بانَت سُعادُ وَلَيسَ الوُدُّ يَنصَرِمُ
وَداخِلَ الهَمِّ ما لَم تَمضَهِ سَقَمُ
Happiness appeared though affection does not decline,
And inside anguish what malady did not heal.
وَصَلتُ مَنزَلَةً قَفراً وَقَفتُ بِها
كَمِثلِها إِذا بِها الأَحياءُ وَالنَعَمُ
I reached a barren stop where I halted,
Like it, when the living and boons are in it.
عامِيَةً جَرَّتِ الريحُ الذُيولَ بِها
فَقَد تَخَذَّمَها الهِجرانُ وَالقَدَمُ
An old village the wind dragged its train,
So estrangement and time wore it out.
وَأَمحَلَت بعدَ إِخصابٍ يَدُرُّ بِها
مُنَوِّرٌ رَشَحَت أَطفالَهُ الدِيَمُ
And it carried after fertility pouring in it,
A bright one whose children blood irrigated.
فَلَن يَعودَ إِلَيها أَهلُها أَبَداً
حَتّى يَعودَ لَها أَزمانها القُدُمُ
So its people will never return to it again,
Until its old eras return to it.
عُجنا إِلَيها وَما عُجنا لِتُخبِرَنا
إِلّا اللُجاجَةُ وَالوَهمُ الَّذي تَهِمُ
We came close to it but we did not come close for it to inform us,
Except stubbornness and delusion that is reckless.
وَلَيسَ يَمنَعُها أَن تَستَجيبَ لَنا
مَعَ العَمى اليَومَ إِلّا العِيّ وَالصَمَمُ
It does not prevent responding to us today with blindness,
Except deafness and dumbness.
بِها أَخايدُ مِن آثارِ ساكِنِها
كَما تَرَدَّدَ في قَرطاسِهِ القَلَمُ
In it I converse from traces of its dwellers,
As the pen goes back and forth in its paper.
أَو حالِكٌ في ذِراعَيْ حرةٍ بَذَلَت
لَهُ النَؤورُ وَلَم تَأَل الَّتي تَشِمُ
Or a griller in the arms of a free lady who
Offered it the lighting but the one rising did not get tired.
تَرى الَّذي جَمَعَ المُستَوقِدونَ بِها
مُطَرَّحاً حَيثُ كانَت توضَعُ الحُزَمُ
You see what the kindlers gathered in it,
Strewn where the firewood used to be placed.
رُبداً هَوامِدَ حيطَت بِالنُؤِيِّ فَقَد
كادَ التُرابُ عَلَيها الجَونُ يَلتَئِمُ
Rubbish, its enclosures surrounded the intender so
The dust on it almost reconvened.
أَو جاذِباً وَتَدتُهُ الفِهرَ صاحِبُهُ
مِنَ الَّذي كانَ مَعقوداً بِهِ جِذَمُ
Or pulling its peg while its owner took
What was tied to it of rope.
لَمّا غَدا الحَيُّ مِن صُرخٍ وَغَيَّبَهُم
مِنَ الرَوابي الَّتي غَربِيُّها الكُمَمُ
When the living left at daybreak and hid them
From the hilltops whose wests are veiled.
ضَلَّت تَطَلَّعُ نَفسي إِثرَهُم طَرَباً
كَأَنَّني مِن هَوهُم شارِبٌ سَدِمُ
My soul kept looking for them confused,
As if I from their love drink overflowed.
مُسطارَةٌ بَكَرَت في الرَأسِ نَشوَتُها
كَأَنَّ شارِبَها قَد مَسَّهُ لَمَمُ
A mustatarah that peeled its flowers in the head,
As if its drinker was touched by poison.
حَتّى تعَرَّضَ أَعلى السيحِ دونَهُم
وَالجُبُّ جُبُّ بَني العَسراءِ وَالهِدَمُ
Until above the plateau below them became exposed,
And the valley is the valley of Bani Asra and destruction.
فَنَكَبّوا الصَوَّةَ اليُسرى فَمالَ بِهِم
عَلى الفَراضِ الجامِل الثَلِمُ
So they inclined the left prayer niche and with them sloped
On the inclining, beautiful, flawless hillside.
