سَلا دارَها أن أَنبأ الطَلَلُ القفرُ

أَجادَ فروّاها سِوى أَدمعي قطرُ

The ruins told the desert about her abode,

And it excellently narrated, except for my falling tears.

وَهَل أَوقدَ السارون ناراً بأرضها

فَكانَ لَها إلّا لظى كَبِدي جَمرُ

Did the tyrants ignite a fire in her land?

For only the embers of my liver were its flames.

وَما شَغَفي بالدار أَبكي رسُومَها

وأَندبُها لَولا الصَبابةُ وَالذِكرُ

It is not passion for the house that makes me weep for its traces

And lament it, were it not for the youths and the memories.

ذكرتُ بها أَيّامَ جُملٍ وعهدُها

جَميلٌ وَفينانُ الصِبا مونقٌ نَضرُ

I remembered through it the days of beauty, and its epoch

Was beautiful, and the prime of youth adorned with blossoms.

إِذِ العيشُ صَفوٌ والحَبائِبُ جيرةٌ

وَروضُ الهَوى غضٌّ حدائقه خُضرُ

When living was pure, and the loved ones were neighbors,

And the meadow of passion was fresh, its gardens green.

أَميسُ اِرتياحاً في بُلهنية الصِبا

تعانقني شَمسٌ وَيلثمني بَدرُ

I lived in comfort in the prime of my youth,

Cuddled by a sun, kissed by a full moon.

وَغَيداء من عُليا لؤيِّ بن غالبٍ

حَمتها المواضي والمثقَّفةُ السُمرُ

The white-skinned beauty, daughter of Ulya bin Ghalib,

Protected by plains and perfumed blond hair.

وأقسمُ لو لَم تحمِها البيضُ والقَنا

لأغنى غناها الخُنزوانةُ والكبرُ

I swear, if the eggs and arrows did not protect her,

Her singing and poetry would have been enough.

هيَ الظبيةُ الأدماءُ لَولا قوامُها

وَشَمسُ الضُحى لَولا المباسمُ وَالثغرُ

She is a rosy gazelle, were it not for her figure,

And the morning sun, were it not for her smile and mouth.

تُطاولُ زُهرَ الأفق أَزهارُ نَعتها

وَيستنزلُ الشِعرى لأَوصافها الشِعرُ

The flowers of the horizon vie with the flowers of her attributes,

And poetry comes down to describe her in verse.

أَطعتُ هَواها ما اِستَطَعتُ ولم يكن

لغير الهَوى نهيٌ عليَّ ولا أَمرُ

I obeyed her love as much as I could, and none had

Over me concerning her love any prohibition or order.

لَقَد ضَلَّ مشغوفُ الفؤاد بغادَةٍ

معدُّ بن عَدنانٍ بن أدٍّ لها نَجرُ

Lost indeed is he, whose heart is obsessed with Ghada,

Mu'addi bin 'Adnan bin Udad, her neighbor.

إِذا نُثِرَت يَوماً كِنانةُ ناظرٍ

لعاشِقها ثارَت كِنانةُ وَالنضرُ

If the coquetry of her eyes is scattered one day,

For her lover, her coquetry and sight arise.

يَغارون أَن يَهوى فَتاهم فتاتَهم

وَهَل في هوى خلٍّ لخلَّته نُكرُ

They resent that their handsome youth should love their belle,

Is there any shame in a confidant loving his confidante?

وَما ضَرَّهم لو لُفَّ شَملي بشَملها

وَقَد لَفَّت الأَعراقَ ما بيننا فِهرُ

It would not have harmed them had my relationship embraced hers,

While estrangement has separated what is between us.

إِلى اللَه من حُبّي فَتاةً مَنيعةً

وَفائي لها ما بين أَقوامها غدرُ

I seek refuge in God from my love of an aloof beauty,

And my loyalty to her, while treason spreads among her folk.

تُطِلُّ دماء العاشقين لعلمها

بأَنَّ دماءَ العاشقين لها هَدرُ

She sheds the blood of lovers, knowing

That shedding the blood of lovers is easy for her.

كأَنَّ لها وتراً على كُلِّ عاشقٍ

وَقَد أَقسمت أَن لا ينامَ لها وترُ

As if she has a string on every lover,

She swore his string would not sleep.

أعاذلُ مَهلاً غيرُ سَمعي للائمٍ

فَقَد ظهر المكنونُ واِتَّضح العُذرُ

I excuse lengthily, while none hear the blamer,

So the hidden is revealed and the excuse exposed.

لعمري لَقَد حاولتَ نُصحي وإنَّما

بِسَمعيَ عمّا أَنتَ مُسمعُهُ وقرُ

By my life, you have tried to advise me, but

My ear turns only to what you allow it to hear.

