رَنَتْ إليّ وظِلُّ النَّقْعِ مَمدودُ

سَوابِقُ الخَيلِ والمَهريُّ القُودُ

She glanced at me while the shade of the palms stretched out,

The racing horses and the guide holding the halter,

فَما غَمَدْنَ عنِ الأسيافِ أعيُنَها

إلا وَسْلولُها في الهامِ مَغمودُ

Their eyes did not sheathe the swords,

Except for their scabbards plunged in valor.

أفعالُنا غُرَرٌ فوقَ الجِباهِ لَها

وللحُجولِ دمُ الأعداءِ مَورودُ

Our deeds are illusions looming over the foreheads,

For the warriors, the blood of enemies is offered.

أنا ابنُها ورِماحُ الخَطِّ مُشرَعَةٌ

وللكُماةِ عنِ الهَيجاءِ تَعْريدُ

I am her son, and spears of glory are raised,

And for the valiant, the enemy is subdued.

منْ كُلِّ مرتَعِدِ العِرْنينِ يَحفِزُهُ

رَأيٌ جَميعٌ وطِيّاتٌ عَبابيدُ

He who trembles out of fear is emboldened

By an opinion held collectively as pillars.

صَحِبْتُهُ حينَ لا خِلٌّ يؤازِرُهُ

ولا يَخُبُّ إِلى واديه مَنجودُ

I accompanied him when no comrade supported him

And no one turned to his valley out of weakness.

إذا ذَكرْناه هَزَّ الرُّمْحَ عامِلَهُ

والسّيفُ مُبتَسِمٌ والبأسُ مَشهودُ

When we mentioned him, his spear shook in his hand,

And the sword smiled while prowess was witnessed.

نأى فأنْكَرْتُ نَصْلي واتَّهَمْتُ يَدي

وفاقِدُ النّصرِ يومَ الرّوعِ مَفقودُ

I distanced myself and doubted my blade and blamed my hand,

And the defeated in the heat of battle is lost.

كادَتْ تَضيقُ بأنفاسي مَسالِكُها

كأنّ مَطلَعَها في الصّدْرِ مَسدودُ

Its paths nearly choked my breath,

As if its horizon in my chest was blocked.

ما فاتَ عارِمَ لَحظي رَيْثَ رَجْعَتِهِ

إلا وجَفني على ما ساءَ مَردودُ

Whatever my vigilant glance missed when it returned,

My eyelid shut in refusal over what was reprehensible.

يا عامِرُ بنَ لُؤَيٍّ أنتُمُ نَفَرٌ

شوسٌ إذا توثّبَ الدّاعي صَناديدُ

O Aamir son of Lu’ay, you are an elite group,

Ferocious lions when the caller to arms rumbled.

أرَحْتُمُ النَّعَمَ المَشلولَ عازِبُهُ

وقَدْ تكنَّفَهُ القَوْمُ الرّعاديدُ

You granted respite to the protected beast,

While the numerous throngs surrounded it.

فَما لجارِكُمُ لِيثَ الهَوانُ بهِ

وعِزُّكُمْ بمَناطِ النّجْمِ مَعقودُ

Why does the lion of humiliation spare your neighbor,

While your glory lies in the axis of the star?

يَرنو إِلى عَذَباتِ الوِرْدِ مِنْ ظَمأٍ

لَحظَ الطّريدةِ حيثُ الماءُ مَثمودُ

It yearns for the sweet nectar out of thirst,

Glancing at the hunted gazelle where water is prohibited.

وللرّكائِبِ إرْزامٌ تُرَجِّعُهُ

إذا أقَمْنا ولمْ تَشْرَقْ بِها البيدُ

For the riding camels there are tethers that return them

When we stay and no ruin comes upon them.

كنّا نَحيدُ عنِ الرِّيِّ الذّليلِ بها

وهلْ يُرَوّي صَدى الأنضاءِ تَصْريدُ

We used to deviate from the despicable valley through them,

And does the echo of plains satisfy the growling thirst?

فاسْتَشْرَفَتْ لِمَصابِ المُزنِ طامِحةً

وهُنّ مِنْ لَغَبٍ أعناقُها غِيدُ

So it aspired to the affliction of the grieved,

While their necks were submissive to tyranny.

وزُرْنَ أروَعَ لا يَثني مَسامِعَهُ

عنْ دَعوَةِ الجارِ تأنيبٌ وتَفنيدُ

Visit the most wondrous that do not divert their hearing

From the call of a neighbor, admonishment and disapproval.

فلِلْحُداةِ على أرجاءِ مَنهَلِهِ

بما تَحمّلْنَ منْ مَدْحي أغاريدُ

So for the audacious, in the environs of his reservoir,

I have my eulogies that praised what they carried.

ألقَيْتُ عِبءَ النّوى عنهُنّ حينَ غَدَتْ

تُلقى إِلى ابنِ أبي أوفى المَقاليدُ

I removed the burden of determination from them when

It was placed upon the son of Abi Awfaa the bearer of standards.

