سَلوا بَعدَ تَسآلِ الوَرى عَنكُمُ عَنّي
فَقَد شاهَدوا ما لَم يَرَوا مِنكُمُ مِنّي
Ask the world after you ask about me
For they witnessed what they never saw from you and me
رَأوني أُراعي مِنكُمُ العَهدَ لي بِكُم
وَأَحسَنَ ظَنّاً مِنكُمُ بي بِكُم ظَنّي
They saw me upholding the promise I made to you
And thinking well of you as much as my thoughts of you
وَقَد كُنتُ جَمَّ الخَوفِ مِن جَورِ بُعدِكُم
فَقَد نِلتُ لَمّا نالَني جَورُكُم أَمني
I had accumulated so much fear of the injustice of your abandonment
Yet when I endured your injustice, I regained my safety
خَطَبتُ بِغالي النَفسِ وَالمالِ وُدَّكُم
فَقَد عَزَّ حَتّى باتَ في القَلبِ وَالذِهنِ
I sought the love of you all and spent my soul and wealth
Until this honor dwelled in my heart and mind
وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ العِزَّ قَد عَزَّ عِندَكُم
وَلا صَبرَ لي بَينَ المَنِيَّةِ وَالمَنِّ
And when I saw this honor was honored by you
And I had no patience between death and tranquility
ثَنَيتُ عِناني مَع ثَنائي عَلَيكُمُ
فَأَصبَحتُ وَالثاني العِنانَ هُوَ المُثني
I turned my reigns along with my praise of you
Thus I remained restraining the second rein
وَلَيسَ أَنيسي في الدُجى غَيرُ صارِمٍ
رَقيقِ شِفارِ الحَدِّ مُعتَدِلِ المَتنِ
And I have no other friend in the darkness but my sword
Smooth sharp edge, balanced blade
كَأَنَّ دَبيبَ النَملِ في جونِ مَتنِهِ
وَلَم يَرَ قَومٌ نَجلَ مازِنَ في المُزنِ
As if the crawling of ants in its side
And no people have seen Māzin’s feet falter in battle
وَطَرفٍ كَأَنَّ المَوجَ لاعَبَ صَدرَهُ
فَيُسرِعُ طَوراً في المِراحِ وَيَستَأني
With a gaze as if the waves toyed with his chest
So he quickly advances then slowly goes
أَميلُ بِهِ بِالسَهلِ مُرتَفِقاً بِهِ
فَيُحزِنُهُ إِلّا التَوَقُّلَ في الحَزنِ
I lean towards the plains with it, carefully with it
It saddens him if I don’t keep moving in grief
وَما زالَ عِلمي يَقتَفيني إِلى العُلى
فَيَسبُقُ حَتّى جاهَدَ الأَكلَ بِالأُذنِ
My knowledge kept pursuing me to the heights
Until it surpassed those who listen attentively
وَزُرتُ مُلوكاً كُنتُ أَسمَعُ وَصفَهُم
فَيُنهِضُني شَوقي وَيُقعِدُني أَمني
I visited kings whom I heard described
My passion arousing me and my safety making me sit
فَلَمّا تَلاقَينا وَقَد بَرِحَ الجَفا
رَأَت مُقلَتي أَضعافَ ما سَمِعَت أُذني
When we met with resentment having left
My gaze saw multiples of what my ears heard
خَطَبتُ بِوُدّي عِندَهُم لاهِباتِهِم
فَأَصبَحتُ بِالعِزِّ المُمَنَّعِ في حِصنِ
I sought the love of their fiery hearts
Thus I gained the protected honor within the fortress
إِذا ما رَأَوني هَكَذا قيلَ هاكَ ذا
وَلَو شاهَدوني راغِباً رَغِبوا عَنّي
Whenever they saw me like this, it was said here he is
If they had seem me aspiring, they would have turned from me
إِذا ما أَقَمتُ الوَزنَ في نَظمِ وَصفِهِم
تَجودُ يَداهُم بِالنُضارِ بِلا وَزنِ
When I compose with the proper weight in describing them
Their hands overflow without measure in bounty
تُعَيِّرُني الأَعداءُ بِالبَينِ عَنهُمُ
وَما كانَ حُكمُ الدَهرِ بِالبَينِ عَن إِذني
My enemies taunt me for being away from them
Yet the judgements of fate were not without my permission
وَتَزعُمُ أَنَّ الشِعرَ أَحنى فَضائِلي
وَتُنكِرُ أَفعالي وَقَد عَلِمَت أَنّي
You claim poetry belittled my merits
And denied my actions though you knew of me
وَقَد شاهَدَت نَثري وَنَظمِيَ في الوَغى
لِهامِ العِدى وَالنَحرِ بِالضَربِ وَالطَعنِ
You witnessed my prose and verse in battle
Charging at the enemies, slaughtering with blows and stabs
وَإِن كانَ لَفظي يَخرُقُ الحُجبَ وَقعُهُ
وَيَدخُلُ أُذنَ السامِعينَ بِلا إِذنِ
If my words penetrate the barriers, impacting
The ears of the listeners without permission
وَرُبَّ جَسيمٍ مِنهُمُ فَإِذا أَتى
بِنُطقٍ حَمَدتُ الصَمتَ مِن مَنطِقِ اللُكنِ
O how often an impressive one of them came
Speaking words that made me praise the silence of ineloquence!
