أَلَم تَحزَن عَلى الرَبعِ المُحيلِ

وَأَطلالٍ وَآثارٍ مَحولِ

Did you not grieve for the ruined abode,

And ruins and traces effaced?

عَفَتهُ الريحُ تَعدِلُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

وَجالَت فيهِ أَعناقُ السُيولِ

The winds have wiped its vestige every day,

And the torrents have rolled through it.

وَبَدَّلَ بَعدَ أَسبابِ التَصابي

بِأَسبابِ التَذَكُّرِ بِالقَليلِ

After the cause of salutations it has changed

To the cause of remembering with little.

أَنارٌ مِن تِهامَةَ لَم تُغَمَّض

بَدَت لَكَ أَم سَنى بَرقٍ كَليلِ

A light appeared from Tihama which was not extinguished,

Did a radiant lightning appear to you or not?

تَقاضاكَ الهَوى عَن أَهلِ نَجدٍ

فَلَم تَصرِف إِلى دَمعٍ مَطولِ

Love has claimed you from the people of Najd

Yet you did not shed a single prolonged tear.

أَيَقتُلُ كُلَّ مُشتاقٍ هَواهُ

كَما حُدِّثتُ عَن يَومِ الرَحيلِ

Does love kill every lover

As I was told about the day of departure?

وَيَومَ دارِسِ الآثارِ خالٍ

كَدَمعٍ حارَ في جَفنٍ كَحيلِ

On the day the abodes were deserted,

It was as tears flowing down dusty eyelids.

طَرَقتُ بِيَعمَلاتٍ ناجِياتٍ

وَأُفقُ الصُبحِ أَدهَمُ ذو حُجولِ

I came at day break wailing

While the dawn horizon donned mantles,

وَجَمعٍ سارَ يَقدُمُهُ لِواءٌ

كَفَضلِ عَمامَةِ الرَجُلِ الطَويلِ

And an army proceeded led by a banner

Like the superiority of a tall man’s turban.

مَريضِ الخَوفِ تَخفُقُ رايَتاهُ

عَلى أَهلِ الضَغائِنِ وَالتُبولِ

The standard of the coward flutters

Against the people of grudges and misgivings.

شَهِدتُ فَلَم أَنَم ثَأراً بِفَخرٍ

وَلَم أُغلَب عَلى العَفوِ الجَميلِ

I witnessed but did not sleep, avenging pride,

And was not defeated by beautiful pardon,

وَمالٍ قَد حَلَلتُ الوَعدَ عَنهُ

إِذا اِنعَقَدَت بِهِ نَفسُ البَخيلِ

And money whose promise I made lawful

If the soul of the miser clings to it.

وَأَوثِرُ صاحِبَيَّ بِفَضلِ زادي

وَأُحيِي النَفسَ بِالبَلَلِ القَليلِ

I give preference to my companion with my surplus provision,

And revive the soul with little water.

أَقَمنا المَيلَ آخِرَةً وَبَدءً

مِنَ الأَحياءِ في الزَمَنِ الطَويلِ

We passed the night, last and first,

Among the living in the long era,

بِمُشعَلَةٍ تُزَفُّ إِلى الأَعادي

كَأَنَّ رِجالِها آسادُ غيلِ

With a flaming firebrand taken to the enemies

As if its men were roaring lions.

وَكُنّا وَالقَبائِلَ مِن مَعَدٍّ

كَذي رَحلٍ تَقَدَّمَ بِالزَميلِ

And we and the Ma’addite tribes

Were like a traveler who has marched with friends.