1. بِاللَهِ أولي يَميناً بَرَّةً قَسَماً

    ما كانَ ما زَعَمَ الواشي كَما زَعَما

    By God, I swear a true oath, a solemn pledge:

    What the slanderer claimed was not as he claimed.

  2. فَكَيفَ يَترُكُني مَن لَستُ أَترُكُهُ

    أَسيانَ أَنشُدُ حَبلاً مِنهُ مُنصَرِما

    How, then, can one whom I do not forsake leave me

    grieving, seeking from him a bond that has been severed?

  3. كَم قَد تَلَفَّتُ فيما فاتَ مِن عُمُري

    أَستَبعِدُ العَهدَ مِن سُعدى وَما قَدُما

    How often I have looked back on the years of my life gone by,

    deeming my time with Su'da distant, though it is not long past.

  4. لا تَعدُ أَربُعَها السُقيا وَلا سِيَما

    رَبعاً تَأَبَّدَ مَغناهُ عَلى إِضَما

    May rain not pass over her dwellings, especially

    a campsite at Idam whose habitation has grown desolate.

  5. جارَت عَلَيهِ صُروفُ الدَهرِ إِذ حَكَمَت

    وَالدَهرُ يَقرُبُ مِن جورٍ إِذا حَكَما

    The vicissitudes of Time wronged it when they held sway;

    and Time inclines toward injustice whenever it judges.

  6. إِنِ اِلتَمَستُ رُجوعاً مِن بَشاشَتِهِ

    لَم أُلفَ مُلتَمِساً قَصداً وَلا أَمَما

    If I seek a return of its cheer,

    I am not found seeking anything easy or near at hand.

  7. مَتى جَرى الدَمعُ عَن بَينٍ تَقَدَّمَهُ ال

    هِجرانُ كانَ خَليقاً أَن يَكونَ دَما

    Whenever tears flow over a parting preceded by

    estrangement, they deserve to be blood.

  8. يَهوى الوَداعَ وَجيهٌ عِندَ غايَتِهِ

    يَلتَذُّ مُعتَنَقاً مِنها وَمُلتَزَما

    Wajih loves farewell at its final moment,

    relishing an embrace from her and a close clasp.

  9. أَحلى مُعاطيكَ كَأساً أَو مُناوَلَةً

    مُعطيكَ خَدّاً نَقِيّاً صَحنُهُ وَفَما

    The sweetest one to pass you a cup or an offering

    is one who offers you a cheek with an unblemished surface, and a mouth.

  10. الناسُ إِمّا أَخو شَكٍّ يُرَبِّثُهُ

    عَن شَأنِهِ أَو أَخو عَزمٍ مَضى قُدُما

    People are either possessed of doubt that holds them back

    from their affairs, or possessed of resolve, pressing straight ahead.

  11. ما لي أَرى عُصَباً خَفَّت إِلى وَرَقِ ال

    دُنيا وَأَغفَلَتِ الأَخطارَ وَالهِمَما

    Why do I see bands rushing toward the silver of the

    world, neglecting high standing and lofty ambitions?

  12. يَبتَدِرونَ الحُطامَ المُستَعارَ وَلَم

    يُهدَو فَيَبتَدِروا الأَخلاقَ وَالشِيَما

    They race for borrowed chaff, yet have not

    been guided to race for character and virtues.

  13. إِذا اِبتَدا بُخَلاءُ الناسُ عارِفَةً

    يَتبَعُها المَنُّ فَالمَرزوقُ مَن حُرِما

    When the miserly among people offer a kindness

    followed by reminders of their favor, the fortunate one is he denied it.

  14. خَلِّ الثَراءَ إِذا أَخزَت مَغَبَّتُهُ

    وَاِختَر عَلَيهِ عَلى نُقصانِهِ العَدَما

    Leave wealth aside if its aftermath brings disgrace,

    and choose poverty over it, despite its privation.

  15. إِلى أَبي يوسُفَ اِجتابَت رَكائِبُنا

    تِلكَ الدَآدِئَ بِالروعانِ وَالظُلَما

    Toward Abu Yusuf our riding camels traversed

    those desert tracts and the darkness, at a swift gait.

  16. إِلى مُقِلٍّ مِنَ الأَكفاءِ لَو طَلَبوا

    مَكانَ مُشبِهِهِ في الأَرضِ ما عُلِما

    Toward one with few equals: if they sought

    the place of his equal on earth, no such place would be known.

  17. إِذا صَدَعنا الدُجى عَنّا بِغُرَّتِهِ

    خِلنا بِها قَبَساً نَجلوهُ أَو ضَرَما

    When we cleave the darkness away from us with his shining brow,

    we fancy there a firebrand we bring into view, or a blaze.

