تَأَلَّقَ نَجدِيٌّ كَأَنَّ وَميضَهُ

قَواعِدُ رَضوى أَو مَناكِبَ ريمِ

A Najdi shone as if his radiance

Were pillars of contentment or shoulders of loftiness

أَقولُ لَهُ لَمّا تَفارَطَ صَوبُهُ

وَراءَكَ قَد أَلقَحتَ كُلَّ عَقيمِ

I say to him when his aim went astray

Behind you, you made every barren fertile

تَبَعَّقَ حَتّى خِلتُ أَنَّ بُعاقَهُ

عَلى عَدَمِ الجَدوى أَكُفُّ تَميمِ

He flowed until I was sure his flowing

Was in vain, so I restrained my amulet

أَتَيتُهُمُ وَالجَدبُ قَد عَضَّدَ القَرا

وَلا عَهدَ لِلباغي النَدى بِكَريمِ

I came to them while barrenness had propped up the abodes

And the rain clouds had no covenant with the generous for a generous one

فَما اِستَحضَروا العِلّاتِ وَهيَ كَريمَةٌ

وَلا أَطرَقوا مِن رَوعَةٍ وَوُجومِ

So they did not recall the noble women

Nor were awed from loftiness and gloom

هُمُ ضَمِنوا اللَأواءَ وَالأَزلُ راكِدٌ

عَلى مُقعِدٍ مِن عُسرِهِم وَمُقيمِ

They guaranteed wretchedness while time lingered

On a seat of their hardship, resident

فَما وَلَدَت أُمُّ المَكارِمِ مِثلَهُم

كِراماً وَلَم تَغلَط لَهُم بِلَئيمِ

So the mother of honors did not birth the likes of them

As honorable, nor did she err for them with an ignoble one