هَزيعُ دُجاً في الرَأسِ بادَرَهُ بَدرُ
وَلَيلٌ جَلاهُ لا صَباحٌ وَلا فَجرُ
His body was afflicted with weakness, and soon old age overtook him
Neither dawn nor morning light did shine, but only darkest night
وَلِمَّةُ مُشتاقٍ أَلَمَّ مَشيبُها
عَلى حينِ لَم يودِ الشَبابُ وَلا العُمرُ
Grey hairs caused pain to the longing lover
When his youth and life were still in their prime
فَقَصرَكِ إِنَّ الشَيبَ مِن عَدلِ حُكمِهِ
وَإِن كانَ جَوراً أَن يُقالَ لَكِ القَصرُ
So my fortress, if your greyness was by fate’s justice
Then to say you’re deserted would be unfair
فَما جارَ في تِلكَ المَدامِعِ دَمعُها
لِنازِلَةٍ إِلّا وَحادِثُها نُكرُ
He could not justify those falling tears
Except by strange events and calamities obscure
عَلى أَنَّهُ يَعتادُني مُتَأَوِّبٌ
مِنَ الشَوقِ ما يَخبو لَهُ في الحَشا جَمرُ
Yet he visits me, shivering with longing
Concealing burning embers within my breast
وَما ظَلَمَ الشَوقُ الجَوانِحَ إِنَّما
غَدا ظالِماً لِلشَوقِ شَيبِيَ وَالدَهرُ
It was not desire that wronged my feelings
But my grey hair and decrepitude were to blame
أَما وَأَبي الأَيّامِ ما خافَ مُعلِقٌ
بِأَسبابِ خِضرٍ صَرفَ حادِثَةٍ تَعرو
I swear by the days which spare no clinging man
When fate’s blow falls heavy, from its evil hands
وَلا ضَرَّ أَرضاً جادَها جودُ كَفِّهِ
فَأَمرَعَها أَلّا يَصوبَ بِها القَطرُ
No land has suffered, where his open hand has poured
Bounty, restraining the rain from falling there
وَلَمّا حَبا أَرضَ العِراقِ بِقُربِهِ
طَما بَحرُهُ فيها وَنائِلُهُ الغَمرُ
When he drew near Iraq, its seas swelled high
And its farmlands were richly inundated
وَصابَت بِأَكنافِ الحِجازِ غَمامَةٌ
تَنائِفَ لا خِمسٌ لَدَيها وَلا عِشرُ
Over Hejaz spread a rain cloud
With neither fifth nor tenth left unattended
وَلَم يَخلُ مِن جودٍ وَلا صَوبِ عارِضِ
لَهُ أُفُقٌ في الأَرضِ ناءٍ وَلا قُطرُ
From his bounty and generous showers
No horizon in the land remained dry or barren
فَغيثَت رِفاقُ المُحرِمينَ بِحَيثُ لا
غِياثٌ يُرَجّى لا بَكِيٌّ وَلا نَزرُ
He brought relief to Mecca’s pilgrims when aid
Could be hoped from neither kinsman nor stranger
شَهِدتُ لَقَد شاهَدتُ ذاكُم وَإِنَّهُ
لَيَقصُرُ عَن مِقدارِ ذالِكُمُ الأَجرُ
Truly I witnessed that, yet all reward
Falls short of the merit of your great work
وَلَمّا قَصَدنا سُرَّ مَن را تَضاءَلا
وَلا خِضرَ يَقري فيهِما البَدوُ وَالحَضرُ
When we reached the barren valley, its green
Had withered; neither nomad nor settler remained
وَحُصَّت أَماني المُعتَفينَ بِحَيثُ لا
يُحاذَرُ بَأساءُ الحَياةِ وَلا الفَقرُ
The hopes of the refugees were reduced to naught
Safe from neither poverty nor life’s disasters
وَحَيثُ يُذَمُّ الغَيثُ وَالغَيثُ حافِلٌ
وَتُستَقصَرُ الدُنيا وَيُستَخلَجُ البَحرُ
Where rain is blamed though downpours are plenty
The world seems too narrow and ocean too confined
وَحَيثُ تَرى الآمالَ يَسرَحنَ في المُنى
وَلا الرَوضُ مَرعاها هُناكَ وَلا الزَهرُ
