أَيُّ طَودٍ دُكَّ مِن أَيِّ جِبالِ
لَقَحَت أَرضٌ بِهِ بَعدَ حِيالِ
What mount was hewn from which mountains
A land was inseminated by it after a period
ما رَأى حَيُّ نِزارٍ قَبلَها
جَبَلاً سارَ عَلى أَيدي الرِجالِ
No living Hayy has ever seen before it
A mountain that walked on the hands of men
عَجَباً أَصبَحتُ لِلضَيمِ وَما
نَثَرَ الطَعنُ أَنابيبَ العَوالي
A wonder I have become to injustice while
Criticism has not scattered the pipes of loftiness
فَإِذا رامي المَقاديرِ رَمى
فَدُروعُ المَرءِ أَعوانُ النِصالِ
So when the flinger of destinies flung
The armors of a man are aids for spearheads
قادَهُ المِقدارُ قَسراً بَعدَما
أَكرَهَ السُمرَ عَلى المَقِّ الطَوالِ
Destiny led him forcibly after
It compelled the night watch for the long vigil
وَأَبالَ الخَيلَ في كُلِّ حِمىً
يَمنَعُ الماطِرَ مُنهَلَّ العَزالي
And raced the horses in every ravine
That prevents the rain from the drinking place of the lonely
مِثلَ عِقبانِ المَوامي دُلَّحاً
راشَها قَرعُ الحَنايا بِالنِبالِ
Like the hooves of ostriches prodded
Its pens clanged by the arrows
حامِلاً عَن قَومِهِ العِبءَ وَما
حَمِدوا عُرعُرَةَ العَودِ الجُلالِ
Bearing the burden of his people while
They did not praise the towering of the glorious limb
أَيُّها القَبرُ الَّذي أَمسى بِهِ
عاطِلَ الأَرضِ جَميعاً وَهوَ حالي
O grave which has resided in it
Idle of all the land and it is my state
لَم يُواروا بِكَ مَيتاً إِنَّما
أَفرَغوا فيكَ ذَنوباً مِن نَوالِ
They did not bury a dead man in you but rather
Poured in you sins from the pail
طالَ ما لاذَ بِهِ المالُ كَما
لاذَتِ الإِصبِعُ يَوماً بِالقَبالِ
Wealth clung to him as
The finger clung one day to leprosy
حَمَلوهُ بازِلاً مُحتَقِراً
دَلَجَ اللَيلِ وَلَزّاتِ الحِبالِ
They carried him miserable, disdained
In the darkness of night and twines of ropes
إِن غَدا مَجدوعَةً أَشرافُهُ
فَالبُنى وافِيَةٌ وَالمَجدُ عالي
If their nobles have become decapitated tomorrow
Then homesteads are loyal, and glory is lofty
عَقَروا لَيثاً وَلَو هاهوا بِهِ
كانَ بَعدَ العَقرِ أَرجى لِلصِيالِ
They hamstrung a lion, and had they left it alone
It would have been more hopeful after the hamstringing for the cubs
وَكَذا الأَيّامُ مَن قارَعَها
تَرَكَت فيهِ عَلاماتِ النِزالِ
And so are the days whoever contends with them
It left in him traces of the fight
عَقَلوهُ بَعدَما جازَ المَدى
وَطَوى شَأوَ مَساعٍ وَمَعالي
His mind after he exceeded the goal
And folded the glory of great deeds and virtues
وَكَذا السابِقُ يَوماً بِعِنانٍ
يُحرِزُ السَبقَ وَيَوماً بِعِقالِ
And so the frontrunner one day with a bridle
Attains precedence and one day with a halter
قُمتَ عَنها بَعدَما عَجَّ بِها
وَرَمى أَوسُقَها بُزلُ الجِمالِ
You stood up from it after it had amazed you
And its charioteer pelted it with cowardice
وَاِنتَزَعتَ النَصلَ مِن مُقلَتِها
بَعدَ غاياتِ نِزاعٍ وَمَطالِ
And you wrenched the spear from its orbit
After the extremes of contention and expectation
لَيتَهُم أَعطَوكَ إِن لَم يَعدِلوا
بُسلَةَ الراقي مِنَ الداءِ العُضالِ
Would that they had given you the cure for the elite
From the chronic disease of hardship
نَتَجوا في المَجدِ ما أَلقَحتَهُ
