أرِقْتُ وصَحْبي بنَجْدٍ هُجودُ

وأيدِي الرّكائبِ وَهْناً ركودُ

I and my companions passed the night awake in Najd

While the mounts were weak and still from fatigue

لبَرْقٍ تَبَسَّمَ فاستَعْبَرتْ

جُفوني وحَنَّ الفؤادُ العَميد

At the smile of lightning that lit up

My eyelids while the resolute heart softened

كأنّ تَلألُؤه في الظّلامِ

إذا لاحَ ثَغْرٌ لسلْمَى بَرود

As if its brilliance in the darkness

When a bright mouth of Salma's smiled, was frost

دنا ضوءه فَسَما ناظري

إليه وسُقْياهُ منّا بَعيد

Its light drew near so my sight turned

Towards it and we watered our camels far from it

فمَنْ بالأجارعِ من وَمْضِه

مَشوقٌ ومَن بالمَطالي مَجود

So for some the flashes were a yearning

And for others at the high ground a stillness

وما ضَرَّ صحبي سنا بارقٍ

إذا ضَنَّ ما دام عَينَي تَجود

And the lightning did no harm to my companions

As long as my eyes still shed their showers

وشَوْقٌ نحَرتُ له مُقْلتي

بُكاءً لأنْ عادَني منه عِيد

And a longing I slaughtered my eyelids for

Weeping when they came back safe from it

ومن دونِ فاتنةِ البِيضِ بيِضٌ

ومن دونِ ساكنةِ البيدِ بِيد

And without the charming white ones are white

And without the still red tents are still

فللّهِ قومٌ على نَأْيِهم

لهم من هَوايَ ذِمامٌ وكيد

God have a people who in their absence

I am bound by longing and plots for them

نأىَ النّومُ عَنّىَ لمّا نأوا

وأقْسمَ لا عادَ حتّى يَعودوا

Sleep avoided me when they went far

And swore not to return until they return

وقد بُدّلَ الوحشُ بالآنِسا

تِ يومَ غدا الظّعنُ منهم زَرود

The desolate were changed by the sociable

When tomorrow this parting from them was very painful

فظَبياً يُراعُ بظَبيٍ يَروعُ

وخِشْفاً يُصادُ بخِشْفٍ يَصيد

So gazelle follows gazelle in fright

And young goat is hunted by young goat seeking prey

نظرتُ إلى السِّرْبِ لمَّا نَصبْنَ

إلى الرَّكبِ أَجيادَها وهْي غِيد

I looked when they loaded for the riders

Their excellent steeds neighing with might

فكم قلتُ للعَيْن أَين النقابُ

وكم قلتُ للجيدِ أَين العقود

And how often I said to the eye where are the face veils

And how often I said to the neck where are the necklaces

فيا راكباً يتَخطّى الفلاةَ

به في الصباحِ نَجاةٌ وخُود

Oh rider who crosses the wilderness

With him in the morning salvation and beauty

إذا ما بلُغْتُ الحِمى سالماً

وحُطَّتْ لِنضْوِك فيه القُتود

If I reach the garrison safe

And for your descent the tent pegs are fixed

فَبلَّغْ سَلاميَ بَدْرَ الخيا

مِ يَكْسِفُه نأْيُه والصُّدود

Give my greetings to the full moon of life

Eclipsed by his absence and the enmities

بآيةِ ما قال يومَ الرَّحي

لِ مَرْعِيَّةٌ للخليلِ العهود

With a token of what he said on the day of departure

To pasture of the Friend to whom pacts were made

ولمَّا وقَفْنا غداةَ الوداعِ

وقِيدتْ لتظْعَن بالحيّ قُود

And when we stopped the morning of farewell

And she was tied to bid farewell with weeping

بكَى وتَنفَّس خوفَ الفِراق

فأسلَم عِقدَيْهِ جَفْنٌ وجِيد

