بَينَ الشَقيقَةِ فَاللِوى فَالأَجرَعِ
دِمَنٌ حُبِسنَ عَلى الرِياحِ الأَربَعِ
Between al-Shaqq and al-Lawwa and al-Ajra'
A blood-red cloud held back by the four winds
فَكَأَنَّما ضَمِنَت مَعالِمُها الَّذي
ضَمِنَتهُ أَحشاءُ المُحِبِّ الموجَعِ
As if its features guaranteed what
The heart of an aching lover had guaranteed
لَو أَنَّ أَنواءَ السَحابِ تُطيعُني
لَشَفى الرَبيعُ غَليلَ تِلكَ الأَربُعِ
If the clouds' intimations obeyed me
Spring would heal the sickness of those four
ما أَحسَنَ الأَيّامَ إِلّا أَنَّها
يا صاحِبَيَّ إِذا مَضَت لَم تَرجِعِ
How good days are, except that, my friend
When gone, they do not return
كانوا جَميعاً ثُمَّ فَرَّقَ بَينَهُم
بَينَ كَتَقويضِ الجَهامِ المُقلِعِ
They were all together, then separated
As a notched arrow is split from the bow
مِن واقِفٍ في الهَجرِ لَيسَ بِواقِفٍ
وَمُوَدِّعٍ بِالبَينِ غَيرِ مُوَدِّعِ
A stander in estrangement who does not stand
A fareweller without farewell, bids no farewell
وَوَراءَهُم صُعَداءُ أَنفاسٍ إِذا
ذَكِرَ الفِراقُ أَقَمنَ عوجَ الأَضلُعِ
Behind them the rugged breath, if
Separation is recalled, straightens bent ribs
أَمّا الثُغورُ فَقَد غَدَونَ عَواصِماً
لِثُغورِ رَأيٍ كَالجِبالِ الشُرَّعِ
As for the marches, they have become fortresses
For a opinion's marches, like unfolded mountains
مَدَّت وِلايَةُ يوسُفَ بنِ مُحَمَّدٍ
سوراً عَلى ذاكَ الفَضاءِ البَلقَعِ
The governance of Yusuf ibn Muhammad
Put up a wall in that open space
لا يَرهَبُ الطَرَفَ البَعيدَ تَطَرُّفاً
عادَ المُضَيَّعُ وَهوَ غَيرُ مُضَيَّعِ
It does not make the distant glance shrink away
What was lost has returned, though not lost
وَهيَ الوَديعَةُ لا يُؤَمَّلُ حِفظُها
حَتّى تَصِحَّ حَفيظَةُ المُستَودَعِ
It is the trust that will not be kept safe
Until the treasurer's honesty is verified
وَأَعِنَّةُ الإِسلامِ في يَدِ حازِمٍ
قَد قادَها زَمَناً وَلَم يَتَزَعزَعِ
The pillars of Islam are in the hands of a resolute one
Who has led them for a time and not wavered
أَمسى يُدَبِّرُها بِهَديِ أُسامَةٍ
وَبِكَيدِ بَهرامٍ وَنَجدَةِ تُبَّعِ
He manages them with Uthman's guidance
And Bahram's cunning and Nujdah's of Tubba's
فَكَفاكَ مِن شَرَفِ الرِياسَةِ أَنَّهُ
يَثني الأَعِنَّةَ كُلَّهُنَّ بِإِصبَعِ
It is enough of leadership's nobility that
He folds all the pillars with a finger
أَدمى فِجاجَ الرومِ حَتّى ما لَها
سَيلٌ سِوى دُفَعِ الدِماءِ الهُمَّعِ
He bloodied the temples of the Byzantines until they had
No flood save the shedding of fervent blood
قَطَعَ القَرائِنَ وَاللِواءُ لِغَيرِهِ
بِالمَشرَفِيَّةِ حُسَّراً في الأَدرُعِ
He cut ties, and the banner belonged to another
At al-Musharrafiyya, a canopy upon armor
وَلِواؤُهُ المَعقودُ يُقسِمُ في غَدٍ
أَن سَوفَ يَصنَعُ فيهِ ما لَم يُصنَعِ
And his tied banner will swear tomorrow
That it will do what has not yet been done
صَديانَ مِن ظَمَإِ الحُقودِ لَوَ انَّهُ
يُسقى جَميعَ دِمائِهِم لَم يَنقَعِ
Two leather waterskins from the thirst of rancor—if only
All their blood were poured to drink, it would not quench
ماضٍ إِذا وَقَفَ المُشَهَّرُ لَم يَقِف
يَقِظٌ إِذا هَجَعَ السُها لَم يَهجَعِ
A goer, when the famed stand, does not stand
Awake, when the brave sleep, does not sleep
وَمُهيجُ هَيجاءٍ يُبَلِّغُ رُمحَهُ
صَفَّ العِدى وَالرُمحُ خَمسَةُ أَذرُعِ
An inflamer of passions who sends his spear
Through enemy lines, five arm-lengths long
وَيُضيءُ مِن خَلفِ السِنانِ إِذا دَجا
وَجهُ الكَمِيِّ عَلى الكَمِيِّ الأَروَعِ
And in the dark he lights up the face
Of the lesser warrior against the finer
بَحرٌ لِأَهلِ الثَغرِ لَيسَ بِغائِضٍ
وَسَحابُ جودٍ لَيسَ بِالمُتَقَشِّعِ
A sea, for the people of the march, not too deep
A cloud of generosity, not too withholding
نُصِروا بِدَولَتِهِ الَّتي غَلَبوا بِها
في الجَمعِ فَانتَصَفوا بِها في المُجمَعِ
They were given victory by the state through which they prevailed
In multitudes, and so exacted vengeance in the gathered assembly
