فيكَ عَذولي عَذَرا

وَلائِمي قَد أَقصَرا

In you my excuse excuses me

And my blamers have fallen short

طَيفُكَ ما وَدَّعَني

لمّا سَرى بَل أَسَرا

Your specter never bid me farewell

When it set out, but took me captive

كَم لَوعَةٍ أَسعَرَ بَي

نَ أَضلُعي وَأَسأَرا

How many fiery agonies burned my ribs

And kindled my bones aflame!

وَحَسرَةٍ حاسِرَةٍ

في كَبِدي إِذ حَسَرا

And a searing, burning regret

In my liver when they scraped away

وَكَم صَباحٍ مُسفِرٍ

مِن ثَغرِهِ إِذ سَفَرا

And how many dawns bursting forth

From his mouth when he journeyed

وَأَسمَرَ اللَّونِ مَتى

ما اِهتَزَّ هَزَّ أَسمَرا

And his dark complexion - whenever

It shook, a dark one shook

أَودَعَ في لِثامِهِ

بَرقاً وَأَذكى قَمَرا

He tucked lightning into his wrap

And ignited a shining moon

واهاً لَهُ مِن أَسمَرٍ

أَمسَيتُ فيهِ سَمَرا

Woe to me from a dark one

I became intoxicated by him

رَجَوتُ أَن يَخفِرَني

مِن هَجرِهِ فَأَخفَرا

I hoped he would console me

From his estrangement but he avoided me

حَفِظتُهُ أَحفَظَني

دَنَوتُ مِنهُ نَفَرا

I protected him - may he protect me

I drew near to him - he recoiled

يا غُصُناً نَقطِفُ مِن

هُ بِاللِحاظِ الثَمَرا

O you branch we pick from

Bearing the fruits

يا بَدَوِيّاً يَعتَزي

إِلى عُبَيدِ بنِ مِرا

O you Bedouin who boasts

Of going to Ubayd bin Mirra

إِرعَ ذِمامي وَاتَّئِب

ما حَسَنٌ أَن تَغدُرا

Curb my bridle and walk gently

How good that you do not betray

إِنَّ الأَعاريبَ الأُلى

طابوا نَثاً وَعُنصُرا

The high-minded Bedouins

Have good lineages and ancestry

وَاِستَوطَنوا مِن العلا

ءِ وَالعُلى أَعلى الذُرا

And they inhabit the highest

Places of elevation and height

يَرَونَ إِخفارَ الذِّما

مِ في الأَنامِ مُنكَرا

They see the lowering of the bridle

Among the people as disdained

وَذاكَ ذَنبٌ عِندَهُم

لِفَضلِهِم لَن يُغفَرا

And that is a sin to them

Due to their excellence, never forgiven

أَبى لَهُم آباؤُهُم

ضَيماً فَسادوا البَشَرا

Their forefathers refused

Oppression, so they rebelled against men

كَم عَسكَروا لِذَبِّهِم

عَنِ الذِمامِ عَسكَرا

How many armies they gathered

To defend from the bridle encampment

وَكَم حَمَوا حَقيقَةً

وَلَم يُوَلّوا القَهقَرا

And how much truth they protected

And did not retreat back

وَكَم حُسامٍ أَبيَضٍ

رَدّوا شَباهُ أَحمَرا

And how many white swords

They returned their likeness red

وَأَسمَرٍ دَقّوهُ في

كُلى العِدا مُنكَسِرا

And dark ones they stabbed

Into the flanks of foes, breaking

يَدعونَ في الحَربِ نَزا

ل بِالقَنا مُنأَطِرا

They call out in war - hurling

Spears soaked in blood

أَخبارُهُم مُجَمِّلا

تٌ في الطُروسِ السِيَرا

Their news is summarized

In the legendary poems

هُم زَحزَحوا عَن مُلكِهِ

كِسرى وَأَردَوا قَيصَرا

They pushed his kingdom

From Chosroes and wanted Caesar

يا حارِ إِن جِئتَ ضُحىً

ذاكَ الكَثيبَ الأَحمَرا

O neighing one, if you come at dawn

To that red dune

وَعايَنَت عَيناكَ حَو

ذانَ الحِمى وَالعَبهَرا

And your eyes see the basins

Of sanctuary and heavy incense

وَالشيحَ وَالقَيصومَ وَال

عرارَ غَضاً مُزهِرا

And ar-Raqmat, al-Qaisum and al

'Irār, green and flowering

فَنادِ في وادي القُرى

هَل يا عُرَيبُ مِن قِرى

Then call out in Wadi al-Qura

“Is there, O Arab, any village

سَوفَ تَرى مِن أَسَدٍ

دونَ الكَثيبِ مَعشَرا

You will see among lions

A group below the dune?”

