أَجِدَّكَ ما يَنفَكُّ يَسري لِزَينَبا

خَيالٌ إِذا آبَ الظَلامُ تَأَوَّبا

I always find you, my thoughts ever flowing to Zainab

An apparition, when darkness falls, cloaking itself

سَرى مِن أَعالي الشامِ يَجلُبُهُ الكَرى

هُبوبَ نَسيمِ الرَوضِ تَجلُبُهُ الصَبا

It traveled from the heights of Syria, fate drawing it here

Borne on the breeze from the gardens, brought by the zephyr

وَما زارَني إِلّا وَلِهتُ صَبابَةً

إِلَيهِ وَإِلّا قُلتُ أَهلاً وَمَرحَبا

And it never visited save my heart was captivated

To it, else I'd say, welcome and greetings

وَلَيلَتَنا بِالجَزعِ باتَ مُساعِفاً

يُريني أَناةَ الخَطوِ ناعِمَةَ الصِبا

And my night of anguish became overburdened

Showing me the gait of steps, the bounty of youth

أَضَرَّت بِضَوءِ البَدرِ وَالبَدرُ طالِعٌ

وَقامَت مَقامَ البَدرِ لَمّا تَغَيَّبا

It shone in the moonlight, while the moon was rising

And it took the moon's place when it disappeared

وَلَو كانَ حَقّا ما أَتَتهُ لَأَطفَأَت

غَليلا وَلَاِفتَكَّت أَسيراً مُعَذَّبا

If it were real, it wouldn't have come to extinguish

My torment, or take my captive self away

عَلِمتُكِ إِن مَنَّيتِ مَنَّيتِ مَوعِداً

جَهاماً وَإِن أَبرَقتِ أَبرَقتِ خُلَّبا

I knew if you made a tryst, you made one binding

Vehemently, and if you flashed, you flashed alluring

وَكُنتُ أَرى أَنَّ الصُدودَ الَّذي مَضى

دَلالٌ فَما إِن كانَ إِلّا تَجَنُّبا

I used to think the aloofness that passed

Was coquetry - but it turned out to be avoidance

فَوا أَسَفي حَتّامَ أَسأَلُ مانِعاً

وَآمَنُ خَوّاناً وَأُعتِبُ مُذنِبا

Oh my regret that I ask the withholder

And believe the betrayer and reproach the offender

سَأَثني فُؤادي عَنكِ أَو أَتبَعُ الهَوى

إِلَيكِ إِنِ اِستَعصى فُؤادِيَ أَو أَبى

I will restrain my heart from you or follow desire

To you, if my heart refuses or declines

أَقولُ لِرَكبٍ مُعتَفينَ تَدَرَّعوا

عَلى عَجَلٍ قِطعاً مِنَ اللَيلِ غَيهَبا

I say to a band of riders armed

Upon steeds slicing through the night

رِدوا نائِلَ الفَتحِ بنِ خاقانَ إِنَّهُ

أَعَمُّ نَدىً فيكُم وَأَقرَبُ مَطلَبا

Return the conqueror Bin Khāqān, he

Most noble among you and nearest your goal

هُوَ العارِضُ الثَجّاجُ أَخضَلَ جودُهُ

وَطارَت حَواشي بَرقِهِ فَتَلَهَّبا

He is the lofty, brilliant, his generosity verdant

And the edges of his lightning blaze

إِذا ما تَلَظّى في وَغى أَصعَقَ العِدى

وَإِن فاضَ في أَكرومَةٍ غَمَرَ الرُبا

When he clashed in battle’s fury, he overwhelmed the foe

And when he surged in the melee, he flooded the plain

رَزينٌ إِذا ما القَومُ خَفَّت حُلومُهُم

وَقورٌ إِذا ما حادِثُ الدَهرِ أَجلَبا

Dignified, when the people’s resolves weakened

And composed when the blows of fate intensified

حَياتُكَ أَن يَلقاكَ بِالجودِ راضِياً

وَمَوتُكَ أَن يَلقاكَ بِالبَأسِ مُغضَبا

Your life: to meet you pleased with munificence

And your death: to meet you wrathful in valor

حَرونٌ إِذا عازَرتَهُ في مُلِمَّةٍ

فَإِن جِئتَهُ مِن جانِبِ الذُلِّ أَصحَبا

Harūn - when you back him in adversity

And if you approach him in lowliness, accompany

فَتىً لَم يُضَيِّع وَجهَ حَزمٍ وَلَم يَبِت

يُلاحِظُ أَعجازَ الأُمورِ تَعَقُّبا

A man whose demeanor never lost resolve

Nor spent his time watching the rear of events

إِذا هَمَّ لَم يَقعُد بِهِ العَجزُ مَقعَداً

وَإِن كَفَّ لَم يَذهَب بِهِ الخُرقُ مَذحَبا

When he intended, weakness did not detain him

And if he stopped, being overwhelmed did not drive him away

أُعيرَ مَوَدّاتِ الصُدورِ وَأُعطِيَت

يَداهُ عَلى الأَعداءِ نَصرا مُرَهِّبا

He was lent hearts’ affection and his

Hands were given power over enemies, vanquishing

وَقَيناكَ صَرفَ الدَهرِ بِالأَنفُسِ الَّتي

تُبَجِّلُ لا نَألوكَ أُمّاً وَلا أَبا

And we deemed the turns of fate maintained by souls

That revere you, not begrudging mother or father

فَلَم تَخلُ مِن فَضلٍ يُبَلِّغُكَ الَّتي

تَرومُ وَمِن رَأيٍ يُريكَ المُغَيَّبا

So you never lacked merit to attain what

