سِوايَ مُرَجّي سَلوَةٍ أَو مُريدُها
إِذا واقِداتُ الحُبِّ حُبَّ خُمودُها
Whether a seeker of peace or desiring it
When lovers of love experience its languor
فِرارَكَ مِن كَفِّ البَخيلِ وَمُقلَةِ ال
مُحِبِّ اِعتَراها يَومَ بَينٍ جُمودُها
Your fleeing from the grasp of the miser and the weariness
Of the lover—both were overpowered by indifference one day
وَلَيسَ يُؤَدّي العَهدَ إِلّا أَمينُهُ
وَلا فَعَلاتِ المَجدِ إِلّا مَجيدُها
None fulfills a pact but the trustworthy
Nor accomplishes acts of glory but the glorious
وَلَم أَنسَ أَيّاماً بِيَثرِبَ لَم تَجِد
لَها أُخَرُ الأَيّامِ حُسناً تَزيدُها
I haven't forgotten the days in Yathrib that didn't find
In later days any beauty increasing them
إِذا ما جَرى سَيلُ العَقيقِ بِجَمَّةٍ
سَقاني رُضابَ الغانِياتِ بَرودُها
When the flood of al-‘Aqeeq flowed in Jammat
It quenched the thirst of singing maidens with its coldness
مُقيمٌ بِأَكنافِ المُصَلّى تَصيدُني
لِأَهلِ المُصَلّى ظَبيَةٌ لا أَصيدُها
Staying on the outskirts of the mosque, hunting me
Are the maidens of the mosque—I don't hunt them
تَرَغَّبَ عَن صِبغِ المَجاسِدِ قَدُّها
لِيَحلُوَ وَاِستَغنى عَنِ الحَليِ جيدُها
It was averse to dyeing corpses, so its natural state was sweet
And it was content without ornaments—its neck smooth
إِذا أَطفَأَ الياقوتَ إِشراقُ حُسنِها
فَإِنَّ عَناءً ما تَوَخَّت عُقودُها
When the radiance of its beauty dims rubies
To attain it is a fruitless effort however hard its knots are pulled
وَقَد أَعوَزَتني وَهيَ مَوقِعُ ناظِري
لِما لَجَّ فيهِ هَجرُها وَصُدودُها
It has pained me while being placed before my eyes
For how aloof and distant its estrangement and avoidance were
فَكَيفَ أَرى أَسماءَ مِن قُربِ دارِها
وَأَسأَلُ عَن أَسماءَ أَينَ وُجودُها
How can I see Asma’s abode from nearby
And ask about Asma—where is her existence?
أُريدُ لِنَفسي غَيرَها حينَ لا أَرى
مُقارَبَةً مِنها وَنَفسي تُريدُها
I want someone other than her when I don't see
Any affection from her though my soul desires her
وَتَذرِفُ عَيني إِن تَذَكَّرتُ مُلتَقىً
لَنا وَعُيونُ الحَيِّ فينا هُجودُها
My eyes shed tears when I remember a meeting
Between us—while the eyes of the living around us tear up
إِذا قَطَعَت عَنها الوِشاحَ اِعتِناقَةٌ
فَيا حُسنَها يَرفَضُّ عَنها فَريدُها
When a farewell embrace severs her wrap
Oh, her beauty—only her unique one turns away from it!
فِناءُ اللَئيمِ خِطَّةٌ ما أَطورُها
وَمالُ اللَئيمِ رَوضَةٌ ما أَرودُها
The miser's demise is a devious affair, I won't mourn it
The miser's wealth is a barren orchard, I won't water it
وَعِندَ بَني عَمّي لُهىً لا طَريفُها
مَصونٌ وَلا مُحمىً عَلَيَّ تَليدُها
With my paternal cousins there is frivolous amusement
Well-guarded—but no protection imposed on me will last
لَقَد وَفَّقَ اللَهُ المُوَفَّقَ لِلَّتي
تَباعَدَ عَن غَيِ المُلوكِ رَشيدُها
God has granted success to the successful one who
Distanced himself from the crookedness of kings—his guide
رَأى صاعِداً أَهلاً لِأَشرَفِ رُتبَةٍ
يَشُقُّ عَلى ساري النُجومِ صُعودُها
He saw a people rising to the highest rank
Arduously ascending beyond the ascending stars
فَكَيفَ وَجَدتُم عَدلَهُ وَقَدِ التَقَت
مُسالِمَةً شاءُ البِلادِ وَسيدُها
How then did you find his justice when it had
Made peace—the lands and their master pleased
فَإِن تُخرِجِ الأَيامُ مَذخورَ حُسنِها
فَقَد آنَ أَن يُبدي النَضارَةَ عودُها
If the days bring out treasures of his beauty
Then it's time for freshness to show through his return
يُريكَ سَدادَ الرَأيِ مِن حَيثُ ما ارتَأى
وَأَعوَزُ آراءِ الرِجالِ سَديدُها
You see the soundness of opinion wherever he saw fit
And his views surpassed those of all other men
سُمُوٌّ إِلى أَعلى الفَعالِ وَخُطوَةٌ
إِلى المَجدِ مَرمى العَينِ في الجَوِ قيدُها
Sublimity to the most exalted deeds and a step
To glory—the goal of the eye bound in the air
