أطاعَكَ منّيَ القلبُ العصِيُّ

وكم يَقْوَى على النَّبْلِ الرّمِيُّ

My rebellious heart has obeyed you

And how does an archer withstand arrows?

وكم للغِيدِ من نظرٍ كَليلٍ

يُصابُ بسَهمه بَطلٌ كَمِيّ

And how many glances does the lover take

Whereby a brave knight is struck down?

وكنتُ من الهوَى حُرّاً إلى أن

سَباني منكَ طَرْفٌ جاهليّ

I was free from love until

A glance of yours enslaved me, O Naïve one!

سَقيمٌ قد رمَيْتَ به فؤادي

وقد يُبْلَى بذي السَّقْمِ البَريّ

You have inflicted my heart with an illness

Which may destroy one afflicted with such illness

فإن يكُ حُبُّ ذاتِ الخالِ غَيّاً

كما زعَموا فلا رَشَدَ الغَويّ

If the love of the moles is madness

As they claim, there is no sanity in madness

ذكرْتُ العامريّةَ والمَطايا

يُطَرِّبُها الغُلامُ العامِريّ

I recalled Al-Aamiriyya and its camels

Animated by the youth of Al-Aamir

فحَنَّ الأرحبِيُّ وهَمَّ شَوقاً

بكَفّي أَن يَحِنَّ الأصبَحيّ

So Al-Arhabi yearned and was consumed with longing

It suffices me that the morning has yearned

وبِتُّ وللصّبابةِ في فُؤادي

مَكانٌ ليس يَعْرِفُه الخَليّ

I spent the night in the bloom of my youth

In a place not known to the emaciated one

أَقولُ ولَيْلتي تَزدادُ طُولاً

ومالي غَيرَ كوكبِها نَجِيّ

I say and my night grows longer

I have no star to guide me except hers

ألا صُبْحٌ يُتاحُ لنا مُضيء

أَلا لَيلٌ يُتاحُ له مُضيّ

Oh morning that grants us light

Oh night that grants it darkness

فحُلَّ عِقالَها يا صاحِ إنّا

بأرضٍ عِداً يمَلُّ بها الثَّويّ

So unleash, O companion, her camel

We are in a land populated with deer

ولمّا رابَني إظْلالُ أَمرٍ

ولاحظَ مُنْتَهاهُ الألمعيّ

And when the darkness of a matter disturbs me

And its painful end stares at me

زجَرْتُ بأرضِ خُوزِسْتانَ عَنْسي

مُروقَ السّهمِ أَسْلَمَه الحَنيّ

I deterred myself from the land of Khawzistan

Having shot my arrow, I surrendered to destiny

ووافَيْتُ الجِبالَ كما تَسامَى

إلى قُلَلِ الشّوامخِ مَضْرَحيّ

And I reached the mountains rising high

To the peaks overlooking my death place

وأعرَضَ بعدَهُنَّ فلا عُراضٌ

لأنفاسِ الرّياح بها دَويّ

And I turned away from them, so I don’t turn back

For there are no echoes of winds blowing

وغُبْرٌ من بني الغَبْراءِ مَلأى

فلا يَجْري بها إلاّ جَريّ

And dust from Bani Ghubra has filled it

So that only a strong wind blows through it

يُسَلُّ لهمْ من الجَفنَينِ خوفاً

معَ اللّيلِ الكرَى والمَشرَفيّ

Dropping tears out of fear, in the darkness of night

Accompanied by worries and insomnia

فلَم نَنزِلْ بشابُر خُواةَ إلاّ

وكلُّ رِكابنا نِضْوٌرَذيّ

We did not descend in Shabur Khawah

Except with all our riders wary

فألمَمْنا بها واللّيلُ يَحكي

زِناداً ضَوْؤُه فيه خَبيّ

We hurried there as night told its tale

Its faint light within it hidden

وصَبّحْنا بَروجِرْداً فمِلْنا

إليها والنهارُ بها فَتِيّ

We left at daybreak for Baraujird

We were fed up with it as the day in it waned

فما بلَغتْ بنا همَذانَ إلاّ

وقد أَلوى بها الأمدُ القَصيّ

We did not reach Hamadan

Except after the long journey came to an end

بأثباجٍ كما انتطحَتْ وُعولٌ

بِشابةَ أَو كما انأطَرَتْ قِسيّ

