أَلا مَن لِعَينٍ وَتَسكابِها
تَشَكّى القَذى وَبُكاها بِها
Alas! Who has an eye that overflows with tears
That complain of grit and weep because of it
تَمَنَّت شُرَيرَ عَلى نَأيِها
وَقَد سائَها الدَهرُ حَتّى بَها
That wished for the company of one far away
While time has tired it out until it is dull
وَأَمسَت بِبَغدادَ مَحجوبَةً
بِرَدِّ الأُسودِ لِطُلّابِها
And it has spent the night in Baghdad veiled
In black garments seeking her students
تَرامَت بِنا حادِثاتُ الزَمانِ
تَرامي القَسِيِّ بِنُشّابِها
The events of time assail us
Like the aiming of the firm-handed archer
وَظَلَّت بِغَيرِكَ مَشغولَةً
فَهَيهاتَ ما بِكَ مِمّا بِها
And it remained preoccupied with other than you
So it is far from what is in it because of you
فَما مُغزِلٌ بِأَقاصي البِلادِ
تَفزَعُ مِن خَوفِ كَلّابِها
The spindle at the ends of the country
Is not startled by fear of its dogs
وَقَد أَشبَهَت في ظِلالِ الكِنا
سِ حَورِيَّةٌ وَسطَ مِحرابِها
In the shadows of the niche she resembles
A houri in the midst of her prayer niche
بِأَبعَدَ مِنها فَخَلِّ المُنى
وَقَطِّع عَلائِقَ أَسبابِها
Keep her farther away, leave your purpose
And cut off the causes that tie you
وَيارُبَّ أَلسِنَةٍ كَالسُيوفِ
تُقَطِّعُ أَعناقَ أَصحابِها
O Lord of the tongues that are like swords
That cut off the necks of their owners
وَكَم دُهِيَ المَرءُ مِن نَفسِهِ
فَلا تَأكُلَنَّ بِأَنيابِها
How much man is wronged by himself
So do not let it eat him with its fangs
فَإِن فُرصَةٌ أَمكَنَت في العَدُو
وِ فَلا تَبدِ فِعلَكَ إِلّا بِها
For if an opportunity presented itself in an enemy
Do not reveal your action except through it
فَإِن لَم تَلِج بابَها مُسرِعاً
أَتاكَ عَدُوُّكَ مِن بابِها
If you do not quickly enter its door
Your enemy will come at you from its door
وَما يَنتَقِص مِن شَبابِ الرِجالِ
يَزِد في نُهاها وَأَلبابِها
That which is lacking in the youth of men
Grows in their endings and intellects
وَقَد أُرحِلُ العيسَ في مَهمَهٍ
تَغَصُّ الرِحالُ بِأَصلابِها
I travel with the stallion in an important task
With saddlebags stuffed to capacity
كَما قَد غَدَوتَ عَلى سابِحٍ
جَوادِ المَحَثَّةِ وَثّابِها
As you raced in the morning with a swimmer
The excellent, quick-striking steed
تُباريهِ جَرداءُ خَيفانَةٌ
إِذا كادَ يَسبُقُ كِدنا بِها
Matched stride for stride by a bare Maghribi horse
When he almost outstripped it
كَأَنَّ عِذاريهِما واحِدٌ
لَجوجانِ تَشقى وَيَشقى بِها
As if their genitals were one
Agonizing and hurting because of it
كَحَدَّينِ مِن جَلَمٍ مُعلَمٍ
فَلا تِلكَ كَلَّت وَلا ذا بِها
Like two blades from a polished, inscribed sword
Neither refused nor did the other because of it
وَطارا مَعاً في عِنانِ السَواءِ
كَأَنّا بِهِ وَكَأَنّا بِها
And they flew equally with slackened reins
As if it were he, and it were she
تَخالُهُما بَعدَ ما قَد تَرى
نَجِيَّ أَحاديثَ هَمّا بِها
Deceiving them after you see
The salvation of their worries because of it
فَرَدّا عَلى الشَكِّ لَم يَسبُقا
عَلى دَأبِهِ وَعَلى دَأبِها
So they refuted doubt, neither outstripped
His pace nor hers
وَقالَ أَناسٌ فَهَلا بِهِ
وَقالَ أَناسٌ فَهَلا بِها
And some people said, “Why not him?”
