نُصافي المَعالي وَالزَمانُ مُعانِدٌ
وَنَنهَضُ بِالآمالِ وَالجَدُّ قاعِدُ
My aspirations and time are at odds
Yet we rise with hopes though endeavour lies dormant
تَمُرُّ بِنا الأَيّامُ غَيرَ رَواجِعٍ
كَما صافَحَت مَرَّ السُيولِ الجَلامِدُ
Days pass us by, never to return
As torrents flowed over solid ice
وَتُمكِنُنا مِن مائِها كُلُّ مُزنَةٍ
وَتَمنَعُنا فَضلَ السَحابِ المَزاوِدُ
And every difficulty prevents us accessing its water
While clouds deny us their excess rain
وَما مَرِضَت لي في المَطالِبِ هِمَّةٌ
وَأَحداثُهُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ عَوائِدُ
No weakness has ever marred my determination regarding my goals
Though everyday brings recurring anxieties
عَوائِدُ هَمٍّ لايُحَيَّينَ غِبطَةً
بِهُنَّ وَلا تُلقى لَهُنَّ الوَسائِدُ
Anxieties that never elicit happiness
And find no rest upon pillows
وَلِلَّهِ لَيلٌ يَملَأُ القَلبَ هَولُهُ
وَقد قَلِقَت بِالنائِمينَ المَراقِدُ
God has a night that fills the heart with its terror
That disturbs even those asleep in their beds
يَقَرُّ بِعَيني أَن أَرى أَرضَ بابِلٍ
تَخوضُ مَغانيها الجِيادُ المَذاوِدُ
My eyes long to see the land of Babylon
Where its songs are sung by charging steeds
وَأَسحَبُ فيها بُردَ جَذلانَ شامِتٍ
إِذا شاءَ غَنَّتهُ الرَقاقُ البَوارِدُ
And I draw its cold air into my lungs
When, if it wishes, minstrels sing its glories
سَلَلنا رِقابَ العيسِ مِن خَلَلِ الدُجى
تُلاعِبُها أَشطانُها وَالمَقاوِدُ
We slipped through the darkness to steal their horses
As they were played with by their grooms
وَقَد حَفَّ بِالبَدرِ النُجومُ كَأَنَّهُ
هَدِيٌّ تَهاداهُ الإِماءُ الوَلائِدُ
The stars cluster around the moon as if
It were a gift presented by new born slave girls
وَفي أَعيُنِ القَومِ اِنضِمامٌ مِنَ الكَرى
وَطَرفُ السُرى بَينَ الأَزِمَّةِ شاهِدُ
In people's eyes there is sadness from fate
While the spectre of ill fortune stands witness
فَمُضطَرِبٌ في غَرزِهِ مُتَرَنِّحٌ
وَآخَرُ مَكبوبٌ عَلى الرَحلِ ساجِدُ
One man tosses restless, another prostrate resigned
While a woman, wearied by sleep, is vexed by recurring worries
وَغائِرَةٍ قَد وَقَّرَ النَومُ لَحظَها
تُسَفِّهُ جَفنَيها الهُمومُ العَوائِدُ
She leads steeds racing mile upon mile
Till even old camels doubt their endurance
تَقودُ جِياداً مااِتُّهِمنَ عَلى مَدىً
بَلَى رُبَّما اِرتابَت بِهِنَّ الأَوابِدُ
When thirst parches their jaws the earth shrinks for them
And streams flow towards them from every direction
إِذا جالَ في أَشداقِها الظِمءُ قَلَّصَت
لَها الأَرضُ وَاِنقادَت إِلَيها المَوارِدُ
We searched for them, needing the excuse of distance
But she thought nothing of turning back with the boisterous camels
أَبَحنا لَها تَقتَضُّ مِن عُذَرِ الرُبى
فَكَرَّت عَلَيها بِالعَجاجِ الفَدافِدُ
The abodes of Baid where the family spends its nights restlessly
When foxes and night itself are cold
طَرائِقُ بيدٍ يَعسُلُ الآلُ بَينَها
كَما اِضطَرَبَ السِرحانُ وَاللَيلُ بارِدُ
We attacked the fearsome darkness and its expanse
Where no winds blow through it violently
هَجَمنا عَلى غَولِ الطَريقِ وَبُعدِهِ
وَما رَكَضَت فيهِ الرِياحُ الصَوارِدُ
Shall I unleash the steeds of passion to seek love
