عَذِيرِي مِنْ ضَنَى الْقَلْبِ الْحَزِينِ

عَلَى الإِلْفِ المُفَارِقِ مَكْسَوينِي

My excuse for the sorrow of my sad heart

For parting's malady that afflicts me

جوادٌ شَاخَ فِي طَلَبِ المَعَالِي

وَلَكِنْ مُهْراً فِي عُيُونِي

A generous one aspiring to the heights

Yet a seal upon my eyes

أُرِيدُ بَقَاءهُ وَ الدَّهْرُ آبٍ

عَلَيَّ بَقَاءَهُ فِيمَا يُريِني

I want him to remain though time grows old

I want him to remain before my sight

يُقَطِّعُ بِالْقُنُوطِ نِيَاطَ قَلْبِي

وَيُلْقِي الرَّيْبَ فِي عَقْلِي وَدِينِي

It cuts up my heart’s ropes with despair

And casts doubts into my mind and faith

أَتُوقِرْهُ السَّنُونَ فَلَنْ أَرَاهُ

طَلِيقاً مَارِحاً مَرَحَ الْجُنُونِ

Would years make him venerable, I'll never see

Him frolicking, mad with joy

كَمَا هُوَ كَانَ وَ الدُّنْيَا شَبَابٌ

وَفِيه رَوَائِعُ الْحُسْنِ المُبِينِ

As he was, and the world still young

Embodying evident, beautiful charms

وَإنْ يَخْتَلْ عَلَى الأفْرَاسِ تِيهاً

فَشَتْ فِيهِنَّ أَعْرَاضُ الْفُتُونِ

If he falters confused among the steeds

Scattering the wiles of charming ways

وَإنْ يَصْهِلْ فَأَبْجَرُ آلِ عَبْسٍ

لَهُ صَوْتٌ يُعَادُ بِلاَ رَنِينِ

If he neighs, I startle the clan of Abs

He has a voice repeated without echo

فَيَا أَلْفاً وَبِضْعَ مِئِينَ أَطْوِلْ

بِهَا أَلْفاً وَبِضعاً من مِئِينِ

So a thousand and some hundreds more

With them a thousand and some hundreds too

أَبدْعٌ وَالمَسَافَةُ تِلْكَ أَنَّا

سَمِعْنَا الرَّعْدَ صَارَ إلى أنِينِ

Marvelous, and that distance where

We heard the thunder turn to moan

مَضَى زَمَنُ الصِّبَا وَمَضَى التَّصَابِي

وَلَجَّ الدَّاءُ فِي الشَّيْخِ الزَّمِينِ

The days of youth are gone and escapades done

And illness crept into the worn old man

فَوَا حَرَبَا عَلَيْه وَكَانَ دَهْراً

على اسْتقصَاءِ حَاجَاتِي مُعِينِي

Alas the wars upon him; he was once

Helping to fulfill my needs

وَكَانَ إذَا الْوَجَاهَاتُ اقْتَضَتْني

تَحَمَّلنِي إلى مَا تَقْتَضينِي

And when positions required me

He would carry me wherever wanted

وَيَمْنَحُ جُلُّهُ رَكْبِي جَلاَلاً

يُرِينِي أَنَّ كُلَّ الخَلْقِ دُوِني

Bestowing on my band splendid glory

Showing me all people are beneath me

وَمَا أَحْلاَهُ أَبْيَضَ غَيْرَ حُرٍّ

عَفِيفَ الْفَكِّ وَضَّاحَ الُجَبِينِ

His coat a pure white save the noble

Of refined jaw and bright forehead

يَزِينُ سِوَاهُ تَحْجِيلٌ يَسِيرٌ

وَحُجِّلَ كَلُّهُ حَتَّى الُوَتِينيِ

Adorning his figure slight ornament

All caparisoned to the withers

لَهُ ذَيْلٌ يُشِيرُ بِه دَلاَلاً

إلا ذَاتِ الشَّمَالِ أَوِ الْيَمِينِ

He has a tail indicating as guide

Left or right whichever way to turn

فَيَحْكِي رَايَةً غَرَّاءَ تَسْعَى

لِتَشْفِي كُلَّ ذِي دَاءٍ دَفِينِ

It's like a healing banner fluttering

To cure every chronic invalid

أَمَحْجُوبُ المَعَانِي وَالمَعَانِي

بِوَجْهِكَ ظَاهِرَاتٌ عَنْ يَقِينِ

Do meanings hide from me? No, meanings

Are clear to me out of certainty’s eye

أَسَاكَ وَفِيه كُلُّ أَخٍ شَرِيكٌ

يَحِقُّ عَلَى مُفَدِّيكَ الأَمِينِ

He kept you safe and each brother shares

The rightful claim on their trustee friend

تَبَدَّلَ مِنْهُ مَجْدُكَ حِينَ يَمْطُو

بِأَزَّازٍ وَ تَفَّافٍ لَعِينِ

Your glory was transformed whenever he

Stepped out brisk, pridefully posturing

يُفَلِّتُ مَاشِياً تَفْلِيتَ سَوءٍ

أَلِيماً لِلأُنُوفِ وَلِلْجُفُونِ

Bolting badly in ugly startles

Painful to noses and to eyelids

وَبَيْنَا يَسْبُقُ القَصْدَ انْدِفَاعاً

إذّا هُوَ قَدْ تَوَقَّفَ قَبْلَ حِينِ

While outpacing too fast straightaway

He would stop short of the goal

فَخَضَّكَ فِي مَكَانِكَ خَضَّ زْبْدٍ

وَلَسْتَ لِسُوءِ حَظِّكَ بالسَّمِينِ

Throwing you down where you stood like foam

You were not fat for your wretched luck

فَتَسْمَعُ قَعْقَعَاتٍ مِنْ عِظَامٍ

تَرَضَّضُ فِيكَ مِنْ شَدٍّ وَلِينِ

Hearing from bones beneath the cracks

Grinding within from such impacts

عَزَاءَكَ فِي جَوَادِكَ يَا صَديقِي

فَكَمْ فِي الْبُعْدِ عَنُهُ مِنْ شُجُونِ

Your solace is the steed, O my friend

How many yearnings from far apart

إخَالُ المَوْتَ يُنْذِرُهُ وَإنِّي

لأَُبُصِرُ قَسْوَةَ الدِّهْرِ الخَؤُونِ

Death's threat warns him though I see

The cruelty of time's sad misfortunes

فَإنْ يَتَوَلَّ عَنْكَ يَمُتْ حَمِيداً

وَلَمْ يَكُ بِالأَكُولِ وَلاَ البَطِينِ

If he leaves you, he'll die honored

Not greedy bellied nor dull glutton

ويَمْضِ فدِىً لأَرْوَعَ شِمَّرِيٍّ

مُحِيطٍ بِالْعُلُومِ وَبِالُفُنُونِ

A sacrifice for an outstanding prince

Encompassing all arts and disciplines

طَبِيبٍ بِالمَعَارِفِ لاَ يُضَاهَى

أدِيبٍ غَيْرِ خَالٍ مِنْ مُجُونِ

A peerless learned and master physician

A refined poet no novice buffoon

إذَا مَا هَزَّ لِحْيَتَهُ خَطِيباً

يَقُولُ الْخَصْمُ يَا أرْضُ ابْلَعِينِي

If he strokes his beard addressing a speech

His opponent says, “Earth swallow me!”