وَلَهٌ تَشِفُّ وراءَهُ الأشجانُ

وهَوىً يَضيقُ بسِرِّهِ الكِتْمانُ

A dreamer whose sorrows weigh down his resting place,

While the trees weep behind him,

ومُتَيَّمٌ يُدمي مَقيلَ هُمومِهِ

وَجْدٌ يُضَرِّمُ نارَهُ الهِجْرانُ

And a secret that tightens with its mystery,

And separation whose fire is stoked by estrangement.

فَنَطا الكَرى عن مُقلَتَيْهِ شادِنٌ

عَبِثَ الفُتورُ بلَحْظِهِ وَسْنانُ

So the eyelids fell off his swollen eyes,

Neglect played with his glance and tooth.

يَرعى النّجومَ إذا اسْتَرابَ بطَيفِهِ

هَلاّ اسْتَرابَ بطَرْفِهِ اليَقظانُ

He herds the stars when his phantom is delayed,

If only his watchful eyes would delay it.

ألِفَ السُّهادَ فلو أهابَ خَيالُهُ

بالعَيْنِ ما شَعَرَتْ بهِ الأجْفانُ

He is accustomed to sleeplessness, so if his imagination came,

The eyelids would not feel him.

للهِ وَقْفَتُنا التي ضمِنَتْ لنا

شَجَناً غَداةَ تَفَرّقَ الجيرانُ

By God, our pact which guaranteed,

A passion the morning after the neighbors left.

نَصِفُ الهَوى بمَدامِعٍ مَذعورةٍ

تَبكي الأسُودُ بهِنّ والغِزْلانُ

Half of desire with frightened tears,

That wet the black garment and the bracelets.

وإذا سَمِعْنا نَبْأةً منْ عاذِلٍ

جُعِلَتْ مَغيضَ دُموعِها الأرْدانُ

And if we heard news from a critic,

Its tears would be more bitter than perfume.

ولقد طَرَقْتُ الحيَّ يحْمِلُ شِكّتي

ظامي الفُصوصِ أديمُهُ ريّانُ

And I came upon the wall carrying my complaint,

Its plaster torn, still wet.

لبِسَ الدُّجى وأضاءَ صُبحُ جَبينِهِ

يَنشَقُّ عنهُ سَبيبُهُ الفَيْنانُ

Dawn broke and lit up his forehead,

His braid bursting open.

وسَما لِدارِ العامريّةِ بعْدَما

خَفَتَ الهَديرُ وروّحَ الرُّعْيانُ

And I swore to the Abode of Amer, after

The tumult subsided and the shepherds rested.

ووَقَفْتُهُ حيثُ اليَمينُ جَعَلْتُها

طَوقَ الفَتاةِ وفي الشِّمالِ عِنانُ

And I stopped him where I placed the right hand

As the girl’s necklace, and the reins in the left.

ورَجَعْتُ طَلْقَ البُرْدِ أسْحَبُ ذَيْلَهُ

ويَعَضُّ جِلْدَةَ كفِّهِ الغَيْرانُ

And I returned barefoot, dragging its tail,

While estrangement gnawed the skin of my palm.

يا صاحِبَيَّ تقَصّيا نَظَرَيْكُما

هَلْ بَعدَ ذَلكُما اللِّوى سَفَوانُ

O friends, did your sight ever wander

After that, or is madness agreeable?

فلقدْ ذَكَرْتُ العامريّةَ ذِكْرَةً

لا يُسْتَشَفُّ وَراءَها النّسيانُ

For I remembered Amer in a memory

Beyond which oblivion cannot heal.

وهَفا بنا وَلَعُ النّسيمِ على الحِمى

فثَنى مَعاطِفَهُ إليهِ البانُ

The wind blew gently on the fence,

So it folded its cloak to it, compliant.

ومَشى بأجْرَعِهِ فهَبَّ عَرارُهُ

منْ نَومِهِ وتَناجَتِ الأغْصانُ

And it walked slowly, so its foliage stirred

From its sleep and the branches' whispers.

وإذا الصَّبا سَرَقَتْ إليها نَظرَةً

مالَتْ كَما يتَرَنّحُ النّشوانُ

And when the morning breeze stole a glance at it

It swayed like a nashwan drunk with nasha.

غُبِقَتْ حواشي التُّرْبِ منْ أمْواهِهِ

راحاً تَصوغُ حَبابَها الغُدْرانُ

The edges of the ground were clouded by its waters

That trickled to shape its pools.

فكأنّ وَفْدَ الرّيحِ شافَهَ أرْضَها

بثَرًى تُعَفَّرُ عندَهُ التّيجانُ

As if the wind's delegation cured its land

With fresh rain to stir its marshes.

منْ عَرْصَةٍ تَسِمُ الجِباهَ بتُرْبِها

صِيدٌ يُطيفُ بعِزِّهِمْ إذعانُ

People from a yard who branded foreheads with its soil,

Game fenced in by their glory, submitting.

خَضَعوا لمَلْثومِ الخُطا عَرَصاتُهُ

للمُعْتَفينَ وللعُلا أوطانُ

They bowed to the owner of an ancient, lofty lineage,

For the glorious, homeland for Adnan.

ذو مَحْتِدٍ سَنِمٍ رَفيعٍ سَمْكُهُ

تُعلي دَعائِمَ مَجدِهِ عَدنانُ

A people, if they loudly proclaimed descent from Amer,

The oryx trembled, and the small deer shook.