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ مُنصُلُهُ

مُنصَلِتٌ لِيَعقِرا

Every man has his knife

Bared to hamstring

وَلِلعِشارِ ضَجَّةٌ

مَخافَةً أَن تُنحَرا

And for the camels a clamor -

Fearful of being slaughtered

وَالشاءُ مُبذَعِرَّةٌ

مَزؤودَةٌ أَن تُعتَرا

And sheep wandering in fright

Fearful of being marked

تَلقَ رُغاءً وَثُغا

ءً وَدَماً مُثعَنجِرا

They meet bleating, the snorting of stallions

And blood pouring, squirting

وَالنارُ في يَفاعِها

قَد أُجِّجَت لتُبصَرا

And the fire blazes

Furious to give light

فَقُل لَهُم ما طلبُنا

يا أُمراءُ ذا القِرا

So say to them “We do not ask,

O Princes of Quray’

خَير القِرى أَن تَزَعوا

أَحسَنَكُم أَن يَهجُرا

The best villages that you depart

The best of you that abandons”

أَجفانُهُ تُدهِشُ عَن

جِفانِكُم من حَضَرا

His glances confuse

Your blinks when they settle

أَسدافُ صُدغَيهِ حَمَت

سَديفَكُم أَن يُمتَرى

His temples’ edges

Prevent your knives being drawn

وَثَغرُهُ يمنَعُ ثَغ

رَ زادِكُم أَن يُثغَرا

And his mouth prevents

Your mouths from opening

مَن لِكَئيبٍ قَد جَفا

أَجفانَهُ طيبُ الكَرى

Who suffers anguish after

His eyelids ignore the good vision?

حَيرانَ ما نالَ مِن ال

لذي يُحِبُّ الوَطَرا

Attaching a heart - calling out - broken

To the ground, hoping to meet a trace

يُلصِقُ بِالصَعيدِ قَل

باً صادِياً مُنكَسِرا

Led by passion as female onagers

Are led to pasture

يَستافُ تُربَ حاجِرٍ

عَلَّ يوافي أَثَرا

O Sa‘d, refrain from a passion

In which you ventured into danger

يَقتادُهُ الهَوى كَما

تُقادُ عَنسٌ بِالبُرا

And repel with the wind of seriousness

From the chest of play, the denounced

يا سَعدُ عَدِّ عَن هَوىً

فيهِ اِرتَكَبتَ الخَطَرا

And draw a subtle, refined ode

Adorned and dotted

وَاِدفَع براحِ الجِدِّ في

صَدرِالمُزاحِ مُنكَرا

Fresher than the breeze, the edges

Of sights charming with magic

وَحُك قريضاً مونِقاً

مُفَوَّفاً مُحَبَّرا

More joyous than the sprout of meadows

When grief is illuminated

أَندى مِنَ النَسيمِ مَط

لولَ الحَواشي سَحَرا

More fragrant than musk when

It exhales its scent and perfume

أَبهَجَ مِن نَبتِ رِيا

ضِ الحَزنِ حينَ نَوَّرا

Fairer than a promise of union

From a lover turned estranged

أَذكى مِنَ المِسكِ إِذا

فاحَ شَذاً وَأَعطَرا

So bestow it upon the judge – the jurist

Of the religion – with it as ink

أَحسَنُ مِن وَعدٍ بِوَص

لٍ مِن حَبيبٍ هَجَرا

Upon the one whose era

Has become proud of him

فَاِخلَع عَلى القاضي صَفِي

يِ الدِّينِ مِنهُ حِبَرا

How many scholars in his convention

Whose mouths he fed pebbles

عَلى الَّذي زَمانُهُ

أَضحى بِهِ مُفتَخرا

And he made a poet know

That he didn’t know poetry

كَم عالِمٍ في حَفلِهِ

أَلقَمَ فاهُ حَجَرا

He was told “Be silent, indeed

Ostriches are in the villages”

وَشاعِرٍ أَشعَرَهُ

بِأَنَّهُ ما شَعَرا

And a composer he abandoned

Unable to show excellence

قيلَ لَهُ أَطرِق كَرى

إِنَّ النَعامَ في القُرى

Can a sparrow be compared

To a screaming hawk?