On she-camels bellowing

As if they were Oryx antelopes circling Qais

فأعجَلْنا بها للرَّكْبِ زاداً

ورُحْنا للرَّكابِ بنا هَويّ

So we hurried to provide provisions for the riders

And we sped towards the riders enthused

وشارَفْنا المُعسكرَ بعْدَ لأْيٍ

وقد نقرَ الطُّبولَ بها العَشيّ

And we reached the camp at nightfall

As the drums resonated within it at sunset

ولاح لنا الخيامُ البيضُ منه

على بُعْدٍ كما برَق الحَبيّ

The white tents appeared to us from afar

As lightning flashes from the clouds

وطاولَتِ السّماءَ سُرادِقاتٌ

على أَبوابها رُكزَ القُني

Its lofty tents reached unto the sky

With its poles planted at its doors

فجاذبَنا أَعنَّتَها المَذاكي

وسالبَنا أَزِمّتَها المَطيّ

We were called to unbridle by its hospitality

And take off saddles by its generosity

وقُلنا اليوم حان لنا مُناخٌ

به تُلقى مع اليُمْنِ العِصيّ

And we said today is the day for us to alight

Alongside good fortune the time has come

فلمّا أَن دنَتْ منها رِكابي

تَلقّاني بإدراري نَعيّ

But when my riders came close

My streaming tears came to me

فقلتُ وإصبَعي في فيَّ تَدْمَى

لقد عاشَ السّخاءُ الحاتِميّ

So I said as my finger bled in my mouth

Generosity in the Hatemi manner has lived

كذا فَلْيُكرَمِ الزَّورُ المُوافي

كذا فَلْيُكرِمِ المَولَى الوَفيّ

May the guest be honored thus

May the Lord honor the loyal one thus

حياءً معشرَ الكُتّابِ منّا

فما حازَ النُّهَى إلاّ حَبِيّ

I deterred the writers from us out of shyness

As only the refined has gained prohibition

وما بَينَ الكتابةِ من ذِمام

وبينَ الشِّعرِ مُتَّضِحٌ جَليّ

And the distance between writing

And poetry is clear and evident

وليس يُلابِسُ الآدابَ أَدنَى

من الإطنابِ إن أَنِفَ الأبيّ

He who wears literature well

Does not prolong speech if he is dignified

أَيُزْعَمُ أَنَّ إدراري لغَيْري

لعَمْرُكَ إنّه كَذِبٌ فَريّ

Is it claimed that my streaming tears are for another?

By your life, it is utter falsehood

فيا قلمَ الكتابةِ أَنتَ عندي

كَذوبٌ بعدَ فَعْلِتها دَعيّ

So O pen of writing, you have lied to me

After doing it, giving up is weakness

وليس لسانُك المَشْقوقُ إلاّ

لِكذْبكَ إن تَأمّلَهُ ذَكيّ

Your split tongue is not but

For your lies, if contemplated by a reasonable one

فقال وهَزَّ من عِطْفي مُجيباً

وما بِيراعةِ الكُتّابِ عِيّ

So he said to me, swaying off my shoulder

The writers have no dignity

لعلّ خِتامَ ما كتبوا جَميلٌ

يُسَرُّ بهِ وإنْ كُرِهَ البَديّ

Perhaps the seal of what they wrote is beautiful

It pleases though the uncouth dislike it

فخَطُّ الفَصِّ مَعكوسٌ عَجيبٌ

ويَصدُرُ عنه مَقْرؤٌ سَويّ

The inverted line of composition is wondrous

As it produces a straightforward reading

تَعجّبَ صاحبي من طُولِ هَمّي

فقلتُ لِيَهْنِكَ البالُ الرَّخِيّ

My friend was astonished at the length of my worry

So I said, may concerns relax for you

وخَوَّفني تَصاريفَ اللّيالي

فقلتُ اللهُ حَسْبي والصَّفيّ

And the turns of nights frightened me

So I said God and the Pure One suffice me

وكيف يَخافُ رَيبَ الدَّهرِ حُرٌّ

وَليُّ الدَّولتَينِ له وَليّ

How can a free man fear the turns of fate

When the Master of both worlds is his guardian?

