تَبَيَّنتُ ما فيهِ بِخَفّانَ إِنَّني
لَذو فَضلِ رَأيٍ في الرِجالِ سَريعِ
I discerned the excellence in him with keen insight; truly, I am a man of sound judgement and quick wit regarding men.
When the riding camels stretched their necks and excelled one after the other,
إِذا دَقَّ أَعناقَ المَطِيِّ وَأَفضَلَت
نُسوعٌ عَلى الأَكوارِ بَعدَ نُسوعِ
And when it circulated among the people, I made clear that they were
Young she-camels freed in the enclosure of a pasturing ground.
وَلَمّا جَرى في القَومِ بَيَّنتُ أَنَّها
أَجارِيُّ طِرفٍ في رِباطِ نَزيعِ
They set out at dawn with the daughters of the stallion, fearful and cautious,
And a herd that had been muddied with dung.
غَدَوا بِبَناتِ الفَحلِ رَهبى رَذِيَّةً
وَكَوماءَ قَد ضَرَّجتَها بِنَجيعِ
We traveled at night, and when we arrived in his lands,
We stayed and grazed in the best pasture.
سَرَينا فَلَمّا أَن أَتَينا بِلادَهُ
أَقَمنا وَأَرتَعنا بِخَيرِ مَريعِ
He saw glory and permanence being built for his children, so he built
In the shade of a lofty, high-reaching structure.
رَأى المَجدَ وَالدَفّاعُ يَبنيهِ فَاِبتَنى
إِلى ظِلِّ بُنيانٍ أَشَمَّ رَفيعِ
I examined him for virtue when I met him,
Because he had inherited from his fathers no wasted inheritance,
تَفَرَّستُ فيهِ الخَيرَ لَمّا لَقيتُهُ
لِما أَورَثَ الدَفّاعُ غَيرَ مُضيعِ
A young man, not frivolous, when touched by good fortune,
And in the setbacks of fate, not given to lamentation,
فَتىً غَيرُ مِفراحٍ إِذا الخَيرُ مَسَّهُ
وَمِن نَكَباتِ الدَهرِ غَيرُ جَزوعِ
Judicious, whenever he wished, forbearing and successful,
Though he be sharper than an Indian sword in combat.
وَقُسٌّ إِذا ما شاءَ حِلماً وَنائِلاً
وَإِن كانَ أَمضى مِن أَحَذَّ وَقيعِ
The builder of glory built for you above an eminence,
On the inaccessible mountain peaks.
بَنى لَكَ باني المَجدِ فَوقَ مُشَرَّفٍ
عَلى مُصعَبٍ يَعلو الجِبالَ مَنيعِ
For that is a young man who, if you come to him for help
To his wealth, you will not come to him through an intermediary.
فَذاكَ فَتىً إِن تَأتِهِ لِصَنيعَةٍ
إِلى مالِهِ لا تَأتِهِ بِشَفيعِ
