طَفِقَت تَلومُ وَلاتَ حينَ مَلامِهِ
لا عِندَ كَبرَتِهِ وَلا إِحجامِهِ
She began to blame her tribe when they blamed him
Neither for his nobility nor his reserve
لَم يَروَ مِن ماءِ الشَبابِ وَلا اِنجَلَت
ذَهَبِيَّةُ الصَبَواتِ عَن أَيّامِهِ
He saw no spring of youth nor did
The golden days of his youth return to him
أَهلاً بِزائِرِنا المُلِمِّ لَوَ اَنَّهُ
عَرَفَ الَّذي يَعتادُ مِن إِلمامِهِ
Greetings to our learned visitor, if only he
Knew the one he usually consults for guidance
جَذلانَ يَسمَحُ في الكَرى بِعِناقِهِ
وَيَضُنُّ في غَيرِ الكَرى بِسَلامِهِ
Jadhlân is easygoing in poetry, embracing it
But in other matters he is reserved in his greetings
أَتُريكَ أَحلامُ الدُجى ذا لَوعَةٍ
كَلِفَ الضُلوعِ يَراكَ في أَحلامِهِ
Do you see how the dreams of night burden
His heart that carries such sorrow
لِلصامِتِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ في صامِتٍ
نَسَبٌ كَعِقدِ الدُرِّ غِبَّ نِظامُهُ
To the silent Muhammad, descendant of the silent
A lineage like a perfect string of pearls
مُستَجمِعٌ شَرَفَينِ قَد جُمِعا لَهُ
في جاهِلِيَّتِهِ وَفي إِسلامِهِ
Embodying two honors combined for him
In his Ignorance and his Islam
إِن قيلَ رِبعِيٌّ فَمِن آبائِهِ
أَو قيلَ قَحتَبَةٌ فَمِن أَعمامِهِ
If it is said he is Rabî‘î, then from his fathers
If it is said Qahtabah, then from his uncles
وَخُؤولَةٌ مِن عَمرِهِ وَيَزيدِهِ
وَوَليدِهِ وَسَعيدِهِ وَهِشامِهِ
And Khawlah from his Umar, his Yazîd
His Walîd, his Sa‘îd and his Hishâm
أُنظُر إِلى تِلكَ الجِبالِ فَإِنَّها
مَعدودَةٌ في هَضبِهِ وَإِكامِهِ
Look at those mountains, for they are
Numbered among his plateaus and peaks
كَالسَيفِ في إِخذامِهِ وَالغَيثُ في
إِرحامِهِ وَاللَيثُ في إِقدامِهِ
Like the sword in its sheath, rain in its clouds
And the lion in its daring advance
إِن كُنتَ تُنكِرُ ما أَقولُ فَجارِهِ
أَو بارِهِ أَو ناوِهِ أَو سامِهِ
If you deny what I say of its neighbors
Or dwellers, protectors or companions
مُتَشَعِّبٌ لا يَقتَضي في مَحفَلٍ
مِن فَهمِهِ شَيئاً وَلا إِفهامِهِ
Branching out, requiring no one in any gathering
To understand anything of his speech or explanation
أَمضى عَلى خَصمٍ غِرارَ لِسانِهِ
فَكَأَنَّما أَمضى غِرارَ حُسامِهِ
He routed an opponent with his sharp tongue
As if with the sharp blades of his sword
إِمّا تَنَقَّلَتِ العُهودُ فَإِنَّهُ
شَبتٌ عَلى عَهدِ النَدى وَذِمامِهِ
Either the eras changed, for he is
A youth in the time of glory and at its peak
وَيَبيتُ يَحلُمُ بِالمَكارِمِ وَالعُلا
حَتّى يَكونَ المَجدُ جُلَّ مَنامِهِ
He would dream at night of noble deeds and ascend
Until glory was the sum of his sleep
أَفدي نَداكَ فَرُبَّ يَومٍ جاءَني
عَفواً يَقودُ لي الغِنى بِزِمامِهِ
I ransom you, for many a day has come to me
Bearing unasked the reins of wealth in its leading
وَإِذا أَرَدتُ لَبِستُ مِنكَ مَواهِباً
يَنشُرنَ نَشرَ الوَردِ في أَكمامِهِ
And whenever I wanted, I would wear from you gifts
That spread like roses within their buds
أَمّا الجَوادُ فَقَد بَلَونا يَومَهُ
وَكَفى بِيَومٍ مُخبِراًعَن عامِهِ
As for generosity, we tested it one day
