مَن رَأى أَعيُناً حَذَف

نَ الدُموعَ الجَوارِيا

He who saw eyes that shed

Tears flowing down

قَد عَرَفنَ السُهادَ حَت

تى نَكَرنَ اللَيالِيا

Would know happiness until

The nights became unrecognizable

تَتبَعُ النَجمَ نَظرَةٌ

وَالوَميضَ اليَمانِيا

A glance follows a star

And a Yemeni glow

كُلَّ يَومٍ يَجِدنَ رَب

عاً مِنَ الحَيِّ خالِياً

Each day it finds a quarter

Of life empty

بِدُموعٍ رَوائِحاً

وَدِماءٍ غَوادِيا

With tears it has fragrances

And with blood, valleys

إِن تَرَ الطَرفَ دامِعاً

فَاِعلَمِ القَلبَ دامِيا

If you see a moist eyelid

Know the heart is dripping

قُل لِوادٍ عَلى الثَوِي

يَةِ حُيِّيتَ وادِيا

Say to a lover on passion

I greeted you, oh valley

أَينَ قَومٌ عَهِدتُهُم

يَملَؤونَ المَقارِيا

Where are people I knew

Who filled the plains

لا يُخَلّى غَديرُهُم

عَن حَيا الماءِ ظامِيا

Their streams don’t lack

Water that flows turbid

لَحَّبوا المَجدَ وَاِبتَنَوا

في المَعالي مَبانِيا

They loved glory and built

Edifices on high

وَثَبوها وَغَيرُهُم

صَعِدوها مَراقِيا

They mounted it while others

Climbed it step by step

مَعشَرٌ إِن بَلَوتَهُم

غَيبَهُم وَالمَبادِيا

A group, if tested by

Absence and deserts

كَرُموا أَنفُساً عِظا

ماً وَراقوا مَجالِيا

Honored themselves greatly

And walked proudly

وَمُلوكٌ قادوا الرُؤو

سَ مُطيعاً وَآبِيا

Kings who led nations

Submissive and unyielding

لا يُبالونَ في القِيا

دِ الرِقابَ العَواصِيا

Not caring in leadership

For necks that rebel

وَإِذا اليَومَ قَرَّبوا

لِلطِعانِ المَذاكِيا

And if today they meet

Those who find fault

أَعجَلوا المُلجِماتِ أَو

رَكِبوها عَوارِيا

They hurry steeds or

Ride them bareback

وَرَسَوا في ظُهورِها

يَعلَقونَ النَواصِيا

And gallop on their backs

Hanging onto their manes

كَأُسودِ الشَرى رَكِب

نَ الظِباءَ العَواطِيا

Like lions of combat rode

Mares leaping

وَإِذا ما غَدا فَمُ ال

شَمسِ بِالنَقعِ راغِيا

And when the sun’s mouth

In the morning drips heat

حَفِظوا عَورَةَ العُلى

وَرَقوا لِلعَوالِيا

They guarded the honor of glorification

And climbed to the heights

كَم رَمَوا بِالمَطِيِّ تِل

كَ الحُزونَ الفَيافِيا

How often they threw with their ride

Those heavy robes

يَعسِفونَ الذُرى وَيَع

تَسِفونَ المَوامِيا

Wronging the weak and

Trampling the dunes

جَمَّلوا شَحمَةَ السِنا

مِ وَقَد كانَ وارِيا

They beautified the fat of old age

When it had become unsightly

كُلُّ صِلٍّ يَبيتُ في

مَربَإِ النَجمِ رابِيا

Every brave one spends the night

Under the protection of a star

زَحَمَت مِنهُمُ المَنو

نُ الجِبالَ الرَواسِيا

Their crowds made

The mountains overflow

لَم تَخَف مِنهُمُ القَنا

وَالدُروعَ الأَواقِيا

Armor and shields

Feared them not

قُلَلٌ لِلعَلاءِ عا

دَت تُراباً وَسافِيا

Hills became dust

And traveled far

وَعِظامُ البَلاءِ صا

روا عِظاماً بَوالِيا

And the bones of ordeals

Became scattered remains

وَمَضَوا مُعقِبينَ إِر

ثاً مِنَ المَجدِ باقِيا

And they passed on leaving

An inheritance of lasting glory

كُلَّما أَحرَزوا المَكا

رِمَ شادوا المَعالِيا

Whenever they won

Generosity they built edifices

فَهُمُ اليَومَ جيرَةٌ

لا يُجيبونَ داعِيا