لَولا اِختِباري أَبا حَفصٍ وَطاعَتَهُ
كادَ الهَوى في غَداةِ البَينِ يَغتَرِمُ
Had I not tested Abu Hafs and obeyed him
Desire in the morning of separation almost blamed me.
لَهُ عَلَيَّ أَيادٍ لَستُ أَكفُرُها
وَإِنَّما الكُفرُ أَلا تُشكَرَ النِعَمُ
He has favor upon me I do not deny,
Denial is not to thank the blessings.
إِذا هَبطتُ بِلاداً لا أَراكَ بِها
تَجَهَّمَتني وَحالَت دونَها ظُلَمُ
If I descended a country where I don’t see you
It was hellish to me and darkness came between it and me.
أَغَرُّ أَروَعُ بهلولٌ أَخو ثِقَةٍ
حُلاحِلٌ مِن ثَراهُ اللَينُ وَالكَرَمُ
I boast of a brother of trust, a clown,
Easy, his kindness and generosity implants.
في شِدَّةِ العَقدِ وَالحِلمِ الرَزينِ وَفي
القَولِ الثَبيتِ إِذا ما اِستُنَّتِ الكَلِمُ
In firmness of contract and solemn composure, and in
The solid saying when the words are dictated.
لا يَتعَبُ الحَكَمُ حتى تَستَبينَ لَهُ
مَواقِعُ الحَقِّ إِنَّ القاضِيَ الفَهِمُ
Judgment does not tire until the places of truth
Are evident to it, the understanding judge.
نَما إِلى السورَةِ العُليا اليَفاعِ فَما
زلت به نعله يوما ولا القدم
It grew to the highest acclivity, it did not
Slip one day and not the foot.
حَتّى اِحتَبى بِمَكانٍ تَستَقيدُ لَهُ
عَماعِمُ العَرَبِ المَذكورَةِ العُظُمُ
Until it camped in a place whose old names
Of the Arabs, the mentioned, the great, frequent it.
كانَت لِآبائِهِم مَذكورَةً زَحَموا
عَنها قُرومَ قُرَيشٍ ساعَةً اِزدَحَموا
It was mentioned to their fathers, the lineages of
Quraish crowded away from it a time when they crowded.
أَمراً وَلّوهُ فَلَم يَعيَوا بِسُنَّتِهِ
وَحَمَّلوهُ فَما مَلّوا وَلا سَئِموا
A matter they twisted so they did not live by its ways
And they carried it but did not tilt nor tire.
إِن يَدهَموا يَطِدوا بِالصَبرِ أَنفُسِهِم
وَلَن يَقومَ لَهُم في الحَربِ مَن دَهِموا
If they clash they brace themselves with patience,
And none who they clash with will stand to them in war.
لَو ناضَلوا الناسَ عَن أَحسابِهِم نَضَلوا
وَإِن قَضَوا لَم يَجوروا في الَّذي حَكَموا
If they judge they do not wrong in what they ruled,
That with them, and Allah favored them,
في أَنَّ عِندَهُمُ وَاللَهُ فَضَّلَهُم
لِلحَمدِ سوقٌ وَلِلمَظلومِ مُنتَقِمُ
There is for praised a market and for the wronged an avenger.
The elder among them his eldership increases his generosity,
يَزيدُ ذا الشَيبِ مِنهُم شَيبُهُ كَرَماً
وَيَستَنيرُ فَتاهُم حينَ يَحتَلِمُ
And their youth enlightens when he matures.
And they sparingly grasp what is in their vaults,
وَلا يَشُدُّ عَلى ما في خَزائِنِهِم
قَبضُ الأَنامِلِ إِلّا رَيثَ يُقتَسَمُ
Except slowly when it is divided.
So their Lord increased them in good and favored them
فَزادَهُم رَبُّهُم خَيراً وَفَضَّلَهُم
بِخَيرِ ما فُضِّلَ السُلطانُ وَالأُمَمُ
With the best of what the authority and nations are favored.
