قِفا معي في هذه المعَاهدِ

لا بُدَّ للصّبِّ من المُساعدِ

Stand with me in this covenant

The young must have help

لا تَبْخلا يا صاحبيَّ واسمَحا

بوَقْفةٍ على المُعَنّي الواجد

Do not be stingy, my friend, and allow

A pause on the meaningful finder

في منزلٍ عَهِدْتُ في عِراصِه

لَوْرَدَّ معهوداً بُكاءُ عاهد

In a house whose foundations I made in its bed

If a accustomed weeping returned to the covenant

كواعباً من الدُّمَى لَواعِباً

مُشْبِهةَ الثُّغورِ للقلائد

Flirts of dolls, flirting

Resembling the lips to necklaces

يَمِسْنَ من فرْطِ النّعيمِ والصِّبا

كالقُضُبِ المَوائِلِ المَوائد

They touch from the intensity of bliss and youth

Like rods hosting banquets

فيهنّ ظَبْيٌ عَلِقَ القلبُ به

من الظّباء النُّفَّرِ الشَّوارد

Among them a gazelle whose heart clung to

Of the fleeing spotted deer

إذا تَبدَّى مَرضٌ بطَرْفِه

لم يَخْلُ من أفئدةٍ عَوائد

If sickness appears in its eyes

It will not lack returning hearts

رَمَيْتُه فصادَني فمَن رأى

صَيْداً يَمُرُّ بفؤادِ الصّائد

I shot it but it hunted me, so who saw

Prey passing through the hunter's heart

قطعْتُ من قلبي رَجائي في الهوى

والقَطْعُ طِبُّ كُلِّ عُضوٍ فاسد

I cut my hopes in love from my heart

And cutting is good for every corrupt limb

فهل فتىً يُعيرني قلباً به

أَلْقَى خطوبَ دَهْريَ المُعاند

Is there a young man who would lend me a heart in which

I meet the tribulations of my defiant fate

كم قد ضَرْبتُ في البلادِ طالباً

مُفتِّشاً عن صاحبٍ مُساعد

How much did I roam the countries seeking

Searching for a helpful friend

فلم أَجِدْ في الشّرِّ غيرَ شامتٍ

ولم أَجِدْ في الخَيرِ غيرَ حاسد

But I did not find in evil other than gloating

And I did not find in good other than envious

كُلُّ بني الحضرةِ قد ذمَمْتُهم

ذَمَّ فتىً في القُربِ منهم زاهد

All the people of the town I blamed them

The blame of a ascetic among them

ما فيهمُ رِقّةُ قلبٍ بَتّةً

لفاضلٍ في زَمنٍ مُناكِد

There is no tenderness of heart among them

For a superior in a coercive time

في حالةٍ يَبينُ في خِلالِها

أخو الرّخاء من أخي الشَّدائد

In a case that shows through it

The brother of prosperity from the brother of calamities

إلاّ سديدَ الحضرة النَّدْبَ الذي

يُبدِي فعالَ الماجدِ ابنِ الماجد

Except the chief's lament which

Shows the deeds of the glorious son of the glorious

صَفَحْتُ عن بني الزّمانِ إذ غدا

منهم أنو شَروانٌ بْنُ خالد

I forgave the people of the time when they became

Among them Anoushirwan bin Khalid

وألْفُ ذنْبٍ يَجتَمِعْن لامْريءٍ

يُغفَرْنَ إنْ جاءَ بعُذْرٍ واحد

And a thousand sins gather for a person

Forgiven if he came with one excuse

كُلهمُ يَعِد غيرَ مُنجِزٍ

وهْو الّذي يُنجِز غيرَ واعد

All of them promise without fulfilling

And he is the one who fulfills without promising

سَجيّةٌ من كرَمٍ شاعَتْ له

بين أدانِي الخَلْقِ والأباعد

A nature of generosity that spread to him

Between the near and far people

أدْرَك غاياتِ العُلا وإنّما

يَسْمو إلى المجدِ بنو الأماجد

He reached the highest aspirations, as only