قوْمٌ إذا جَهَروا بدَعوى عامِرٍ

قَلِقَ الظُّبا وتَزَعْزَعَ الخِرْصانُ

And an eagle shaded the edges of the plain,

A burly lion foretelling its young.

وأظَلَّ أطرافَ البسيطةِ جَحفَلٌ

لَجِبٌ يُبَشِّرُ نَسرَهُ السِّرْحانُ

The tails of the she-camel flock spilling over,

Polished swords and seasoned blades.

تَفْري ذُيولَ النّقعِ فيهِ صَوارِمٌ

مَذْروبَةٌ وذَوابِلٌ مُرّانُ

With the palms of heroes whose armors

Melt away at the clash of forearms.

بأكُفِّ أبطالٍ تَكادُ دُروعُهُمْ

عِندَ اللّقاءِ تُذيبُها الأضْغانُ

Whenever war grew harsh, their supple mounts

Frolicked, playing with their flexible necks.

منْ كُلِّ عَرّاصٍ إذا جَدَّ الرّدى

في الرّوْعِ لاعَبَ مَتْنَهُ العَسَلانُ

And a brown-skinned one whose tents were stained with blood

From a hand generosity flourished through.

ومُهَنّدٍ تندىً مَضارِبُهُ دَماً

بيدٍ يَنُمُّ بجودِها الإحسانُ

If spirits had a remainder in it,

The bodies would cling to its every part.

لو كانَ للأرْواحِ منهُ ثائِرٌ

لَتَشَبّثَتْ بغِرارِهِ الأبْدانُ

The sons of Ruwas travel the path of glory,

A route deprivation itself loses sight of.

وبَنو رُؤاسٍ يَنهَجونَ إِلى الندىً

طُرُقاً يَضِلُّ أمامَها الحِرْمانُ

Noble, while the heavy clouds are vile,

Wise when the brave are foolish.

كُرَماءُ والسُّحْبُ الغِزارُ لَئيمَةٌ

حُلَماءُ حينَ تُسَفَّهُ الشُّجْعانُ

Whether they wrest smiles from the swords,

Or the guests wrest dinner from the bowls.

إن جالَدوا لَفَظَ السّيوفَ جُفونُها

أو جاوَدوا غَمَرَ الضّيوفَ جِفانُ

And when the vagabonds cloaked themselves in their homes,

The two guests dressed in its shade.

وإذا العُفاةُ تمَرّسوا بفِنائِهِمْ

وتوَشّحَتْ بظِلالِهِ الضِّيفانُ

Spilt blood boiled in its corners,

Fires stoked around it.

طَفَحَ الدّمُ المُهَراقُ في أرْجائِها

دُفَعاً تُضَرَّمُ حَولَها النّيرانُ

And toward the glory of the state we faltered,

The feet of travelers danced and the riders sang.

وإِلى سَناءِ الدّولةِ اضْطَرَبَتْ بِنا

شعب الرِّحالِ وغَرَّدَ الرُّكْبانُ

Full of praise like one intoxicated by his cup,

And the finest lute nourished him with pure wine.

ثَمِلُ الشّمائِلِ للمَديحِ كأنّما

عاطاهُ نَشْوَةَ كأسِهِ النَّدْمانُ

O you the enemies fell short of,

We celebrated his terrifying assault.

ونَماهُ أرْوَعُ عُودُهُ مِنْ نَبْعَةٍ

رَفّتْ على أعْراقِها الأفْنانُ

Our holidays in your sheltering care

Are white like the hem of a robe.

يا مَنْ تَضاءَلَ دونَ غايتِهِ العِدا

وعَنا لسَوْرَةِ بأسِهِ الأقْرانُ

So meet the Feast with a resplendent kingdom,

With the mark of glory across its pages.

أيّامُنا الأعْيادُ في أفيائِكُمْ

بِيضٌ كَحاشيَةِ الرِّداءِ لِدانُ

And browse through the words that the heights of eloquence reached,

Forcefully, smoothly, and clearly.

فاسْتَقْبِلِ الأضحى بمُلْكٍ طارِفٍ

للعِزِّ في صَفَحاتِهِ عُنوانُ

They put their reins in my hands out of obedience,

And they are free with the sensitive.

وتصَفّحِ الكَلِمَ التي وَصَلَتْ بها

مِرَرَ البلاغَةِ شِدّةٌ ولَيانُ

For glory disdains to be flattered by an unskilled one,

While the excellent have intelligence.

تُلْقي إليّ عِنانَها عنْ طاعَةٍ

ولَها على المُتَشاعِرينَ حِرانُ

And poetry is pleased with its spontaneous outpouring,

Foolishness of youth, and clarity and eloquence.

فالمجْدُ يأنَفُ أن يُقَرِّظَ باقِلٌ

أربابَهُ ولَدَيهِمُ سَحْبانُ

My hand is honored, so I do not give

Handouts over their bent wrists shamefully.

والشِّعْرُ راضَ أبِيَّهُ لي مِقْوَلٌ

ذَرِبُ الشَّبا وفَصاحَةٌ وبَيانُ

The water in clefts is abundant, and wealth is

Where contentment and modest provisions are.

ويَدي مُكَرَّمَةٌ فلا أعْطو بِها

مِنَحاً على أعْطافِهِنَّ هَوانُ

Wishes give birth to determination, while

Humiliation sterilizes my resolve.

والماءُ في الوَجَناتِ جَمٌّ والغِنى

حيثُ القَناعَةُ والحَشى طَيّانُ

تَلِدُ المُنى هِمَمٌ وتَعقُمُ همّتي

فيَمَسُّهُنَّ الهُونُ وهْيَ حَصانُ