أَشاقَكَ رَسمُ المَنزِلِ المُتقادِمُ

فَأَنتَ لِذكرى ما تَذكَّرتَ واجِمُ

The homesickness of the old dwelling has pained you

So you are silent remembering what you have remembered

تَذَكَّرتَ عِرفانَ الطُلولِ وَقَد مَضَت

سُنونٌ وَعَفَّتها السُمِيُّ السَواجِمُ

You remembered the familiarity of the hills, and although

Years have passed and the driving winds have made them smooth

وَمُختَلَفُ العَصرَينِ حَتّى كَأَنَّها

صَحائِفُ يَعلوهُنَّ بِالنِقسِ واشِمُ

And the difference of the two eras, as if they were

Parchments climbed by the clearly visible traces

وَشَطَّت نَوى هِندٍ فَلا أَنتَ عالِمٌ

فَتَنطِقَ عَن وَصلٍ وَلا أَنتَ صارِمُ

And the resolution of Hind wavers, so you are neither

Speaking of connection, nor are you deterring

وَهِندٌ وَإِن عُلِّقتَ هِنداً ضَنينَةٌ

عَلَيكَ بِما يُعطي الخَليلُ المُكارِمُ

And Hind, though you cling to her, is complaining

About you with what the generous friend provides

فَإِنّي وَإِن شَطَّت نَواها لَقائِلٌ

سَقى الغَيثُ هِنداً حَيثُ ما اِحتَلَّ سالِمُ

So I say, though her intention has wandered, the rain

Has watered Hind wherever it has settled healthily

بِمُرتَجِسٍ يُمسي كَأَنَّ قَرارَهُ

عَشِيَّةَ غِبِّ السارِياتِ الدَراهِمُ

With a horseman who passes the evening as if his steadfastness

Is on the eve of the loss of the scattering dirhams

رَأَت صِرَماً أَودى بِنَسلِ لِقاحِها

مَسائِلُ ما يُغنينَها وَمَغارِمُ

It saw a blame that destroyed the progeny of its meadows

Issues that will not benefit them, and funds

إِذا ما مَشى نَجمٌ أَتَتهُنَّ جُمَّةٌ

فَلا الدَهرُ يُغنيها وَلا الحَقُّ سائِمُ

When a star walks, a group comes to them

So neither time satisfies them, nor does the truth grow bored

كَذاكَ تَعَوَّدنا عَلى ما يَنوبُنا

وَلِلحَقِّ فينا سُنَّةٌ وَمَحارِمُ

Likewise we are accustomed to what befalls us

And truth has a tradition and prohibitions over us

وَإِن تُجهَدِ الأَموالُ لا يَعجَزِ النَدى

عَلَينا فَذو صَبرٍ كَريمٌ وَهاضِمُ

And if wealth becomes scarce, dew does not fail

Upon us, so one of patience is generous and stifling

وَتُبوِحُ ما غارَت نُجومُ تَهامَةٍ

طَرائِفُ مَجرومٌ عَلَيها وَجارِمُ

The meanings hidden by the stars of Tihama reveal themselves

Subtleties of the fates upon them and sins

بِوُدِّكَ قَومي حَيُّ حَربٍ وَرِسالَةٍ

تَميمُ إِذا ما حارَبَتها الأَقاوِمُ

With the love of my people, alive with war and messages

Tamim, when the forces fight against them

هُمُ خَلَفوا في الأَرضِ عاداً بِقَوَةٍ

عَلى ما بِهِ تَأَتي الأَمورُ العَظائِمُ

They succeeded the `Aad in the land with strength

With which great matters come to pass

أَجارَ لَنا أَحسابَنا فَوَفى بِها

صُدورُ العَوالي وَالسُيوفُ الصَوارِمُ

Their superior chests and sharp swords protect us

Against high ambitions and from violating prohibitions

وَمَسرودَةٌ مِن نَسجِ داودَ فَوقَنا

سَرابيلُ مِنها جُنَّةٌ وَعَماِئمُ

Our gowns spun by Dawood are extending over us

Including veils and turbans among them

نَخوضُ إِذا ضَنَّ الجَبانُ بِنَفسِهِ

بِها ظُلُماتِ المَوتِ وَالمَوتُ دائِمُ

We plunge though the coward's soul is straitened

Into the darkness of death, and death is constant

فَنَخرُجَ مِنها وَالسُيوفُ عِصِيُّنا

إِلى غايَةٍ تَسمو إِلَيها الأَكارِمُ

So we emerge while our swords are our support

To a limit the noblest aspirations rise towards

وَقُلنا أَلا مَن يَحيَ لا يَخزَ بَعدَها

وَمَن يُشتَعَب لا تَتَّبِعهُ المُلاوِمُ

And we said, he who lives is not disgraced after it