Though cheeks are deemed its quarry
أَأُرسِلُ خَيلَ اللِحظِ في طَلَبِ الهَوى
وَمِن ظَنِّها أَنَّ الخُدودَ طَرائِدُ
I am busy searching for one who has lost his way
Asking fate what Destiny will dictate
وَلي شُغُلٌ في طالِبٍ ضَلَّ قَصدَهُ
أُسائِلُ عَنهُ ما يَقولُ المَقاصِدُ
I say to Time, confused when it has snared a lion
That lions, too, are hunted, even when asleep
أَقولُ لِدَهرٍ تاهَ إِذ صيدَ لَيثُهُ
كَذاكَ يُصادُ اللَيثُ وَاللَيثُ راقِدُ
One has gashed this branch by beating it
Another has shaken this towering tree by climbing it
أَثَلَّمَ هَذا النَصلَ بِالضَربِ ضارِبٌ
وَزَعزَعَ هَذا الطودَ بِالوَطءِ صاعِدُ
So do not despair, not every calamity approaches
Nor does every misfortune recur
تَعَزَّ فَما كُلُّ المَصائِبِ قادِمٌ
عَليكَ وَلا كُلُّ النَوائِبِ عائِدُ
A man attains from fate what his soul dictates
And stratagems come according to the status of men
يَنالُ الفَتى مِن دَهرِهِ قَدرَ نَفسِهِ
وَتَأتي عَلى قَدرِ الرِجالِ المَكايِدُ
Your glory, O Pinnacle of Heights, ransoms
The actions of a coward motivated by grudges
فِدىً لَكَ يا مَجدَ المَعالي وَبَأسَها
فِعالُ جَبانٍ شَجَّعَتهُ الحَقائِدُ
Neither swords nor spears have spared you
Nor has poetry robbed you of its necklaces
فَما تَرَكَت مِنكَ الصَوارِمُ وَالقَنا
وَلا أَخَذَت مِنكَ الحِسانُ الحَرائِدُ
You are deposed but not from favours
Your generosity evident through your features
عُزِلتَ وَلَكِن ما عُزِلتَ عَنِ النَدى
وَجودُكَ في جيدِ العُلى لَكَ شاهِدُ
By your face the water of honour remains undiluted when deposed
While the face of your replacement is frozen
بِوَجهِكَ ماءُ العِزِّ في العَزلِ ذائِبٌ
وَوَجهُ الَّذي وُلّي مِنَ الماءِ جامِدُ
You hope for rule while it declines
Without executioner or bloodshed
فَأَنتَ تُرَجّي المُلكَ وَهوَ زَوالُهُ
بِغَيرِ جِلادٍ فيهِ وَهوَ مُجالِدُ
So let not enemies rejoice, removal is temporary
When one delegate leaves, another arrives
فَلا يَفرَحِ الأَعداءُ فَالعَزلُ مَعرِضٌ
إِذا راحَ عَنهُ صادِرٌ جاءَ وارِدُ
You were but a sword whose edge is sharp
And the righteous are not helped by those who do not fight
وَما كُنتَ إِلّا السَيفَ يَمضي ذُبابُهُ
وَلا يَنصُرُ العَلياءَ مَن لا يُجالِدُ
You practised truth until you returned it
Silent, while only the treacherous spoke against it
نُضي فَقَضى حَقَّ الضَرائِبِ في الوَغى
وَأَثنَت عَلَيهِ حينَ رَدَّ المَغامِدُ
He seeks help and support through others than God
While the Merciful and glory are your aides
فَأَعطوا عِنانَ الضُرِّ غَيرَكَ إِذ رَأوا
يَمينَكَ تَستَولي عَليها الفَوائِدُ
You criticise the Lord of Goodness through me; my bones
Unless those bones are guarded beyond all else
وَما كُنتَ يَوماً في الزَمانِ بِمُمسِكٍ
عُرى المالِ إِن ضَجَّت إِلَيكَ المَواعِدُ
But he saw insulting the Prophet as a prize
Since none surrounded him except the doubtful and ungrateful
وَلا كُنتَ تَرضى أَن تَصِحَّ بِبَلدَةٍ
إِذا قيلَ عُضوٌ مِن زَمانِكَ فاسِدُ
Had he been of the Fatimids, glory upon him
Tempests, camels, and arms would have prevailed
أَيا غُدوَةً ساءَ الحُسَينَ صَباحُها
وَسَرَّ العِدى فيها الزَمانُ المُعانِدُ
Indeed with you barren clemency is fertile
And with you derelict glory finds a conduit
