بَعضَ المَلامِ فَقَد غَضَضتُ طَماحي

وَكَفَيتُ مِن نَفسي العَذولَ اللاحي

I have curbed some of my aspirations,

And refrained from my impetuous self,

مِن بَعدِ ما خَطَرَ الصِبا بِمَقادَتي

وَجَرى إِلى الأَمَدِ البَعيدِ جِماحي

After youth roamed with my companions,

And soared to distant horizons.

عُشرونَ أَوجَفَ في البَطالَةِ خَلفَها

عامانِ غَلّا مِن يَدَيَّ مِراحي

Twenty languorous years passed in idleness,

Followed by two sorrowful ones that weighed down my pace.

زَمَنٌ يَخِفُّ بِهِ الجَناحُ إِلى الصِبا

لَمّا ظَفِرتُ بِهِ خَفَضتُ جَناحي

An era where the wing shrinks back to youth

When I attained it, I lowered my wing.

أُغضي عَنِ المَرأى الأَنيقِ زَهادَةً

فيهِ وَأَدفَعُ لَذَّتي بِالراحِ

I turn away in asceticism from the pleasing spectacle,

And resist my pleasure with comfort.

أَمَعاهِدَ الأَحبابِ هَل عَودٌ إِلى

مَغدىً نَبُلُّ بِهِ الجَوى وَمَراحِ

Are the days with loved ones a return

To pastures where we shared confidences and joys?

يَكفيكِ مِن أَنفاسِنا وَدُموعِنا

أَن تُمطَري مِن بَعدِنا وَتُراحي

It suffices you from our breaths and tears

That you be watered after us and relax.

فَلَرُبَّ عَيشٍ فيكَ رَقَّ نَسيمُهُ

كَالماءِ رَقَّ عَلى جُنوبِ بِطاحِ

How often has a life with you had a gentle breeze

Like water flowing gently on spread out sands.

وَتَغَزُّلٍ كَصَبا الأَصائِلِ أَيقَظَت

رَيّا خُزامى بِاللِوى وَأَقاحِ

And infatuations that awakened, like the rays of dawn,

Passion in Khazami with intimacy and first meetings.

كَم فيكِ مِن صاحي الشَمائِلِ مُنتَشٍ

بِالذُلِّ أَو مَرضى العُيونِ صِحاحِ

How many in you have cheerful features or love-sick,

Lowering their eyes or bright-eyed.

فَسَقى اللَوى صَوبُ الغَمامِ وَدَرُّهُ

وَسَقى النَوازِلَ فيهِ صَوبُ الراحِ

Passion watered the side of the cloud and its rain,

And watered the descending gifts on its side the wind.

وَغَدا فَرَوَّحَ ذاكَ عَن تِلكَ الرُبى

وَسَرى فَرَوَّحَ ذا عَنِ الأَرواحِ

One day it cheers this one from that sadness,

And travels to cheer another from spirits.

فَلَطالَما أَقصَدنَني ظَبَياتُهُ

وَأَرِقتُ فيهِ لِبارِقٍ لَمّاحِ

How often its wild animals have intended me

And I have stayed awake for a flashing lightning.

وَالتَحتُ مِن كَمِدٍ إِلَيهِ وَوِردُهُ

ناءٍ يُعَذِّبُ غُلَّةَ المُلتاحِ

I took shelter from a windless calm to it

A sheltered oasis that torments the overtired.

أَيّامَ في صَبغِ الشَبابِ ذَوائِبي

وَإِلى التَصابي غُدوَتي وَرَواحي

Days in the dyeing of my youth and my vigor

To concord and my morning rise and return.

قَومي أُنوفُ بَني مَعَدٍّ وَالذُرى

مِن واضِحٍ فيهِم وَمِن وَضّاحِ

My people are the distinguished Banu Ma'ad

Including both elucidator and inspirer.

السابِقونَ إِلى عُلىً وَمَفاخِرٍ

وَالغالِبونَ عَلى نَدىً وَسَماحِ

The forerunners to glory and superiorities

And the victors over benevolence and clemency.

ذَهَبوا بِشَأوِ المَجدِ ثُمَّ تَلَفَّتوا

هُزُواً إِلى الطُلّاعِ وَالطُلّاحِ

They took away the glory of honor, then bid farewell

Mockingly to ascent and rising.