Where hopes are seen wandering in wishes
While no meadows host them, no flowers abound
لَدى مَلِكٍ أَثرى مِنَ المَجدِ وَالغِنى
بِأَن لَم يَرَ الإِثراءَ أَن يَفِرَ الوَفرُ
With a king who found glory and wealth through giving
Not through hoarding and amassing fortune and gold
عَميدُ وُلاةِ الأَمرِ مِن آلِ هاشِمٍ
إِذا جَلَّتِ الجُلّى أَوِ اِنثَغَرَ الثَغرُ
Chief of the Caliphs from Hashim’s line
When crises arise, the borders and frontiers in alarm
يُؤَيِّدُ مِنها كُلَّ ما ضاقَ أَيدُها
بِهِ وَيُداوي كُلَّ ما عَزَّ أَن يَبرو
Your hands support all who cannot manage alone
And heal all wounds that have resisted remedies
هُوَ الجَبَلُ الراسي الَّذي اِعتَرَفَت لَهُ
رِجالُ نِزارٍ وَهيَ راغِمَةٌ صُفرُ
You are the unshakable mountain acknowledged
By the chiefs of Nizar though coerced and defeated
إِذا ما اِشرَأَبَّت حَطَّ مِن غُلَوائِها
مَكارِمُهُ اللاتي لَها يَسجُدُ الفَخرُ
Whenever their violence crosses the line
Your virtues for which renown bows down, break it
فَأَقسَمتُ بِالرَكبِ الَّذينَ تَدَرَّعوا
مِنَ اللَيلِ إِقطاعَ السُرى وَهُمُ سَفرُ
I swear by the night travellers who partitioned
The darkness’ journey on restless, pacing steeds
عَلى أَينُقٍ مِثلِ القِسِيِّ سَواهِمٍ
ضَوامِرِ لاحَتها الهَواجِرُ وَالقَفرُ
Over smooth camels, tough as leather strips
Whose grunting mixed with the sands and wilderness
بِكُلِّ مُعَرّاةِ السَباريتِ سَملَقٍ
وَمَجهولَةٍ تيهٍ مَخارِمُها غُبرُ
Through every perilous, uncharted route
Of endless wandering where dust alone gave guidance
إِلى أَن أَطافوا بِالحَطيمِ وَضَمَّهُم
غَداةَ الطَوافِ البَيتُ وَالرُكنُ وَالحِجرُ
Until around the Ancient House they circled
After the circumambulation - the Stone, and the Wall
لَوِ الأَمرُ يَضحى في سِوى آلِ هاشِمٍ
لَكانَ بِلا شَكٍ يَكونُ لَهُ الأَمرُ
Were matters up to others beside Hashim’s kin
None would possess authority but you
بِكَ اِطَّأَدَت أَركانُ وائِلَ وَاِغتَدى
لَهُ المَسمَعُ الموفي عَلى الناسِ وَالذِكرُ
Through you the pillars of Wael bowed down
As hearing and tradition obeyed you alone
فَلَو أُنشِرَ الشَيخانُ بَكرٌ وَتَغلِبٌ
لَما عَدَّدا مَجداً كَمَجدِكَ يا خِضرُ
If Bakr and Taghlib were brought back to life
They could not match the glory that is yours, O Green
وَما رامَ مَسعاكَ اِمرُؤٌ في اِرتِقائِهِ
إِلى سُؤدُدٍ إِلّا تَغَوَّلَهُ بُهرُ
No man aspiring to rise to your heights
But stalled and withdrew before your brilliance
وَأَقعَدَهُ عَن نَيلِ مَجدِكَ إِنَّهُ
تَضاءَلُ عَن لَألائِهِ الأَنجُمُ الزُهرُ
Dazzled by the radiance of your glory
Brighter than stars when they shine white
إِذا جالَتِ الأَفكارُ فيكَ تَبَيَّنَت
بِأَنَّكَ لا تَحوي مَكارِمَكَ الفِكرُ
When thoughts turn to you, it becomes clear
No mind can comprehend your virtues fully
وَكَيفَ يُطيقُ الشِعرُ ذاكَ وَإِنَّما
عَنِ الفِكرِ يُنبي القَولُ أَو يَنطِقُ الشِعرُ
How can poetry capture this? Verse draws
Meaning from thought, through speech poetry speaks