وَجودُ يَدٍ ما أَدرَكَ البَحرُ في الَّذي
تَعَمَّدَ إِلّا حَيثُ أَدرَكَ جودُها
A generosity that the sea has not attained in what
It has strived for—except where his generosity reached
تَلَقّى المَعالي عَن أَوائِلِ قَومِهِ
راحَ يُثَنّيها لَهُم وَيُعيدُها
He took on the best qualities from the elite of his people
And doubled them for them and repeated them
وَشَيَّدَها حَتّى اِستَحَقَّ تُراثَها
وَلا يَرِثُ العَلياءَ مَن لا يَشيدُها
Until he deserved their legacy and none inherits
Sublimity unless he builds it up
وَنُبِّتُ أَنَّ الخَيلَ أَعطَت رُؤوسَها
مُعاوِدَ حَربٍ لِلطِعانِ يَقودُها
I knew the steeds gave their heads over
To repeated war to be led by the spears
تَراهُ وَإِن وَفَّتهُ ما كانَ واجِباً
لَهُ يَقتَضيها الكَرَّ أَو يَستَزيدُها
You see him, even if duty has not called him
Battle impels him to it or he increases it
إِذا كانَ في كَعبِ بنُ عَمرٍ عِدادُها
تَضاعَفَ في حَسبِ العَدُوِّ عَديدُها
When his number matched Ka‘b bin ‘Umar
His enemies' number was multiplied in counting
وَما زالَ لِلإِسلامِ مِنّا مُثَبِّتُ
إِذا قُبَّةُ الإِسلامِ مالَ عَمودُها
We have not ceased to champion Islam
Whenever its dome leaned over, we steadied its pillar
تَرامى عُيونُ الناسِ في كُلِّ شارِقٍ
إِلى ريشَةٍ قَد طارَ حُضراً بَريدُها
People’s eyes in every horizon gaze
At a feather that flew freely—its whiteness apparent
لَقَد نُصِرَت راياتُكَ الصُفرُ إِذ قَنا
بِما اِحمَرَّ مِن لَونِ الدِماءِ جَسيدُها
Your yellow banners were given victory when they were dyed
With what gushed crimson from the bloody corpses
وَطاعَت بِأَيمانِ اليَمانينَ في الوَغى
يَمانِيَةٌ بيضٌ جَديدٌ جَديدُها
The banners of Yemen obeyed in the fray—white Yemenite banners
New and renewed was their newness
شَنَنتَ عَلى نَهرِ اليَهودِيِّ غارَةً
هَوى خُرَّمِيّوها وَطاحَ يَهودُها
You launched raids on the river of the Jews
Their skulls cracked and their rottenness spilled
إِذا جُدِحَت سودُ المَنايا فَأَخلَقُ ال
رِجالِ بِأَن يُسقى رَداهُنَّ سودُها
When black drinks of death are served
The most noble men are those who drain them to the dregs
وَلَمّا تَلاقَوا عِندَ دِجلَةَ أَضمَرَت
مَهابَةَ أَشخاصِ المَوالي عَبيدُها
When they met at the Tigris, they harbored
Fear of the shapes of their approaching slaves
غَماغِمُ أَصواتٍ وَجَرسُ تُقارُعٍ
وَمُختارَةُ المَرذولِ يَدمى وَريدُها
The clamor of voices and the clanging of steel
Choice coward—his veins spurt blood
إِذا صَدَرَت عَن يَومِ مَوتٍ بِآخِرِ ال
حُشاشَةِ مِنها كانَ غَدواً وُرودُها
When it departed a day of death for the morrow
Of confusion—its roses the next day were thorns
وَقَد أَدبَرَ المَخذولُ حَتّى لَوَ اِنَّهُ
رَمى الأَرضَ لَم يُفرِص يَدَيهِ جَديدُها
The wretch has fled until even if
He flung himself on the ground his hands wouldn't touch it
إِذا اختارَ وَقتاً لِلنُجومِ يَعُدُّهُ
لِيَومِ وَغى عادَت نُحوساً سُعودُها
When he chose a time for the stars that he deemed
Inauspicious for a day of battle—their good fortune waned
وَلا عَيشَ حَتّى يَبتَلي طَعمُ وَقعَةٍ
مِنَ السَيفِ يَذكو في حَشاهُ وَقودُها
No life until the taste of a battle is experienced
Its flames burning in guts—their fuel
وَلَم أوتِ عِلماً بِالَّذي اللَهُ صانِعٌ
وَلَكِنَّها الدُنيا قَريبٌ بَعيدُها
I'm not given knowledge of that which God will do
But this world's end is near though its distance is far
وَأَعرِفُها مِنهُ قَريباً لِما غَدَت
أَدِلَّتُها تُنبي بِهِ وَشُهودُها
I know it's near from Him for what has come to pass
Its signs have pointed and its witnesses borne out
جَزى اللَهُ عَنّا صالِحاً آلَ مَخلَد
وَتَمَّت لَهُم نُعمى يَدومُ خُلودُها
May God reward the righteous family of Makhlod
On our behalf—may their prosperity endure forever
هُمُ عَوَّضوا مِن نِعمَتي إِذ وُتِرتُها
بِأَيدٍ يَزُدُّ الفائِتاتِ مَديدُها
They compensated for my lost bounty when it faded
With hands that increase what is past and restore it