The sons of glorious rise to glory

كأنّه والمُلْكُ يَحْتَمِي بهِ

سَديدُ سَهْمٍ في شَديدِ ساعد

It is as if he and the kingdom take shelter in him

The arrow of a strong armed archer

نَبّهْتَه فَدَعْهُ والدّهرَ معاً

خصْماً وبِتْ أنت بطَرْفٍ راقد

If you alerted him, then leave him and time together

An opponent, and you stayed with a sleepy eye

فتىً تَستَّرْت بظِلّ جاهِه

من لَحْظِ عَينَيْ دَهْريَ المُكايد

A young man who took shelter in the shadow of his glory

From the glance of my deceitful world's eyes

ذو هِمّةٍ ساميةٍ إلى العُلا

مُوفيةٍ على ذُرا الفَراقد

Of high ambition to the highest

Fulfilling the pledges of the noble dead

بَحْرٌ من العِلْمِ على لسانهِ

فؤادُه يَموجُ بالفوائد

An ocean of knowledge on his tongue

His heart surges with benefits

بَدْرٌ يَعودُ كُلَّ مُمسَي ليلةٍ

ما بقيَ الدّهرُ بِنُورٍ زائد

A full moon that returns every dusk

As long as time remains with surplus light

غَيْثٌ من الجُودِ يَجود دائماً

سَقْياً له من غَيْثِ جُودٍ جائد

A rain of generosity that always donates generously

Watered from the rain of active generosity

لَيْثٌ له من اليَراعِ مِخلَبٌ

مُفترِسُ الأُسودِ والأساود

A lion that has claws to tear apart

Who preys on lions and leopards

يَحْفَظُ في خدمتِه الرَّسْمَ فلا

يَبْدو له في الطِّرْسِ غيرَ ساجد

He preserves etiquette in his service, so

None but prostration appears to him

إذا عَلا بياضَه حَسِبْتَهُ

يَعلو مَشيباً بشبابٍ عائد

If his whiteness rises you would think

Rising white hair with returning youth

وإن مضَى في أرَبٍ ظنَنتَه

مَضاءَ سيفِ البطَلِ المُناجد

And if he walks in land, you'd think him

The gait of the heroic swordsman

يا مُرْضِيَ الآمالِ بالمالِ ندىً

ومُكرِمَ القُصّادِ والقصائد

O fulfiller of hopes with unwasted money

And honourer of archers and poems

ومَن له في كُلِّ مَمْضَى ساعةٍ

تَعجيلُ رِفْدٍ وافرٍ لوافد

And whoever has in every past hour

Anticipation of ample aid for the newcomer

ومَن أبَى أن يَستهِلَّ كفُّه

يوماً بجُودِ قاصرٍ لقاصد

And whoever refused to restrict his palm

A day with insufficient generosity for the purpose

لقد علا ذِكْرُك ما بين الورَى

في فَمِ كل صادِرٍ ووارد

Indeed your mention has risen between mankind

In the mouth of every departing and arriving

وقد بنَى سَعيُك مَجداً باذِخاً

يَعجِزُ عَنه جُهْدُ كلِّ جاهد

And your efforts have built a shining glory

That the efforts of every fighter falls short of

فلا يَزالُ شاهِدٌ لغائبٍ

يُتحِفُه وغائبٌ لشاهد

So an absent will remain witnessed by one present

Honouring him and an absent witnessed by one present

حارَتْ عيونُ العالَمِينَ كثْرةً

من المساعي لك والمَحامد

The world's eyes have been confused by

The many efforts for you and praise

فَدُمْ لنا حتّى نَراكَ أبَداً

مُنعَّماً في ظِلِّ عُمْرٍ خالد

So stay with us so we can see you forever

Prospering in the shadow of an eternal life

في الجودِ مثلَ خالدٍ والبأس مثْ

لَ خالدٍ والنّطقِ مثْلَ خالد

In generosity like Khalid, and in courage like Khalid

And speech like Khalid