وَقبلَك لامَ اللائمون فَلَم يَكن

لهم عند أَهل العشق حمدٌ ولا أَجرُ

Before you blamed the lovers, but

They have with the people of passion no praise or reward.

وَمِن قَبلُ ما لَجَّ المحبُّون في الهَوى

وَما جَهِلوا أَنَّ الهوى مركبٌ وَعرُ

Before this, the enamored entered into love,

Not knowing that love is a bumpy ride.

وَأَمسوا يَرومون الوصال فأَصبحوا

وأَيديهمُ مِمّا يَرومونَه صِفرُ

They harbored hopes of union, but awoke

With hands empty of what they sought.

وَما نَكِرَ العشّاق هَجراً ولا قِلىً

فَما طابَ وصلٌ قطُّ لَو لَم يكن هَجرُ

The lovers do not deny estrangement or torment,

For no union tastes good unless estrangement precedes it.

وإِنّي على ما بي من الوَجدِ والأَسى

لذو مِرَّة لا يستفزُّنيَ الدَهرُ

And I, with the passion and sorrow within me,

Am of bitter disposition, which fate cannot provoke.

أَرى الصَبرَ مِثلَ الشهد طعماً إذا عرت

مُلمَّاتهُ وَالصَبرُ مثلُ اسمِه صَبرُ

I see patience as the taste of honey when

You lick it, and patience is like its name, patience.

وإنّي من القَوم الألى شيَّدوا العُلى

إِذا نقموا ضرّوا وإِن نعموا بَرّوا

And I am of the exalted people who,

When offended, were harmful, and when blessed, were righteous.

وإِن وَعَدوا أَوفوا وإِن أَوعَدوا عَفوا

وإِن غَضِبوا ساؤوا وإِن حلموا سَرّوا

When they promised, they fulfilled, and when they threatened, they forgave.

When angry, they were evil, and when forbearing, they were good.

هُمُ سادةُ الدنيا وَساسَةُ أَهلها

وهم غررُ العَليا وأَنجمُها الزُهرُ

They are the masters of the world and itsstatesmen,

And the finest of the exalted, their blossoms most fragrant.

بَنو هاشمٍ رهطُ النَبيِّ محمَّدٍ

به لهم دون الوَرى وَجَبَ الفَخرُ

The clan of Hashim, kin of the Prophet Mohammed,

Through him, above all creation, excellence was due.

هُمُ أَصلُه الزاكي ومحتِدُه الَّذي

زَكا فَزَكا فَرعٌ له وَذكا نشرُ

He is their pure root and their sharp one, who

When purified, produced a branch, and when keen, published far and wide.

وَهَل يُنبِتُ الخَطّيَّ إِلّا وَشيجُهُ

وَيطلع إلّا في حدائقه الزَهرُ

Does a sweet basil plant grow but from its seed?

Or bloom, but in its own gardens?

أَلا أَيُّها الساعي ليُدرِكَ شأوَهم

رويدَك لا تجهَد فَقَد قُضيَ الأَمرُ

Beware, O you who seek to attain their glory,

Go slowly, do not exert, for the matter is settled.

وَإِن كنتَ في شَكٍّ مُريبٍ فَسَل بهم

خَبيراً فعنهم صدَّق الخَبَر الخُبرُ

If you are in troubling doubt about them, then ask

An expert, for the reports have proven truthful about them.

وَقَد ينكرُ الصبحَ المنير أَخو عمىً

وإِلّا فما بالصُبح عن ناظِرٍ سَترُ

The brilliant dawn may be denied by a blind kinsman,

But else, why would the dawn conceal from a seer?

إِذا عُدَّ منهم أَحمدٌ واِبنُ عمِّه

وَعَمّاهُ واِبناهُ وبضعَتُهُ الطُهرُ

When counted among them are Ahmed, his cousin,

His uncle, his sons, and his immaculate daughter.

وعترتُه الغرُّ الهداةُ ومن لهم

مَناقبُ لا تَفنى وإِن فَنيَ الدهرُ

And his chaste family, the finest guides, and those who

Have merits that do not vanish, though time vanishes.

فَقَد أَحرَزوا دونَ الأنام مفاخراً

تَضيق لأدناها البَسيطةُ والبَحرُ

Then they have secured, beyond all people, glories

Too narrow for the plain or the sea at its widest.

أولئك آبائي فجئني بمثلهم

إِذا جمع الأَقيالَ أَنديةٌ زُهرُ

They are my forefathers, so bring me their equals,

If gatherings of nobles are adorned with blossoms.

عليهم صَلاةُ اللَه ما ذرَّ شارِقٌ

وَما لاحَ في الآفاق من نورهم فجرُ

May the prayers of God be upon them, as long as the east glows,

And as long as their light shines in the horizons from dawn.