وَإِذا هُمُ قَحَطوا فَأَعشَبُ مَربَعٍ
وَإِذا هُمُ فَزِعوا فَأَقرَبُ مَفزَعِ
And if they suffer drought, most abundant of pastures
If alarmed, nearest of havens
رَجَعوا مِنَ الشِبلِ الَّذي عَهِدوا إِلى
خَلَفٍ مِنَ اللَيثِ الضُبارِمِ مُقنَعِ
They returned from the lion cub they were familiar with
To a successor among snarling lions, masked
ما غابَ عَنهُم غَيرُ نُزعَةِ أَشيَبٍ
مَكسُوَّةٍ صَدَأً وَشَيبَةَ أَنزَعِ
Nothing was absent save an aged,
Rusted and white-haired, grip
هَذا اِبنُ ذاكَ وِلادَةً وَأُخُوَّةً
عِندَ الزَعازِعِ وَالقَنا المُتَزَعزِعِ
This is the son of that one, by birth and brotherhood
Against shocks and the shaken spear
مُتَشابِهانِ إِذا الأُمورُ تَشابَهَت
حَزماً وَعِلماً بِالطَريقِ المَهيَعِ
Similar when matters resemble
Judgment and knowledge on the level path
عوداهُما مِن نَبعَةٍ وَثَراهُما
مِن تُربَةٍ وَصَفاهُما مِن مَقطَعِ
He brought them up from a spring, gave them growth
From soil, and refined them from ore
يا يوسُفَ بنَ أَبي سَعيدٍ لِلَّتي
يُدعى أَبوكَ لَها وَفيها فَاسمَعِ
O, Yusuf ibn Abi Sa'id, to her
Whose father you are named for, then listen
إِلّا تَكُنهُ عَلى حَقيقَتِهِ يَغِب
عَمرٌو وَيَشهَد عاصِمُ بنُ الأَسقَعِ
Lest the command belong to another in truth
While Amr witnesses and Asim ibn al-Asqa'
وَلتَهنِكَ الآنَ الوِلايَةُ إِنَّها
طَلَبَتكَ مِن بَلَدٍ بَعيدِ المَنزَعِ
Now may the administration delight you, it
Sought you from a distant, uncontested land
لَم تُعطِها أَمَلاً وَلَم تَشغَل بِها
فِكراً وَلَم تَسال لَها عَن مَوضِعِ
You did not give it hope, occupy your thoughts with it
Or ask about its place
وَرَأَيتَ نَفسَكَ فَوقَها وَهيَ الَّتي
فَوقَ العَلِيِّ مِنَ الرِجالِ الأَرفَعِ
You saw yourself above it, while it is
Above the highest of men in rank
وَصَلَتكَ حينَ هَجَرتَها وَتَزَيَّنَت
بِأَغَرَّ وافي الساعِدَينِ سَمَيدَعِ
It greeted you when you shunned it, adorned
With the smoothest and loosest-sleeved robes
وَمَهاوِلٍ دونَ العُلا كَلَّفتَها
خُلُقاً إِذا ضَرَّ النَدى لَم يَنفَعِ
And ponies beneath the summits—you tasked it
With a manner, if dew touched, it would not avail
فَقَطَعتَها رَكضَ الجَوادِ وَلَو مَشى
في جانِبَيها الشَنفَرى لَم يُسرِعِ
You outpaced it galloping steeds, and even had
It walked at its sides, the gray one would not hasten
سَعيٌ إِذا سَمِعَت رَبيعَةُ ذِكرَهُ
رَبَعَت فَلَم تَذكُر مَساعِيَ مِسمَعِ
An effort, when it hears, Rabî'ah
Pricks up its ears, recalling no hearing of hearing
أَعطَيتَ ما لَم يُعطِ في بَذلِ اللُهى
وَمَنَعتَ في الحُرَماتِ ما لَم يَمنَعِ
You gave what none gave in dissipating distracting passions
And refused what none refused in sacrosanct things
وَبَعَثتَ كَيدَكَ غازِياً في غارَةٍ
ما كانَ فيها السَيفُ غَيرَ مُشَيَّعِ
You sent your cunning raiding in a raid
In which there was no sword but yours, drawn
كَيدٌ كَفى الجَيشَ القِتالَ وَرَدَّهُم
بَينَ الغَنيمَةِ وَالإِيابِ المُسرِعِ
A cunning enough for the army and battle, sending them back
Between spoils and swift return
جَزِعَت لَهُ أُمُّ الصَليبِ وَمَن يَصُب
بِحَريمِهِ وَبلُ المَنِيَّةِ يَجزَعِ
The mother of the cross trembled because of it, as did those
Concerned for its sanctuaries, and the house of death trembles
أَعطَوا رَسولَكَ ما سَأَلتَ فَكَيفَ لَو
شافَهتَهُم بِصُدورِهِنَّ اللُمَّعِ
They gave your messenger what you asked, then how if
You had questioned them face to face, shining
وَاستَقرَضوا مِن أَهلِ مَرعَشَ وَقعَةً
فَقَضَوكَ مِنها الضِعفَ مِمّا تَدَّعي
They borrowed from Mar'ash's people a defeat
Then paid you double from it what you claimed
مِن أَيِّهِم لَم تَستَقِد وَلِأَيِّهِم
لَم تَنجَرِد وَبِأَيِّهِم لَم توقِعِ
From which of them have you not taken captives
Against which have you not struggled, which have you not targeted
بَل أَيَّ نَسلٍ مِنهُمُ لَم تَستَبِح
وَثَنِيَّةٍ مِن أَرضِهِم لَم تَطلُعِ
But which of their progeny have you not deemed lawful
Which of their lands have you not exposed