And he who is vulnerable is not pursued by companions

وَمُعتَرَكٍ ضَنكٍ أَضاقَ سَبيلَهُ

مَواقِعُ أَقدامٍ بِهِ وَمَعاصِمُ

And a narrow, difficult battlefield that has closed off

Its road with positions and strongholds

شَهِدنا إِذا ما أُحكِمَت لُحَماتُهُ

فَيَفرَجُ عَنّا ضَيقُهُ المُتلاحِمُ

We witnessed that when its connections were tightened

Its narrowness that pressed together widened for us

لَنا عِضَةٌ لَم يُدرِكِ الناسُ فَرعَها

وَجُرثومَةٌ تَأوي إِلَيها الجَراثِمُ

We have a grip whose origin people have not reached

And a fortress the major sins retreat to

لَنا سامِياً مَجدٍ فَسامٍ إِلى العُلى

وَآخَرُ مَشبوبٌ عَلى الحَربِ حازِمُ

We have a towering glory, towering to the heights

And another a warrior against war, resolute

فَأَيُّهُما ما يَدعُ تَتبَعهُ شيعَةٌ

مَيامينُ مِنّا لِلعَدوِ أَشائِمُ

So which of the two would a group not follow?

Swords from us to the enemy, inspecting

وَنَحنُ حَفَظنا نَأيَ خِندِفَ إِذ نَأَت

وَإِذ كُلُّ ذي ضِغنٍ مِنَ الناسِ راغِمُ

And we preserved, keeping away from Khendif's approach when it came

And when everyone of a twisted disposition among the people was unruly

وَلَمّا اِنقَطَعنا مِنهُم وَتَقاذَفَت

بِنا وَبِهم عَتبُ الأُمورِ العَواجِمُ

And when we separated from them and the reproaches

Of confusing affairs were flung between us and them

أَبَينا فَلَم نَسأَل مُوالاةَ غَيرِنا

وَلَم تَطَّلِعنا حَربُ حَيٍّ يُراجِمُ

We refused, and did not ask for the allegiance of others

And the war of no living man would confront us

نُقودُ الجِيادَ المُقرَباتِ عَلى الوَجى

وَسَيرٍ عَلى الأَعداءِ حَتّى يُصادِموا

We lead the steeds, the gifts, to the wounded

And journey against the enemies until they clash

وَقُلنا لِقَيسٍ أَصعِدوا فَتَصَعَّدوا

وَشَيبانَ عَنّا اِبعِدوا وَاللَهازِمُ

And we said to Qays, “Ascend,” so they ascended

And, “Distance yourselves from us, O Shayban,” and the defeated

دَعَوا مَرتَعاً لِلجَرسِ وَالوَحشِ بَينَنا

وَحُلوا بِسَيفِ البَحرِ ما لَم تُسالِموا

They left between us pasture for the potent and the beasts

With it, a slumberer and a repeller who takes refuge in it

بِها مُخدِرٌ وَردٌ يُلاوِذُ دونَها

يُواقِعُ في حافاتِها وَيُلازِمُ

Meets its outskirts and settles

As if his arms and the nape of his neck

كَأَنَّ ذِراعَيهِ وَبَلدَةَ نَحرِهِ

دَنَت وَوَعَت مِنهُ كُسورٌ عَوائِمُ

Approached and carried from it the floating feathers

And we prevented people from our country

وَنَحنُ مَنَعنا الناسَ طُرّاً بِلادَنا

بِطَعنٍ وَضَربٍ حَيثُ تُلوى العَمائِمُ

With a stab and blow where the turbans are twisted

So if Islam has created affection between us

فَإِن يَكُنِ الإِسلامُ أَلَّفَ بَينَنا

فَقَد عَلِموا في الدَهرِ كَيفَ نُغاشِمُ

Then they have known in time how we fight fiercely

We establish our homes in the Abode of Preservation

نُقيمُ عَلى دارِ الحِفاظِ بيوتَنا

وَتُقسَمُ أَسرى بَينَنا وَغَنائِمُ

And the captives are distributed among us and the spoils

Our spears on the day of preservation are like

مَصاليتُ في يَومِ الحِفاظِ كَأَنَّها

قُرومٌ تَسامى يَتَقيهِنَّ حاجِمُ

Tall spires the observer avoids

Until I said, it is inevitable that he

وَما زالَ حَتّى قُلتُ لا بُدَّ أَنَّهُ

مَسامي الوَحيدِ وَازدهَتهُ الجَرائِمُ

Is the sublime revelation, though sins have accumulated on him

Until you see al-Arta, due to deployment, as if it

وَحَتّى تَرى الأَرطى بُخُشبٍ كَأَنَّهُ

مِنَ الطَلحِ أَثباجُ اللِقاحِ الرَوائِمُ

Were the rising thorn trees of the towering meadows