تودُّ الجحاجيحُ من خِندِفٍ
وإنْ طالَ في المجد بُنيانُها
The tents wish for protection from Khandaf,
Though their glory in honor built high;
مقامكَ والخيلُ فرَّارةٌ
تَخيمُ وتَجْبنُ فُرسانُها
Your place, while the horses bolt in fright,
Huddled in fear are their horsemen;
وجودكَ والعامُ يَبْسُ الثَّرى
إذا المُزْنُ أخلفَ دَجَّانهُا
Your munificence, while the year makes the land barren,
When the clouds fail to bring rain;
وصبرَك في الإزِم الفادحا
تِ تستنفدُ الصَّبرَ أحْزانُها
Your patience in time of sore distress,
When sorrows exhaust their patience;
ورأيكَ في المُعْضلاتِ الصعاب
يَودُّ المنيَّةَ يَقظانُها
Your view in perplexing difficulties,
Death wishes to keep awake;
فإنك يومَ التِفاتِ الكماةِ
هُمامُ الكَتيبة طعَّانُها
For you are, on the day angles attend,
The protectors of the army's flank;
وإنك يومَ التماسِ النَّدى
سَحابُ العُفاةِ وتَهْتانُها
And you are, on the day the lightning flashes,
The clouds of the chivalrous and confused;
وإنكَ يومَ يكلُّ الصَّبورُ
هِضابُ شَروْرى وأركانُها
And you are, when the patient grows weary,
The mountains of mischief and its pillars;
وإنكَ يومَ يضيقُ الرِّوى
كَشوفُ الخَفِيَّةِ مِبيْانُها
And you are, when sustenance grows scarce,
The revealing of the hidden truths;
وخيلٍ تَمطَّرُ تحت العجاجِ
تَمارَحُ لِلطَّعْن خِرْصانُها
And of horses that rain under armor
Frolicking to thrust with their blades;
إذا ضمئتْ من هجير الضَّحاء
عَلَّ دَمَ الهام ظَمْآنُها
When the voices of fighters grow hoarse
Their blood violently seeks to drink;
تَباشرُ منها إذا ما غَزَتْ
ذئابُ الفَلاة وعِقْبانُها
Then from them, when they attack,
Pounce the beasts and birds of prey;
كأنَّ القَنا ونحورَ الرجالِ
بِئارُ الحجيج وأشْطانُها
As though the spears and the necks of men
Were the wells of pilgrims and their buckets;
عَطَفْتَ فغاردتها بالطِّرا
فيها تَقصَّفُ مُرانُها
You turned away from them, hurling reproaches,
Wherein their glory is utterly destroyed;
نَماكَ إلى المجد شُمُّ الأنو
فِ يُحْمى من الضَّيْم جيرانُها
Your fame raises you to glory,
Where your neighbors are kept safe from harm;
إذا المَحْلُ شَدَّ باجحافهِ
حَوتْ رغدَ العيشِ ضِيفانُها
When the abode was afflicted with injustice,
It contained the bliss of a happy life;
تَدرُّ جِراحُ الصَّفايا لهمْ
ولم تُمْرَ بالعَصْبِ ألبانُها
The wounds of the martyrs flow for them,
Though their courage tastes no milk;
يُضيءُ الدُّجى ويُباري الصَّباح
ضِياءُ الوجوهِ وتيجانُها
It lights up the darkness and rivals the dawn,
The light of the faces and their crowns;
تحوزُ مفاخرها شيْبُها
وتسمو إلى المجد شُبَّانُها
Their elderly boast of glorious deeds,
While the young aspire to glory;
وأنكَ قد علمتْ عَوْفُها
غَداةَ الفَخارِ ودودانُها
You knew their hospitality well
On the morn following mirth and love;
أَبَرَّهُمُ بِضيوفٍ الشِّتاءِ
وأقْرى إذا هَبَّ شَفَّانُها
Kindest to guests in wintry nights,
And most generous when autumn blows;
وما نَشْرُ غَنَّاءَ مَطْلولَةٍ
جواثِمُ تَرْغدُ غِرْبانُها
No singing girl spreads her train
For the ravens that prey to enjoy;
