1. فيما يُقالُ مقيمٌ قيلَ قد سارا

    فعلَ البَخيلَةِ لا تعرِف لها دارا

    While he is said to be staying, word comes that he has gone—

    the way of a miserly woman whose home you cannot find.

  2. باتَت تُخبِّرُ عن بُخلٍ أماكنَها

    تخالفُ الركبَ أضيافاً وزُوَّارا

    Her dwellings have come to speak of stinginess,

    shunning the caravan—guests and visitors alike.

  3. نَشقى بها وهي تَشقى في تَنقُّلها

    لقد صبرت على الأضرارِ إضرارا

    We suffer because of her, while she suffers in her wanderings.

    She has indeed endured hardship in order to inflict harm.

  4. وما رَزَيناكِ في زادٍ فَتَمتَنِعي

    من القِرى إنَّما تَقرينَ أبصارا

    We have cost you no provisions, that you should withhold

    hospitality; it is only eyes you entertain—

  5. من كلِّ مُحتَرق الجَفنينِ تَحسبُه

    إذا بكى طرفُه ماءً بكى نارا

    of every man whose eyelids burn, whom you would think,

    when his eye weeps water, to be weeping fire.

  6. حَكى السَّحائب سحاحاً لبعدِكمُ

    نعم ويَحكي القَطا الكُدريُّ سَهَّارا

    He has matched the clouds in downpour because you are far away;

    yes, and the dusky sandgrouse matches him in wakefulness.

  7. وما أراكمُ توجَّعتُم لصاحِبكم

    ولا عَرفتُم لما يلقاهُ مِقدارا

    And I see no sign that you have grieved for your companion,

    nor recognized the measure of what he endures.

  8. وأهيَفٍ باتَت اللوعاتُ تُعجبُه

    منِّي ولا سيَّما إن كنَّ أسرارا

    And a slender-waisted one has come to delight in the pangs

    I bear—especially when they remain secret.

  9. وإنَّ دَمعي ليرضيني غداةَ أبى

    إلا نِداءً على حالي وإشهارا

    And my tears indeed please me: that morning they would do nothing

    but proclaim my plight and make it known.

  10. وهمَّةٍ حُرَّةٍ لولا تشرُّفها

    يوماً إلى أن تَرى في الناسِ أحرارا

    And an ambition would be free, were it not for its longing

    one day to see noble men among mankind—

  11. وقد نعَتهُم تصاريفُ الزمانِ لها

    وصارَ ذلك للراجينَ إنذارا

    though time's vicissitudes had announced their deaths to it,

    and that had become a warning to those who hoped.

  12. ولم يَكن للعُلى كفوٌ فما بَرَزت

    من بعدِ ما اتَّخذَت حُجباً وأستارا

    And Glory had no worthy match, so she did not emerge

    after taking veils and curtains.

  13. بنى عليٌّ علَيها من مكارِمه

    بَيتاً وغارَ وخيرُ الناس مَن غارا

    Ali built over her, from his noble deeds,

    a house, and guarded her jealously; the best of men are jealous guardians.

  14. وهل يُنازعُه في أزمةٍ أحدٌ

    إذا اقتَفى مُلهَماً فيها ودينارا

    And can anyone rival him in a crisis,

    when he follows Mulham and Dinar through it?

  15. جادوا وكانا سَحاباً عمَّ وابلُه

    وجادَ هذا وكان السَّيلَ جَرارا

    They gave freely; those two were a cloud whose downpour reached all,

    and this one gave freely, and was a sweeping flood.

  16. كذلكَ ابنُ السحابِ السيلُ نعرفُهُ

    قامَ الدليلُ على مَن شكَّ أو مارا

    Thus we know the flood as the son of the clouds;

    the proof stands against whoever doubted or disputed.

  17. أعداءُ أعدائِه في الرَّوع ما حملوا

    من القَنا حينَ ظَنُّوهنَّ أَنصارا

    His enemies' foes amid terror are what they carried

    of spears, when they thought them allies.

  18. لا يَفزعونَ عليه حينَ يُفزِعُهم

    إلا ليستاقَ في الأموالِ أعمارا

    They do not rally against him when he terrifies them,

    except for him to herd off lives along with wealth.

  19. مناقبٌ تبهرُ الأقوالَ عدَّتها

    قد أعجزَت خُطباً منها وأَشعارا

    Virtues whose number overwhelms words

    have left orations and poems about them powerless.

  20. ملأتَ أنفسَنا فِعلاً وأعيُننا

    حُسناً بها وملأتَ الكتبَ أَخبارا

    You filled our souls with deeds, and our eyes

    with their beauty, and filled the books with accounts.

  21. لا يسمعُ الركبُ يوماً في دنوِّهُم

    والبعدِ إلا حَديثاً عنكَ سَيَّارا

    The travelers never hear, whether they are near

    or far, anything but far-ranging talk of you.