And that day sufficed to tell of the year
جارى الجِيادَ فَطارَ عَن أَوهامِها
سَبقاً وَكادَ يَطيرُ عَن أَوهامِهِ
He raced the racers, so he flew from their imaginations, Almost taking wing from their fancies
The sudden darkness enveloped Jadhlân on all sides
جَذلانَ تَلطِمُهُ جَوانِبُ غُرَّةٍ
جاءَت مَجيءَ البَدرِ عِندَ تَمامِهِ
Coming like the rising of the full moon
Then he darkened, and the flanks of the beholder
وَاِسوَدَّ ثُمَّ صَفَت لِعَينَي ناظِرٍ
جَنَباتُهُ فَأَضاءَ في إِظلامِهِ
Gleamed, lighting his darkness
The sides of his forehead curved as though they were
مالَت جَوانِبُ عُرفِهِ فَكَأَنَّها
عَذَباتُ أَثلٍ مالَ تَحتَ حَمامِهِ
The sweet slopes of a cheek beneath his turban
And his ears preceding suggest to the viewer
وَمُقَدَّمُ الأُذُنَينِ تَحسِبُ أَنَّهُ
بَهِما يَرى الشَخصُ الَّذي لِإِمامِهِ
That with them he sees the one before him
He prances in his pacing, trips in his retreat
يَختالُ في اِستِعراضِهِ وَيُكِبُّ في اِس
تِدبارِهِ وَيَشِبُّ في اِستِقدامِهِ
And dances in his advance
And when the short fleece meets his back
وَإِذا اِلتَقى الثَفَرُ القَصيرُ وَراءَهُ
فَالطولُ حَظُّ عِنانِهِ وَحِزامِهِ
His long tail takes the luck of his rein and cinch
And his rider behind the battle seems
وَكَأَنَّ فارِسَهُ وَراءَ قَذالِهِ
رِدفٌ فَلَستَ تَراهُ مِن قُدّامِهِ
A postillion whom you cannot see from the front
His clothes flowed about him, suggesting
لانَت مَعاطِفُهُ فَخَيَّلَ أَنَّهُ
لِلشَيزَرانِ مُناسِبٌ بِعِظامِهِ
That his frame matches the noble build
In a flame like white hair, there shone from my love for him
في شُعلَةٍ كَالشَيبِ لاحَ بِمَفرِقي
غَزِلٍ لَها عَن شَيبِهِ بِغَرامِهِ
A braid whose whiteness his passion denies
And he circulates between rhymes, gathering
وَمُرَدَّدٌ بَينَ القَوافي يَجتَني
ماشَأَ مِن أَلِفِ القَريضِ وَلامِهِ
As he wishes, the “meem” and “laam” sounds
And his neighing when it rises seems like
وَكَأَنَّ صَهلَتَهُ إِذا اِستَعلى بِها
رَعدٌ يُقَعقِعُ في اِزدِحامِ غَمامِهِ
Thunder rumbling amidst dense clouds
He swooped like an eagle diving from his loftiness
مِثلُ العُقابِ اِنقَضَّ مِن عَليائِهِ
في باقِرِ الصَمّانِ أَو أَرآمِهِ
Into Baqir or Araam their peaks
Or a raven proceeding to rival his friends
أَو كَالغُرابِ غَدا يُباري صَحبَهُ
بَسَوادِ بُقبَتِهِ وَحُسنِ قَوامِهِ
In the blackness of his cowl and beauty of build
None is more generous than he but a youth who came From his greatest generosity and favor
لا شَيءَ أَجوَدُ مِنهُ غَيرُ فَتىً غَدا
مِن جودِهِ الأَوفى وَمِن إِنعامِهِ
You sent him away, eyes brimming, surrendered
To their desires for the duration of his stay
أَرسَلتَهُ مِلءَ العُيونِ مُسَلَّماً
مِنها بِشَهوَتِها لِطولِ دَوامِهِ
And it was as if each wonder was connected
To the division of moments into portions
وَكَأَنَّ كُلَّ عَجيبَةٍ مَوصولَةٌ
بِتَقَسُّمِ اللَحَظاتِ في أَقسامِهِ
And my gaze still follows the most welcome of visitors Whom his saddle and bridle did not burden
وَالطَرفُ أَجلَبُ زائِرٍ لِمَأونَةِ
ما لَم تُزِرهُ بِسَرجِهِ وَلِجامِهِ