He wept and sighed in fear of separation

So an eyelid and temple resigned their bonds

كأنَّ الذي خلَعتْه النٌّحو

رُ من لُؤْلُؤٍ لَبِستْه الخُدود

As if the one who took it off was

A pearl necklace worn by the cheeks

رمانيَ عن عَطْفَةِ الحاجبَيْنِ

بطَرْفٍ كليلٍ شَباهُ حَديد

He threw me from the gaze of the two eyebrows

With a glance of a new crescent resembling iron

من النَّبْلِ يَملأ منه القلوبُ

جِراحاً وتَسلَمُ منه الجلود

From arrows that fill up hearts

With wounds while skins remain whole

أَفاتنةَ العينِ كم قد رمْيتِ

فَصِيدَ وسَهْمُكِ في القوسِ صِيد

The seductions of an eye how much you have shot

And captured while your arrow on the bow shot

كحضرة مَولَى الورى إذ تظَلُّ

ومن شَرف الدّينِ فيها سَديد

Like the presence of the Master of Messengers when

He is shaded and through him the religion supreme

مُقيمٌ ولم تَخْلُ يوماً له

تَهائمُ من أَثَرٍ أو نُجود

Remaining while never leaving him

For a day passions or fervor

مُصِيبٌ لأغراضِ مَن يَرتَجيه

يُشير فَيْقرُبُ منه البَعيد

Aiming for the goals of those who hope in Him

Drawing near those far through his signs

فلا زال منها بهذا المحَلْ

لِ تَبدأُ آلاؤه أو تَعود

So he has not ceased to be in this station

Where his wonders begin or repeat

ولا خاب إلاّ جَهولانِ منه

عَدُوُّ يُكايِدُه أو حَسود

And none despaired except the ignorant of Him

A foe plotting or envious of Him

فتىً زانَهُ بأْسُه والسَّماحُ

ومَجَّده نَفْسُه والجُدود

A noble adorned by his valor and generosity

And his soul ennobled him and judiciousness

لياليهِ بِيضٌ من المكرماتِ

وأيّامُ قَومٍ من اللٌّؤْمِ سُود

His nights white with favors

While the days of a folk black with sins

فقد ساد قبلَ خُلُوِّ الدّيارِ

وأَهْوِنْ بمَنْ حين تَخْلو يَسود

He had already gained ascendancy before the homes became empty

And the least with whoever rules when alone

تَحُلُّ من المُلْكِ في وَسْطهِ

لأنّك في كُلِّ فَضْلٍ وَحيد

You wear the sovereignty among them

Because in every merit you are unique

ومُزْدَوِجٌ كُلُّ دُرِّ النّظامِ

وواسِطةُ العِقْدِ فيه فَريد

And all the jewels of harmony are doubled

While you are the clasp's intermediary

ومَن حَلَّ فوقَ مَحلِّ النُّجومِ

فلا شَيْءَ يَنقُصه أو يَزيد

And he who has risen above the stars' positions

Nothing diminishes or increases him

وتَكْبُرُ عَمّا به يَكْبُرون

فما لكَ في يَومِ فَخْرٍ نَديد

But you are too great for what makes them great

So why are you, on a day of pride, reproached?

وما قَلَّ عنك يَقِلّونَ عنه

إذا ضُرِبَتْ للأُمورِ الحُدود

And they do not detract from you in what

They detract when boundaries are assigned

يَعُدُّ لكَ المُلْكُ أيّامَكَ ال

حسان على حين قلّ العديد

The kingdom counts your days though few

While many are the small in number

وكم قمت بالرّأي من دونه

مقاوم ما شهدته الجنود

And how many times without it did you stand firm in judgment

Resisting what the armies witnessed

متى تدّع السّبق في نصره

فتلك اللّيالي عليه شهود

When do you claim precedence in its victory?