وَمُنشئٍ غادَرَهُ

أَلكَنَ يُبدي الحَصَرا

And musk is not made

Into fragrant musk

وَهَل يُقاسُ جُندُبٌ

صَرَّ بِبازٍ صَرصَرا

And the sly fox cannot

Frighten the mighty lion

وَلَيسَ مَسكٌ أَدفَرٌ

يَصيرُ مِسكاً أَذفَرا

Blessed is not the age that

Belittles the arrogant

وَالثَعلَبُ الرَوّاغُ لا

يَروعُ لَيثاً قَسوَرا

And makes the shining star

Bow down beneath the earth

لا حَبَّذا الدَهرُ الَّذي

يُصَغِّرُ المُكَبَّرا

It makes us hear the cackling

Of what has no mill that is seen

وَيَجعَلُ النَجمَ الثُرَي

يا خاضِعاً تَحتَ الثَرى

O poets of the age, do not grieve

For an age that has gone murky

يُسمِعُنا جَعجَعَةً

مِن غَيرِ ما طَحنٍ يُرى

You are above the station

That is scorned

يا شُعَراءَ العَصرِ لا

تَأسَوا لِدَهرٍ غَبَرا

Mother the side of the judge

The ruler, and take on a burden

دونَكُمُ نَزاهَةً

عَنِ المَقامِ المُزدَرى

Indeed the son of Shukr deserves

That his effort be thanked

أُمُّوا جَنابَ الصاحِبِ ال

قاضي تُوافُوا وَزَرا

In his face is good tidings – with it

Joy appears overjoyed

إِنَّ اِبنَ شُكرٍ مُستَحِقٌّ

سَعيُهُ أَن يُشكَرا

He shows humility when

Others show arrogance

بِوجهِهِ بِشرٌ يُرى ال

عافي بِه مُستَبشِرا

His mind is fire and he contains it

Overflowing oceans

يُبدي تواضعاً إذا

ما غَيرُهُ تَكَبَّرا

If there were no free nobility

In his chest concealed

خاطِرُه نارٌ وُيُم

ناهُ تَفيضُ أَبحُرا

The brilliance would have burned

When it casts sparks to it

لو لم تكن حرّ ذكا

ء صدرِهِ مُستَتِرا

A sea of dew, a river of bounty

Rain of generosity, a lion of valor

لاحتَرَقَت ذكاء إذ

يُلقي إلَيها الشَّررا

More steadfast than Rida and Tahal

And Jerusalem and Hirra

بحرُ ندىً نحرُ عدىً

غَيثُ جَداً ليثُ شَرى

So all praise other than his praise

Is a fabricated tale

أثبتُ من رَضوى وَثَه

لانَ وقُدسٍ وَحِرا

And by the measures upon

Every enemy support

فكلُّ مَدحٍ غَيرُ مد

حِهِ حَديثٌ يُفتَرى

His chest’s sea hurls

From words within pearls

وبالمقاديرِ على

كلِّ عَدوٍّ نُصِرا

The crown was clothed with him

With the finest jewel crown

يَقذِفُ بحرُ صَدرِهِ

من لفظِ فيهِ الدّرَرا

By it he became crowned

Sealed and betrothed

قد أُلبِسَ الملكُ بهِ

أَنفَسَ تاجٍ جَوهَرا

And he is the one who appointed

Every minister a burden

بهِ غدا متَوّجاً

مُخَتَّماً مُسَوَّرا

And his promise of swift

Fulfillment comes fruitful

وهوَ الذي سَما عَلى

كُلِّ وَزيرٍ وَزَرا

Upon him the just king

Lavishes praise, smiling

ووعدُهُ بِسُرعَةِ ال

إِنجازِ يَأتي مُثمِرا

In his advice to him - sincere

And true in his love, not doubtful

عَلَيهِ أَضحى المَلِكُ ال

عادِلُ يَثني الخِنصَرا

Servant of God! O Abu

Muhammad, you blocked treachery

في نُصحِهِ لَهُ وَصِد

قِ وُدِّهِ لا يُمتَرى

O son of ‘Ali, from Abū

Bakr we saw ‘Umar

عَبدَ الإِلَهِ يا أَبا

مُحَمَّدٍ سُدتَ الوَرى

With his opinion, never

Ceasing supported and victorious

يا اِبنَ عَلِيٍّ من أَبي

بَكرٍ رَأَينا عُمَرا

They do not stop being victorious when

An eyeglance maintains its gaze

بِرَأيِهِ لَمّا يَزَل

مَؤَيَّداً مُظَفَّرا

لا بَرِحا في النصرِ ما

واصَلَ طَرفٌ نَظَرا