لَحَقَّقتِ عِندي أَنَّ كُلٌّ صَبيحَةٍ
مُجاجَةُ سُمٍّ وَاللَيالي أَساوِدُ
You wearied of the exalted, choosing isolation from them
As if you had sapped your palms of their praises
يُعَرِّفُكَ الإِخوانُ كُلٌّ بِنَفسِهِ
وَخَيرُ أَخٍ مَن عَرَّفَتكَ الشَدائِدُ
Leaving a desolate land bereft of you
Assailed from within itself, importuning you
وَطاغٍ يُعيرُ البَغيَ غَربَ لِسانِهِ
وَلَيسَ لَهُ عَن جانِبِ الدينِ ذائِدُ
Spears will remember you as they become lances
Though they now have only hearts as their repositories
شَنَنتَ عَلَيهِ الحَقَّ حَتّى رَدَدتَهُ
صَموتاً وَفي أَنيابِهِ القَولُ راقِدُ
Glory resides in you, O Qais Bin Aylan, ever glorious
Sublime, with none to envy you
يَدِلُّ بِغَيرِ اللَهِ عَضداً وَناصِراً
وَناصِرُكَ الرَحمَنُ وَالمَجدُ عاضِدُ
A man who withstands your spears as he brandishes his own
And walks armies towards you when alone
تُعَيِّرُ رَبَّ الخَيرِ بالي عِظامِهِ
أَلا نُزِّهَت تِلكَ العِظامُ البَوائِدُ
On the day of Uwaith, swords shining
As Death and the heathen lord remain firm
وَلَكِن رَأى سَبَّ النَبِيِّ غَنيمَةً
وَما حَولَهُ إِلّا مُريبٌ وَجاحِدُ
You repelled them, with horses between them
Reining in death though it was on the loose
وَلَو كانَ بَينَ الفاطِمِيّينَ رَفرَفَت
عَلَيهِ العَوالي وَالظُبى وَالسَواعِدُ
You created among them wakeful, insightful eyes
That sleep the night away while remaining alert
أَلا إِنَّ جَدبَ الحِلمِ عِندَكَ مُخصِبٌ
وَإِنَّ لَئيمَ المَجدِ عِندَكَ رافِدُ
Their life spans are preserved for their swords
So most fitting, as war remains chaste and untried
ضَجِرتَ مِنَ العَلياءِ فَاِختَرتَ عَزلَها
كَأَنَّكَ قَد أَفنَت نَداكَ المَحامِدُ
I saw thoroughbreds demanding their exertion
While the horses themselves yearn for rest
تَرَكتَ قَلوصاً بِالفَلاةِ وَوَحشَها
تُجاذِبُهُ عَن نَفسِهِ وَتُراوِدُ
Long distances they cover till they complete them
With none but the willing horse pursuing glory
سَتَذكُرُكَ الأَرماحُ وَهيَ قَوارِبٌ
وَلَيسَ لَها إِلّا القُلوبُ مَوارِدُ
Excellent is your resolve, and its commitment
When the wise and hardened warrior makes his judgement
حَوى المَجدَ يا قَيسَ بنَ عَيلانَ ماجِدٌ
وَجَلَّ فَما يُلقى لَهُ فيهِ حاسِدُ
Are you not of those people, when they rule
Even the grandest of crowns is considered too small
فَتىً يَحتَوي أَرماحَكُم وَهوَ صارِمٌ
وَيُسري جُيوشاً نَحوَكُم وَهوَ واحِدُ
Their whips are white like antelope and their prisons,
When angered, are but for the atheistic
وَيَومَ عُوَيثٍ وَالسُيوفُ بَوارِقٌ
تَظَلُّ المَنايا وَالقِسِيُّ رَواعِدُ
The necks of enemies and Christians are in their midst humiliated
While the whites are adorned with necklaces
رَدَدتَهُمُ وَالسُمرُ بَينَ ظُهورِهِم
تُعَقِّلُ فيهِ المَوتَ وَالمَوتُ شارِدُ
Birds of all hues nest in their chambers
As the houses of nomads are held stationary
وَقَد خَلَقَت فيها عُيوناً قَريحَةً
يَنامونَ عُمرَ اللَيلِ وَهيَ سَواهِدُ
What father is like the son of Musa for offspring
When men of rank increase in multitudes
أَسِنَّةُ فِهرٍ في صُدورِ جِيادِهِم
كَأَنَّ قَناها لِلجِيادِ مَقاوِدُ
He protected pilgrims and assumed full command
Though the young nomads had become numerous
