أَلا طَرَقَتنا بَعدَما هَجَدوا هِندُ

وَقَد سِرنَ خَمساً وَاِتلَأَبَّ بِنا نَجدُ

After they migrated from India,

We journeyed five nights until Najd welcomed us,

أَلا حَبَّذا هِندٌ وَأَرضٌ بِها هِندُ

وَهِندٌ أَتى مِن دونِها النَأيُ وَالبُعدُ

How excellent is India and the land wherein is India!

Yet from elsewhere than it came the distance and the far reach;

وَهِندٌ أَتى مِن دونِها ذو غَوارِبٍ

يُقَمَّصُ بِالبوصِيِّ مُعرَورِفٌ وَردُ

And from elsewhere than it there came one with shifted spear-points,

Clad in Busiri mantle, a renowned knight;

وَإِنَّ الَّتي نَكَّبتُها عَن مَعاشِرٍ

عَلَيَّ غِضابٍ أَن صَدَدتُ كَما صَدّوا

Now she whom I diverted from the frequenters of assemblies

Is angered against me, angered even as they were angered;

أَتَت آلُ شَمّاسِ بنِ لَأيٍ وَإِنَّما

أَتاهُم بِها الأَحلامُ وَالحَسَبُ العِدُّ

The sons of Shammas ibn Layl came, and yet but dreams

And valorous merit brought them and the numbered progeny;

فَإِنَّ الشَقِيَّ مَن تُعادي صُدورُهُم

وَذو الجَدِّ مَن لانوا إِلَيهِ وَمَن وَدّوا

For hapless is he who makes them his enemies,

While fortune aids whomever they befriend;

يَسوسونَ أَحلاماً بَعيداً أَناتُها

وَإِن غَضِبوا جاءَ الحَفيظَةُ وَالجِدُّ

They lead dreams very far when they are provoked,

And when wrathful the watchful valor comes, and merit;

أَقِلّوا عَلَيهِم لا أَبا لِأَبيكُمُ

مِنَ اللَومِ أَو سُدّوا المَكانَ الَّذي سَدّوا

Condemn them not, neither revile your father's father,

Neither block up the place they have blocked;

أولَئِكَ قَومٌ إِن بَنَوا أَحسَنوا البُنى

وَإِن عاهَدوا أَوفَوا وَإِن عَقَدوا شَدّوا

Those are a folk who if they build, build nobly,

And if they pledge themselves bind themselves solemnly;

وَإِن كانَتِ النُعمى عَلَيهِم جَزَوا بِها

وَإِن أَنعَموا لا كَدَّروها وَلا كَدّوا

And if bounty is shown them they give again increase,

And if they give they injure not, nor keep back aught;

وَإِن قالَ مَولاهُم عَلى جُلِّ حادِثٍ

مِنَ الدَهرِ رُدّوا فَضلَ أَحلامِكُم رَدّوا

And when their chieftain speaks aloud concerning any happening

Of fate, 'Give back the merit of your dreams,' they say;

وَإِن غابَ عَن لَأيٍ بَغيضٌ كَفَتهُمُ

نَواشِئُ لَم تَطرِر شَوارِبُهُم بَعدُ

And though absent from Layl an envier gnash his teeth at them,

Young growths have not twisted the hair of their chins;

وَكَيفَ وَلَم أَعلَمهُمُ خَذَلوكُمُ

عَلى مُعظَمٍ وَلا أَديمَكُمُ قَدّوا

How not, when I know them not to have abandoned you

Against any mighty chieftain, nor twisted at all?

مَطاعينُ في الهَيجا مَكاشيفُ لِلدُجى

بَنى لَهُمُ آبائُهُم وَبَنى الجَدُّ

Obeyed in the deadly foray, searching the darkness,

Built up by their fathers, and by heritage a tower;

فَمَن مُبلِغٌ أَبناءَ سَعدٍ فَقَد سَعى

إِلى السورَةِ العُليا لَهُم حازِمٌ جَلدُ

So let him who will attain the lofty pinnacle of Sa'd

Make haste unto their surpassing meed, resolute, unfaltering;

جَرى حينَ جارى لا يُساوي عِنانَهُ

عِنانٌ وَلا يَثني أَجارِيَّهُ الجَهدُ

When he runs his course he equals not his driving-gear

Nor can his pace exhaust his horse however fast;

