كَأَنَّها حينَ تَناءى خَطوُها
أَخْنَسُ مَوشِيُّ الشَّوى يَرْعى القُلَلْ
As if when her steps receded,
A mute goat herder of the hills grazed the hillocks.
باتَت لَهُ مِن شُرَطِيّ لَيلَةٌ
جادَتْ عَلَيهِ سَبَلا بَعدَ سَبَلْ
One of my nights passed for him,
Ways upon ways led to him after ways.
أَلجَأَهُ اللَّيْلُ إِلى حِقْفِ ثَرى
وَفيهِ صِرُّ ذاتُ حَتفٍ وَوَجَلْ
The night forced him to the cavity of soil,
In it the clamor of one alarmed and fearful.
يَدعو بِظلفَيهِ تُرابا هايِلاً
يَخلطُ رَيثاً وَفُتوراً بعَجَلْ
With his palms he calls abundantly for soil,
Mixing collected and scattered.
يَسوفُ أَعلاهُ وَطَورا يَنتَحي
لِلعِرْقِ بِالسِّنِّ فَما شاءَ فَعَلْ
He ascends its highest and descends its lowest,
To the sweat, with his teeth he does what he wills.
حَتّى إِذا اللَّيلُ تَفَرّى ثَوبهُ
عَنهُ غَدا ينفض عطفَيهِ البَلَلْ
Until when the night removed its clothes from him,
In the morning he shakes off his moist shoulders.
كَأَنَّهُ مُدَّرِعُ قُبْطِيَّةً
مُعتَجِرٌ بِفَضلِها أَو مُشتَمِلْ
As if he is a Copt girded
With its excess or wrapped up.
فَجالَ يَقْرو أَخطَباً أَطاعَهُ
نوءُ السِّماكينَ بِثَجَّاجِ زَجِلْ
So he walked high-headed, obeying
The hump of the two firm mounts with the striking of music.
إِن يَستَرِبْ بِنبأة يَبعَثْ لَها
طَليعَةً تَنفُض أَطرافَ السُّبُلْ
If he perceives any news he dispatches to it
An advance party shaking the ends of the roads
مِن أَذُنَينِ يَطَّبي سَمعهما
مِنَ السُّكونِ حَرَكاتٍ تَعتَمِلْ
From two ears whose hearing he alerts
From stillness—movements that build up.
فَاِرتاعَ مِن غُضْفٍ يُراعينَ بِهِ
شَوازِبٍ مِثل قِداحِ المُنتَصِلْ
So he was startled by a forest preserving with it
Braids like the wicks of lamps.
يَسعى بِها أَطلَس عارٍ مُبتَذِل
لَيسَ بِراعي غَنَمٍ وَلا إِبِلْ
With it he comes, a bare, disgraceful knight,
No shepherd of sheep nor camels.
يَرمي بِها الغيطانَ كَالسِّيدِ المول
يُشبِهُ ما شَبَّهته غَير الرجلْ
He hurls at the shelters as a debauched master
Making similar what the man did not.
فَاِكتَنَفتْهُ فَنَحا يَقدُمُها
فَاِحتَفَلَتْ في شَدِّها ثُمَّ اِحتَفَلْ
So they drew around him and he stepped forward leading them
And they struggled with intensity then struggled.
حَتّى إِذا كادَت ثَنَت صَولَتَهُ
عَزيمَةٌ مِنهُ وَجدٌّ لَم يَزَلْ
Until when her zeal almost bent his determination,
Resolution from him and permanence that did not cease.
فَجالَ فيها جَولَةً مُعتَرِضاً
فَاِختَلَّ بِالرَّوقينِ أَقراب الأوَلْ
So he walked in it a walk, going sideways,
Separate from the two mares, the closest of the first.
كَأَنَّهُ اِبنُ فارِسِيّ يَنتَحي
لِلقِرنِ طَعناً بِمهزٍّ مُعتَدِلْ
As if he is the son of a Persian, avoiding
The spear, a moderate stab with a sharpened blade.
