أَقولُ لِرَكبٍ خابِطينَ إِلى النَدى
رَموا غَرَضاً وَاللَيلُ داجي الحَنادِسِ
I say to a caravan heading towards the dew,
They missed their goal as the night grew dark,
أَقيموا رِقابَ اليَعمَلاتِ فَإِنَّني
سَأَستَمطِرُ النَعماءَ نَوءاً بِفارِسِ
Raise the necks of the conveyances, for I
Will make goodness rain copiously through a knight.
بَناناً إِذا سيمَ الحَيا غَيرُ باخِلٍ
وَوَجهاً إِذا سيلَ النَدى غَيرَ عابِسِ
A youth, when fate allowed, not mean,
A face, when dew poured, not sullen,
أُحِبُّ ثَرى أَرضٍ أَقَمتَ بِجوِّها
وَإِن كانَ في أَرضٍ سِواها مَغارِسي
I love the land where I stayed thanks to its climate,
Even were my trees in other than it.
وَكَم رُفِعَت لي نارُ حَيٍّ فَجُزتُها
وَما نارُ مَمنونِ القِرى مِن مَقابِسي
And how many fires of lives did I quench,
Not the fires of protected towns because of me.
نَزَعتُ فَخاري يَومَ أَلبَسُ نِعمَةً
لِغَيرِكَ ما زُرَّت عَلَيَّ مَلابِسي
I doffed my pride the day I don another’s bounty,
Never were my clothes worn for other than You.
إِذا كُنتَ لي غَيثاً فَأَنتَ غَرَستَني
وَمورِقُ عودي بِالنَدى مِثلُ غارِسي
If You were rain unto me, You planted me,
My freshness in the dew is like that of a tree.
تَرَكتُ رِجالاً لَم يَهِشّوا لِمِنَّةٍ
وَلَم يَنقَعوا غِلَّ الظِماءِ الخَوامِسِ
I left men who sought no favours
And sucked not the thick troubled water.
عَلى القُربِ إِنّي فيهِمُ غَيرُ طامِعٍ
وَمِنكَ عَلى بُعدِ المَدى غَيرُ آيِسِ
From those near, I seek naught,
From You, far though You be, I despair not.
غِياثُ النَدى ضُمَّت أَكُفٌّ وَأُغلِقَت
عَلى اللُؤمِ أَبوابُ النُفوسِ الخَسائِسِ
The rainclouds clenched their palms and locked
Against the vile the doors of craven souls.
وَلولاكَ أَمسى الناسُ في كُلِّ مَذهَبٍ
عَلى أَثَرٍ مِن مَعلَمِ الجودِ طامِسِ
But for You men in every doctrine would tread
Upon no vestige of the path of generosity.
عَضَلتُ ثَنائي عَنهُمُ وَذَخَرتُهُ
لِأَبلَجَ مَمنونِ النَقيبَةِ رائِسِ
I spared my praise of them and stored it
To give light to the Excellent, Guide of guides.
وَما كُنتُ إِلّا الطَرفَ يَمنَعُ ظَهرَهُ
جَباناً وَيُعطي ظَهرَهُ كُلَّ فارِسِ
I was but the flank that protects its back
Fearfully, and gives its back to every knight.