شُسُ الحَواجِبِ مُغضَبينَ وَفي الرِضى

ما شِئتَ مِن بيضِ الوُجوهِ صِباحِ

Frowning with wrath and in pleasure

However you wish of bright faces in the morning.

وَرِثوا المَعالي بِالجُدودِ وَبَعدَها

بِضَرابِ مُرهَفَةٍ وَطَعنِ رِماحِ

They inherited loftiness through ancestry and then

With finest spears and thrusts of lances.

وَقِيادِ مُخطَفَةِ الخُصورِ كَأَنَّها ال

عِقبانُ تَحتَ مُجَلجِلٍ دَلّاحِ

And guiding destriers with slender bodies as if they are

Eagles under a sparkling coat of mail.

يَغبُقنَ لَيلاً بِالغَبيقِ وَتارَةً

يَصبَحنَ بِالغاراتِ كُلَّ صَباحِ

Sometimes openly attacking in the night and sometimes

Raiding every morning.

ضَرَبَت بِعِرقي دَوحَةٌ نَبَوِيَّةٌ

في مَنصِبٍ وَاري الزَنادِ صُراحِ

There shone in my lineage an ancestral excellence

In a towering position, bare of spearheads.

يُنمى إِلى أَعياصِ خَيرِ أَرومَةٍ

لَيسَت بِعَشّاتِ الفُروعِ ضَواحِ

Belonging to the best roots of nobility

Not subdivisions and side branches.

وَأَبي الَّذي حَصَدَ الرِقابَ بِسَيفِهِ

في كُلِّ يَومِ تَصادُمٍ وَنِطاحِ

And my father who reaped necks with his sword

In every day of clash and goring.

رُدَّت إِلَيهِ الشَمسُ يُحدِثُ ضَوءُها

صُبحاً عَلى بُعدٍ مِنَ الإِصباحِ

The sun was given back to him, its light

Bringing morning from a distance of dawn.

سائِل بِهِ يَومَ الزُبَيرِ مُشَمِّراً

يَختالُ بَينَ ذَوابِلٍ وَصِفاحِ

Ask about him on the day of Zubair, stirring

Prancing between disturbances and horrors.

وَاِسأَل بِهِ صِفّينَ إِنَّ زَئيرَهُ

أَودى بِكَبشِ أُمَيَّةَ النَطّاحِ

And ask about the two battle lines, his roar

Destroyed the ram of Umayyah butting.

وَاِسأَل شَراةَ النَهرَوانِ فَإِنَّهُم

ضَرَبوا بِمُنذَلِقِ اليَدَينِ وَقاحِ

And ask the drinkers of the Euphrates, they

Struck with hands stretched out aggressively.

كَم مِن طَعينٍ يَومَ ذاكَ مُرَمَّلٍ

وَحَريمِ عِزٍّ بِالطِعانِ مُباحِ

How many forcibly stripped garments that day

And sacrosanct households violated.

وَمَناقِبٍ بيضِ الوُجوهِ مُضيئَةٍ

أَبَداً تُكاثِرُ أَلسُنَ المُدّاحِ

And shining white faces

Forever inspiring the praises of eulogizers.

مَن قاسَ ذا شَرَفٍ بِهِ فَكَأَنَّما

وَزَنَ الجِبالَ القودَ بِالأَشباحِ

Whoever compares himself to such nobility

Then he has weighed mountains against fantasies.

قَد قُلتُ لِلعادي عَلَيَّ بِبَغيِهِ

مَهلاً فَما يَلحو القَتادَةَ لاحي

I have said to the enemy aggrieving me with his enmity:

Wait, an adept fighter is not hasty.

فَحَذارِ إِن مَطَرَت عَليكَ صَواعِقي

وَحَذارِ إِن هَبَّت عَليكَ رِياحي

So beware if my lightnings pour upon you

And beware if my winds blow upon you.

أَوفى الصَباحُ فَشَقَّ كُلَ دُجُنَّةٍ

وَعَلا الزَئيرُ فَغَضَّ كُلَّ نِباحِ

Morning arrived and split every darkness

And the roar ascended silencing every barking.