وهل يُخشَى كَسادُ الفَضلِ يوماً

وناصِرُه أَبوه الأريَحيّ

Can the decline of excellence be feared one day

While its supporter is his father, the most fragrant scent?

لقد أَهدَى الغداةَ شِفاءَ صَدري

فتىً وجْهُ الزّمانِ به وَضىّ

The one who came to me at dawn cured my breast

A youth the times shine through

أَخو هِمَمٍ لَوِ استَعْلَتْ لظَلّتْ

سَواميَ في السّماء لها رُقىّ

A brother of determination, if it rose high

Its summits would orbit in the sky

غدا لعُفاتِه فرعاً كريماً

نَماهُ منَ العُلا أَصْلٌ زكيّ

Tomorrow it will be for his chastity a generous branch

Grown from a pure root

فهَزَّهُ عِطفه فَنَنٌ رَطيبٌ

وجودُ بنانِه ثَمَرٌ جَنيّ

So he shook its bend, and it is a gentle bend

And the generosity of its branches is ripe fruit

كأنّ الوافدِينَ نُجومُ لَيلٍ

ورَحْبَ جَنابِه الفَلَكُ العليّ

As if the visitors are stars in the night

And the horizon of his hospitality is the highest heaven

إذا ما حانَ من فِرَقٍ ذَهابٌ

أُتيحَ إليه من فِرَقٍ مَجِيّ

When separation comes, access is granted to him

As groups arrive in succession

ومُستوفي مَمالكَ قاصياتٍ

كِفايتُه لِعاطلِها حُليّ

Abundant in fulfilling the needs of distant realms

His sufficiency for those in need is adornment

أَظلَّ به على الآفاقِ عِلْمٌ

فما مِنْ أَمرها عنه خَفيّ

Knowledge has shaded the horizons through him

No aspect of them is hidden from him

كعَينِ الشّمسِ يَلْحَظُ كُلَّ قُطْرٍ

من الأقطار ناطرُها المُضيّ

Like the eye of the sun glancing at every drop

Its observant rising light

له قلمٌ بما يَحمي شَحيحٌ

وصاحبُه بما يَحوي سَخيّ

His pen is stingy in protection

While its owner is generous in provision

كلَمْعِ البَرقِ أَنملُه حِساباً

وفيه الغَيثُ مَشرَبُه رَويّ

Like the flashing of lightning his fingers count

And within it, rain is abundant drink

أَيا مَن طبعُه عَدْلٌ وفَضْلٌ

فمِنه الحُرُّ بالنُّعْمَى حَريّ

O you whose nature is justice and excellence

Through bounty, the free man is free

ومَن أَدْنى مَناقِبه سَناءٌ

ومَن أَدنَى مَواهبِه سَنيّ

The least of his merits is loftiness

The least of his gifts is affluence

أَيُقصَدُ نَقْلُ إدراري بظُلْمٍ

وظُلمُ النّاسِ مَرتَعُه وَبيّ

Is my transfer targeted wrongfully

While wronging people are his pasture and home?

