بَلاءُ القَلبِ ناظِرُهُ
وَأَنجى الناسَ كاسِرُه
The affliction of the heart is in its watcher,
And the one who breaks people is their savior.
إِذا ما عَنَّ حُسنٌ لَم
تُشَبِّثهُ نَواظِرُه
When a beauty turns away, its watchers do not cling to it,
And the purest of hidden thoughts cleanse it.
وَأَذكى المُضمَراتِ حَشاً
تُطَهِّرُهُ ضَمائِرُه
Its outward appearances bear witness to its chastity,
Though its innermost thoughts may be corrupt.
وَتَشهَدُ بِالعَفافِ عَلى
بَواطِنِهِ ظَواهِرُه
A man of dignity is not honored for his virtuous flesh,
If his secrets are debauched.
وَما فَخرُ العَفيفِ الجِس
مِ إِن فَسَقَت سَرائِرُه
I have a glance that rules over my judgment,
And a barren mouth that sickness dwells inside.
وَلي طَرفٌ تُصَرُّفُهُ
عَلى حُكمي مَحاجِرُه
The utterance of a mouth, when it is unleashed,
Its pours are not feared.
وَقَبٌ عاقِرٌ في الدَه
رِ مِن داءٍ يُخامِرُه
I have passed many years being deceived
By its intimate greeting.
وَلَفظُ فَمٍ إِذا ما جا
لَ لا تُخشى هَواجِرُه
It lives protected, its lightning flashes,
Like the flashing of its rain.
وَرُبَّ سَناً أَرِقتُ لَهُ
يُخادِعُني تَباشِرُه
Its thunder roars within it,
Like the rumbling of its clouds.
حَياً يَستَنُّ بارِقُهُ
كَما يَستَنُّ ماطِرُه
Submissive over young shoots,
Its whirlwinds bow down before it.
وَيَشدو فيهِ راعِدُهُ
كَما تَشدو زَواخِرُه
The swords unsheathe themselves before it,
Prostrating themselves before it and scraping the ground.
وَمَسجورٍ عَلى جَدَدٍ
تَمَطّى بي هَواجِرُه
Its outpourings give me to drink,
And its sources pour me out.
تَخُرُّ لِنَهضِهِ الحِربا
ءُ ساجِدَةً يَعافِرُه
The breadth of its two encampments,
Its cooperation brings near.
تُرَشِّفُني مَوارِدُهُ
وَتَلفِظُني مَصادِرُه
The tips of its spears,
From their length, forgive.
وَنائي الحَجرَتَينِ يَكا
دُ يُدنيهِ تَضافُرُه
As if the sun glimpses it,
So its brilliance shames the sun.
تَمَسُّ أَسِنَّةَ الأَرما
حِ مِن طولٍ مَغافِرُه
Its light drives the sun’s light from it
In defeated scattering.
كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ تَرمُقُهُ
فَتُخجِلُها بِواتِرُه
Neither does the sun’s glance flow gently,
Nor does its bird glide smoothly.
وَتَطرُدُ ضَوءَها مِنهُ
عَلى ذُعرٍ كَواسِرُه
Its rays rush forth as flakes of snow,
Its newcomers, like hailstones.
فَما يَنسابُ لَحظُ الشَم
سِ أَو يَنسابُ طائِرُه
Its brocades, like gold dinars, shine
From their placements as anklets.
يَمُجُّ شُعاعُها تِبراً
قَوادِمُها نَواثِرُه
They move about its forgiveness
As its stirrups moved about.
دَنانيرُ تَلَمَّعُ مِن
مَواقِعِها دَباجِرُه
And every face veiled by virtue’s mask
Has its wraps humbled.
تَنَقَّلُ في مَغافِرِه
كَما اِنتَقَلَت حَوافِرُه
It goes about softly, made great
By its shining sword’s crimes.
وَكُلُّ مُلَثَّمٍ بِالنَق
عِ هافِيَةٍ غَدائِرُه
And it scatters its thrusts as sparks
When its glories are joined together.
يَخِفُّ مُشَيَّعاً كَبُرَت
بِصارِمِهِ جَرائِرُه
It is not like a coward who encounters
Refusal, though its sword is warning.
وَيَنثُرُ طَعنَهُ شَزراً
إِذا اِنتَظَمَت مَفاخِرُه
Never does it shy from battle,
Though its commands are foolish.
وَلَيسَ كَهائِبٍ يَلقى
الرَدى وَالسَيفُ زاجِرُه
Its provisions are not destroyed,
Nor are its encampments battered.
يَروحُ عَنِ الوَغى أَبَداً
مُرَفَّهَةً ضَوامِرُه
Its fingers do not grasp
At wealth, though its troops are preventing.
وَما حُطِمَت ذَوابِلُهُ
وَلا قُرِعَت مَحاضِرُه
It is not bent over except
To glory, its belt binding.
وَلا قَّبَضَت أَنامِلهُ
عَلى مالٍ زَواجِرُه
When its name is mentioned,
Its platforms shake and tremble.
وَلا ثُنِيَت لَهُ إِلّا
عَلى مَجدٍ خَناصِرَه
It is unique among those who seek glory,
Rejected by its clans.
إِذا ذُكِرَ اِسمُهُ اِرتَجَّت
أَو اِرتَعَدَت مَنابِرُه
The wound of its blade knows
That the spear is its remedy.
وَحيدٌ في طِلابِ المَج
دِ تَرفُضُهُ عَشائِرُه
O lion, replaced by a tribe
That will not confront it.
