إلى شَجا لاعِجٍ فِي القلْبِ مُضْطَرِمِ

جاشٍ إليكَ بِهِ بَحرٌ مِنَ الكَلِمِ

To a burning anguish in my heart

Rushing to you is a sea of words

ودَمْعِ أجفانِ عَيْنٍ قَدْ شَرِقْنَ بِهِ

حتَّى ترقرقَ بينَ الرِّقِ والقلَمِ

And tears from the eyelids that shone with it

Until it flows between humility and the pen

دَيْناً لِذي أُسْرَةٍ دُنْيا وَفَيْتَ بِهِ

ورَحْمةً وُصِلَتْ مِنِّي بذِي رَحِمِ

A debt to one with a worldly family that you have fulfilled

And a mercy that reached from me to one with kinship

إكرامُهُ كَرَمي وذُلُّهُ أَلَمِي

وظُلْمُهُ ظُلَمِي وَعُدْمُهُ عَدَمي

His nobility is my nobility and his humiliation is my pain

His injustice is my injustice and his nonexistence is my nonexistence

إذا رَدَدْتُ سيوفَ الهِندِ عَنْ دَمِهِ

فإنما رَجَعَتْ عَنْ مُهْجَتي وَدَمي

If I drive back the Indian swords from his blood

Then they have only recoiled from my being and my blood

وإنْ ضَرَبْتُ رِواقاً دونَ حُرْمَتِهِ

فإنَّها سُتُري مُدَّتْ عَلَى حُرَمِي

And if I erect a porch to protect his sanctity

Then it is my veil that I have extended over my sanctity

لَهفي عليهِ وَقَدْ أهوَتْ لَهُ نُكَبٌ

لا تستقلُّ لَهَا ساقٌ عَلَى قَدَمٍ

I yearn for him and misfortune has befallen him

A leg cannot stand steady on a foot

فباتَ يُسْعِرُ بَرْدَ الليلِ من حُرَقٍ

ويَسْتَثيرُ دموعَ الصَّخْرِ من ألَمِ

So he spends the night kindling the cold's fire with burning

And extracting tears from stone with pain

وما بِعَيْنيَّ عن مثواهُ من وَسَنٍ

وَمَا بأذْنيَّ عن شكواهُ من صَمَمِ

Neither are my eyes free of vigil for his dwelling

Nor my ears free of hearing his lament

لو أنَّها كُرْبَةٌ مِنْها أُنَفِّسُها

بالمارِنِ اللَّدْنِ أو بالصَّارِمِ الخَذِمِ

If only it were a hardship I could relieve by sighing

Or with the smooth spear or the notched blade

لكنَّها كُرْبَةٌ جَلَّتْ مواقِعُها

عن حَوْلِ مُتَّئِدٍ أَوْ صَوْلِ مُنْتَقِمِ

But it is a hardship whose places are too high

For the reach of a banqueter or an avenger

فما هَزَزْتُ لَهَا إلّا شَبا قَلَمٍ

مُسْتنصِرِ العفوِ أو مُسْتَصْرِخِ الكَرَمِ

So I did not shake because of it except a pen of youth

Seeking amnesty or crying out for generosity

إلى الَّذِي حَكَمَتْ بالعفوِ قُدْرَتُهُ

لما دَعَتْهُ المُنى احْكُمْ يَا أبا الحَكَمِ

To Him whose power has ruled with amnesty

When destiny called "Rule, O Father of Judges"

ومَنْ إذا مَا التَظى فِي صدْرِهِ حَنَقٌ

فبارِقٌ صَعِقٌ أو مُغْدِقُ الدِّيَمِ

And who when rancor smoulders in his chest

Is a dazzling lightning bolt or a pouring rain

مَتى تَجَرَّعَ حَرَّ القَيْظِ مُغتَرِباً

فَابشِرْ لِغُلَّتِهِ بالبارِدِ الشَّبِمِ

When has he who is exiled tasted the heat of summer

Then good tidings to him of the cool north wind

تَلْقى الكتائِبَ فِي إقدامِ مُصْطَلِمٍ

وعُذْرَ جانيهِ فِي إعراضِ مُنْهَزِمِ

You meet battalions with resolute courage

And the excuse of his adversary in retreat