يَزيدُ أَبو الخَطّابِ أَخرَجَهُ لَنا
شَفيقٌ عَلَينا في الأُمورِ حَميدُها
Yazid, Abu al-Khattab—he brought him forth for us,
compassionate toward us, praiseworthy in all affairs.
وَقائِلَةٍ مِن غَيرِ قَومي وَقائِلٍ
وَفي الناسِ أَقوامٌ بَوادٍ حَسودُها
Many a woman not of my people has spoken, and many a man,
and among mankind are tribes in a valley, envious of her.
عَلى أَنَّها في الدارِ قالَت لِقَومِها
إِذا ما مَعَدٌّ قيلَ أَينَ عَميدُها
Though she was at home, she said to her people:
“When Ma‘add is named, where is its pillar?”
رَأَت رَبَّةُ الرَحمانِ أَخرَجَهُ لَنا
وَجَدٌّ وَمَن خَيرِ الجُدودِ سَعيدُها
The handmaid of the Merciful saw that he brought him forth for us
as a stroke of fortune—and best among fortunes is the happy one.
فَإِنَّ تَميماً إِن خَرَجتَ مُسَلَّماً
مِنَ السِجنِ لَم تُخلَق صِغاراً جُدودُها
For I say of Tamim: if you emerge unharmed
from prison, her fortunes were not fashioned lowly.
وَكَم نَذَرَت مِن صَومِ شَهرٍ وَحِجَّةٍ
نِساءُ تَميمٍ إِن أَتاها يَزيدُها
How many a month-long fast and pilgrimage have
Tamim’s women vowed, should their Yazid come to them!
هُوَ الجَبَلُ الأَعلى الَّذي تَرتَقي بِهِ
تَميمٌ عَلى الأَعداءِ تَخطِرُ صيدُها
He is the loftiest mountain, through whom
Tamim rises over her enemies, her proud men striding tall.
لَهُ خَضَعَت قَيسٌ وَخِندَفُ كُلُّها
وَقَحطانُ طُرّاً كَهلُها وَوَليدُها
To him submitted Qays and all Khindif,
and Qahtan altogether, its old and its young;
وَبَكرٌ وَعَبدُ القَيسِ وَاِبنَةُ وائِلٍ
أَقَرَّت لَهُ بِالفَضلِ صُعراً خُدودُها
and Bakr, and Abd al-Qays, and the daughter of Wa’il
acknowledged his preeminence, their cheeks tilted in pride.
إِذا ما أَبا حَفصٍ أَتَتكَ رَأَيتَها
عَلى شُعَراءِ الناسِ يَعلو قَصيدُها
When it comes to you, Abu Hafs, you will see it:
its ode towers above the poets of mankind.
مَتى ما أَرادوا أَن يَقولوا حَدا بِها
مِنَ الشِعرِ لَم يَقدِر عَلَيهِ مُريدُها
Whenever they wished to compose, he drove it onward in poetry—
beyond the power of anyone who aspired to it.
Sol 5.6