وَيَعلَمُ جُرحُ صارِمِهِ
بِأَنَّ الرُمحَ سابِرُه
It knows whoever contends with it
That death fractures him.
فَيا لَيثاً يُراوِحُهُ
قَبيلٌ لا يَباكِرُه
And which lion leads death
To protect it with its roaring?
وَيَعلَمُ مَن يُنازِلُهُ
بِأَنَّ المَوتَ آسِرُه
You lead the reins of an army,
You are its first and its last.
وَأَيُّ الأُسدِ قادَ المَو
تَ تَحميهِ زَماجِرُه
Your speech splits open the skulls,
Inspiring its risers and fallers.
تَقودُ زِمامَ جَيشٍ أَن
تَ أَوَّلُهُ وَآخِرُه
It tears away the lion’s skin
When its cutting edges make it sink.
تَنَطَّقَ بِالقَنا يَحمَ
رُّ ناهِضُهُ وَعاثِرُه
Its legions do not plunder
When they are victorious.
يَبُزُّ اللَيثَ جِلدَتَهُ
إِذا أَرداهُ باتِرُه
O rain that rains harder
When its pouring pours down!
وَلا تَلوِي عَلى سَلَبٍ
إِذا ظَفِرَت عَساكِرُه
O man, the lions fear
When his whirlwinds spin!
فَيا غَيثاً يَغيضُ الغَي
ثُ إِن هَجَمَت هَوامِرُه
O necklace that its strongmen
Barter over its sides!
وَيا رَجُلاً تَخافُ الأُس
دُ إِن خَفَقَت أَعاصِرُه
O moon, whose light the dawn does not stir
When its woven baskets rise!
وَيا طَوقاً تَخاوَصُ عَن
جَوانِبِهِ جَبايِرُه
O sword flash glimpsed
From its sheaths by its caution!
وَيا قَمراً دُجاهُ ما
تُثيرُ لَهُ مَناسِرُه
O meadow that enlivens however much
The lofty problematic waters it!
وَيا نَصلاً تَطَلَّعُ مِن
غِرارَيهِ مَحاذِرُه
O sapling that grows its tender branches
Upon its heights!
وَيا رَوضاً يُحَيّي ما
رِنَ العَلياءِ ناضِرُه
How often has it mocked a foreign woman
Coveting its breakers!
وَيا عوداً تَنُمُّ عَلى
أَعاليهِ عَناصِرُه
It rips the pocket of virtue smoothly
Accompanying it.
وَكَم هَزَأَت بِعاجِمَةٍ
عَلى طَمَعٍ مَكاسِرُه
A night it stayed up late
As if glory caroused with it,
يُمَزِّقُ عَنكَ جَيبَ النَق
عِ مَصقولٌ تُسايُرُه
Scattering the beams of its gaze
And its blossoming stars.
وَلَيلٍ باتَ يَسهَرُهُ
كَأَنَّ المَجدَ سامِرُه
When the birthmark thought falsely
That dawn had appeared.
يَبُثَّ سَوامَ لَحظَتِهِ
وَأَنجُمُهُ أَزاهِرُه
And it traveled about wishing
That the full moon was veiled.
إِذا ما اِفتَرَّ خالَ اللَي
لُ أَنَّ الفَجرَ باهِرُه
In the darkness, it covers with the light
Of its intense red glow.
وَإِن أَسرى يَوَدُّ الأُف
قُ أَنَّ البَدرَ ضامِرُه
So it is no wonder for it in the night,
If its landmarks go astray.
وَتَغشى في الظَلامِ بِضَو
ءِ غُرَّتِهِ عَذافِرُه
Indeed, it possessed nobility and remained
Forbidding it and commanding it.
فَلا عَجَبٌ لَهُ في اللَي
لِ إِن ضَلَّت أَباعِرُه
Generosity, you are its rider,
And sword, you are its brandisher!
لَقَد مَلَكَ الفَخارَ وَبا
تَ يَنهاهُ وَيَأمُرُه
I have not seen, in this age, a youth
Whose early mornings avoid it.
جَوَدٌ أَنتَ راكِبُهُ
وَسَيفٌ أَنتَ شاهِرُهُ
Fate surrounds its onslaught
And its destinies complete it.
وَلَم أَرَ في الزَمانِ فَتىً
تَجَنَّبُهُ بَوادِرُه
And in its stead sins are accepted
Whenever its excuses flee.
يَحوطُ الدَهرُ مُهجَتَهُ
وَتَكلؤُها مَقادِرُه
And when my praise goes astray in it
Its great deeds guide it.
وَتُقبَلُ في سِواهُ مَتى
جَنى جُرماً مَعاذِرُه
When the lion’s fangs go missing,
Its claws make it cautious.
وَلَمّا تاهَ مَدحي في
هِ دَلَّتهُ مَآثِرُه
Of whom was I the poet?
For glory is its poet!
إِذا ما ضَلَّ نابُ اللَي
ثِ هَرَّتهُ أَظافِرُه
Speech lies strewn
Across my mind, its jewels.
أَلا مَن كُنتُ شاعِرَهُ
فَإِنَّ المَجدَ شاعِرُه
As for prosody, it is its composer,
And as for prose, it is its scatterer.
وَإِنَّ اللَفظَ مَطروحٌ
عَلى فِكري جَواهِرُه
If you are my pride,
Then who is this I pride myself over?
فَأَمّا النَظمُ ناظِمُهُ
وَأَمّا النَثرُ ناثِرُه
إِذا ما كُنتَ لي فَخراً
فَمَن هَذا أُفاخِرُه
