أَلَم يَكُ جَهلاً بَعدَ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً
تَذَكُّرُ أُمَّ الفَضلِ وَالرَأسُ أَشيَبُ
Was it not still ignorance after seventy clear proofs
To remember Umm Al-Fadl while my head turned grey?
وَقيلُكَ هَل مَعروفُها راجِعٌ لَنا
وَلَيسَ لِشَيءٍ قَد تَفاوَتَ مَطلَبُ
And it was said to you, “Will her kindness return to us?”
Yet nothing of what has passed can be regained.
عَلى حينَ وَلّى الدَهرُ إِلّا أَقَلَّهُ
وَكادَت بَقايا آخِرِ العَيشِ تَذهَبُ
While time has turned away, except for its last remnants,
And the last of life was almost gone.
فَإِن تُؤذِنينا بِالفِراقِ فَلَستُمُ
بِأَوَّلِ مَن يَنسى وَمَن يَتَجَنَّبُ
If you allow us to part, then you are not
The first who forgets and avoids.
وَرُبَّ حَبيبٍ قَد تَناسَيتُ فَقدَهُ
يَكادُ فُؤادي إِثرَهُ يَتَلَهَّبُ
And many a beloved I have forgotten when he was lost
My heart for him almost catches fire.
أَخي ثِقَةٍ في كُلِّ أَمرٍ يَنوبُني
وَعِندَ جَسيمِ الأَمرِ لا يَتَغَيَّبُ
My trusted brother in every matter that befalls me
And when grave matters occur, he does not hide.
قَرَعتُ ظَنابيبي عَلى الصَبرِ بَعدَهُ
فَقَد جَعَلَت عَنهُ الجَنائِبُ تُصحِبُ
I called my companions over patience after him
So they made the sides accompany each other.
دَعانِيَ سَيّارٌ وَقَد أَشرَفَت بِهِ
مَهالِكُ يُلفى دونَها يَتَذَبذَبُ
A leader called me while destruction loomed over him,
Deaths that one stumbles into wavered around him.
فَقُلتُ لَهُ إِنّي أَخوكَ الَّذي بِهِ
تَنوءُ إِذا عَمَّ الدُعاءَ المُثَوَّبُ
So I said to him, “I am your brother whom in invocation
You groan when all are supplicating and are blessed.”
فَإِن تَكُ مَظلوماً فَإِنَّ شِفاءَهُ
بِوَردٍ وَبَعضُ الأَمرِ لِلأَمرِ مُجلِبُ
“So if you are wronged, then its remedy
Is by delegation, and some matters bring other matters.”
هُوَ الحَكَمُ الراعي وَأَنتَ رَعِيَّةٌ
وَكُلَّ قَضاءٍ سَوفَ يُحصى وَيُكتَبُ
“He is the Shepherd Ruler, and you are the flock,
And every decree will be numbered and written.”
وَأَنتَ وَلِيُّ الحَقِّ تَقضي بِفَصلِهِ
وَأَنتَ وَلِيُّ العَفوِ إِذ هُوَ مُذنِبُ
“And you are the patron of truth, you judge by its separation,
And you are the patron of pardon, when one is sinful.”
يَزينُ عُبَيداً كُلُّ شَيئاً بَنَيتَهُ
وَأَنتَ فَتاها وَالصَريحُ المُهَذَّبُ
“Your servants adorn everything you constructed,
While you are its youth and fluent polished one.”
نَمَتكَ قُرومٌ مِن حَنيفَةَ جِلَّةٌ
إِلى عيصِها الأَعلى الَّذي لا يُشَذَّبُ
“Tribes from lofty Hanifah grew,
To their lofty spearheads which are uncut.”
وَجُرثومَةُ العِزِّ الَّتي لا يَرومُها
عَدُوٌّ وَلا يَسطيعُها المُتَوَثِّبُ
“And the mighty root which no enemy attempts
Nor can the aspiring one reach.”
وَما قايَسَت حَيّاً حَنيفَةُ سوقَةً
وَلَو جَهِدوا إِلّا حَنيفَةُ أَطيَبُ
“Hanifah never matched markets to markets,
Even if they struggled, only Hanifah is purer.”
وَكانَت إِذا خافَت تَضايُقَ مُقدَمٍ
تَمِدُّ بِأَيديها السُيوفَ فَتَضرِبُ
“And whenever she feared the straits of an opponent,
She extends with her hands the swords and strikes.”
إِذا مَنَعوا لَم يُرجَ شَيءٌ وَراءَهُم
وَإِن لَقِحَت حَربٌ يَجيؤوا فَيَركَبوا
“When they refuse, nothing drives them back,
And if war is kindled, they attack and ride.”
إِلَيهِم رَأَت ذاكُم مَعَدٌّ وَغَيرُها
يُحِلُّ اليَتامى وَالصَعيبُ المُعَصَّبُ
“To them, that Ma’ad and others
Violate the orphans and the headstrong girded one.”
تَحِلُّ بُيوتَ المُعتَفينِ إِلَيهِمُ
إِذا كانَ عامٌ خادِعُ النَوءِ مُجدِبُ
“They dissolve the homes of refugees to them
When the year is treacherous, rainless, and dry.”
وَقَعتُم بِصُفرَيِّ الخَضارِمِ وَقعَةً
فَجَلَّلتُموها عارَها لَيسَ يَذهَبُ
“You confronted them at yellow dawn in a battle,
So you covered its shame, it does not disappear.”
