تَأمُلُ أَن تَفرَحَ في دارِ الحَزَن

وَتوطِنُ المَنزِلَ في دارِ الظَعَن

You hope to be happy in the abode of grief,

And settle in the home of disgrace.

هَيهاتَ يَأبى لَكَ جَوّالُ الرَدى

لَبثَ المُقيمينَ وَخَوّانُ الزَمَن

Alas! The turns of fate refuse you,

Those who stayed and the companions of time.

لا تَصحَبَنَّ دَهرَكَ إِلّا خائِفاً

فِراقَ إِلفٍ وَنَبوا عَن وَطَن

Do not accompany your time except fearful,

Of parting with a friend and news from home.

وَكُن إِلى نَبأَةِ كُلِّ حادِثٍ

كَالفَرَسِ الأَروَعِ صَرَّارِ الأُذُن

And be, to the news of every incident,

Like the lively horse, sharp of ear.

قامَ بِهِ الخَوفُ وَلَم يَرضَ بِأَن

قامَ عَلى أَربَعَةٍ حَتّى صَفَن

Fear stood up for him and did not consent when,

He stood up on four until buried.

خَف شَرَّها آمَنَ ما كُنتَ لَها

إِنَّ الضَنينَ لَمَكانٌ لِلظِنَن

Its harm lightened, be safe from what you were for it,

Suspicion is a place for doubts.

نَحنُ مَعَ الأَيّامِ في وَقائِعٍ

مِنَ المَقاديرِ وَغاراتٍ تُشَن

We are with the days in events,

إِنَّ رِماحَ الدَهرِ يَلقَينَ الفَتى

بِغَيرِ عِرفانِ الدُروعِ وَالجُنَن

Of fate and night raids being launched.

Indeed the spears of fate meet the youth,

داخِلَةً بَينَ القَرينَينِ وَإِن

لَزّا عَلى الدَهرِ بِإِمرارِ القَرن

Without recognizing shields and courage.

Entering between the two temples, though

ما اِستَأخَرَت شِدّاتُها عَنِ مَعشَرٍ

بَعدَ قَطينِ اللَهِ أَو آلِ قَطَن

Binding on fate by the passing of time.

Its calamities did not lag behind a group,

وَلا نَبَت أَطرافُها عَن حَجَرٍ

مِن مُضَرٍ ذاتِ القُوى وَلا اليَمَن

After the Jinn of Allah or the family of Qatan.

رَمَت بَني ساسانَ عَن مَربَعِهِم

رَمِيَ المَغالي آمِنَ الطَيرِ الثُكَن

Nor did its edges transgress a rock,

From Mudar of mighty powers or from Yemen.

وَاِستَلَبَت تاجَ بَني مُحَرِّقٍ

بَعدَ قِيادِ الصَعبِ مِن آلِ يَزَن

It struck the children of Sasan from their square,

A throw that made safe the sitting birds.

وَصَدَّعَت غُمدانَ عَن مَرضومَةٍ

جَوبَكَ بِالمِقراضِ أَثوابَ الرَدَن

And seized the crown of the children of Muharriq,

After the difficult leadership of the family of Yazan.

وَآلُ مَروانَ غَطاهُم مَوجُها

لِمّا نَزَت بِآلِ مَروانَ البَطِن

And shattered the scabbards about Marthudah,

Ripping his clothes with scissors of frayed edges.

ثُمَّ بَنوا القَرمِ العَتيكِيِّ وَقَد

رَدّوا يَزيدَ العارِ مَخلوعَ الرَسَن

And the family of Marwan whom its waves covered,

لا قى خُبَيبٌ وَيَزيدٌ روقَها

مِن غَيبَةٍ ماطِرُها القَنا اللَدَن

When the abdomens descended upon the family of Marwan.

Then the children of Qaram, the noble ones, and they,

أَبَوا إِباءَ البُزلِ فَاِقتادَتهُمُ

مِنَ المَقاديرِ مُطاعاتُ الشَطَن

Returned Yazid the shame, deposed of leadership.