أقامَ بها شَرْبُها والسماءُ
ترشُّ وتهطلُ أدْجانُها
Staying with it the drinking and the rain pouring down
Cascade on cascade from the cloudburst;
على مُزَّةٍ الطَّعْم عانيَّةٍ
يتيهُ على الدهر نشْوانُها
On irresistible tasty wine, whose flavor enchants,
The vintages of which make one lose his way through time
بأطيبَ من عِرْض تاج المُلوكِ
إذا نكَّبَ الدار رُكبانُها
Sweeter than the possession of a royal crown,
When the land declines under its riders;
وأرضٍ حمتها كماةُ الوغى
يُخافُ ويُرهبُ سُكانُها
On land made safe by hands in battles,
Whose inhabitants both awe and fear;
كأنَّ مَسالكَها والرِّجالَ
تِلاعُ الصَّريم وجِنَّانُها
As though its routes and men
Were the hissing of reptiles and demons
إذا أمَّها مَلكٌ ذادَهُ
حُماةُ الثُّغورِ وفِتيانُها
When led by a warrior king
The guardians of the frontiers and its youths
تملَّكها بصدورِ السِّها
مِ دونَ البريَّة سُكْمانُها
Who possessed it with courageous hearts
Beyond the wilderness and its rugged ascents;
فلما ثَوى ولكل امْرئٍ
مَنونٌ إذا حُمَّ إبَّانُها
But when he who dies, as death awaits every soul
In time, when the term is concluded
تناولها مِن عِظام النساء
مُمنَّعةٌ شأنُها شانُها
A peerless woman of proud demeanor
Whose affair was like her own
صَهيلُ السَّوابقِ نَدْمانُها
وبيضُ القَواضِب أخْدانُها
The neighing of racehorses, their regret
The plain white forehead blazes
وأعجبها شامخٌ مُشْرِفٌ
ودارٌ تمنَّعُ أركانُها
Most wondrous to her was a towering eminent man
Of many columned illustrious house
ومُلْكٌ عَقيمٌ له سَوْرةٌ
يُحاميهِ بالصَّبْر أعوانُها
A fruitless kingdom which has a mere facade
Defended by the patience of its helpers
فإنْ تَكُ بلقيسُ في عرشها
فإنَّ دُبيْساً سُليمانُها
Even if Balkis is on her throne
Dubays is still her Solomon
حببتُك حُبي شَهيَّ الحياةِ
صَفَتْ وتباعدَ أدْرانُها
My love for you is the most precious thing in life
And hence other loves have grown apart
وأسخطتُ فيكَ نفوسَ المُلوكِ
وما راعَ قلبيَ غَضْبانُها
I incur the wrath of kings over you
Unconcerned about their rage against me
وفارقتُ أوطانيَ المونسات
وعيشُ البريَّةِ أوطانُها
I leave behind my homelands of delight
The dwellings of the wilderness being my home
أنا المَرأ أنْ كنت لي مُنْصفاً
دليلُ المَعالي وبُرْهانُها
I who am but a slave, if you would judge me fairly,
I guide to the highest and prove it true
وإن تَدْعُني لمقالٍ الرجالِ
فَقُسُّ البلادِ وسُحْبانُها
If you should wish me to speak like the men
I am the measure of countries and plains;
فَسِرْ وصحيفةُ ما تبتغيهِ
ينطقُ بالنُّجْحِ عُنْوانُها
Unveil then what you wish to attain
Its title spells success
إلى الدارِ من بابلٍ أنَّها
لَعَيْنٌ وشخصُكَ إِنْسانُها
It is for the house called Babylon,
Your person being its principal pillar
فما نازحُ الدارِ قاصٍ عليكَ
وإنْ بعُدتْ عنك بُلْدانها
No neighbor to the house visits you, reproaching
Though countries separate us from each other
وكنْ ناصري في بلوغٍ العُلى
فقد أنْفدَ الصَّبر لَيَّانُها
Help me attain the highest
Since patience has exhausted its supplies
