سُقِياً لِمَنزِلَةِ الحِمى وَكَثيبِها
إِذ لا أَرى زَمَناً كَأَزماني بِها
A drink to the homestead of al-Hima and its sand dune
When I see no time like my times in it
ما أَعرِفُ اللَذاتِ إِلّا ذاكِراً
هَيهاتَ قَد خَلَّفتُ لَذّاتي بِها
I know no pleasures but by remembering them
Alas! I left my pleasures in it
وَبَكيتُ مِن جَزعٍ لِنَوحِ حَمامَةٍ
دَعَتِ الهَديلَ فَظَلَّ غَيرَ مُجيبُها
And I wept in anguish at the moan of a dove
That called out while none responded to her
نُحنا وَناحَت غَيرَ أَنَّ بُكاءَنا
بِعُيونِنا وَبُكائَها بِقُلوبِها
We cried while she cried, but our crying was
With our eyes while hers was with her heart
مَنَعَ الزِيارَةَ مِن شُرَيرَةَ خائِفٌ
لَو يَستَطيعُ لَباتَ بَينَ جُيوبِها
Fearing harm, it prevented visiting her
If it could, it would spend the night in her bosoms
ساءَت بِكَ الدُنيا وَسَرَّت مَرَّةً
فَأَراكَ مِن حَسَناتِها وَذُنوبِها
The world was made odious to you and once delighted
When I saw you among its virtues and vices
وَيَجُرُّني بِالمَطلِ مَوعِدُ حاجَةٍ
لَو شِئتُ قَد بَرَدَ الغَليلُ بِطيبِها
And the tryst of my need drags me to waiting
If I wished, yearning would be quelled by her perfume
مَحبوسَةٍ في كَفِّ مَطلِكَ طالَما
عَذَّبتَني وَشَغَلتَ آمالي بِها
Imprisoned for so long in your clenched fist
You tortured me and busied my hopes with her
خَلِّ العَواذِلَ لَيلَةً قاسَيتُها
وَالناجِياتُ بِنَصِّها وَدُؤوبِها
Free the virgins one difficult night
As they are saved by its text and its diligence
يَحمِلنَ وَفدَ الشُكرِ فَوقَ رِحالِها
وَالشاكِرُ النَعماءِ كَالجاري بِها
They carry gratitude's delegation atop their mounts
While the grateful for blessings is like her slave
بَيضاً وَمَسَّهُمُ الهَجيرُ بِسُمرَةٍ
مِثلَ البُدورِ سَطَعنَ تَحتَ سُحوبِها
White yet tanned by the sun in late morning
Like full moons gleaming beneath its clouds
لَمّا رَأَيتَ المُلكَ شَظّى عودَهُ
وَهَوَت كَواكِبُ سَعدِها بِغُروبِها
When you saw the kingdom's timber shattered
And the stars of its fortune setting in their sunset
حَرَّكتَ تَدبيراً عَلَيهِ سَكينَةً
وَخَلَطتَ ضَحكَةَ حازِمٍ بِقُطوبِها
You stirred up a scheme for it, instilling tranquility
And mixed a resolute man's smile with his sullenness
وَذَخَرتَ لِلأَعداءِ أُسدَ وَقائِعٍ
صُبُراً عَلى غُمّاتِها وَكُروبِها
And for the enemies you stored lions of events
With patience for their gloom and tribulations
أُسدٌ فَرائِسُها الفَوارِسُ لا تَطا
إِلّا عَلى الأَقرانِ يَومَ حُروبِها
Lions whose horsemen the knights cannot withstand
Save for peers on the day of its battles
كَم فِتنَةٍ لاقَيتَ فيها فُرصَةً
فَحَتَمتُها وَوَثَبتَ قَبلَ وُثوبِها
How many seditions you encountered and seized their opportunity
So you subdued them and pounced before their confusion
راعَيتَ جانِبَها بِلَحظٍ حازِمٍ
فَطِنٍ بِعَقرَبِ عِلَّةٍ وَدَبيبِها
You watched their side with a shrewd, discerning glance
Keenly aware of the scorpion of illness and its creeping
كَم قائِلٍ وَالهامُ تُنظَمُ في القَنا
لا يُصلَحُ الخَرَزاتِ غَيرُ ثُقوبِها
How many words are strung in prose
That naught can improve but the beads' holes
قُطبٌ يُديرُ رَحى الحَوادِثِ حَولَهُ
مُتَفَرِّدٌ بِصُروفِها وَخُطوبِها
A pole who steers the mill of events around him
Unique in its turns and occurrences
وَعُهودِ ميثاقٍ أَخَذتَ وَزِدتَها
شَدّاً كَما عُقِدَ القَنا بِكُعوبِها
With covenants of a pact you upheld and augmented
Binding them as knots are tied in shoelaces
وَعَزائِمٍ رَعهَدتُها في صَمتِهِ
لا تَكشِفُ الأَوهامُ سِترَ غُيوبِها
And resolves you determined in his silence
Imaginings cannot uncover the veil of their mysteries
وَالبيضُ لا يَهتِكنَ ما لاقَيتَهُ
إِلّا بِصَوتِ مُتونِها وَرُكوبِها
And the innocent do not rend what you have faced
Save by the sound of their texts and mounts
وَلَرُبَّ أَشرارٍ لِنَفسٍ نالَها
أَعدائُها مِن خِلِّها وَحَبيبِها
And many malign ones a soul obtained
From its defects and beloved from its enemies
وَتَنالُ ما فاتَ العَجولَ تَمَهُّلاً
وَدَوّمُ حُضرِ الخَيلِ في تَقريبِها
And it attains what the hasty miss by patience
And residing long with the cavalry in approaching it
كَم دَولَةٍ مَرِضَت وَأَبرَأَها لَنا
لَولاهُ بَرَّحَ سُقمُها بِطَبيبِها
How many a state grew ill and you cured it for us
Else its illness would have triumphed over its healer
وَلَرُبَّ سَمعٍ قَد قَرَعتَ بِحُجَّةٍ
هَذَّبتُها مِن شَكِّها وَعُيوبِها
And how many an ear you have rung with proof
Refining it from its doubts and flaws
أَثنى عَلَيها بِالصَوابِ حَسودُها
وَقَضى عَلَيها خَصمُها بِوُجوبِها
Its enviers praised it with propriety
While its adversary judged it obligatory
إِعطائُها التَوفيقَ مِن كَلِماتِهِ
بَيضاءَ ساطِعَةً لِمَن يَسري بِها
Granting it success from his statements
White, radiant for those who walk by them