You sought, nor judgment to show you the hidden

وَما نَقَمَ الحُسّادُ إِلّا أَصالَةً

لَدَيكَ وَفِعلاً أَريَحِيّاً مُهَذَّبا

The envious blamed you only for nobility

Before you and refined, gentle deeds

وَقَد جَرَّبوا بِالأَمسِ مِنكَ عَزيمَةً

فَضَلتَ بِها السَيفَ الحُسامَ المُجَرَّبا

And yesterday they tested your resolve

With which you outdid the peerless, well-honed sword

غَداةَ لَقيتَ اللَيثَ وَاللَيثُ مُخدِرٌ

يُحَدِّدُ ناباً لِلِّقاءِ وَمَخلَبا

On the morrow, you met the lion, the lion groggy

Honing fangs for the meeting and unsheathing claws

يُحَصِّنُهُ مِن نَهرِ نَيزَكَ مَعقِلٌ

مَنيعٌ تَسامى غابُهُ وَتَأَشَّبا

A fortress on the Nayzak River protects it

Impregnable, its thicket towering and thick

يَرودُ مَغاراً بِالظَواهِرِ مُكثِبا

وَيَحتَلُّ رَوضاً بِالأَباطِحِ مُعشِبا

It descends to caves in the hills, denning

And it camps in meadows on the plains, grazing

يُلاعِبُ فيهِ أُقحُواناً مُفَضَّضاً

يَبِصُّ وَحَوذاناً عَلى الماءِ مُذهَبا

There it plays with speckled partridges

Spying and stalking francolins by the water

إِذا شاءَ غادى عانَةً أَو عَدا عَلى

عَقائِلِ سِربٍ أَو تَقَنَّصَ رَبرَبا

When it pleases, it roams the wilderness or attacks

Herds of deer, or hunts a fleeing hare

يَجُرُّ إِلى أَشبالِهِ كُلَّ شارِقٍ

عَبيطاً مُدَمّاً أَو رَميلاً مُخَضَّبا

It drags to its cubs every dawn

Prey - bleeding, prone - or a bloody gazelle

وَمَن يَبغِ ظُلماً في حَريمِكَ يَنصَرِف

إِلى تَلَفٍ أَو يُثنَ خَزيانَ أَخيَبا

And he who unjustly covets your sanctuary leaves

Destroyed or dejected, disappointed

شَهِدتُ لَقَد أَنصَفتَهُ يَومَ تَنبَري

لَهُ مُصلِتاً عَضباً مِنَ البيضِ مِقضَبا

I witnessed - when you leapt up to face him

Whetting for him a blade of Indian steel, tempered

فَلَم أَرَ ضِرغامَينِ أَصدَقَ مِنكُما

عِراكاً إِذا الهَيّابَةُ النِكسُ كَذَّبا

I did not see any pair as loyal as you two

Wrestling, when cowardice the visage belies

هِزَبرٌ مَشى يَبغي هِزَبراً وَأَغلَبٌ

مِنَ القَومِ يَغشى باسِلَ الوَجهِ أَغلَبا

Braggart walked seeking braggart and overcome

The overcomer, pale of face, overwhelmed

أَدَلَّ بِشَغبٍ ثُمَّ هالَتهُ صَولَةٌ

رَآكَ لَها أَمضى جَناناً وَأَشغَبا

He blundered into strife but was halted by a charge

Seeing you its most resolute lion, and most defiant

فَأَحجَمَ لَمّا لَم يَجِد فيكَ مَطمَعاً

وَأَقدَمَ لَمّا لَم يَجِد عَنكَ مَهرَبا

So he recoiled when he found no gain in you

And advanced when he found no escape from you

فَلَم يُغنِهِ أَن كَرَّ نَحوَكَ مُقبِلاً

وَلَم يُنجِهِ أَن حادَ عَنكَ مُنَكِّبا

It did not avail him to wheel around toward you

Nor rescue him to shy away from you

حَمَلتَ عَلَيهِ السَيفَ لا عَزمُكَ اِنثَنى

وَلا يَدُكَ اِرتَدَّت وَلا حَدُّهُ نَبا

You set upon him with the sword, your resolve unwavering

Your hand not falling back, its edge never dulling

وَكُنتَ مَتى تَجمَع يَمينَيكَ تَهتِكِ ال

ضَريبَةَ أَو لا تُبقِ لِلسَيفِ مَضرِبا

And when you brought both arms together you would rend

Armor - leaving naught for the sword to strike

أَلَنتَ لِيَ الأَيّامَ مِن بَعدِ قَسوَةٍ

وَعاتَبتَ لي دَهري المُسيءَ فَأَعتَبا

You softened for me the days after harshness

And chastised my unkind fate until it made amends

وَأَلبَستَني النُعمى الَّتي غَيَّرَت أَخي

عَلَيَّ فَأَضحى نازِحَ الوُدِّ أَجنَبا

You clothed me in bounty that changed my

Brother’s attitude to me - foreign, estranged

فَلا فُزتُ مِن مَرِّ اللَيالي بِراحَةٍ

إِذا أَنا لَم أُصبِح بِشُكرِكَ مُتعَبا

So I gained no respite from the bitterness of nights

Save I woke thanking you, unremitting

عَلى أَنَّ أَفوافَ القَوافي ضَوامِنٌ

لِشُكرِكَ ما أَبدى دُجى اللَيلِ كَوكَبا

Though the strings of lyrical composition are guarantees

For thanking you - no darkness dispelled a star

ثَناءٌ تَقَصّى الأَرضَ نَجداً وَغائِراً

وَسارَت بِهِ الرُكبانُ شَرقاً وَمَغرِبا

Praise that scours the lands - open and desolate -

And the caravans took with them, east and west