1. جُهْدُ الصّبابةِ أن أكون مَلومَا

    والوَجْدُ يُظهِرُ سِرّيَ المَكتوما

    Love's utmost trial is that I should be blamed,

    and passion reveals my hidden secret.

  2. يا صاحِبَيَّ تَرَفّقا بمُتَيَّمٍ

    نَزَفَ الصّبابَةُ دمعَهُ المَسْجوما

    O my two companions, be gentle with one enslaved by love,

    whose streaming tears longing has drained.

  3. وأضاءَ بَرْقٌ كادَ يَسلُبُهُ الكَرى

    فتَقَصّيا نَظَراً إليهِ وشيما

    And lightning shone, almost robbing him of sleep;

    so look closely toward it, you two, and watch it.

  4. وتعلّما أني أُجيلُ وراءَهُ

    طَرْفاً يُثيرُ على الفؤادِ هُموما

    And know that in its wake I cast

    a gaze that stirs sorrows in my heart.

  5. لولا أميمةُ ما طَرِبْتُ لِبارِقٍ

    ضَرِمِ الزِّنادِ ولا انتَشَقْتُ نَسيما

    Were it not for Umaymah, I would not have thrilled to lightning

    with blazing fire-strikers, nor breathed in a breeze.

  6. فَقِفا بَحيثُ مَحا مَساحِبَ ذَيْلِها

    نَكْباءُ غادَرَتِ الدّيارَ رُسوما

    So halt where the tracks of her trailing hem were erased

    by a crosswind that left the dwellings mere traces.

  7. والنُّؤْيُ أنْحَلَهُ البِلى فكأنّها

    أهْدَتْ إلَيهِ سِوارَها المَفْصوما

    And decay has thinned the tent-trench, as though she

    had given it her cracked bracelet.

  8. لا زالَ مُرتَجِزُ الغَمامِ برَبْعِها

    غَدَقاً وخَفّاقُ النّسيمِ سَقيما

    May the thundering clouds over her dwelling ever be

    abundant in rain, and the fluttering breeze languid.

  9. ما أنسَ ولا أنسَ الوَداعَ وقَولَها

    والثّغْرُ يَجلو اللّؤلُؤَ المَنظوما

    Whatever I forget, I will not forget the farewell and her words,

    while her mouth revealed its strung pearls:

  10. لا تَقْرَبِ البَكريّ إنّ وراءَهُ

    مِنْ أُسْرَتَيْهِ جَحاجِحاً وقُروما

    "Do not approach the Bakri: behind him

    are chieftains and mighty lords from his two families."

  11. فخَرَتْ عليّ الوائِليّةُ ضلّةً

    كُفّي وَغاكِ فقَدْ أصَبْتِ كَريما

    The Wa'ili woman boasted over me, in folly:

    Cease your clamor, for you have encountered a noble man.

  12. إنْ تَفخَري ببَني أبيكِ فإنّ لي

    منْ فَرْعِ خِنْدِفَ ذِرْوَةً وصَميما

    If you boast of your father's sons, then I possess

    a lofty summit and pure stock within Khindif's branch.

  13. حَدَبَتْ عليّ قَبائلٌ مُضَريّةٌ

    طَلَعَتْ عليكِ أهِلّةً ونُجوما

    Tribes of Mudar have tenderly protected me,

    rising over you as crescents and stars.

  14. آتاهُمُ اللهُ النّبُوّةَ والهُدى

    والمُلكَ مُرتَفِعَ البِناءِ عظيما

    God granted them prophethood and guidance,

    and mighty kingship, lofty in its edifice.

  15. وسَما بإبراهيمَ ناصِرِ دينِهِ

    شَرَفُ الخليلِ أبيهِ إبراهيما

    And Ibrahim, champion of His faith, was exalted by

    the honor of God's Friend, his forefather Ibrahim.

  16. مُتَهَلِّلٌ يَحمي حَقيقةَ عامِرٍ

    بالسّيفِ عَضْباً والنَّوالِ جَسيما

    Beaming, he defends the honor of 'Amir

    with a keen-edged sword and lavish bounty.

  17. ويهُزُّهُ نَغمُ الثّناءِ كأنّهُ

    مُتَسَمِّعٌ هَزَجَ الغِناءِ رَخيما

    The melody of praise stirs him, as though he were

    listening to the lilting cadence of mellow song.

  18. والجارُ يأمَنُ في ذَراهُ كأنَّما

    عَقَدَتْ مَكارِمُهُ عليهِ تَميما

    And his neighbor is safe in his shelter, as though

    his noble deeds had fastened amulets upon him.

