرى أَتباع آل مُسَيَّبٍ
وَلَولا كَلامُ الناسِ قلت عَبيدُها
If the wet nurse of the family of Musayyab suckled
An orphan child, he would be their brother by suckling.
وَلَو أُمَّ عاف طفل آل مُسَيَّبٍ
لِقاسِمِهِ در الرَضاع وَليدُها
Agil are content. Nay, Nazar are ennobled by their merit
Even if one day they were to deny it, their skins would testify to it.
تُقِرُّ عَقيلٌ بَل نزار بِفَضلِهِم
وَلَو أَنكَرت يَوماً أَقَرَّت جُلودُها
Kings whose hospitality was sought out by their swords
And whose inheritance they increased by their old banners.
مُلوكَ أَضافَت ما احتَبَت بِسُيوفِها
وَزادَت عَلى ما أَورَثَتها جُدودُها
The light of majesty flashes above their foreheads
When their flags and emblems fall.
يَلوحُ ضِياء المُلكِ فَوقَ جِباهِها
إِذا أَخفَقَت راياتها وَبنودُها
Kings who bought a good name with their wealth
So their living and dead became praiseworthy.
مُلوكٌ شَرَت حُسنَ الثَناءِ بِمالِها
فَأَضحى حَميداً حَيُّها وَفَقيدُها
If the kindness of a man would make his Lord eternal
It would last despite the enemies out of jealousy.
فَلو كانَ جودَ المَرءِ يَخلِدُ ربه
لَدامَ عَلى رَغمِ العَدوِّ خُلودُها
Lions, but the rain makes the kings lions at hunt
Savages, but she makes the crowned savage beasts homeless.
غَيوثٌ وَلَكِن قَطرِها المال وَالنَدى
ليوثٌ وَلَكِن المُلوكَ صُيودُها
To what high status has the Ka’ba reached and her Lord
Completes her bounty and increases it!
بكم بَلَغَت كَعبٌ مَناها وَرَبُّها
يَتِمُّ لَها نُعماؤُها وَيَزيدَها
The East and the West of the world submit to her
And the sun of kings and the lion of the thicket bow down to her.
وَدانَ لَها شَرق البِلادِ وَغَربِها
وَذَلَّ لَها شُمسُ المُلوكِ وَصَيدُها
How much have her speeches raised every pulpit?
By Allah if it were not for you, their ascent would be little!
فَكَم صَعِدَت خُطّابِها كل مِنبَرٍ
وَلَولاكُم واللَهُ قَلَّ صُعودُها
The feast came so being with its like, it delight a thousand years
You are to the sons of oppression on the day of their feast.
أَتى العيدُ فاسعَدَ أَلفَ عامٍ بِمِثلِهِ
فَأَنتَ لأَبناء المَظالِم عيدُها
If you make the land prosper ending its misfortunes
And good fortune comes from all sides
إِذا ما حَلَلتَ الأَرض وَلَّت نُحوسها
وَأَقبَلَ مِن كُلِّ الجِهاتِ سُعودُها
How can infertility beset a land that you make prosper
And your rain never ceases to pour forth generously?
وَكَيفَ يَحِلُّ الجَدب أَرضاً تَحلها
وَكَفُّكَ غَيث لا يَزال يَجودُها
So how many nights did we travel to you secretly
The incline being equal whether we advanced or turned back.
فَكَم لَيلَةٍ سِرنا إِلَيكَ شَوازِياً
سُواء عَلَيها مَيلُها وَبَريدُها
The necks of the people bowed down in sleep
And the cheeks of the children of travel met one another.
وَمالَت رِقاب القَوم بِالنَومِ فالتَقَت
مَناكِب أَبناء السُرى وَخُدودُها
And our singers sang your praises
As Sirdar sang boisterously late at night.
وَغَنّى مُغَنِّيَنا بِمَدحك مِثلَما
عَوى بشرورى آخر اللَيلِ سيدُها
My soul promised me enrichment with you
So it behooves it not to dash hopes.
وَقَد وَعدتني النَفس عِندَكَ بِالغِنى
فأجدر بِها ألا تَخيب وُعودُها
If it were not for you we would not have endured desolation
Nor would our vessels contain a distant land.
وَلَولاكَ ما جِبنا الفَلاةَ وَلا اِنطَوى
لأنضائِنا طَي الرِداءِ بَعيدُها
I shall clothe you in return for my praise from afar in a robe
That will last longer than fine garments.
سَأكسوكَ مِن مَدحي عَلى النأي حلة
يَدوم عَلى مَرِّ الجَديد جَديدُها
I thank the bounties that through your praises I attained
And from the Giver I seek to increase them.
وَأَشكُر نُعماءً بِمَدحِكَ نِلتُها
وَمِمَّن حَباها دائِماً أَستَزيدُها
