مَنِ الطَّوالِعُ مِن نَجدٍ تُظِلُّهُمُ

سُمرُ القَنا أَنِزاراً يَدَّعونَ أَبا

They are the tall ones from Najd whom the rays of Sirius shade,

Calling out to their father with tender branches.

أَرى سُيوفَهُمُ بيضاً كأَوجُهِهِمْ

فَما لأَعيُنِهِمْ مُحمَرَّةً غَضَبا

I see their swords as white as their faces,

So why are their eyes reddened with rage?

أَجَلْ هُمُ عامِرٌ هَزَّتهُمُ إِحَنٌ

واِستَصحَبوا مِن سُلَيمٍ غِلمَةً نُجُبا

Truly they are rich, pulled by yearning,

And they brought with them from Sulaim choice youths.

إِذا الصَّريخُ دَعا حَلوا الحُبا كَرَماً

وَحمحَمَ الخَيلُ فاِهتَزّوا لَها طَرَبا

When the battle cry calls they meet it generously

And the horses neigh, so they tremble for it out of joy.

يَحمونَ نَجداً بِأَرماحٍ مُثَقَّفَةٍ

تَحكي الأَسِنَّةُ في أَطرافِها الشُّهُبا

They protect Najd with decorated spears

Whose blades speak on their tips with flames.

وَرُبَّ آنِسَةٍ في القَومِ ما عَرَفَتْ

سَبياً وَلَم تُبدِ عَن خَلخالِها هَرَبا

And many a companion among the people was unknown,

Taken captive without revealing her anklet out of shyness.

تُزيرُ عودَ البَشامِ اللَّدنَ مَكسِرُهُ

فَماً يَمُجُّ عَلَيهِ الخَمرَ وَالضَرَبا

It twangs the supple boughs of the ud bitterly

As the wine and revelry surge over it.

وَلا يُحَدِّثُ عَنهُ غَيرُهُ أَحَدٌ

وَقَد حَكى عَنهُ ما أَهوى فَما كَذَبا

None but it tells of what it loves,

And it has related what it desired without lying.

قالَت لِصَحبيَ سِرّاً إِذْ رأَتْ فَرَسي

مَنِ الَّذي يَتَقَدَّى مُهرُهُ خَبَبا

She said to her companions secretly when she saw my mare,

"Who is he whose gift horse is so lively?"

فَقالَ أَعلَمُهُم بي إِنَّ والِدَهُ

مَن كانَ يُجهِدُ أَخلافَ العُلا حَلَبا

The one among them who knew me best said,

"His father was one who fatigued the loins of nobility."

ما ماتَ حَتَّى أَقَرَّ النَّاسُ قاطِبَةً

بِفَضلِهِ وَهوَ أَعلى خِندِفٍ نَسَبا

He did not die until all the people unanimously agreed

On his virtue, though he was of high pedigree.

وَذا غُلامٌ بَعيدٌ صيتُهُ وَلَهُ

فَصاحَةٌ وَفَعالٌ زَيَّنَ الحَسَبا

And he has a son far away whose fame is known,

Possessing eloquence and deeds that adorn nobility.

وَظَلَّ يُنشِدُها شِعري وَيُطرِبُها

حَتىّ رَأَتهُ بِذَيلِ اللَيلِ مُنتَقِبا

He continued reciting my poetry to her and thrilling her

Until she saw him at the hem of night veiled.

فَوَدَّعَتهُ وَقالَت يا أخَا مُضَرٍ

هَذا لَعَمْري كَلامٌ يُعجِبُ العَرَبا

She bid him farewell, saying, “O brother of Mudar,

By my life, these are words that please the Arabs!”

أَنا الَّذي وَطِئَتْ هامَ السُّها هِمَمِي

وَلَم يَكُن نَسَبي في الحَيِّ مُؤتَشَبا

I am the one whose resolve the calamities of fate made firm,

And my lineage in the tribe was not pieced together.

لَكِنَّني في زَمانٍ لا تَزالُ لَه

نَكراءُ مَرهوبَةٌ تُغري بيَ النُّوَبا

But I am in a time which always

Has fickle adversity enticing disasters upon me.

أَعُضُّ كَفِّيَ مِن غَيظي فَشيمَتُهُ

أَنْ يُتبِعَ الرَّأسَ مِن أَبنائِهِ الذَّنَبا

I gnaw my palm in my rage, for it is my nature

That the tail follows the head among its sons.

وَزَفرَةٍ لَم تَسَعْها أَضلُعِي عَلِقَتْ

بِغَضبَةٍ خِلتُها بَينَ الحَشى لَهَبا

A roar that my ribs could not contain clung

To a fury I kindled within my breast, aflame.

لأُخمِدَنَّ لَظاها مِنهُمُ بِدَمٍ

يَعومُ فيهِ غِرارُ السَّيفِ مُختَضِبا

I will quench their insolence toward me with blood

In which the swirling of the sword floats, freshly dyed.