كَتَمتُكَ لَيلاً بِالجَمومَينِ ساهِرا

وَهَمَّينِ هَمّاً مُستَكِنّاً وَظاهِرا

I concealed you at night with tearful eyes, awake

And with worries that settled in and appeared

أَحاديثَ نَفسٍ تَشتَكي ما يَريبُها

وَوِردَ هُمومٍ لَم يَجِدنَ مَصادِرا

The worries of a soul complaining of what disturbs it

And recurring sorrows that did not find outlets

تُكَلِّفُني أَن يَفعَلَ الدَهرُ هَمَّها

وَهَل وَجَدَت قَبلي عَلى الدَهرِ قادِرا

It demands me to make fate do its worries

Did it ever find anyone before me able to control fate?

أَلَم تَرَ خَيرَ الناسِ أَصبَحَ نَعشُهُ

عَلى فِتيَةٍ قَد جاوَزَ الحَيَّ سائِرا

Have you not seen the best of people, his bier

Became carried by youths after he surpassed the living

وَنَحنُ لَدَيهِ نَسأَلُ اللَهَ خُلدَهُ

يَرُدَّ لَنا مُلكاً وَلِلأَرضِ عامِرا

And we, next to him, ask Allah for his eternity

To return a kingdom to us and prosperity to the land

وَنَحنُ نُرَجّي الخُلدَ إِن فازَ قِدحُنا

وَنَرهَبُ قِدحَ المَوتِ إِن جاءَ قامِرا

And we hope for eternity if our goblets succeed

And we fear the goblet of death if it comes gambling

لَكَ الخَيرُ إِن وارَت بِكَ الأَرضُ واحِداً

وَأَصبَحَ جَدُّ الناسِ يَظلَعُ عاثِرا

Goodness to you if the land becomes desolate with you alone

And the forefather of people goes on stumbling

وَرُدَّت مَطايا الراغِبينَ وَعُرِّيَت

جِيادُكَ لا يُحفي لَها الدَهرُ حافِرا

And the steeds of the ambitious return humiliated

Your steeds that time does not clothe with horseshoes

رَأَيتُكَ تَرعاني بِعَينٍ بَصيرَةٍ

وَتَبعَثُ حُرّاساً عَلَيَّ وَناظِرا

I saw you observing me with an insightful eye

And sending guards to watch over me

وَذَلِكَ مِن قَولٍ أَتاكَ أَقولُهُ

وَمِن دَسِّ أَعدائي إِلَيكَ المَآبِرا

That is because of words that came to you I say

And because my enemies incite you against me

فَآلَيتُ لا آتيكَ إِن جِئتُ مُجرِماً

وَلا أَبتَغي جاراً سِواكَ مُجاوِرا

So I swore I will not come to you if I come a sinner

Nor will I seek a neighbor other than you

فَأَهلي فِداءٌ لِاِمرِئٍ إِن أَتَيتُهُ

تَقَبَّلَ مَعروفي وَسَدَّ المَفاقِرا

So my family is ransom for a man if I come to him

Who accepts my good deed and closes the gaps

سَأَكعَمُ كَلبي أَن يَريبَكَ نَبحُهُ

وَإِن كُنتُ أَرعى مُسحَلانَ فَحامِرا

I will muzzle my dog lest its barking disturbs you

Even if I were herding pregnant camels

وَحَلَّت بُيوتي في يَفاعٍ مُمَنَّعٍ

تَخالُ بِهِ راعي الحَمولَةِ طائِرا

And my abodes settled in an impregnable cliff

Where the shepherd of the camels takes off flying

تَزِلَّ الوُعولُ العُصمُ عَن قُذُفاتِهِ

وَتُضحي ذُراهُ بِالسَحابِ كَوافِرا

The howling winds strip the summit of its hurling

And sacrifice its surroundings to the abundant clouds

حِذاراً عَلى أَن لا تُنالَ مَقادَتي

وَلا نِسوَتي حَتّى يَمُتنَ حَرائِرا

Beware that my honor and my women are not touched

Until they die free women

أَقولُ وَإِن شَطَّت بِيَ الدارُ عَنكُمُ

إِذا ما لَقَينا مِن مَعَدٍّ مُسافِرا

I say even if the abode parts me from you

When we meet someone traveling from Ma’ad

أَلِكني إِلى النُعمانِ حَيثُ لَقيتَهُ

فَأَهدى لَهُ اللَهُ الغُيوثَ البَواكِرا

Direct me to al-Nu’man where you met him

So Allah guided the early downpours to him

وَصَبَّحَهُ فُلجٌ وَلا زالَ كَعبُهُ

عَلى كُلِّ مَن عادى مِنَ الناسِ ظاهِرا

And he washed him in a flood but his foot

Remained triumphant over all who opposed him

وَرَبَّ عَلَيهِ اللَهُ أَحسَنَ صُنعِهِ

وَكانَ لَهُ عَلى البَرِيَّةِ ناصِرا

And Allah cultivated the best of his making upon him

And was his supporter against the humans

فَأَلفَيتُهُ يَوماً يُبيدُ عَدوَّهُ

وَبَحرَ عَطاءٍ يَستَخِفَّ المَعابِرا

So I found him one day annihilating his enemy

And a sea of generosity the crossers underestimate