غادَرَها تَكبو عَلى أُنوفِها
رَوادِياً وَاِنقَضَّ كَالنَّجمِ الموَلْ
He left them overthrown on their muzzles
Slipping away like a shooting star.
هاتيكَ بَعدَ الأَينِ وَالأَين وَقَد
طالَ بِها الإِرقالُ لا البَولُ المدَلْ
There they are after oh where and oh where, and for long
The stumbling, not the urine, flowed.
إِلى الوَزيرِ الحَسَن اِستَنجَدْتُها
إِلى مَناخِ وَمَزارٍ وَمَحَلْ
To the Minister al-Hasan I appealed for help against them
For refuge, rest, and lodging.
أَيّ مَزارٍ وَمَناخٍ وَمَحَلّ
لِخايِفِ أَو مُستَريشٍ ذي أَمَلْ
What refuge, rest, and lodging
For someone fearful or seeking safety, of hope?
دعامَةُ الملكِ وَحَيثُ اِعتَمَدَتْ
أَركانُهُ وَالحَرز مِن رتبِ الدُّوَلْ
The pillar of the King and where his pillars leaned
And his citadel, from the positions of sovereignty,
سَيفُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ المُنتَضى
وَحِصنُ ذي الرّياسَتَينِ المعتَقَلْ
The sword of the Commander of the Faithful, sought out
And fortress of the two exalted, impregnable authorities
مِن عصبَةٍ أَنْقَذَنا اللَّهُ بِها
وَثبت الإِسلامُ مِن بَعدِ الزَّلَلْ
From a clan through whom God delivered us
And Islam was fixed after slips,
طَيِّبَة الأَصلِ مَعَ الفَرعِ لَها
غُصْنان يَهتَزَّانِ في رُكنِ جَبَلْ
Of good origin, with branches for it
Two branches shaking in the corner of a mountain,
حَفافي الملك يَذودانٍ مَعاً
عَن حُرمَةِ الدِّينِ وَمِيراثِ الرُّسُلْ
Protectors of the kingdom who together ward off
From the sanctity of religion and legacy of prophets,
أُقسِمُ بِاللَّهِ يَميناً بَرَّة
وَالعيسُ تَجتابُ اليَبابَ المُتَّصِلْ
I swear by God the greatest oath
By which the intense dark nights give way to the bright dawns,
لَقَولُكَ القَولُ الَّذي يشفي العَمى
وَرأيُكَ الرَّأيُ بِهِ قامَ المَيَلْ
Your word is the word that heals the blind
And your view is the view by which the incline stood upright.
أَنتُم يَدُ الملكِ الَّتي صالَ بِها
خَليفَةُ اللَّهِ عَلى حينِ وَهِلْ
You are the hand of the King by which
The Caliph of God prospers at the time of wavering,
وَهَضْبَةُ الدِّينِ وَأَنصارُ الهُدى
وَعِصْمَةُ الحَقِّ وَفُرسانُ الفُلَلْ
And the plateau of religion, and helpers of guidance,
And protector of truth, and steeds of separation.
وَباذلو الخَيرَ لما يُسْأَلوا
وَباذلو الخَيرَ إِذا الخَيرُ سئلْ
Bestowers of good when asked,
Bestowers of good when good is asked.
وَموقِدو الحَرب لَدى إِطفائِها
وَمُطفِؤُها وَهيَ تَرمي بِالشُّعَلْ
And kindlers of war at its extinction,
And its extinguishers when it casts flames.
آباؤُكَ الغُرُّ الأُلى جدُّهُم
كسرى أَنو شروانُ يَروونَ الأَسَلْ
Your forefathers, the honorable ancients, their origin
Khosrow Anu Shirwan who relate proverbs,
مِن كُلِّ ذي تاجٍ إِذا هم مَضى
قُدْماً لِما هَمَّ وَإِنْ قالَ فَعَلْ
From every crowned one when they step forward
A step for what he desires, even if he says, “Act!”
فَأَينَ لا أَينَ وَأَينَ مِثلُكُم
وَأَنتُم الأَملاكُ وَالنَّاسُ خَوَلْ
Where then not where, and where are ones like you,
While you are the sovereigns and men are abased?