رُبَّما أَوقَدَ ناراً غَيرُ صالي
They excelled in glory what you engendered
Perhaps someone other than upright has kindled a fire
وَكَأَنّي خِلَلَ الغَيبِ أَرى
نَغرَةً مِن جُرحِها بَعدَ اِندِمالِ
And it is as if through the unseen I see
A grin from its wound after contracting
وَإِذا الأَعداءُ عَدّوكَ لَها
سَلَّموا فَضلَكَ مِن غَيرِ جِدالِ
And if the enemies counted you as their enemy
They would acknowledge your superiority without dispute
لا أَضاعوا رابِئاً في قُلَّةٍ
كَلَأَ المَجدِ وَقَد نامَ الكَوالي
They did not waste a pillar in scarcity
That gathered glory and the anklets had slept
يَومَ لِلشِعبِ دِهانٌ مِن دَمٍ
وَالمَواضي لِلمَقاديمِ فَوالي
A day for the people to be adorned with blood
And the plains for the attackers therefore supreme
في فُتوٍّ شَيَّعوا أَرماحَهُم
أَمَمَ المَوتِ إِلى الطَعنِ عِجالِ
In youth their spears bid farewell
To the nations of death hastening to the stabbing
بِخِفافٍ فَوقَ أَيمانِ رِجالٍ
وَثِقالٍ فَوقَ أَعناقِ رِجالِ
With light cavalry above the right hand of men
And heavy above the necks of men
قُضُبٌ يَومُ صَداها في الوَغى
بِالطُلى أَطوَلُ مِن يَومِ الصِقالِ
Swords one day their clanging in the fray
With the sharpening longer than the day of burnishing
لَكَ مِنها ناحِلٌ تَعصى بِهِ
يَومَ أَبدَلنَ عَصيّاً بِعَوالي
You have from it a slaughterer with which
A day you exchanged staffs for loftiness
تُلحِمُ الأَعداءَ مِنهُ جازِراً
يَنقُلُ اللَحمَ إِلى غَيرِ عِيالِ
It welds the enemies from it as a slaughterer
Transporting the flesh to other than its household
قَد قَدَحتَ العِزَّ زَنداً غَيرَ كابٍ
وَلَبِستَ المَجدَ بُرداً غَيرَ بالي
You have kindled glory an unextinguished ember
And worn glory a garment free of moth holes
وَإِذا أَغلى الوَرى أُكرومَةً
وَجَدوا عِندَكَ أَثمانَ الغَوالي
And if the land became stiflingly hot
They found with you the prices of the unknown
إِنَّ لِلطائِعِ عِندي مِنَّةً
وَحِمىً قَد بَلَّها لي بِبَلالي
I have a favor for the compliant with me
And a protection I have made known to me by my Bilal
لَيسَ يُنسيها وَإِن طالَ المَدى
مَرُّ أَيّامٍ عَلَيها وَلَيالي
It is not forgotten even if time is long
Bitter days over it and nights
فاتَني مِنكَ اِنتِصارٌ بِيَميني
فَتَلافَيتُ اِنتِصاراً بِمَقالي
A victory by my right hand eluded me
So I attained a victory by my words
لا عَجيبٌ حِفظُ كَفٍّ لِبَنانٍ
وَوَفاءٌ مِن يَمينٍ لِشِمالِ
It is no wonder the preservation of a palm for a branch
And loyalty from a right hand to a left
عَزَّ مَن أَمسى مُعِدّاً ظَهرَهُ
أَخَذَ الأُهبَةَ يَوماً لِلزَيالِ
Honored is he who spends his back
Took the gifts one day for comrades
يَنظُرُ الدُنيا بَعَينَي ناهِضٍ
مَطَرٌ يَنفُضُ أَنداءَ الطِلالِ
He views the world with the eyes of one wide awake
Rain scattering the folds of slopes
يَنشُطُ البُلغَةَ مِن آكِلِها
نِشطَةَ المَطرودِ وَلّى وَهوَ خالي
It invigorates eloquence from its consuming
Like the expelled became active and left empty handed
لا يَرِم قَبرَكَ مِبراقُ الذُرى
مُنجِدَ الأَعناقِ غَوريَّ التَوالي
No lightning bolt of creatures will hurl your grave
The savior of necks, cave-like consecutive
كُلَّما عَجَّ رَمى في عُرضِهِ