While today they are

Neighbors who don’t respond to a caller

قَرَعَ الذُلُّ مِنهُمُ

مارِناً كانَ حامِيا

Humiliation knocked

At their dwellings that were guarded

وَأَناخوا مُناخَ مَن

لَم يُرَ الدَهرَ سارِيا

And they pitched a camp

The likes of which was never seen

طَوَّحَتهُم أَيدي المَنو

نِ الغُيوبَ الأَقاصِيا

The hands of time have brought them down

To the most distant horizons

كَنِبالِ القاريَّ يَر

مي بِهِنَّ المَرامِيا

Like heavy rain I

Pelted them with my arrows

كُنتُ مِن مَجدِهِم أَحِل

لُ الذُرى وَالرَوابِيا

From their glory I adorned

Myself with necklaces and bracelets

وَإِذا شِئتُ زاحَموا

بِالقَنا مِن وَرائِيا

And if I wished they competed

With the spears behind me

أَقرَضوني مِن عِزِّهِم

وازِنَ القَدرِ وافِيا

They lent me from their honor

Balanced and complete

فَجُزوا أَن قَضَيتُهُم

مِن يَدي أَو لِسانِيا

So they deserved that I repay

Them from me, by hand or tongue

وَإِذا أَعوَزَ الجَزا

ءُ جَزَيتُ القَوافِيا

And if repayment falls short

I repay with verses

وَأَرى بَعدَهُم مُوا

مِقَ قَومي مُرامِيا

And I see after them the women

Of my people flirting

وَرِجالاً قَد أَعبَقوا

بِالبُرودِ المَخازِيا

And men who reek

Of cold indifference

إِن لَقوني أَصادِقاً

فارَقوني أَعادِيا

If they meet me as friends

They leave me as enemies

ما تَرى الناسَ كَالبِها

مِ يُوَقِّعنَ ضارِيا

You don’t see people

Inflicting harm

كُلَّ يَومٍ يُجَهِّزو

نَ إِلى اللَهِ غازِيا

Each day they prepare

To march against God

وَيَقودونَ سالِياً

عَن قَليلٍ وَناسِيا

And they lead an army

Heedless and forgetful

ريعَةُ الذَودِ قَد أَمِن

نَ عَلى القُربِ حادِيا

The sheep feel safe

From the wolf nearby

قَد رَجَعنا ضَواحِكاً

وَمَضَينا بَواكِيا

We have returned laughing

And left crying

وَتَرى المَرءَ إِن رَأى

عارِضَ الخَطبِ رانِيا

You see a man, if he faces

Disasters, shaking

خافِقَ الجَأشِ ناظِراً

مَن يُجيبُ الدَواعِيا

With anxious heart looking

At who would answer the call

فَإِذا اِنجابَ لَيلُهُ

وَاِنجَلى عَنهُ ناجِيا

But when his night recedes

And the confidant leaves

طَرَحَ الهَمَّ جانِباً

وَتَمَنّى الأَمانِيا

He discards his worry

And wishes for hopes

ما لِهَذا الزَمانِ يُل

قي عَلَينا المَراسِيا

Why does time

Bring calamities upon us

كُلَّ يَومٍ يَجلو عَلَي

نا خُطوباً عَوادِيا

Each day it exposes us

To new afflictions

كَم طَوى بِالرَدى صَفي

ياً لِقَلبي مُصافِيا

How much has it folded in loss

A relief for my heart

ثالِثَ الناظِرَينِ عِز

زاً وَلِلنَفسِ ثانِيا

Supreme over the two watchful eyes

And second to the soul

صارَ بِالدَمعِ آمِراً

فيهِ مَن كانَ ناهِيا

It has become, with tears,

A commander over one who would forbid

أَغتَدي مِنهُ عاطِلاً

بَعدَما كُنتُ حالِيا

I have stopped drinking it

After being entertained

عَطِّلِ الكَأسَ لا تُحِس

سَ النَديمَ المُعاطِيا

Stop the wine, don’t make

The companion pour

إِن تَفِض عَبرَتي تَجِد

كَمَدَ القَلبِ باقِيا

If my tears flow

You’ll find the heart still dripping

رُبَّما تَعرِفُ الجَوى

وَتَرى الدَمعَ غالِيا

Maybe you’ll know the burning

And see the tears still flowing