Neither Khubayb nor Yazid could endure it,

أَلا ذَكَرتَ إِن طَلَبتَ أُسوَةً

ما يَضمَنُ الأُسوَةَ لِلقَلبِ الضَمِن

From an absence whose rain is pouring heavily.

They refused the shame so it led them,

يَومَ بَني الصِمَّةِ في عَرضِ اللَوى

وَيَومَ بِساطامِ بنِ قَيسٍ بِالحَسَن

To obey the commands of fate.

Oh! Do you remember if you sought a role model,

وَيَومَ خَوٍّ أَسلَمَت عُتَيبَة

خَصاصَةَ الرَرعِ الَّذي كانَ أَمِن

What guarantees a role model for the assured heart?

The day of Bani Al-Simmah in the battlefield of Al-Lawaa,

أَوجَرَهُ رُمحُ ذُؤابٍ طَعنَةً

تَلغَطُ لَغطَ الأَعجَميَّ لَم يُبِن

And the day of Bisatam bin Qays at Al-Hasan.

And the day Khaww surrendered Utaybah,

وَبِالكَديدِ مُلتَقى رَبيعَةٍ

تَحمي بُعيدَ المَوتِ آبارَ الظُعُن

The elite cavalry that was safe.

The spear of Thu'aab wounded him a wound,

كَأَنَّني لَم تَبكِ قَبلي فارِساً

عَينٌ وَلا حَنَّ فَتىً قَبلي وَأَن

Whose blood gushed like the babbling of a foreigner.

And at Al-Kadid the meeting place of Rabee'ah,

هَل كانَ كُلُّ الناسِ إِلّا هَكَذا

ذو شَجَنٍ باكٍ لِباكٍ ذي شَجَن

They protect the far reach of death with the wells of bravery.

It is as if no horseman wept before me,

سَائِل بِقومي لِم نَبا الدَهرُ بِهِم

عَن غَيرِ ضِغَنٍ وَرَماهُم عَن شَزَن

Nor did a young man sigh before me.

Were all the people but like this,

لِم راشَهُم رَيشَ السَهامِ لِلعِدا

ثُمَّ بَراهُم بِالرَدى بَريَ السَفَن

Someone in anguish, weeping for another in anguish?

I ask about my people, why did fate act unjustly with them,

وَكَيفَ أَمسَوا حَفَناتٍ مِن ثَرىً

مِن بَعدِ ما كانوا رِعاناً وَقُنَن

Without any hostility, and cast them away from dwelling?

It feathered them with arrows for the enemy,

سَومَ السَفصِ طاحَت بِهِ في مَرِّها

زَفازِفُ الريحِ وَبَوغاءُ الدِمَن

Then showed them to the turns of fate, like ships.

And how did they become handfuls of dust,

هُم أُجلِسوا عَلى الصِفاحِ وَالذُرى

إِذ رَضِيَ القَومُ بِما تَحتَ الثَفَن

After they had been shepherd boys and fledglings?

The twist of fate whose violent wind and rain of darkness fell upon it,

لَهُم عَلى الناسِ وَما زالَ لَهُم

مَشارِفُ الرَأسِ عَلى جَمعِ البَدَن

They were made to sit atop the plains and the slopes.

When the people were content with what is below the burial,

عَماعِمٌ لَمّا تَزَل أَسيافُهُم

عَماعِمَ الصيدِ وَأَقيادَ البُدُن

For them over the people, and their superiority remains.

Chieftains whose swords,

بِالقَدَمِ الأولى إِلى شَأوِ العُلى

وَالأَذرُعِ الطولى إِلى عَقدِ المِنَن

Were the chieftains of prey and leaders of camels.

With the first step to the glory of loftiness,

كَيفَ أَماني لِلمُرامي بَعدَهُم

مِن نُوَبِ الدَهرِ وَقَد زالَ المِجن

And the long arms to the knot of favors.

For him are the pots that guarantee subsistence to villages,

الداخِلينَ البَيتَ باباهُ القَنا

عَلى الخَناذيذِ الطَوالِ وَالحُصُن

Blessed are his buckets, abundant with milk.

