مَنِ الرَّكْبُ يا بْنَ العامِريِّ أمامي
أهُمْ سِرُّ صُبْحٍ في ضَميرِ ظَلامِ
Who is this caravan, O son of Al-Amiri, ahead of me?
Are they the secret of dawn in the conscience of darkness?
يُشَيّعُهُمْ قَلْبُ المَشوقِ وربّما
يُقادُ إِلى ما ساءَهُ بزِمامِ
My longing heart bids them farewell, and perhaps
It leads them to what has saddened it by the bridle.
وقدْ بَخِلَتْ سُعْدى فلا الطّيْفُ طارِقٌ
وليسَ بمَرْدودٍ إليّ سَلامي
My good fortune was stingy, so neither the specter came by at night,
Nor is my greeting brought back to me.
منَ الهِيفِ تَستَعدي على لَحْظِها المَها
وتَسلُبُ خُوطَ البانِ حُسْنَ قَوامِ
You glance at them slyly with your fluttering eyes,
Robbing the full moon of its beauty and form.
وكمْ ظَمَأٍ تحتَ الضّلوعِ أُجِنُّهُ
إِلى رَشَفاتٍ من وَراءِ لِثامِ
How much thirst is in my heart for you -
I quench it with sips from behind the veil.
وما ذُقْتُ فاهَا غَيرَ أنّي مُكَرِّرٌ
أحاديثَ يَرْويها فُروعُ بَشامِ
Yet I have not tasted your mouth, though I repeat
Tales spread by the branches of Basham.
هَوىً حالَ صَرْفُ الدّهْرِ بيني وبَيْنَهُ
أقُدُّ لهُ الأنْفاسَ وهْيَ دَوامِ
Passion intervened between us, so I lead
My breaths to it while it remains.
وغادَرَني نِضْوَ الهُمومِ يُثيرُها
غِناءُ حَمامٍ أو بُكاءُ غَمامِ
It left me the awakening of sorrows, stirred
By the cooing of a dove or the crying of clouds.
وأشْتاقُ أيّامَ العَقيقِ وأنْثَني
بأربَعَةٍ مِنْ ذِكْرِهِنّ سِجامِ
I yearn for the days at Aqeeq, when
Four dwellings bent me with the bridle of my mount.
وهلْ أتناسى العَيْشَ غَضّاً كأنّهُ
أُعيرَ اخضِراراً في عِذارِ غُلامِ
Can I forget that fresh life, as if
It borrowed greenness in the prime of youth?
بأرْضٍ كأنّ الرّوْضَ في جَنَباتِها
يجُرُّ ذُيولَ العَصْبِ فوقَ أَكامِ
In a land where gardens in its folds
Drag the train of the headband above the dunes.
إذا صَفَحَتْ غُدْرانَهُ الرّيحُ خِلْتَها
تُدَرِّجُ أثْراً في غِرارِ حُسامِ
When its perfumed locks are uncovered by the wind,
It leaves a trace in the stirrups of swords.
ونامَ حَوالَيْها العَرارُ كأنّها
تُديرُ على النُّوارِ كأْسَ مُدامِ
The knights slept around it as if
It passed the cup of wine amongst the lamps.
سَبَقْنا بِها رَيْبَ الزّمانِ إِلى المُنى
وقَدْ لَقِحَتْ أسْماعُنا بمَلامِ
We outdistanced the suspicion of time in it,
Though our ears were stung by blame.
ومنْ أرْيَحيّاتي إذا اقْتادَني الهَوى
أفُضُّ وإنْ ساءَ العَذولُ لِجامي
Of my meadows, when passion leads me there,
I alight even if the censurers disapprove.
وما زالَتِ الأيّامُ تُغْري بِنا النّوى
وتَسْحَبُ ذَيْلَيْ شِرَّةٍ وعُرامِ
The days continue to entice our purpose
And drag the train of my mantle and lance.
أراها على سُعْدى غَيارى كأنّما
بِها مابِنا من صَبْوَةٍ وغَرامِ
I see it jealous over my good fortune as if
It has what we have of infatuation and love.
فَيا لَيْتَها إذا جاذَبَتْني وِصالَها
تَرَكْنَ هَواها أو حَمَلْنَ سَقامي
Oh, if only when she pulls me into her company
She would leave her passion or I would fall ill!
لَعَمْرُ المَعالي حَلفَةً أُمَوِيّةً
لَسَدَّ علَيَّ الدّهْرُ كُلَّ مَرامِ
By the glory of the Umayyad dynasty,
Fate has barred all my hopes.
أما في لئامِ النّاسِ مَندوحَةٌ لهُ
فحَتّامَ لا يَحْتاجُ غَيْرَ كِرامِ
As for the vices of people, there is leeway for him
Whose nature needs no glory but generosity.
لأَدَّرِعَنَّ اللّيلَ يَلْمَعُ صُبْحُهُ
تَحَدُّرَ راحٍ منْ خِلالِ فِدامِ
I will clothe the night in mail whose morning gleams,
Flowing with the scent that permeates its folds,
على أرْحَبيّاتٍ مَرَقْنَ منَ الدُّجى
وقد لَغِبَ الحادي مُروقَ سِهامِ
Onto a vast plain the darkness has departed from,
After the guide's arrows have disappeared.
