ما أَومَضَ البَرقُ بَينَ الطَلعِ وَالبانِ
إِلّا وَنابَ الغَوادي دَمعي القاني
Whenever lightning flashed between the hills and dales
My overflowing tears rained down
وَلا شَدَّت ساجِعاتُ الوُرقِ في وَرَقِ ال
أَغصانِ إِلّا شَجَّتني فَوقَ أَشجاني
And whenever the branches rustled in the wind
I was shaken, beyond anguish
وَذَكَّرَتني بِنُعمانِ الأَراكِ هَوى
شَبيبَةٍ سَلَفَت في ظِلِّ نُعمانِ
Reminding me of the valley of Nu’man
Where I spent my blithe youth
أَيّامَ أَركُضُ أَفارسَ المَسَرَّةٍ في
رَوضِ الأَماني وَرَوضُ اللَهوِ مَيداني
Days when I raced the fine steeds in
The meadow of wishes, and the field of play was my domain
وَساكَنو الغَورَ مِن وادي الغَضا سَكَني
وَجيزَةُ العَلَمِ النَجدِيِّ جيراني
The dwellers of Al-Gawr in Wadi Al-Gada were my neighbors
And the banner of Najd my standard
وَالدَهرُ قَد رَقَدَت عَنّا نَوائِبُهُ
وَنَبَّهَت لِلتَصابي كُلَّ وَسِنانِ
Time has neglected its afflictions against us
And awakened us all to decay
أَغَنَّ تُغني عَنِ الصَهباءِ ريقَتُهُ
وَزَهرُ خَدَّيهِ عَن أَزهارِ بُستانِ
Does his spittle substitute for gray hair?
Or the bloom of his cheeks for garden flowers?
يُديرُ من طَرفِهِ سِحراً مِن يَدِهِ
خَمراً فَسَكَرُ النَدامى مِنهُ سَكرانِ
With a glance of his eye he pours magic from his hand
Serving wine that intoxicates all drinkers
أَطَعتُ في حُبِّهِ أَمرَ الهَوى وَعَصا
قَلبي عَلَيهِ نَهى مَن عَنهُ يَنهاني
I obeyed the command of passion against the advice
Of my heart, warning me against him
بَدرٌ لِشَمسِ الضُحى مِن تَحتِ طِرَّتِهِ
لَيلٌ بَدا في الدَياجي مُشرِقاً ثاني
A full moon beneath the veil of dusk
A night that shone like the break of dawn
لَم أُلفَ غَيرَ حَليفٍ لِلغَرامِ بِهِ
وَلَم أَبِت مِن هَواهُ غَيرَ سَكرانِ
I never found a confidant for love but him
Never sober when drunk with his love
ما زالَ في غَفَلاتِ اللَيلِ يُتحِفُني
بِلُطفِهِ نازِحاً مَعَ وَصلِهِ الداني
He continued to favor me in the heedlessness of night
With his kindness, drawing near with intimacy
حَتّى اِفتَرَقنا فيا لِلَّهِ ما سَفَحَت
بِجَفوَةِ البَينِ يَومَ السَفحِ أَجفاني
Until we parted. Oh how tears poured
With the harshness of separation, the day we said farewell
فَأَيُّ نارٍ بِها أَذكى الهَوى كَبِدي
وَأَيُّ سُقمٍ لِحيني قَد تَواخاني
What fire shall rekindle my passion?
What sickness but grief remains my companion?
وَهَبتُهُ ساعَةَ التَوديعِ ما مَلَكَت
بِالوَهمِ نَفسِيَ مِن صَبرٍ وَسُلوانِ
I gave him, at the moment of parting, all the patience
And solace I possessed in my imagination
فَاِستَخلَفَ السَقمَ في جِسمي وَغادَرَني
بِغَدرِهِ مِن دُموعي بَينَ غُدرانِ
He left behind sickness in my body and abandoned me
Deceitfully, amidst my flowing tears
فَبَلَّ وابِلُ دَمعي ما عَدا كَبِدي
وَمَزَّقَ السُقمُ إِلّا ثَوبَ أَحزاني
So the rain of my tears deluged all but my heart
And sickness tore all but the robe of sorrow
وَسارَ وَالحَيُّ يَتلوهُ عَلى مَهَلٍ
وَأَقفَرَ الرَبعُ إِلّا مِن جَوٍ عانِ
Off he went, slowly followed by the living
While the encampment was emptied of all but the heat shimmer
وَقَفتُ بِالمَعهَدِ الباقي أُناشِدُهُ
عَنهُم وَأَندُبُ فيهِ عَهدَنا الفاني
I stood at the ruins, hailing those who remained
Mourning our bygone days
وَأَشتَكيهِ صَباباتٍ لَبُعدِهِم
وَشَأنُ أَطلالِهِ مَن بُعدِهِم شاني
Complaining to the ghosts about those who left
For the state of ruins after their departure saddens me
وَلَم أَزَل بِوِشاحِ السُقمِ مُتَّشِحاً
أَغشى فُنونَ الأَسى طَوراً وَتَغَشّاني
I have remained wrapped in the cloak of sickness
Veiling myself with every form of anguish
حَتّى اِنتَهَيتُ بِأَصحابي إِلى حَرَمٍ
حُماتُهُ سادَةٌ مِن آلِ حَمدانِ
Until I arrived with my companions at the Sacred Sanctuary
Whose Guardians are the noble clan of Hamdan
قَومٌ أَقاموا حُدودَ اللَهِ وَاِعتَصَموا
بِحَبلِهِ مِن طُغاةِ الإِنسِ وَالجانِ
A people who established the laws of God and clung
To His rope against the transgressing humans and jinn
وَاِستَأنَسوا بِالدُجى النارَ الَّتي ظَهَرَت
بِطَورِ سيناءَ مِن أَجبالِ فارانِ
They were brought solace by the fire that appeared
On Mount Sinai, in the mountains of Paran
لَم يُنسِهِم عَهدَها تَبديلُ مَعهَدِها
كَلّا وَلَم يَثنِهِم عَن حُبِّها ثانِ
The changing of its appointed place does not make them forget it
No, nor does anything deter them from loving it
وَفّوا لِعُلُوَةِ الميثاقِ وَاِتَّحَدوا
عَلى الحِفاظِ وَجافوا كُلَّ خَوّانِ
They fulfilled the lofty covenant and united
To preserve it, shunning all traitors
هُمُ الجِبالِ الرَواسي في عُلُوِّهِم
وَأَنجُمُ اللَيلِ تَهدي كُلَّ حَيرانِ
They are mountains in their loftiness
And stars of the night guiding all who are lost
سَمّوا فَلَوا تَرَهُم عَينُ الجَهولِ بِهِم
إِلّا كَما نَظَرَت مِن شَخصِ كيوانِ
Should an ignoramus look upon them
He would see them only as the image of the Cyclops
هُم عِياذي إِذا ما مَسَنّي وَصَبٌ
وَذِكرُهُم في صَلاةِ اللَيلِ قُرآني
They are my refuge whenever disaster strikes me
And remembering them at night prayers is my recitation
وَقَصدُ بابِهِمُ حَجّي وَقُربُهُم
مَنّي أَراهُ إِلى الرَحمَنِ قُرباني
To seek them out is my pilgrimage, and their nearness
Is my sacrifice before the Merciful
صَلّى الإِلَهُ عَلى أَرواحِهِم وَكَسا
أَشباحَهُم حُلَلاً مِن رَوضِ رَضوانِ
May God bless their souls and dress
Their bodies in robes from the Garden of Bliss
