أَلَم تَربَع عَلى الطَلَلِ المُريبِ
عَفا بَينَ المُحَصَّبِ فَالطَلوبِ
Did you not see him sitting upon the ruined abode,
Among the traces between Makkah and At-Taloub?
بِمَكَّةَ دارِساً دَرَجَت عَلَيهِ
خِلافَ الحَيِّ دَيلُ صَباً دَؤوبِ
In Makkah, where he frequented its paths,
The remains of a life have passed away to a persistent love.
فَأَقفَرَ غَيرَ مُنتَضِدٍ وَنُؤيٍ
أَجَدَّ الشَوقَ لِلقَلبِ الطَروبِ
So it became desolate, with no pillar or pillar erected,
Yearning has overcome the enamored heart.
كَأَنَّ الرَبعَ أُلبِسَ عَبقَرِيّاً
مِنَ الجَنَدِيِّ أَو بَزِّ الجَروبِ
As if the open desert was clothed
With a soldier’s uniform or a spotted cloak.
كَأَنَّ مَقَصَّ رامِسَةٍ عَلَيهِ
مَعَ الحِدثانِ سَطرٌ في عَسيبِ
As if the remains of an ancient encampment upon it,
Along with signs of settlement in a fertile valley.
لِنُعمٍ إِذ تَعاوَدَهُ هُيامٌ
بِهِ أَعيا عَلى الحاوي الطَبيبِ
Due to a blessing, when a life of comfort pursued him,
He wearied over the protector, the Physician.
لَعَمرُكَ إِنَّني مِن دَينِ نُعمٍ
لَكَالداعي إِلى غَيرِ المُجيبِ
By your life, I am of the religion of the blessing of comfort,
Like the one who calls to other than the Responder.
وَما نُعمٌ وَلَو عُلِّقتُ نُعماً
بِجازِيَةِ النَوالِ وَلا مُثيبِ
And blessing – even if I hung with it – is not
With the generosity of gifts, nor a Grantor.
وَما تَجزي بِقَرضِ الوُدِّ نُعمٌ
وَلا تَعِدُ النَوالَ إِلى قَريبِ
And blessing does not reward with a friendly gesture,
Nor promises the gift to a neighbor.
إِذا نُعمٌ نَأَت بَعُدَت وَتَعدو
عَوادٍ أَن تُزارَ مَعَ الرَقيبِ
When blessing comes with distance and exceeds
The limit, that it be visited along with an overseer.
وَإِن شَطَّت بِها دارٌ تَعَيّا
عَلَيهِ أَمرُهُ بالَ الغَريبِ
And if an abode is adorned with it, its affair is
Wonderful to him, without strange.
أُسَمّيها لِتُكتَمَ بِاِسمِ نُعمٍ
وَيُبدي القَلبُ عَن شَخصٍ حَبيبِ
I called it blessing, to hide it with the name
While my heart reveals about a beloved person.
وَأَكتُمُ ما أُسَمّيها وَتَبدو
شَواكِلُهُ لِذي اللُبِّ الأَريبِ
I hide what I named, yet its features appear
To the possessor of an insightful heart.
فَإِمّا تُعرِضي عَنّا وَتُعدي
بِقَولِ مُماذِقٍ مَلِقٍ كَذوبِ
So either you turn away from us and ignore,
With the words of a taster, a gentle liar.
فَكَم مِن ناصِحٍ في آلِ نُعمٍ
عَصَيتُ وَذي مُلاطَفَةٍ نَسيبِ
How many counselors in the family of blessing
I have disobeyed, and gentle relatives!
فَهَلّا تَسأَلي أَفناءَ سَعدٍ
وَقَد تَبدو التَجارِبُ لِلَّبيبِ
Why do you not ask the courtyards of Sa’d
When experiences appear to the intelligent?
سَبَقنا بِالمَكارِمِ وَاِستَبَحنا
قُرى ما بَينَ مَأرِبَ فَاِلدُروبِ
We surpassed in nobility, and we took as booty
The towns between Marib and Ed-Duroob.
بِكُلِّ قِيادِ سَلهَبَةٍ سَبوحٍ
وَسامي الطَرفِ ذي حُضرٍ نَجيبِ
With every brave, generous leader
Of an eminent gaze and noble visage.
وَنَحنُ فَوارِسُ الهَيجا إِذا ما
رَئيسُ القَومِ أَجمَعَ لِلهُروبِ
We are the horsemen of valor when
The chieftain of the people gather for flight.
نُقيمُ عَلى الخُطوبِ فَلَن تَرانا
نُشَلُّ نَخافُ عاقِبَةَ الخُطوبِ
We stand firm in calamities, so you will not see us
Fleeing, fearing the outcome of disasters.
وَيَمنَعُ سِربَنا في الحَربِ شُمٌّ
مَصاليتٌ مَساعِرُ لِلحُروبِ
In war, our flock is protected by
Swords that are unsheathed for wars.
وَيَأمَنُ جارُنا فينا وَتُلقى
فَواضِلُنا بِمُحتَفَظٍ خَصيبِ
And our neighbor feels safe among us, and
Our virtues are met with a fertile raincloud.
وَنَعلَمُ أَنَّنا سَنَبيدُ يَوماً
كَما قَد بادَ مِن عَدَدِ الشُعوبِ
We know that one day we will perish
As many nations before us have perished.
فَنَجتَنِبُ المَقاذِعَ حَيثُ كانَت
وَنَكتَسِبُ العَلاءَ مَعَ الكَسوبِ
So we avoid lowliness wherever it was
And acquire loftiness along with earning.
وَلَو سُئِلَت بِنا البَطحاءُ قالَت
هُمُ أَهلُ الفَواضِلِ وَالسُيوبِ
If the open land was asked about us, it would say
“They are the people of virtues and courage.”
وَيُشرِقُ بَطنُ مَكَّةَ حينَ نُضحي
بِهِ وَمُناخُ واجِبَةِ الجَنوبِ
The belly of Makkah shines when we sacrifice
With it, and the sacrificial camels of pilgrimage.
وَأَشعَثَ إِن دَعَوتَ أَجابَ وَهناً
عَلى طولِ الكَرى وَعَلى الدُؤوبِ
Ash’ath – if you called him – responded, bent over
For ages, enduring.
وَكانَ وَسادَهُ أَحناءُ رَحلٍ
عَلى أَصلابِ ذِعلِبَةٍ هَبوبِ
His pillow was the sand dunes
On the humps of burdened, roaring camels.
أُقيمُ بِهِ سَوادَ اللَيلِ نَصّاً
إِذا حُبَّ الرُقادُ عَلى الهُبوبِ
I spend the darkness of night wakeful
When sleep settles upon the blowing wind.