هُمُ ذَخَروا أَعمارَهُم لِسُيوفِهِ
فَأولى لَها وَالحَربُ عَذراءُ ناهِدُ
So he turned, with worldly power pulling and pushing
While others beckoned him to glory and ancestry
رَأَيتُ فَيافي تَقتَضي هَبَواتِهِ
وَتَرغَبُ أَرساغَ الجِيادِ القَوادِدِ
His brother aided him the day his stirrups steadied
Saying, “kinship is excellent in lending support”
مَدىً يَمخَصُ الأَشواطَ حَتّى يُعيدَها
وَلازُبدَةٌ إِلّا الجَوادُ المُجاوِدُ
Both showed patience as truth sits upon its head
In evening, when branches shake the trunk
لَنِعمَ حَريمُ العَزمِ أَنتَ وَثَغرُهُ
إِذا رَجَّحَ الرَأيَ الأَلَدُّ المُجالِدُ
He detached from family for the exalted
As each guided him to glory and prestige
أَلَستَ مِنَ القَومِ الَّذينَ إِذا سَطَوا
تَبَرّى مِنَ التاجِ العَظيمِ المَعاقِدُ
Hopes vary in their fruits
When irrigated by one water and stream
سِياطُهُمُ بيضُ الظُبى وَسُجونُهُم
إِذا غَضِبوا دونَ العَلاءِ المَلاحِدُ
He pitched his great abode’s tent pegs
Upon Al-Jawza, frequented by beasts and sleepers
رِقابُ العِدى وَالعيسُ فيهِم ذَليلَةٌ
وَلِلبيضِ ما نيطَت عَليهِ القَلائِدُ
Needy of lightning fires, arrayed
And thirsty for rain clouds, arriving
يُعَشِّشُ طَيرُ الخَضبِ في حُجُراتِهِم
وَتُعقَلُ مِنهُنَّ البُيوتُ الشَوارِدُ
Is not the land most deserving with misery
When lightning flashes from its furthest horizons
وَما والِدٌ مِثلُ اِبنِ موسى لِمَولِدٍ
قَريبٍ تَجافاهُ الرَجالُ الأَباعِدُ
It is as if I see him, worries assuaged by honour
As those calamities yield, so often perilous
حَمى الحَجَّ وَاِحتَلَّ المَظالِمَ رُتبَةً
عَلى أَنَّ رَيعانَ النَقابَةِ زائِدُ
God returned to him the joy of days passed
As the nights came back white and glorious
فَأَقبَلَ وَالدُنيا مَشوقٌ وَشايقٌ
وَأَعرَضَ وَالدُنيا طَريدٌ وَطارِدُ
You yearn with desire whose sword spills tears
When polished by keeping treaties
وَساعَدَهُ يَومَ اِستَقَلَّ رِكابَهُ
أَخوهُ وَقالَ البَينُ نِعمَ المُساعِدُ
O House of Hudhaym, do your hearts find peace
While the heart of the Son of Adnan remains restless against fate
هُما صَبَرا وَالحَقُّ يَركَبُ رَأسَهُ
عَشِيَّةَ زالَت بِالفُروعِ القَواعِدُ
Should they deny your favours, their necks will bend
To your blessings, adorned with necklaces
تَفَرَّدَ بِالعَلياءِ عَن أَهلِ بَيتِهِ
وَكُلٌّ يُهاديهِ إِلى المَجدِ والِدُ
Still swords take their women prisoner
While your poetry takes the jewels of speech prisoner
وَتَختَلِفُ الأَمالُ في ثَمَراتِها
إِذا شَرِقَت بِالرَيِّ وَالماءُ واحِدُ
وَمَدَّ عَلى الجَوزاءِ أَطنابَ مَنزِلٍ
يَلوذُ بِخَقوَيهِ السُها وَالفَراقِدُ
فَقُرٌّ لِنيرانِ البَوارِقِ مُصطَلٍ
وَظِمءٌ لِأَحواضِ الغَمائِمِ وَاِرِدُ
أَحَقُّ بِلادِ اللَهِ بِالمُزنِ أَرضُهُ
إِذا شامَ أَقصى خَطرَةِ البَرقِ رائِدُ
كَأَنّي بِهِ وَالعِزُّ يَنضو هُمومَهُ
وَقَد خَضَعَت تِلكَ الخُطوبُ النَواكِدُ
أَعادَ إِلَيهِ اللَهُ ماضي سُرورِهِ
وَرَدَّ اللَيالي وَهيَ بيضٌ أَماجِدُ
مُنيتَ بِشَوقٍ يَنحَرُ الدَمعَ سَيفُهُ
إِذا حادَثَتهُ بِالصِقالِ المَعاهِدُ
أَآلَ هُذَيمٍ هَل تَقَرُّ قُلوبُكُم
وَقَلبُ اِبنِ عَدنانٍ عَلى الدَهرِ واجِدُ
إِذا جَحَدوا نُعماكَ لَوَّت رِقابَهُم
لِمَنِّكَ أَطواقٌ بِها وَقَلائِدُ
وَلا زالَتِ الأَسيافُ تَسبي حَريمَهُم
وَتَسبي حَريمَ المالِ مِنكَ القَصائِدُ