  19. يَغدو لِحالِيَةِ الرّبيعِ مُجاوِراً

    ولصَوْبِ غاديَةِ الغَمامِ نَديما

    He becomes a neighbor to spring in its finery,

    and a boon companion to the downpour of morning clouds.

  20. ولهُ ذِمامُ أبيهِ حَزْنٍ إنْ جَرَتْ

    ريحُ الشِّتاءِ على السّوامِ عَقيما

    And his is the protective pledge of his father Hazn, should there blow

    a barren winter wind over the grazing herds.

  21. ولفارِسِ الهَرّارِ فيهِ شَمائِلٌ

    لَقِحَتْ بِها الحَرْبُ العَوانُ قديما

    And in him are the traits of the horseman of al-Harrar,

    through which seasoned war conceived long ago.

  22. مِن مَعْشَرٍ بيضِ الوُجوهِ توشّحوا

    شِيَماً خُلِقْنَ منَ العُلا وحُلوما

    He is of a people bright of face, who have donned

    traits fashioned from lofty honor, and forbearance.

  23. إنْ أقدَموا بَرزوا إليكَ صَوارِماً

    أو أنعَموا مَطَروا عليْكَ غُيوما

    If they advance, they come forth against you as keen swords;

    or, if they bestow favors, they rain upon you as clouds.

  24. تَلقى الكُماةَ الصّيدَ حَولَ بُيوتِهِمْ

    والخَيلُ صافِنَةً تَلوكُ شَكيما

    You find proud armored warriors around their dwellings,

    while horses stand with one hoof raised, chewing their bits.

  25. وكَتيبَةٍ منْ سِرِّ جَوثَةَ فَخمَةٍ

    كالأُسْدِ تَملأُ مِسمَعَيْكَ نَئيما

    And many a mighty battalion from Jawthah's choicest stock,

    like lions, fills both your ears with roaring.

  26. زَخَرَتْ بهمْ أمُّ البَنين فأقبَلوا

    كالمَشْرَفيّةِ نَجدَةً وعَزيما

    Umm al-Banin teemed with them, and they came forth

    like Mashrafi swords in courage and resolve.

  27. وإذا العُمومَةُ لمْ تُشَجْ بِخؤولَةٍ

    خَرَجَ النّسيبُ بها أغَرَّ بَهيما

    And when paternal kinship is not mingled with maternal kinship,

    the well-born offspring emerges through it, radiant and unmixed.

  28. ومُرَنَّحينَ مِنَ النُّعاسِ بَعَثْتُهُمْ

    والعينُ تَكسِرُ جَفنَها تَهْويما

    And men swaying from drowsiness I sent forth,

    while the eye lowered its lid in a doze.

  29. فسَرَتْ بهِمْ ذُلُلُ المَطيّ لَواغِباً

    تَهفو إِلى آلِ المُسَيّبِ هيما

    Then weary, docile riding camels carried them by night,

    yearning toward the house of al-Musayyab, mad with longing.

  30. قَومٌ إذا طَرَقَ الزّمانُ بِحلدِثٍ

    لم يُلْفَ مارِنُ جارِهِمْ مَخْطوما

    A people who, when time comes knocking with a calamity,

    their neighbor's nose is never found bridled.

  31. يتهلّلونَ إِلى العُفاةِ بأوْجُهٍ

    رَقّتْ وقَدْ غَلُظَ الزّمانُ أديما

    They smile upon petitioners with faces

    grown tender, though time has grown thick-skinned.

  32. يا سيّدَ العَرَبِ الإِلى زيدوا بهِ

    شَرَفاً بمَيسَمِ عزّةٍ مَرْموقا

    O lord of the Arabs, who through him have been raised

    in honor, with an admired brand of might.

  33. نشأَتْ قَناتُكَ في فُروعِ هَوازِنٍ

    ريّا المَعاقِدَ لا تُسِرُّ وُصوما

    Your spear-shaft grew among the branches of Hawazin,

    well-watered at its nodes, concealing no blemishes.

  34. ولِحاسِديكَ وأنت مُقتَبَلُ الصِّبا

    كَمَدٌ يَكادُ يُصَدِّعُ الحَيْزوما

    And your enviers, while you are in youth's first bloom, suffer

    a grief that almost splits the breast.

  35. لا عُذْرَ للقَيْسيِّ يَضرِبُ طَوْقُهُ

    طَرَفَ اللَّبانِ ولا يَسود فَطيما

    There is no excuse for the Qaysi whose neck-ring strikes

    the edge of his breast, yet who is no chief as a weanling.