شُعَلَ البَرقِ الرَبابُ المُتَعالي
Whenever it grew disturbed it hurled at its honor
The flashes of lightning the loud rumbling
كَرَهاءِ الدُهمِ لاقَيتَ بِهِ
في رِعالٍ يَتَعَدّى بِرِعالِ
Abhorrent misfortunes you met with it
In a quiver transgressing with a quiver
تُطلِقُ الصَرَّةَ مِن أَخلافِهِ
أُمُّ أَوبَينِ نُعامى وَشَمالِ
It unleashes the arrow from behind it
Mother of frightened ostriches and left
أُلحِقَت شَعّاعَةُ الريحِ كَما
جَرَّتِ الخَيلُ رَعابيبَ الحِلالِ
The streak of wind was made concurrent as
The mares dragged the virgins of the halal
لا أَرى الدَمعَ كِفاءً لِلجَوى
لَيسَ أَنَّ الدَمعَ مِن بَعدِكَ غالي
I do not see tears as adequate for the torment
It is not that tears after you are expensive
وَبِرُغمي أَن كَسَوناكَ الثَرى
وَفَرَشناكَ زَرابيَّ الرِمالِ
And in spite of me that we clothed you in soil
And we spread you out on the carpets of sands
وَهَجَرناكَ عَلى ضَنِّ الهَوى
رُبَّ هِجرانٍ عَلى غَيرِ تَقالي
And we abandoned you with the bitterness of passion
Perhaps an abandonment without wear
أَيُّها الظاعِنُ لا جازَ الحَيا
أَبَداً بَعدَكَ بِالحَيِّ الحِلالِ
O you who pointed out, the living never
Transcended after you with the halal living
كُنتَ في الأَحجالِ أَرجوكَ وَلا
أَرتَجي اليَومَ عَظيماً في الحِجالِ
You were in shackles I hoped for you but today
I do not hope for the great in shackles
كُلُّ مَأسورٍ يُرَجّى فَكُّهُ
غَيرَ مَن أَصبَحَ في قَيدِ اللَيالي
Every captive is hoped to be released
Other than one who became in the captivity of nights
نَسَبٌ كَالشَمسِ أَوفَيتَ بِهِ
في المَعالي بَينَ نَجمٍ وَهِلالِ
A lineage you were loyal to like the sun
Among the stars and crescent
زَلِقَ المَرقى بَعيدَ المُنتَمى
في قِنانٍ لِلمَساعي وَقِلالِ
The path slipped far-fetched
In paths for endeavors and scarcity
تَقصُرُ الأَلحاظُ عَنهُنَّ فَما
ظَنُ مَن مَدَّ يَدَيهِ لِلمَنالِ
The sights fall short of them so what
Thinker of one who extended his hands for attainment
في الرَوابي مِن مَعَدٍّ وَالذُرى
نُهِزَ المَجدُ بِعاديِّ السِجالِ
In the hillsides from aiding and creatures
Glory tossed by the transgressor of quarrel
وَإِذا ما الأَرضُ كانَت شَوكَةً
خَطَروا فيها عَلى غَيرِ نِعالِ
And if the earth were thorns
They strode over it without sandals
كُلُّ راقٍ مَرَّ بِالنَجمِ إِلى
قُنَنِ السُؤدَدِ وَالمَجدِ الطَوالِ
Every arriver to the star until
The regulations of Sudaad and long glory
مَعشَرٌ إِن غابَتِ الأَرضُ بِهِم
لَم يَغيبوا عِندَ مَجدٍ وَفَعالِ
A group if the earth is absent with them
They are not absent with glory and deeds
كُلَّما اِزدادَت بِلىً أَعظُمُهُم
نَشَرَتهُم سُمَعٌ غَيرُ بَوالي
Whenever they wore out more, their greatest
Spread them a hearing other than truncated
وَالعُلى ما لَم يَرُبّوا دارَها
طُرُقٌ عوجٌ وَأَطلالٌ خَوالي
And the loftiness they did not breed in it
Winding paths, ruins, and lonely ruins
ضَمِنَت مِنهُم قَراراتُهُمُ
عَمَدَ المَجدِ وَأَركانَ المَعالي
Their resolutions guaranteed from them
The pillars of glory and cornerstones of loftiness
لا تَقُل تِلكَ قُبورٌ إِنَّما
هِيَ أَصدافٌ عَلى غَيرِ لَآلِ
Do not say those are graves but rather
They are shells upon other than pearls
