خاض الدُّجى ورِواقُ الليل مَسدولبُ

بَرقٌ كما اهتزَّ ماضي الحدِّ مَصقولُ

The darkness plunged and the porticoes of night unfurled,

Like flashes of lightning that shook the polished blade of the past.

أَشيمُهُ وضجيعي صارمٌ خَذِمٌ

ومِحمَلي بِرَشاشِ الدَّمعِ مَبلولُ

My tent companion and bedfellow are harsh and worn,

While my camel litter is drenched by the shower of tears.

فحَنَّ صاحبُ رَحْلي إذ تأمَّلَهُ

حتى حَنَنْتُ ونِضْوي عنهُ مَشغولُ

My companion lamented when he saw it,

Until I sighed, preoccupied from him.

يَخْدي بأرْوَعَ لا يُغْفي وناظِرُهُ

بإثْمِدِ اللّيْلِ في البَيْداء مَكحولُ

It leads the most magnificent camel, sleepless with its watcher,

Roaming the desert in the thick of night intoxicated.

ولا يَمُرُّ الكَرَى صَفْحاً بمُقْلَتِهِ

فَدونَهُ قاتِمُ الأرْجاءِ مَجهولُ

And misfortune does not pass smoothly by its eyelids,

For around it the horizons are obscured and unknown.

إذا قضَى عُقَبَ الإسراءِ لَيلَتَهُ

أناخَهُ وَهْوَ بالإعْياءِ مَعْقولُ

When it finished traversing the night journey at its end,

Exhausted, it stopped, tamed by weariness.

واعْتادَهُ مِنْ سُلَيمى وَهْيَ نائِيَةٌ

ذِكرٌ يُؤرِّقُهُ والقَلبُ مَتبولُ

It was accustomed to Sulaymah when she was absent,

A memory that kept it sleepless, while the heart quivered.

رَيَّا المَعاصِمِ ظَمأى الخَصْرِ لا قِصَرٌ

يَزوي عَليها ولا يُزْري بِها طولُ

It admired the slender waists of maidens, no shortcoming,

Would quench its thirst or satisfy it with length.

فَالوجْهُ أبلَجُ واللّبَّاتُ واضِحةٌ

وفَرعُها وارِدٌ والمَتْنُ مَجدولُ

The face was bright, the lips distinct,

Its branches in flow, the body sculpted.

كأنّما ريقُها والفَجْرُ مُبتَسِمٌ

فيما أظُنُّ بِصَفْوِ الرّاحِ مَعلولُ

As if its saliva in the smiling dawn,

Was, I believe, mingled with the fragrance of the breeze.

صَدَّتْ ووقَّرَني شَيبي فما أرَبي

صَهْباءُ صِرفُ ولا غَيداءُ عُطبولُ

Grey hairs rebuked me, I have no interest,

Neither in youthful curls, nor plaited tresses.

وحَال دونَ نَسيبي بالدُّمى مِدَحٌ

تَحبيرُها بِرضى الرّحمنِ مَوصولُ

And praise of my companion at the encampments prevented me,

Adorning him with the pleasure of the Merciful.

أُزيرُها قرَشيّاً في أسِرَّتِهِ

نُورٌ ومِنْ راحتَيْهِ الخَيْرُ مأمولُ

Its decoration is Qurashi in its ancestry,

A light, and from its tranquility good is expected.

تَحكي شَمائلُهُ في طِيبِها زَهَراً

يَفوحُ والرّوضُ مَرهومٌ ومَشمولُ

Its qualities tell, in their goodness, of a blossom

That diffuses fragrance, while the meadow is guarded and packed.

هُوَ الذي نَعَشَ اللهُ العِبادَ بهِ

ضَخْمَ الدَّسيعَةِ مَتبوعٌ ومَسؤولُ

It is he whom Allah revived the servants through,

Burly in body, obeyed, and asked.

فكُلُّ شيءٍ نَهاهُمْ عنهُ مُجتَنَبٌ

وأمرُهُ وهْوَ أمرُ اللهِ مَفعولُ

So everything He prohibited them from is avoided,

And His command, which is Allah's command, is executed.

مِنْ دَوحةٍ بَسَقَتْ لا الفَرْعُ مؤْتَشَبٌ

مِنها ولا عِرقُها في الحَيِّ مَدخولُ

From an inner sanctum whose branches are not withered,

Nor its roots in lives trodden.

أتى بمِلَّةِ إبراهيمَ والدِهِ

قَرْمٌ على كَرَمِ الأخلاقِ مَجبولُ

He came with the religion of his father Abraham,

A people naturally disposed to noble character.

والناسُ في أَجَّةٍ ضَلَّ الحَليمُ بها

وكُلُّهُمْ في إسارِ الغَيِّ مكبلولُ

While people were in confusion, with the forbearing astray,

And all of them bound in the captivity of error.

كأنَّهم وعوادي الكُفرِ تُسلِمُهم

إِلى الرَّدى نَعَمٌ في النَّهبِ مَشلولُ

It was as if agreements of disbelief surrendered them,

To demise, blessings seized and plundered.

يا خاتَمَ الرُّسْلِ إنْ لَم تُخشَ بادِرَتي

على أعادِيكَ غالَتْني إذنْ غولُ

O seal of prophets, if you don’t prevent my attacks

On your enemies, they will exceed their bounds against me.

والنّصْرُ باليَدِ مِنِّي واللِّسانِ معاً

ومَنْ لَوى عنكَ جِيداً فهْوَ مَخذولُ

And victory is through my hands and tongue together,

Whoever turns away his neck will be forsaken.

وساعِدي وهْوَ لا يُلوي بهِ خَوَرٌ

على القَنا في اتِّباعِ الحقِّ مَفتولُ

My arm, which no infirmity makes it bend,

Is ready in following the truth to be severed.

فَمُرْ وقُلْ أَتَّبِعْ ما أنتَ تَنهَجُهُ

فالأمرُ مُمتَثَلٌ والقولُ مَقبولُ

So order and say: Follow what you tread,

The command is complied with, the saying accepted.

وكُلَّ صَحْبِكَ أهوى فالهُدى مَعَهُمْ

وغَرْبُ مَن أبغَضَ الأخيارَ مَفلولُ

And I love all your companions, for guidance is with them,

While misery is for those who hate the righteous.

وأقتدي بضَجيعَيْكَ اقتِداءَ أبي

كِلاهُما دَمُ مَن عاداهُ مَطلولُ

And I emulate your two bedfellows in imitation of my father,

For both their blood is shed by whoever opposes them.

ومَن كعُثمانَ جُوداً والسّماحُ لهُ

عِبءٌ على كاهِلِ العَلياءِ مَحمولُ

And whoever is like Uthman in generosity,

Carries a burden on the shoulders of the exalted.

وأينَ مِثلُ عَليٍّ في بَسالَتِهِ

بمَأزِقٍ مَن يَرِدْهُ فهْوَ مَقتولُ

And where is one like Ali in his heroism?

Who dares approach him is killed.

إني لأعْذُلُ مَن لم يُصْفِهِمْ مِقَةً

والناسُ صِنفانِ مَعذورٌ ومَعذولُ

I blame whoever does not give them an affinity,

While people are two kinds: excused or blamed.

فمَنْ أحبَّهمُ نالَ النّجاةَ بِهمْ

ومَن أبى حُبَّهُمْ فالسّيفُ مَسلولُ

Whoever loves them gains salvation through them,

Whoever refuses to love them, the sword is unleashed against him.