Sol 6.1

  1. لَو أَنَّ دَهراً رَدَّ رَجعَ جَوابِ

    أَو كَفَّ مِن شَأوَيهِ طولُ عِتابِ

    If Time would return the echo of a reply,

    or long reproach could curb its two courses,

  2. لَعَذَلتُهُ في دِمنَتَينِ بِرامَةٍ

    مَمحُوَّتَينِ لِزَينَبٍ وَرَبابِ

    I would surely reproach it over two campsites at Rama,

    both effaced—the campsites of Zaynab and Rabab.

  3. ثِنتانِ كَالقَمَرَينِ حُفَّ سَناهُما

    بِكَواعِبٍ مِثلِ الدُمى أَترابِ

    Two women like two moons, whose radiance was encircled

    by maidens with budding breasts, like statues, all of an age.

  4. مِن كُلِّ ريمٍ لَم تَرُم سوءاً وَلَم

    تَخلِط صِبى أَيّامِها بِتَصابي

    Each a gazelle who never sought evil, nor

    mingled her youthful days with affected coquetry.

  5. أَذكَت عَلَيهِ شِهابَ نارٍ في الحَشا

    بِالعَذلِ وَهناً أُختُ آلِ شِهابِ

    She kindled a fiery meteor within his breast—

    a woman of the house of Shihab, reproaching him late at night—

  6. عَذلاً شَبيهاً بِالجُنونِ كَأَنَّما

    قَرَأَت بِهِ الوَرهاءُ شَطرَ كِتابِ

    with a reproach resembling madness, as though

    the foolish woman had recited half a book in it.

  7. أَوَما رَأَت بُردَيَّ مِن نَسجِ الصِبى

    وَرَأَت خِضابَ اللَهِ وَهوَ خِضابي

    Had she not seen my two cloaks woven of youth,

    and seen God's dye, which is my dye?

  8. لا جودَ في الأَقوامِ يُعلَمُ ما خَلا

    جوداً حَليفاً في بَني عَتّابِ

    No generosity is known among the peoples, save

    a generosity firmly allied with the sons of 'Attab,

  9. مُتَدَفِّقاً صَقَلوا بِهِ أَحسابَهُم

    إِنَّ السَماحَةَ صَيقَلُ الأَحسابِ

    pouring forth—with it they polished their ancestral honors;

    indeed, generosity is the burnisher of ancestral honor.

  10. قَومٌ إِذا جَلَبوا الجِيادَ إِلى الوَغى

    أَيقَنتَ أَنَّ السوقَ سوقُ ضِرابِ

    A people: when they bring fine steeds to battle,

    you know for certain that the market is a market of blows.

  11. يا مالِكَ اِبنَ المالِكينَ وَلَم تَزَل

    تُدعى لِيَومَي نائِلٍ وَعِقابِ

    O Malik, son of rulers, you have always

    been summoned for the two days of bounty and punishment.

  12. لَم تَرمِ ذا رَحِمٍ بِبائِقَةٍ وَلا

    كَلَّمتَ قَومَكَ مِن وَراءِ حِجابِ

    You never assailed a kinsman with calamity, nor

    spoke to your people from behind a veil.

  13. لِلجودِ بابٌ في الأَنامِ وَلَم تَزَل

    يُمناكَ مِفتاحاً لِذاكَ البابِ

    Generosity has a gate among humankind, and ever

    has your right hand been the key to that gate.

  14. وَرَأَيتَ قَومَكَ وَالإِساءَةُ مِنهُمُ

    جَرحى بِظُفرٍ لِلزَمانِ وَنابِ

    You saw your people, though the wrongdoing was theirs,

    wounded by Time's claw and fang.

  15. هُم صَيَّروا تِلكَ البُروقَ صَواعِقاً

    فيهِم وَذاكَ العَفوَ سَوطَ عَذابِ

    They made those lightning flashes into thunderbolts

    against themselves, and that clemency into a scourge of torment.

  16. فَأَقِل أُسامَةُ جُرمَها وَاِصفَح لَها

    عَنهُ وَهَب ما كانَ لِلوَهّابِ

    So, Usama, pardon their offense and forgive them

    for it; give what has passed to the Bestower.

  17. رَفَدوكَ في يَومِ الكُلابِ وَشَقَّقوا

    فيهِ المَزادَ بِجَحفَلٍ غَلّابِ

    They supported you on the day of al-Kulab and split open

    the waterskins there with an all-conquering host.

  18. وَهُمُ بِعَينِ أُباغَ راشوا لِلوَغى

    سَهمَيكَ عِندَ الحارِثِ الحَرّابِ

    And at 'Ayn Ubagh, they fletched for battle

    your two arrows beside al-Harith the warlike.

  19. وَلَيالِيَ الحَشّاكِ وَالثَرثارِ قَد

    جَلَبوا الجِيادَ لَواحِقَ الأَقرابِ

    And on the nights of al-Hashshak and al-Tharthar they had

    brought fine steeds with drawn-in flanks.

  20. فَمَضَت كُهولُهُمُ وَدَبَّرَ أَمرَهُم

    أَحداثُهُم تَدبيرَ غَيرِ صَوابِ

    Then their elders passed away, and their affairs were governed

    by their young men, with judgment far from sound.

