أدْنى الفوارِسِ مَن يُغِيرُ لمَغْنَمِ

فاجْعَلْ مُغَارَكَ للمَكارِم تَكرُمِ

The noblest horsemen are those who raid for plunder,

So make your cave a refuge for the generous.

وتَوَقّ أمْرَ الغانِياتِ فإنّهُ

أمْرٌ إذا خالفْتَه لم تَنْدَمِ

And abstain from the matter of singing girls, for it

Is a matter that if you go against it, you will not regret.

أنا أقْدَمُ الخُلاّنِ فارْضَ نصيحتي

إنّ الفَضِيلةَ للحُسامِ الأقْدَمِ

I am the most senior advisor, so accept my advice,

For merit belongs to the oldest sword.

والْحَقْ بتُبّاعِ الأميرِ فكُنْ له

تَبَعاً لتُصْبِحَ بالمحَلّ الأعظَمِ

And the truth is with following the prince, so be

A follower of him, to reach the greatest status.

واسْتَزْرِ بالبِيضِ الحِسانِ ولا يكُنْ

لكَ غيرُ هِمّةِ صارمٍ أو لَهْذَمِ

And make the white your armor, and let there be

No other ambition for you but a sharp sword or firm spear.

المُتّقي بالخيْلْ كلّ عظيمةٍ

والمُسْتَبِيحِ بهِنّ كلّ عَرَمْرَمِ

The God-conscious man takes down every greatness with his horse

And the transgressor seduces every cheap woman.

ومُزِيرِها الغَوْرَ الذي لو سَلّمَتْ

ريحٌ على أرجائِها لم تَسْلَم

And its rugged valley, if a wind blew on its edges

It would not be safe, or the Wasmi arose early seeking his land

أو بَكّرَ الوَسمِيُّ يَطْلُبُ أَرضَه

نَفِدَ الرّبيعُ وتُرْبُها لم يُوسمِ

Spring ran out and its soil was not marked.

The stars do not appear in it, shining,

لا تَسْتَبِينُ الشّهْبُ فيه تنائِياً

ويَلُوحُ فيه البَدْرُ مثلَ الدّرهَمِ

And the moon gleams in it like a dirham.

This, and how many mountains whose people disobeyed them

هذا وكم جَبَلٍ عصَاها أهْلُه

فَهَوَتْ عليه مع الطّيورِ الحُوّمِ

So they collapsed upon them with the ravens.

And it let through the strikes of every quiver

وأجازَهَا قُذَفاتِ كلّ مُنِيفَةٍ

وَكْرُ العُقابِ بها وبيْتُ الأعْصَمِ

And the nests of eagles in it and homes of black snakes.

So they trod the lairs of ostriches and panicked them

فوطِئْنَ أوْكارَ الأنُوقِ ورُوّعَت

مِنها وباتَ المُهْرُ ضَيْفَ الهَيْثَمِ

And the wild animal spent the night a guest of hyenas.

It knew and caution weakened it, so it did not fly

علِمَتْ وأضْعَفَها الحِذارُ فلم تَطِرْ

من ضَعْفِها فكأنّها لم تَعْلَمِ

Though weak, as if it had no knowledge.

With widespread wings, it cried with pride

وبَعيدةِ الأطرافِ رُعْنَ بماجِدٍ

يَرْدِينَ فوقَ أساوِدٍ لم تَطْعَمِ

Flying over lions that had not been fed.

It grazes the remnants of dew in its burrows

تَرعى خوافي الرُّبْدِ في حَجَراتِها

سَغْباً وتَعْثُرُ بالغَطَاطِ النُّوَمِ

And stumbles over the thickets of sleep.

They gather themselves so they can attain what

يَجْمَعْنَ أنفُسَهُنّ كي يَبْلُغْن ما

يَهْوَى فمُجْفَرُهنّ مثْلُ الأهضَمِ

They desire, so their beaks are like chisels.

It harbored enmity and leadership emboldened it, so it became

ضَمَرَتْ وشَزّبَها القِيادُ فأصْبحتْ

والطّرْفُ يرْكُضُ في مَسابِ الأرقَمِ

A lookout, while the eyelid gallops in pupils of the blind.

Its saddle rises above every other saddle

مِن كلّ مُعْطِيَةِ الأعِنّةِ سرْجُها

تَرْقى فوارِسُها إليه بسُلّمِ

So its horsemen ascend to it with a ladder.

A chestnut steed as if its bridle

غَرّاءَ سَلْهَبَةٍ كَأنّ لجامَها

نالَ السماءَ به بَنانُ المُلْجِمِ

Reached the sky with it, like the stars of Aldebaran.

And a challenger between the noble and pursuer

ومُقابَلٍ بينَ الوَجيهِ ولاحِقٍ

وافاكَ بينَ مُطَهَّمٍ ومُطَهَّمِ

Who found you between the armed and the armed.

The day molded its specula and it was as if

صاغَ النّهارُ حُجُولَهُ فكأنّما

قَطعتْ له الظّلماءُ ثوبَ الأدهَمِ

The darkness cut for it a garment of pitch.

The fish were disturbed by its gallop and sometimes

قلِقَ السّماكُ لرَكْضِهِ ولربّما

نَفَضَ الغُبارَ على جبِينِ المِرْزَمِ

It shook the dust off the forehead of the sick man.

Like brides, nothing it raided retreated

مِثلُ العرائسِ ما انثَنَتْ من غارةٍ

إلا مُخَضَّبَةَ السّنابِكِ بالدّمِ

Except stained doorframes with blood.

It stayed up while the guide slept in a worn cloak

سَهِرَتْ وقد هجَعَ الدليلُ بلابسٍ

بُرْدَ الحُبابِ مُعيدِ فعْلِ الضّيْغَمِ

Repeating the actions of twisting.

Its claws made the gazelles bleed so it was as if

أدْمَتْ نواجِذَها الظُّبَى فكأنّما

صُبِغَتْ شكائِمُها بمثْلِ العَنْدَمِ

Their cheeks were dyed with the same as jujube.

And its hooves built a shining darkness?

وبنَتْ حوافِرُها قَتاماً ساطعاً

لولا انْقِيادُ عِداكَ لم يَتَهَدّمِ

If not for your obedience, it would not have crumbled.

The eagles nested in it and pitched above it

باضَ النّسورُ به وخيّمَ مُصْعِداً

حتى تَرَعْرَعَ فيه فَرْخُ القَشْعَمِ

Until the fledgling eagle chirped in it.

And it aimed for the basin of clouds, and its water

وسما إلى حَوْضِ الغَمامِ فماؤهُ

كَدِرٌ بمُنْهالِ الغُبارِ الأقْتَمِ

Was turbid from the descending dusty fog.

They came in numbers like goblets, overflowing

جاءتْ بأمْثالِ القِداحِ مُفِيضَةً

من كلّ أشْعَثَ بالسّيوفِ مُوَسَّمِ

From every disheveled one with swords marked.

So they were found sharper than the arrows of Turks when

فوُجِدْنَ أمْضى من سِهامِ التُّرك إذ

نُفِضَتْ وأنْفَدَ مِن حِرابِ الدّيْلمِ

Released, and more piercing than the spears of Delam.

Until they left the water not pure

حتى تركْنَ الماءَ ليس بطاهِرٍ

والتُّرْبَ ليس يَحِلُّ للمُتَيَمّمِ

And the soil not permissible for one who performs ablution.