وَمُستَقبَحٍ حَتّى خَبَرتُ خِلالَهُ
فَأَيقَنَ قَلبي أَنَّهُ يوسُفُ الحُسنِ
An ugly one until I became familiar with his nature
And my heart was certain he is beauty itself
فَإِن حَسَدوا فَضلي وَعابوا مَحاسِني
وَذَلِكَ لِلتَقصيرِ عَنها وَلِلضِغنِ
If they envied my merits and blamed my fine traits
That was due to falling short of them and out of resentment
وَتِلكَ لَعَمري كَالنُجومِ زَواهِرٌ
تُقِرُّ بِها الحُسّادُ رَغماً عَلى غَبنِ
By my life, they are like stars, brilliants
The envious reluctantly acknowledge despite their loss
مَحاسِنُ لي مِن إِرثِ آلِ مَحاسِنٍ
وَهَل ثَمَرٌ إِلّا عَلى قَدَرِ الغُصنِ
These fine traits are what I inherited from a line of fine traits
And does fruit come except by the measure of its branch?
أَظَلُ وَأُمسي راقِدَ الجارِ ساهِراً
سَوامِيَ في خَوفٍ وَجارِيَ في أَمنِ
I spend my nights awake while my neighbor sleeps
I am restless with fear and he is at peace
كَأَنَّ كَرى عَينَيَّ سَيفُ اِبنِ حَمزَةٍ
إِذا اِستُلَّ يَوماً لا يَعودُ إِلى الجَفنِ
As if the sword of the son of Ḥamzah when drawn
Does not return one day to its sheath
فَتىً لَم تَزَل أَقلامُهُ وَبَنانُهُ
إِذا نابَ جَدبٌ نائِباتٍ عَنِ المُزنِ
A young man whose pens and insight
Were like pouring rains in times of drought for Māzin
وَلَو خَطَّ صَرفُ الدَهرِ طِرساً لِقَصدِهِ
لَخَطَّ عَلى العُنوانِ مِن عَبدِهِ القِنِّ
If fate were to make an inscription for its intention
It would inscribe the title upon its obedient servant
فَتىً جَلَّ يَوماً أَن يُعِدَّ بِظالِمٍ
لِغَيرِ العِدى وَالمالِ وَالخَيلِ وَالبُدنِ
A noble young man who disdained one day
To count among the oppressors except nobility and generosity like Ma‘n
وَلا عُدَّ يَوماً في الأَنامِ بِغاصِبٍ
سِوى بَأسِ عَمروٍ وَالسَماحَةِ مِن مَعنِ
And never counted among men as a usurper
Besides the might of ‘Amr and graciousness from Ma‘in
وَلا قيلَ يَوماً أَنَّهُ غَيرُ عالِمٍ
بِغَيرِ عُيوبِ الجارِ وَاللَومِ وَالجُبنِ
And never said to not know
The faults of his neighbor, blame and cowardice
أَعادَ الأَعادي في الحُروبِ تَجارِباً
جِبالاً غَدَت مِن عاصِفِ المَوتِ كَالعِهنِ
He returned the attacks of enemies in battles
Mountains shaken by the storm of death like old ruins
فَإِن فَلَّتِ الأَيّامُ في الحَربِ حَدَّهُ
فَما زالَتِ الأَيّامُ في أَهلِها تَجني
If the days slipped in war from its limit
The days never ceased to harvest its people
وَإِن أَكسَبَتني بِالخُطوبِ تَجارِباً
فَقَد وَهَبَت أَضعافَ ما أَخَذَت مِنّي
If battles earned me experiences
Then they granted me multiples of what they took from me