  21. لا رِقَّةُ الحَضَرِ اللَطيفِ غَذَتهُمُ

    وَتَباعَدوا عَن فِطنَةِ الأَعرابِ

    The refinement of gentle city life had not nurtured them,

    and they were far removed from the Bedouins' shrewdness.

  22. فَإِذا كَشَفتَهُمُ وَجَدتَ لَدَيهِمُ

    كَرَمَ النُفوسِ وَقِلَّةَ الآدابِ

    So, when you examine them, you find within them

    nobility of soul and scant refinement.

  23. أَسبِل عَلَيهِم سِترَ عَفوِكَ مُفضِلاً

    وَاِنفَح لَهُم مِن نائِلٍ بِذِنابِ

    Graciously let fall over them the veil of your pardon,

    and bestow on them a trailing portion of bounty.

  24. لَكَ في رَسولِ اللَهِ أَعظَمُ أُسوَةٍ

    وَأَجَلُّها في سُنَّةٍ وَكِتابِ

    In God's Messenger you have the greatest example,

    and the noblest, in the Sunna and the Book.

  25. أَعطى المُؤَلَّفَةَ القُلوبِ رِضاهُمُ

    كَرَماً وَرَدَّ أَخايِذَ الأَحزابِ

    He gave those whose hearts were to be won over what pleased them,

    generously, and returned the captives of the confederate tribes.

  26. وَالجَعفَرِيّونَ اِستَقَلَّت ظُعنُهُم

    عَن قَومِهِم وَهُمُ نُجومُ كِلابِ

    And the Ja'faris—their camel-litters set forth

    from their people, though they were the stars of Kilab.

  27. حَتّى إِذا أَخَذَ الفِراقُ بِقِسطِهِ

    مِنهُم وَشَطَّ بِهِم عَنِ الأَحبابِ

    Until, when parting had taken its share

    of them and driven them far from loved ones,

  28. وَرَأَوا بِلادَ اللَهِ قَد لَفَظَتهُمُ

    أَكنافُها رَجَعوا إِلى جَوّابِ

    and they saw that God's lands had cast them out

    from all their reaches, they returned to Jawwab.

  29. فَأَتَوا كَريمَ الخيمِ مِثلَكَ صافِحاً

    عَن ذِكرِ أَحقادٍ مَضَت وَضِبابِ

    They came to one noble in nature, like you, who turned away

    from recalling bygone grudges and hidden rancor.

  30. لَيسَ الغَبِيُّ بِسَيِّدٍ في قَومِهِ

    لَكِنَّ سَيِّدَ قَومِهِ المُتَغابي

    The fool is no chief among his people;

    rather, their chief is the man who feigns ignorance.

  31. قَد ذَلَّ شَيطانُ النِفاقِ وَأَخفَتَت

    بيضُ السُيوفِ زَئيرَ أُسدِ الغابِ

    The devil of hypocrisy has been humbled, and

    white swords have hushed the forest lions' roar.

  32. فَاِضمُم أَقاصِيَهُم إِلَيكَ فَإِنَّهُ

    لا يَزخَرُ الوادي بِغَيرِ شِعابِ

    So draw their far-flung members to you, for

    no valley swells without tributary ravines.

  33. وَالسَهمُ بِالريشِ اللَؤومِ وَلَن تَرى

    بَيتاً بِلا عَمَدٍ وَلا أَطنابِ

    And an arrow needs well-fitted feathers; never will you see

    a tent without poles or guy ropes.

  34. مَهلاً بَني غُنمِ بنِ تَغلِبَ إِنَّكُم

    لِلصيدِ مِن عَدنانَ وَالصِيّابِ

    Gently, sons of Ghunm ibn Taghlib! You are indeed

    of Adnan's proud nobles and purest stock.

  35. لَولا بَنو جُشَمِ بنِ بَكرٍ فيكُمُ

    رُفِعَت خِيامُكُمُ بِغَيرِ قِبابِ

    Were the sons of Jusham ibn Bakr not among you,

    your tents would have been pitched without domes.

  36. يا مالِكَ اِستَودَعتَني لَكَ مِنَّةً

    تَبقى ذَخائِرُها عَلى الأَحقابِ

    O Malik, you have entrusted me with a favor of yours

    whose treasures endure through the ages.

  37. يا خاطِباً مَدحي إِلَيهِ بِجودِهِ

    وَلَقَد خَطَبتَ قَليلَةَ الخُطّابِ

    O you who woo my praise with your generosity,

    you have indeed courted one with few suitors.

  38. خُذها اِبنَةَ الفِكرِ المُهَذَّبِ في الدُجى

    وَاللَيلُ أَسوَدُ رُقعَةِ الجِلبابِ

    Take her, daughter of thought refined in the darkness,

    while night is black across the fabric of its cloak:

  39. بِكراً تُوَرِّثُ في الحَياةِ وَتَنثَني

    في السِلمِ وَهيَ كَثيرَةُ الأَسلابِ

    a virgin who grants an inheritance in life, and returns

    in peace, yet rich in spoils.

  40. وَيَزيدُها مَرُّ اللَيالي جِدَّةً

    وَتَقادُمُ الأَيّامِ حُسنَ شَبابِ

    The passing of nights increases her freshness,

    and the aging of days, the beauty of her youth.