From every stained woman who has their protection,

وَالفالِقينَ الصُبحَ عَن مَغيرَةٍ

لَها مِنَ النَقعِ ظَلامٌ مُرجَحِن

They collectively feed the one down on his luck like crumbs.

Indeed, from his sword the tithes take cover,

وَالضارِبينَ الهامَ في مُشعَلَةٍ

لَها بِلا نارٍ ضِرامٌ وَدَخَن

Their blood in the year of draught with milk.

Do you not see this polished sword,

كَم فاضَ في أَبياتِهِم مُنتَجِعٌ

يَقرِنُ بِالنُعمى وَقِرنٍ في قَرَن

That slowly lowers us down the steps of humiliation?

It is as if the people through it are from one vanishing,

إِذا تَنادوا لِلِّقاءِ فَيلَقٌ

تَداوَلوا الأَعناقَ مِن أَسرٍ وَمَن

And granting, flowing upon that tradition.

A composition folded over its lines,

ما دَرِنَت أَعراضُهُم مِنَ الخَنا

وَلا اِنجَلَت أَسيافُهُم مِنَ الدَرَن

Its beginning is masked and its end exposed.

How strange is that which we inhabit,

كُلُّ عَظيمٍ مِنهُمُ مُحَجَّبٌ

تَأذَنُ أَبوابُ الغِنى إِذا أَذِن

Bringing together what is between the valleys and canyons.

Between my ribs, a king and a market seller,

ذو نَسَبٍ تَستَخجِلُ الشَمسُ بِهِ

أَصفى عَلى السائِغِ مِن ماءِ المُزُن

None knowing what honor and sleep and vanishing are.

If the onlooker knew one day what they are,

لَهُ القُدورُ الضامِناتُ لِلقِرى

مَبارِكُ البُزلِ الجِرارِ بِالعَطَن

Events would terrify him, and he would say who and who.

I swear I will not forget them as long as,

مِن كُلِّ دَهماءَ لَها هَماهِمٌ

تُلَقَّمُ البازِلَ جُمعاً كَالفَدَن

The red sun rises from the darkness of night.

Either by crying with tears that flow,

إِنَّ العِشارَ لاتَقي مِن سَيفِهِ

دِماءَها عامَ الجُدوبِ بِاللَبَن

Or with my heart, if tears refuse and abstain.

I denied the joys of time after them,

أَما تَرى هَذا الصَفيحَ المُجتَلى

يُدرِجُنا دَرجَ الرُمَيلِ المُمتَهَن

From the length of my affliction with the calamities of grief.

Misfortunes increased suddenly,

كَأَنَّما الناسُ بِهِ مِن ذاهِبٍ

وَواهِبٍ يَجري عَلى ذاكَ السَنَن

And the heart grew accustomed to them and settled.

Tell time to depart with them from a deserter,

مَزبورَةٌ تُطوى عَلى أَشطارِها

يُبطَنُ باديها وَيَبدو ما بَطَن

And carry upon its sunset for it has passed me.

ما أَعجَبَ الناسَ الَّذي نَسكُنُهُ

يَجمَعُ ما بَينَ الوِهادِ وَالقُنَن

بَينَ عِظامي مَلِكٍ وَسوقَةٍ

لَم يُدرَ ما العِزُّ وَنامٍ وَيَفَن

لَو عَلِمَ الناظِرُ يَوماً ما هُما

أَفظَعَهُ الخَطبُ وَقالَ مَن وَمَن

أَقسَمتُ لا أَنساهُم ما طَلَعَت

حَمراءُ مِن خِدرِ ظَلامٍ وَدَجَن

إِمّا بُكاءً بِالدُموعِ ما جَرَت

أَو بِالفُؤادِ إِن أَبى الدَمعُ وَضَن

أَنكَرتُ أَفراحَ الزَمانِ بَعدَهُم

مِن طولِ بَلوايَ بِرَوعاتِ الحَزَن

زِدنَ الرَزايا فَنَقَصنَ دَفعَةً

وَوُطِّنَ القَلبُ عَليها فَاِطمَأَنّ

قُل لِلزَمانِ اِرحَل بِهِم مِن بازِلٍ

وَاِحمِل عَلى غارِبِهِ فَقَد مَرِن