For those nights testify for it

فدام ودمت ولا زلتما

قرينين في العزّ ما اخضرّ عود

So may it and you remain and not cease

Two companions in glory so long as wood is green

وللهِ ذو كرَمٍ لم يَزَلْ

تَناهَبُ ما في يدَيْهِ الوُفود

And God has a generous one who

The deputations did not stop taking from what was in his hands

يَقي ديِنَه ويَقِي عِرْضَهُ

منَ الذَّمِّ طارِفُهُ والتّليد

Protecting his religion and protecting his honor

From blame - its fine plucks and hurls

وتُطبَعُ للمُلْكِ من رَأيْهِ

صَوارِمُ ما تَحْتويها غُمود

And from his opinion swords were forged

Containing what the scabbards store

ويا رُبَّ ذي لَجَبٍ أرْعَنٍ

له عَارِضٌ بالمنايا يَجود

By God so much bellowing roaring

Thunder its flashing strikes in abundance

كثيرٌ به للسُّيوفِ البُروقُ

كثيرٌ به للقِسيِّ الرُّعود

You folded two lines of what was written

And the battalions strayed far from it

ثنَيْتَ بسطْرَيْنِ ممّا كتَبْت

فظَلَّ الكتائبُ عنه تَحيد

It watches you before you are ransomed

While for it in the dark meadows the lions watch

يَراعُكَ من قَبْلِ أن يُجْتَنى

تُراعُ له في الغِياضِ الأُسود

It went with us to the honor of religion

And remains lofty with the loyal servants

إلى شَرَفِ الدّينِ سارَتْ بنا

وتَشْرُفُ عند المَوالي العَبيد

Its towering minarets to a spring

My epoch had strayed far from

ظَوامِئُ منه إلى مَنْهَلٍ

زَمانِيَ قد كان عنه يَذود

No surging market made us incline to them

But rather no fervent longing pulled us

فما جاء سَوْقٌ شديدٌ بها

ولكنّ ما جاءَ شَوقٌ شَديد

We met in our time tribulations

Almost making the vast earth toil

لقِينا حوادثَ مِن دَهْرِنا

تكادُ لها الأرضُ عُظْماً تَميد

I split my shame for them and was patient

And my standing for them was long and seated

قنَأْتُ حَيائي لها واصطَبرت

وطالَ قيامي لها والقُعود

The screens of pretending became weak

Beside the mysteries of my state like barricades

سُتورُ التّجمُّلِ أضحَتْ وهُنْ

نَ من دونِ أسرارِ حالي سُدود

So for their outward the enemy cries

And for their inward the devoted cry

فَيَبكي لظاهرِهنَّ العَدُو

ويَبْكِي لباطِنهنّ الوَدود

And concealment of what cannot be borne grows wide

And revelation of what is not desired exposes

ويَفْدَحُ كتِمانُ ما لا يُطيق

ويَفْضَحُ إعلانُ ما لا يُريد

So I changed my complaining to thanking for them

In the most beautiful manner aiming for Him and this ode

فَبدَّل شَكْوايَ شُكْراً لها

بأروعَ قَصْدِي له والقَصيد

And from what makes my time evil I turned

To gain instead from what benefits

وعمّا يُفيتُ زمانِي المُسي

ءُ أقبلْتُ أعتاضُ مِمّا يُفيد

Just as the moon seeks the sun constantly

Will you see my breast and blossoms

كما يَقْصِدُ القَمرُ الشّمسَ لا

يَزالُ يُرى صَدَرِي والورُود

So with my meeting him I diminish

And when I turn from him grow

فأنقُصُ عند اجتماعي به

وعند انصرافيَ عنه أَزيد

So take them as necklaces from a mind

For it a soul in meanings extended

فَخُذْها قلائدَ من خاطرٍ

له نَفَسٌ في المعاني مَديد

Whims to be fulfilled through which rights

Are beautifully done and grudges forgotten

شَوارِدَ تُقْضَى بهِنَّ الحقو

قُ حُسْناً وتُنْسَى لَهُنَّ الحُقود

A gift for the pens of his writers

To him for the mention of you prostrating

قَريضٌ لأقلامِ كُتّابهِ

إليه لذِكْرِك فيه سُجود

And what the breeze gains in gardens

Or thunderbolts meet in the sky

وما يَغْتدى في الرّياضِ النّسيم

ولا تَلْتقي في السّماءِ السُعود

Is like what a superior does for one superior

So this one gives and that one excels

كما يَعْتفِي فاضِلٌ مُفْضِلاً

فهذا يَجودُ وهذا يُجيد

May your life continue to ripen time

And may you continue to meet a new celebration

فلا زال عُمْرُك يُبْلِي الزّمان

ولا زال يَلْقاك عِيدٌ جَديد

Its like comes to you over and over

So the beginning is fortunate and the return praiseworthy

تَردَّدُ نحوَك أمثالُه

فبَدْءُ سعيدٌ وعَودٌ حميد

And the least of your great deeds have come

To flow over the stars' orbit

وأدنَى مَعاليك أمسَتْ تُجَرْ

رُ فوق المجَرّةِ منه بُرود

So God granted you what you attained

And increased you if in it there is increase

فَهنّأكَ اللّهُ ما نِلْتَه

وزادَك إن كان فيه مَزيد

You have surpassed the creation's extent

And for glory after you promises remain

فقد جُزْتُمُ فوقَ حَدِّ الورى

وللمجدِ من بعدُ فيكم وُعود

Its like refer back to you

So the start is fortunate and the return praiseworthy