حَوامِلَ للحاجاتِ تُلقى رِحالُها
إِلى ماجِدٍ رَحْبِ الفِناءِ هُمامِ
My carriers of needs unload their luggage
At the glorious, expansive threshold of the noble one.
أغَرُّ كِلابي عَلَيْهِ مَهابَةٌ
تُغَضُّ له الأبْصارُ وهْيَ سَوامي
I spur my dogs against him reverently
So eyes avert as they approach.
منَ القَوْمِ لمْ يَسْتَقْدِحِ المَجْدُ زَنْدَهُ
لدى الفَخْرِ إلاّ أوْقَدوا بِضِرامِ
Among the people, glory's flint did not spark for anyone
In pride unless they lit it with steel.
وأعلاهُمُ في قُلّةِ المَجْدِ مَرْقَباً
أخو نِعَمٍ في المُعْتَفينَ جِسامِ
And highest among them in scarce glory
Is the brother of blessings, mighty in body,
مُحَجَّبُ أطرافِ الرِّواقَيْنِ بالقَنا
إذا ادّرَعَ الخَيْلانِ ظِلَّ قَتامِ
Veiled on both sides of the corridor with spears
When the two horses clothe it in the shade of darkness,
ولمْ تَعثُرا إلا بأشْلاءِ غِلْمَةٍ
تُرَوّي غَليلَ المَشْرَفيِّ وهامِ
And they do not stumble except on the corpses of boys
Who satisfy the watcher's craving.
نُطالِعُ منْ أقْلامِهِ وحُسامِهِ
مَقَرَّ حَياةٍ في مَدَبِّ حِمامِ
From his pens and swords we glimpse
The stirrings of life in the swaying of a dove.
ويَخْبُرُ أهواءَ النّفوسِ بنَظْرَةٍ
تَفُضُّ لها الأسرارُ كلَّ خِتامِ
And his glance informs the desires of souls
As secrets pour forth from every seal.
وتَنْضَحُ كفّاهُ نَجيعاً ونائِلاً
تدَفُّقَ نائي الحَجْرَتَيْنِ رُكامِ
His palms gush with gain and bounty
Like the flowing of two springs' confluence.
بحِلْمٍ إذا الخَطْبُ استُطيرَتْ لهُ الحُبا
رَماهُ برُكْنَيْ يَذْبُلٍ وشَمامِ
With wisdom, when perils arise for him,
He repels them with a languid, decisive blow.
وخُلْقٍ كما هَبّتْ شَمالٌ مَريضَةٌ
على زَهَراتِ الرّوْضِ غِبَّ رِهامِ
And a nature like a sick north wind's gust
Upon the garden's flowers with failed sprinkles of rain.
وعِرْضٍ كمَتْنِ الهِنْدُوانيِّ ناصِعٌ
تَذُبُّ المَعالي دونَهُ وتُحامي
And honor like the gleaming Indian scabbard -
Glories shy from it and take cover.
صَقيلُ الحَواشي مَسْرَحُ الحَمْدِ عندَهُ
رَحيبٌ وما فيهِ مُعَرَّسُ ذامِ
The burnished margins are the theater of his praise -
Spacious, with none settled in it.
فللهِ مَجْدٌ أعْجَزَ النّجْمَ شأوُهُ
أحَلَّكَ أعْلى ذِرْوَةٍ وسَنامِ
So glory to God, whose brilliance has outshone the stars,
Elevating you to the highest summit.
وهبّتْ بكَ الآمالُ بعدَ ضَياعِها
لَدى مَعْشَرٍ عنْ رَعْيِهِنَّ نِيامِ
And through you hopes were realized after their loss
Among a people asleep, not tending to them.
فَدونَكَ مما يَنظِمُ الفِكْرُ شُرَّداً
سَلَبْنَ حَصى المَرْجانِ كُلَّ نِظامِ
Because of you, the thoughts that were dispersed
Have stripped coral beads of all their stringing.
تَسيرُ بشُكْرٍ غائِرِ الذِّكْرِ مُنْجِدٍ
يُناجي لِسانَيْ مُعْرِقٍ وشَآمي
You walk thankfully with hidden remembrance, praised,
As my fervent tongue converses with me.
ويَهْوى مُلوكُ الأرضِ أن يُمْدَحوا بِها
وما كُلُّ سَمْعٍ يرتَضيهِ كَلامي
The kings of earth desire to be praised through it,
Yet not every ear is pleased with my speech.
ألَمْ يَعلَموا أني تبوّأْتُ مَنزِلاً
يُطَنِّبُ فوقَ النَّيِّرَيْنِ خِيامي
Don't they know I have taken a position
That relaxes atop the two streams, my tent?
وقد كُنتُ لا أرضى وبي لاعِجُ الصّدى
سِوى مَنْهَلٍ عَذْبِ الشريعَةِ طامِ
I used to refuse to be content though my echo was pure
Other than a freshwater spring or cloudy sky.
ولَمَّا اسْتَقرّتْ في ذراكَ بِنا النّوى
وقد كَرُمَ المَثْوى نَقَعْتُ أُوامي
And when the intentions settled in you through us
And the dwellings honored us, I pitched my tent pegs.