رَأى مَجدَ أَقوامٍ أُضيعَ فَحَثَّهُم

عَلى مَجدِهِم لَمّا رَأى أَنَّهُ الجَهدُ

When he saw the glory of peoples betrayed he roused them

To their own glory, what time he saw that that was the effort;

وَتَعذُلُني أَبناءُ سَعدٍ عَلَيهِمُ

وَما قُلتُ إِلّا بِالَّذي عَلِمَت سَعدُ

And the sons of Sa'd blame me concerning themselves,

Yet naught have I said save what Sa'd already witnessed;

لَها أُسُّ دارٍ بِالعُرَيمَةِ أَنهَجَت

مَعارِفُها بَعدي كَما يُنهِجُ البُردُ

It has a source of olden time in Urá al-Ghamr, still flowing clearly,

Its unpaid debts like the trailing of the burd after rain;

خَلَت بَعدَ مَغنى أَهلِها وَتَأَبَّدَت

كَأَن لَم يَكُن لِلحاضِرينَ بِها عَهدُ

Empty after its households and abiding age-long,

As though the present spectators had not sought enjoyment in it of old;

كَأَن لَم تُدَمِّنها الحُلولُ وَفيهُمُ

كُهولٌ وَشُبّانٌ غَطارِفَةٌ مُردُ

As though the halting-places did not know them with long sojourn,

Amid them graybeards and youths, smooth-cheeked, with flowing hair;

هُمُ آلُ سَيّارِ بنِ عَمروِ بنِ جابِرٍ

رِجالٌ وَفَت أَحلامُهُم وَلَهُم جَدُّ

They are the sons of Sayyar son of 'Amr son of Jabir,

Men whose dreams have swelled, and for them is valor;

إِذا نازَعَ الأَقوامُ يَوماً قَناتَهُم

أَبى لَهُمُ المَعروفُ وَالحَسَبُ العِدُّ

If the peoples engage in conflict some day over their dykes

Good breeding and family escutcheon forbid them;

فَمَن كانَ يَرجو أَن يُساوِيَ سَعيُهُ

لَمَسعاتِهِم قَدَّ الأَديمَ كَما قَدّوا

So let him whose endeavor falls short of what they have done

Bind on for all time, like them he has bound;

أَبوهُم وَدى عَقلَ المُلوكِ تَكَلُّفاً

وَما لَهُمُ مِمّا تَكَلَّفَهُ بُدُّ

Their father devoted the reason of kings unto bounty unstintingly,

Nor had they aught of the thing he lavished save the effort;

تَكَلَّفَ أَثمانَ المُلوكِ فَساقَها

وَما غَضَّ عَنهُ مِن سُؤالٍ وَلا زِندُ

He devoted the prices of kings and brought them,

Nor did he flinch from inquiry or importunity;

حَمالَةُ ما جَرَّت فَتاكَةُ ظالِمٍ

حَمالَةُ مُلكٍ لَم يَكُن مِثلُها بَعدُ

The portage of what an unjust aggressor wrought,

The portage of a realm the like of which was never seen;

هُمُ حَمَلوا الأَلفَ الَّتي جَرَّ جارِمٌ

وَرَدّوا جِيادَ الخَيلِ ضاحِيَةً تَعدو

They bore the thousand which a tyrant set running;

And drove back the horses roving at liberty;

أولَئِكَ قَومٌ إِن بَنَوا أَحسَنوا البُنى

وَإِن عاهَدوا أَوفَوا وَإِن عَقَدوا شَدّوا

Those are a people who if they build, build nobly,

And if they pledge themselves bind themselves solemnly;

وَإِن تَكُنِ النُعمى عَلَيهِم جَزَوا بِها

وَإِن أَنعَموا لا كَدَّروها وَلا كَدّوا

And if bounty is shown them give again increase,

And if they give they injure not, nor keep back aught;

وَإِن قالَ مَولاهُم عَلى جُلِّ حادِثٍ

مِنَ الأَمرِ رُدّوا فَضلَ أَحلامِكُم رَدّوا

And when their chieftain speaks aloud concerning any happening

Of command, 'Give back the merit of your dreams,' they say;

أولَئِكَ قَومٌ لَن يَسُدَّ مَكانَهُم

شَريكٌ إِذا عُدَّ المَساعي وَلا وَردُ

Those are a folk none shall replace if all effort be counted

And none attain their reward or gain their palm;