ولم يُحْسَنْ إليّ بحِفْظِ غَيبٍ

ومثْلُك حينَ لم يُحسِنْ مَسيّ

He has not been good to me in keeping secrets

And the like of you when you have not been good

حلَفْتُ بربِّ مكّةَ والمسَاعي

ومَن واراه طَيْبةُ والغَرّي

I swear by the Lord of Mecca and Mash'ar

And the one who frequented Taibah and Gharr

لقد كادَتْ تُعاتِبُهمْ قوافٍ

لها الأقلامُ تُطرِقُ والدُّويّ

The camel litters almost blamed them

As pens hang their heads and ink flows

وقد مُلِئتْ قوارصَ مؤلماتٍ

ولكنْ مُلجَمٌ قيلَ التّقيّ

The camel litters are filled with sorrowful thoughts

But my utterance is restrained by piety

وقَيدُ أوابدي كَرَمٌ وَدينٌ

عنِ الأقوام لا حَصَرٌ وعِيّ

The fetters of my expression are generosity and faith

Not to enumerate the flaws of people, and that suffices

وحاشا أَن أذُمَّ سَراةَ قومٍ

وزَنْدي في العُلا بِهمُ وَريّ

It is far from me to censure the nobles of a people

While through them I have risen high

لقد أَزِفَ المَسيرُ بلا عِتادٍ

وشَحَّ بدَرّهِ الخِلْفُ البَكيّ

The journey has drawn near without provision

As its full moon has waned

وتَحتي أعوَجِيٌّ لا يُجارَى

ولكنْ تحت رَحْلي أَخْدَريّ

While under me is a lame she-camel

But under my saddle is an Abyssinian one

فهل لك أن تَجودَ وأنتَ بحْرٌ

به لا عنه كُلٌ فتىً غَنِيّ

Do you have it in you to be generous when you are a sea

From which every young man attains wealth?

بعالي القَدِّ سافِلُه وَثيقٌ

لراكبِه وعاليهِ وَطيّ

With its high stature, its bottom is firm

For its rider, and its top is shelter

غدا في الخيلِ من طَرْفٍ نسيباً

عريقاً وهْو من طَرَفٍ نَفيّ

Tomorrow it counts a relative among horses

Of noble lineage, and it counts as strange on the other side

قَصيرَ العُرْفِ أربَعُه طِوالٌ

يُباهي الخيلَ مَنظرُهُ البَهيّ

Short in withers, its back is long

Its handsome appearance rivals horses

تَطيرُ حصَى الأماعزِ من يدَيْهِ

كما نقَد الدَّراهِمَ صَيّرفيّ

Pebbles fly from its hands

As a money changer counts dirhams

ويَسْتَدني البعيدَ منَ الفيافي

كما يُطوَى النّسيجُ الأتحَميّ

It makes far seem near, across the horizons

As a well-knitted fabric folds

ولو أجريتَه حَولاً صَبورٌ

ولو أوقَرتَه طَوداً قَويّ

If you walked it slowly, it is patient

If you kept it waiting, it is strong

وظَنّي أن يَمُنَّ به سَماحاً

فتىً للوَفْد نائلُه هَنيّ

And I assumed it would generously be granted

To a noble youth, attaining wishes

مَليءٌ أن يَجودَ به وفكْري

بمَدْحي أن يَجودَ له مَليّ

I have set about praising you in verse

And my mind to praise in song, is inclined

أيا بحراً ومَشرَعُه نَداهُ

ويا بدراً ومَطلَعُه نَديّ

So I have composed for you verses embellished with meaning

As if peeled for the idol, the gift

ويَتْبَعُه كرامُ النّاسِ طُرّاً

كما تَبعَ السِّنانَ السَّمْهَريّ

And if their appearance has become beautiful

Their addressor’s ability is sufficient

كريمٌ يُفصِحُ المُدّاحُ فيه

وصَوغُ المَدْحِ في اللُّؤَماء عِيّ

So may you remain obedient in command, honor

And may eternal survival remain for you

أهبْتُ إلى مَديحِك بالقوافي

فكاد يُسابِقُ الصَّدَرَ الرَّويّ

And may time never deprive you of your sublimity

For you are the adornment of the whole world

فدونَكَها مُوشَّحةَ المَعاني

كما جُلِيَتْ على البَعْلِ الهَديّ

وإن أضحَتْ ومَنظرُها جَميلٌ

فقد أمسَتْ وخاطِبُها كَفيّ

فدُمتَ لنا مُطاعَ الأمرِ عِزّاً

ودام لك البَقاءُ السَّرمَديّ

ولا سَلَب الزّمانُ عُلاك يوماً

فأنت لعاطلِ الدُّنيا حُليّ