مُحَسَّدُ المَجْدِ لم يَطلُعْ ثَنيّتَهُ

إلا أغرُّ على العَلياءِ مَحسودُ

The envied in glory only manifested his brilliance

To be most defiant against the lofty adversaries.

يَستَحْضِنُ اللّيلَ أفكاراً أراقَ لها

كأسَ الكَرى واعتِلاجُ الفِكرِ تَسهيدُ

He embraces the night with ideas that make

The cup of anguish and turmoil of thought melt away.

للهِ آلُ عَديٍّ حينَ يَرمُقُهُمْ

لَحظٌ يُرَدِّدُهُ العافونَ مَزؤودُ

Good tidings, for the family of ‘Adiyy when

A glance at them repeats often the harmonious song.

تَشكو إليهمْ شِفارَ البيضِ مُرهَفَةً

غُرٌّ مَناجيدُ أو أُدْمٌ مَقاحيدُ

They complain to them of the edges of the shining swords,

Stallions neighing or steel blades clashing.

فتلكَ أيديهمُ تُدْمي سَماحَتُها

والسّؤدَدُ الغَمْرُ حيثُ البأسُ والجودُ

For their hands bestow generosity,

And the rain pours where valor and munificence lie.

بُشرى فقد أنجَزَ الأيامُ ما وَعَدَتْ

وقلّما صَدَقَتْ مِنها المَواعيدُ

Good news, for the days have fulfilled what they promised,

Though they seldom prove true to their words.

إنّ الإمارةَ لا تُمطي غَوارِبَها

إلا المَغاويرُ والشمُّ المَناجيدُ

The leadership only dons its wraps

The audacious and the guiding star blazing.

إن يَسْحَبِ النّاسُ أذيالَ الظّنونِ بِها

فلا يُخاطِرُ لَيثَ الغابَةِ السّيدُ

If people drag the trains of suspicions regarding it,

The master of the jungle, the lord, does not gamble.

وقد دَعاكَ أميرُ المؤمنينَ لَها

والهَمُّ مُنتَشِرٌ والعَزْمُ مَكدودُ

The Commander of the Faithful invited you to it

While worry spread and determination weakened.

فكُنتَ أوَّلَ سَبّاقٍ إِلى أملٍ

على حَواشيهِ للأنفاسِ تَصْعيدُ

You were the first competitor toward a hope

That for the breaths, ascension was its edges.

وهلْ يُحيطُ منَ الأقوامِ ذو ظَلَعٍ

بغايَةٍ أحْرَزَتْها الفِتيَةُ الصّيدُ

Does one of might from the people achieve

A goal attained by the young hunters?

ورضْتَ أمراً أطافَ العاجِزونَ بهِ

وكادَ يَلوي بشَمْلِ المُلْكِ تَبديدُ

You accepted a matter that the incapacitated revolved around,

Almost undoing the cohesion of the kingdom.

فأحْجَموا عنهُ والأقدامُ ناكصَةٌ

وللأمورِ إذا أخلَقْنَ تَجديدُ

So they shunned it while feet drew back,

And when situations are renewed, amendments occur.

كذلكَ الصُّبحُ إن هزّتْ مَناصِلَهُ

يدُ السّنا فقَميصُ الليلِ مَقْدودُ

Thus is the dawn, if its joints tremble,

The hand of old age strips the night’s shirt.

لولاكَ رُدَّتْ على الأعقابِ شارِدَةٌ

تمُدُّ أضْباعَها الصّيدُ المَجاويدُ

Were it not for you, things would have retreated confused,

Extending its limbs while the prey of the audacious withdraw.

ولمْ تَرِدْ عَقْوَةَ الزّوراءِ ناجيةٌ

تُدمي السّريحَ بأيديها الجَلاميدُ

No she-camel seeking aid would have approached

To blood the saddle with its hands, the resolve weakened.

فُقْتُ الأعاريبَ في شِعْرٍ نأمْتُ بهِ

كأنّه لُؤلُؤٌ في السِّلْكِ مَنضودُ

I surpassed the foreigners in poetry that I slumbered to,

As if it were pearls threaded on a string.

إنْ كان يُعجِزُهُمُ قَولي ويَجمَعُنا

أصْلٌ فقدْ تَلِدُ الخَمرَ العناقيدُ

If my words overwhelm them and we share

An origin, then vines yield grapes.

وهذهِ مِدَحٌ دَرَّتْ بِها مِنَحٌ

بيضٌ أضاءَتْ بهِنَّ الأزْمُنُ السّودُ

With this eulogy, favors cascaded

Pure white which illuminated the dark eras.

إذا التَفَتُّ إِلى ناديكَ مُمْتَرِياً

نَداكَ طُوِّقَ منْ نَعمائِكَ الجيدُ

When I turn to visit your association,

Your voice surrounded by your blessings.