وَلَمّا رَأَوا بِالأَبرَقَينِ كَتيبَةً
مُلَملَمَةً تَحمي الذِمارَ وَتَغضَبُ
“And when they saw at the two佻ands a swarming troop
Jostling, protecting the tambourines and raging.”
دَعا كُلُّ مَنحوبٍ حَنيفَةَ فَاِلتَقَت
عَجاجَةُ مَوتٍ وَالدِماءُ تَصَبَّبُ
“Every fallen one called upon Hanifah, so they collided -
The clashes of death while blood was pouring.”
وَجاؤو بِوِردٍ مِن حَنيفَةَ صادِقٍ
تُطاعِنُ عَن أَحسابِها وَتُذَبِّبُ
“And they came with a battalion from truthful Hanifah
Stabbing about their settlements and chopping.”
مَصاليتُ نَزّالونَ في حَومَةِ الوَغى
تَخوضُ المَنايا وَالرِماحُ تُخَضَّبُ
“My stalwarts who descend into the pit of turmoil
Wading into deaths while spears are bloodied.”
وَرائِمَةٍ وَلَّهتُموها وَفاقِدٍ
تَرَكتُم لَها شَجواً تُرِنُّ وَتَنحَبُ
“And a firm one you took from them, so you left them
A painful longing that moans and laments.”
وَقَد عَصَبَت أَهلَ الشَواجِنِ خَيلُهُم
وَقَد سارَ مِنها بِالمَجازَةِ مِقنَبُ
“And the allies girded their horses
And some headed out from them nudged.”
إِذا وَرَدوا الماءَ الرَواءَ تَظامَأَت
أَوائِلُهُم أَو يَحفِروا ثُمَّ يَشرَبوا
“When they come upon fresh water, their first
Quench thirst, or they dig then drink.”
تَفارَطُ هَمدانَ الجِبالَ وَغافِقاً
وَزُهدَ بَني نَهدٍ فَتُسمى وَتَحرُبُ
“Climbing the mountain plateaus and plunging,
While the handsomeness of Bani Nahd is neglected and fought.”
تَوَثَّبُ بِالفُرسانِ خوصاً كَأَنَّها
سَعالٍ طَواها غَزوُهُم فَهيَ شُزَّبُ
“Leaping with the horsemen suddenly as if
Their attack overwhelmed them, so they are rammed.”
وَهُم مِن بَعيدٍ في الحُروبِ تَناوَلوا
عِياذاً وَعَبدَ اللَهِ وَالخَيلُ تُجذَبُ
“And from afar in wars they take
Refuge and Abdullah while horses are pulled.”
بِذي الغافِ مِن وادي عُمانَ فَأَصبَحَت
دِماؤُهُمُ يُجرى بِها حَيثُ تَشخَبُ
“In the One with the Furrow from the valley of Oman, so they became
Their blood flowing wherever it pours.”
أَذاقوهُمُ طَعمَ المَنايا فَعَجَّلوا
وَمَن يَلقَهُم في عَرصَةِ المَوتِ يُشجُبوا
“They made them taste the deaths, so they hastened
And whoever faces them in the arena of death is blamed.”
شَفَوا مِنهُما ما في النُفوسِ وَشَذَّبوا
بِوَقعِ العَوالي كُلَّ مَن يَتَكَتَّبُ
“They healed from them what was in the souls and chopped
With the strike of misfortune, all who gain and hoard.”
وَأَضحى سَعيدٌ في الحَديدِ مُكَبَّلاً
يُعاني وَأَحياناً يُقادُ فَيَصحَبُ
“And Sa’eed became bound in irons
Suffering, and sometimes led so he followed.”
رَأى قَومَهُ إِذ كانَ غَدواً جِلادُهُم
مَعَ الصُبحِ حَتّى كادَتِ الشَمسُ تَغرُبُ
“He saw his people when his captor
Took him in the morning until the sun almost set.”
فَما أُعطِيَ الماعونُ حَتّى تَحاسَرَت
عَلَيهِم جُموعٌ مِن حَنيفَةَ لُجَّبُ
“He was not given respite until there overwhelmed them
Multitudes from Hanifah being pulled violently.”
وَحَتّى عَلَوهُم بِالسُيوفِ كَأَنَّها
مَصابيحُ تَعلو مَرَّةً وَتَصَبَّبُ
“Until they defeated them with swords as if they were
Torches rising and dripping.”
فَلَم يُرَ يَومٌ كانَ أَكثَرَ عَولَةً
وَأَيتَمَ لِلوِلدانِ مِن يَومِ عوتِبوا
“So a day was not seen that had more family calamities
And more orphaning of children than the day they perished.”
وَمَن يَصطَلي في الحَربِ ناراً تَحُشُّها
حَنيفَةُ يَشقى في الحُروبِ وَيُغلَبُ
“And whoever kindles against Hanifah a fire that devours him
Will suffer in wars and be defeated.”
وَما زالَ دَرءٌ مِن حَنيفَةَ يُتَّقى
وَما زالَ قَرمٌ مِن حَنيفَةَ مُصعَبُ
“And a repellent from Hanifah continues to be feared
And a warrior of Hanifah continues to be formidable.”
لَهُ بَسطَةٌ لا يَملُكُ الناسُ رَدَّها
يَدينُ لَهُ أَهلُ البِلادِ وَيُحجَبوا
“He has a vastness none of the people can repel
The inhabitants of the lands submit to him and are veiled.”
تَرى لِلوُفودِ عَسكَراً عِندَ بابِهِ
إِذا غابَ مِنهُم مَوكِبٌ جاءَ مَوكِبُ
“You see delegations at his gate
Whenever a procession leaves, a procession comes.”