أَنا مَن عَلِمتَ عَلى المُكاشِحِ مُرهَفٌ

نابي وَشاكٍ في الخِصامِ سِلاحِ

I am the one whom you knew in combat

With sharp fangs and skilled in conflict.

وَأَبيتُ أَن أُعطي الأَعادي مِقوَدي

أَو أَن تَدُرَّ عَلى الهَوانِ لَقاحي

And I refused to give the enemies my reins

Or for disgrace to run its course upon my morals.

مِن بَعدِ ما أَوضَعتُ في طُرُقِ العُلى

وَأَضَرَّ بِالأَعداءِ طولُ كِفاحي

After I placed myself in the paths of loftiness

And harmed the enemies by prolonged struggle.

وَسَحَبتُ مِن خُلَعِ الخَلائِفِ طارِفاً

لَحَظاتِ كُلِّ مُعانِدٍ طَمّاحِ

And haughtily snatched from the caliphate moments

Of the aspiration of each obstinate ambitious one.

وَوَليتُ في السِنِّ القَريبَةِ أُسرَتي

فَوَكَلتُ فاسِدَهُم إِلى إِصلاحي

And in recent years I reformed my family

So I delegated their corrupt ones to rectify.

بِمَهابَةٍ عَمَّت بِغَيرِ تَكَبُّرٍ

وَصَرامَةٍ أَدمَت بِغَيرِ جِراحِ

With an awe that spread without arrogance

And firmness that subjugated without wounds.

حِلمٌ كَحاشِيَةِ الرِداءِ وَدونَهُ

بَأسٌ يَدُقُّ عَوامِلَ الأَرماحِ

Clemency like the fringes of a cloak and beneath it

Might that pounds the shafts of spears.

فَلَئِن عَلَوتُهُمُ فَليسَ بِمُنكَرٍ

إِمّا عَلَت غُرَرٌ عَلى أوضاحِ

If I overcome them then it is no wonder

When uncertainties overcome elucidations.

فَالآنَ أَمدَحُ غَيرَ مَولى نِعمَةٍ

لَو كُنتُ أُنصَفُ كانَ مِن مُدّاحي

Now I praise without thanks to a benefactor

If I were equitable, he would be among my praisers.

بُعداً لِدَهرٍ خاضَ بي أَهوالَهُ

وَأَجازَني غَمراً إِلى ضَحضاحِ

Far from a time that subjected me to its calamities

And amidst deep water I reached peril.

لا دَرَّ دَرّي إِن رَضَيتُ بِذِلَّةٍ

تَلوي يَدي وَتَرُدُّ غَربَ طَماحي

Do not blame me if I accept disgrace

That twists my hand and turns back my aspirations.

مِن دونِ قودِ الجُردِ تَمري جَريها

رَبَلاتُ كُلِّ مُغامِرٍ جَحجاحِ

Without the ammunition of regiments, they pass their running

The trudging camels of every venturesome gambler.

عَنَقاً عَلى عُنقِ الطِلابِ تَحُثُّها

هِمَمٌ ضَمَنَّ عَوائِدَ الإِنجاحِ

Necks over the necks of students urging them

Ambitions that assumed the habits of success.

فُظَعُ البِلادِ وَراءَ قاضِيَةِ العُلى

مُتَغَرِّباً عَن مَوطِني وَمَراحي

I am a stranger in the land behind the judge of loftiness

Away from my homeland and meadows.

أَشهى إِلَيَّ مِنَ النَعيمِ يَدومُ لي

وَأَلَذُّ مِن نِعَمٍ عَلَيَّ مُراحِ

More desirous to me than lasting bliss for me

And sweeter than bounties showered upon me.

إِنّي إِلى العَذبِ النَميرِ أَصابَني

بِيَدِ الهَوانِ شَرِبتُ بِالأَملاحِ

I was made to drink brackish water by

The hand of humiliation mixed with salts.

دَعني أُخاطِر بِالحَياةِ وَإِنَّما

طَلَبُ الرِجالِ العِزَّ ضَربُ قِداحِ

Let me risk my life though

Men’s pursuit is honor, lighting fires.

إِمّا لِقاءُ المُلكِ قَسراً أَو كَما

لَقِيَ اِبنُ حُجرٍ مِن يَدِ الطَمّاحِ

Either meeting the king by force

Or as Ibn Hujr met by the hand of the archer.