And some people said, “Why not her?”
نَصَحتُ بَني رَحِمي لَو وَعَوا
نَصيحَةَ بَرٍّ بِأَنسابِها
I advised my kin—if only they would heed—
Sincere advice of kinship and its lineages
وَقَد رَكِبوا بَغيَهُم وَاِرتَقَوا
بِزَلّاءَ تُردي بِرُكّابِها
And they rode their unruliness and climbed
Up a slippery ascent that drops its riders
وَراموا فَرائِسَ أُسدِ الشَرى
وَقَد نَشِبَت بَينَ أَنيابِها
And they sought the prey of the evil lion
That had bared its fangs between them
دَعوا الأُسدَ تَفرِسُ ثُمَّ اِشبَعوا
بِما تَدَعُ الأُسدُ في غابِها
They left the lion to lurk, then took their fill
Of what the lion leaves behind in the thickets
قَتَلنا أُمَيَّةَ في دارِها
وَنَحنُ أَحَقُّ بِأَسلابِها
We killed Umayya in her house
And we are more deserving of her belongings
وَكَم عُصبَةٍ قَد سَقَت مِنكُمُ ال
خِلافَةَ صاباً بِأَكوابِها
And so many partisan groups among you
Poured out the caliphate a drink in their cups
إِذا ما دَنَوتُم تَلَقَّتكُمُ
زَبوناً وَقَرَّت بِحَلّابِها
Whenever you draw near, she welcomes you
As clients and is content with her milk-sellers
وَلَمّا أَبى اللَهُ أَن تَملِكوا
نَهَضنا إِلَيها وَقُمنا بِها
And when Allah refused that you should rule
We rose up to it and took charge of it
وَما رَدَّ حُجّابُها وافِداً
لَنا إِذ وَقَفنا بِأَبوابِها
And none of its chamberlains turned a newcomer away from us
When we stood at its doors
كَقُطبِ الرَحى وافَقَت أُختَها
دَعونا بِها وَغَلَبنا بِها
As the pivot-stone met its mate
We called it and overcame it
وَنَحنُ وَرِثنا ثِيابَ النَبِيِّ
فَلِم تَجذِبونَ بِأَهدابِها
And we inherited the clothes of the Prophet
So why do you pull at their hems?
لَكَم رَحِمٌ يا بَني بِنتِهِ
وَلَكِن بَنو العَمِّ أَولى بِها
For how many wombs, O sons of their daughters!
But the sons of the uncle are more entitled to it
بِهِ غَسَلَ اللَهُ مَحلَ الحِجازِ
وَأَبرَأَها بَعدَ أَوصابِها
By it Allah washed the site of the Hijaz
And healed it after its wounds
وَيَومَ حُنَينٍ تَداعَيتُمُ
وَقَد أَبدَتِ الحَربُ عَن نابِها
And on the day of Hunayn you
Routed while war bared its fang
وَلَمّا عَلا الحَبرُ أَكفانَهُ
هَوى مَلِكٌ بَينَ أَثوابِها
And when the dust settled on his shroud
A King fell amidst his clothes
فَمَهلاً بَني عَمِّنا إِنَّها
عَطِيَّةُ رَبٍّ حَبانا بِها
So hold off, sons of our uncle! She is
A gift of a Giving Lord who granted her to us
وَكانَت تَزَلزَلُ في العالَمينَ
فَشَدَّت إِلَينا بِأَطنابِها
And she shook the two worlds
So she inclined toward us with her mooring ropes
وَأُقسِمُ أَنَّكُمُ تَعلَمونَ
بِأَنّا لَها خَيرُ أَربابِها
And I swear you know
That we are the best of her wardens
