اِرتَعتُ لِلزَّورِ إِذ حَيّا وَأَرَّقَني
وَلَم يُكُن دانِيا مِنّا وَلا صَدَدا
I set out to visit him when he bid me welcome, and made me restless,
Yet he was not intimate with me, nor firmly rooted.
وَدونَهُ سَبسَبٌ تُنضى المَطُّي بِهِ
حَتّى تَرى العَنسَ تُلقي رَحلَها الأَجُدا
Below him a smooth plain where riders race their mounts,
Until you see the she-goats cast off their burdens.
إِذا ذَكَرتُكَ فاضَت عَبرَتي دِرَراً
وَكادَ مَكتومُ قَلبي يَصدَعُ الكَبِدا
When I remember you, my tears flow like pearls,
And my heart's secret almost bursts my liver.
وَذاكَ مِني هَوىً قَد كانَ أَضمَرَهُ
قَلبي فَما اِزدادَ مِن نَقصٍ وَلا نَفِدا
That love for you my heart had hidden
Did not decrease or run out.
وَقَد أَرانا وَحالُ الناسِ صالِحَةٌ
نَحتَلُّ مَربوعَةً أَدمانَ أَو بَرَدى
We saw people's situation was good
For us to meet for a day or two.
لَيتَ الشَبابَ وَذاكَ العَصرِ راجعَنا
فَلَم نَزَل كَالَّذي كُنّا بِهِ أَبَدا
Would that we could regain our youth and that time -
We'd never change as we were before.
أَيامَ أَعلَمُ كَم أَعمَلتُ نَحوِكُمُ
مِن عِرمِسٍ عاقِدٍ لَم تَرأَمِ الوَلَدا
O days, I know how much I acted for you
With a strong pact that bore no children.
تُصيخُ عِندَ السُرى في البيدِ سامِيَةً
سَطعاءَ تَنهَضُ في مِيتائِها صُعُدا
My she-camel strides in the desert, lofty,
Rising up in her deadliness, climbing the hills.
كَأَنَّ رَحلي عَلى حُمشٍ قَوائِمُهُ
بِرَملِ عِرنانَ أَمسى طاوِياً وَحِدا
As if my camel, with its upright supports,
In the sands of Arnān, bent over alone.
هاجَت عَلَيه مِن الجَوزاءِ سارِيَةٌ
وَطفاءُ تَحمِلُ جَوناً مُردَفاً نَضَدا
The rain poured down on it from Al-Jawzā’
And the Pleiades carrying abundant rear provisions.
فَأَلجأَتهُ إِلى أَرطاةِ عاتِكَةٍ
فَيحاءَ يَنهالُ مِنها تُربُ ما التَبَدا
So it led him to the shelter of a rain-soaked ruin
Where rain flows and does not cease.
تَخالُ عِطفَيهِ مِن جَولِ الرَذاذِ بِهِ
مُنَظَّماً بِيَدَي دارِيَّةٍ فَرَدا
The wetting from the rain on its shoulders
Looks like hands of a Darīyah gown pleated.
حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت عَنهُ دُجُنَّتُهُ
وَكَشَّفَ الصُبحُ عَنهُ اللَيلَ فَاِطُرِدا
Until when its darkness lifted from it
And dawn uncovered the night and drive it away,
غَدا كَذي التاجِ حُلَّتُهُ أَساوِرَةٌ
كَأَنَّما اِجتابَ في حَرِّ الضُحى سَنَدا
It moved like a royal mantle, its trappings
As if it were donning armor in the heat of late morning,
لا يُبعِدُ اللَهُ إِذ وَدَّعَت أَرضَهُمُ
أَخي بَغيضاً وَلَكِن غَيرُهُ بَعُدا
May God not make remote someone who left their land
Hateful, but make others remote.
لا يُبعِدُ اللَهُ مَن يُعطي الجَزيلَ وَمَن
يَحبو الخَليلَ وَما أَكدى وَما صَلَدا
May God not make remote one who gives generously and loves
The friend, no matter how severe or strong.
وَمَن تُلاقيهِ بِالمَعروفِ مُعتَرِفاً
إِذا اِجرَهَدَّ صَفا المَذمومُ أَوصلَدا
One whom you meet with kindness, accepting
When the blameworthy are exhausted or twisted.
لاقيتُهُ مُفضِلاً تَندى أَنامِلُهُ
إِن يُعطِكَ اليَومَ لا يَمنَعكَ ذاكَ غَدا
I met him preferring - his fingers dripping bounty -
If he gives you today, that does not prevent tomorrow.
تَجِىءُ عَفواً إِذا جاءَت عَطِيَّتُهُ
وَلا تُخالِطُ تَرنيقاً وَلا زَهَدا
His gift comes freely when it comes,
Not mixed with hypocrisy or asceticism.
أَولاهُ بِالمَفخَرِ الأَعلى وَأَعظَمُهُ
خُلُقاً وَأَوسَعُهُ خَيراً وَمُنتَفَدا
I put him above, the highest and greatest
In character, most generous and unstinting.
إِذا تَكَلَّفَ أَقوامٌ صَنائِعَهُ
لاقَوا وَلَم يُظلَموا مِن دونِها صَعَدا
When some people affect his qualities
They fall short, and are not wronged by falling short.
بَحرٌ إِذا نَكَسَ الأَقوامُ أَو ضَجِروا
لاقيتَ خَيرَ يَدَيهِ دائِماً رَغَدا
A sea - when people are in trouble or bored -
You will always find the goodness of his hands.
لا يَحسِبُ المَدحَ خَدعاً حينَ تَمدَحَهُ
وَلا يَرى البُخلَ مَنهاةً لَهُ أَبَدا
He does not think praise is deceit when you praise him,
Nor does he see stinginess as ever stopping him.
إِنّي لَرافِدُهُ وُدّي وَمَنصَرَتي
وَحافِظٌ غَيبَهُ إِن غابَ أَو شَهِدا
I am his helper, loving him, supporting him,
Protecting him whether absent or present.