  18. ما قالَ مُعتَمِداً إِنَّ الغَمامَ حَكى

    نَداهُ إِلّا غَبِيُّ الظَنِّ قَد وَهِما

    No one would say in earnest that clouds matched

    his bounty, except someone dull in judgment who had erred.

  19. تَعنو لَهُ وُزَراءَ المُلكِ خاضِعَةً

    وَعادَةُ السَيفِ أَن يَستَخدِمَ القَلَما

    The realm's ministers bow submissively before him;

    and it is the sword's custom to make the pen serve.

  20. إِن كانَ أُسلِمَ حِصنُ البَمِّ أَمسِ فَما

    أَلامَ فيهِ بِما أَعطى وَلا لَأُما

    If the fortress of al-Bamm was surrendered yesterday, then

    he earned no blame for what he yielded, nor acted basely.

  21. سارَت إِلَيهِ زُحوفٌ إِن نَحَت بَلَداً

    أَعطاهُ قاطِنُهُ مِن خيفَةٍ سَلَما

    Armies marched against it; if they advanced upon a land,

    its inhabitant would yield it in surrender out of fear.

  22. وَلا اِبنُ جُستانَ يُلحى في الفِرارِ وَقَد

    رَأى أَوائِلَها فَاِنصاعَ مُنهَزِما

    Nor is Ibn Justan blamed for fleeing, for he had

    seen their vanguard and turned away in rout.

  23. وَما اِبنُ هَرثَمَةَ المَشهورُ مَوقِفُهُ

    إِلّا الحُسامُ أَصابَ الداءَ فَاِنحَسَما

    And Ibn Harthama, famed for his stand, is nothing

    but the keen sword: it struck the malady, which was cut off.

  24. إِن أَطرَقَ اِستَوحَشَت لِلخَوفِ أَفإِدَةٌ

    وَيَملَأُ الأَرضَ مِن أُنسٍ إِذا اِبتَسَما

    If he lowers his head, hearts grow desolate with fear;

    and he fills the earth with comfort when he smiles.

  25. ضاهَت مَحاسِنَهُ الحُسّادُ طامِعَةً

    لِلُّؤمِ مِن جَهلِها أَن يُغمَرَ الكَرَما

    The envious sought to rival his virtues, hoping

    in their ignorance that baseness would overwhelm generosity.

  26. وَطاوَلوهُ إِلى العَليا فَفاتَهُمُ

    نَجمُ السَماءِ تَعَلّى فَوقَهُم وَسَما

    They vied with him for the heights, but he outstripped them—

    a star of heaven, rising above them and soaring high.

  27. يَأتي مُرَجّوهُ أَفواجاً لِنائِلِهِ

    يَستَرشِدُ الفَوجُ بِالفَوجِ الَّذي إِقتَحَما

    Those who hope in him come in throngs for his bounty,

    each throng guided by the throng that has pressed forward.

  28. ماضٍ عَلى عَزمِهِ في الجودِ لَو وَهَبَ ال

    شَبابَ يَومَ لِقاءِ البيضِ ما نَدِما

    He holds to his resolve in giving; were he to give away his

    youth on the day of meeting bright swords, he would not regret it.

  29. لا يَبرَحُ الحَزمُ يَستَوفي عَزيمَتَهُ

    أَقامَ مُبتَدِئً أَم سارَ مُعتَزِما

    Prudence never ceases to perfect his resolve,

    whether he stays to begin or sets out determined.

  30. أَرضى خُراسانَ حَتّى ما تَرى عَرَباً

    تَنبو عَلى حُكمِهِ فيها وَلا عَجَما

    He so pleased Khurasan that you see no Arabs

    chafing at his rule there, nor any non-Arabs.

  31. سَيلٌ تَجَلَّلَ قُطرَيها فَطَبَّقَها

    يَعُمُّ غائِرُها المَخفوضَ وَالأَكَما

    A torrent enveloped both its ends and covered it all,

    reaching its sunken lowlands and its hills alike.

  32. بَل كانَ أَقرَبَهُم مِن سَيبِهِ سَبَباً

    مَن كانَ أَبعَدَهُم مِن جَذمِهِ رَحِما

    Rather, the closest of them in access to his bounty

    was he furthest of them in kinship from his stock.

  33. لَولا تَأَلُّفُهُ وَالصَدعُ مُنفَرِجٌ

    بِالقَومِ ما اِلتَأَمَ الشَعبُ الَّذي اِلتَأَما

    Had he not brought them together, while the rift lay open

    among the people, the breach that healed would not have healed.

  34. نَفسي فِداؤُكَ حُرّاً لِلنَدى عُبُداً

    وَهاضِماً بِاِقتِدارِ السَطوِ مُهتَضِما

    My soul be your ransom, freeborn yet a slave to generosity,

    and crushing an oppressor with the power of your assault.

  35. كانَت بَشاشَتُكَ الأولى الَّتي اِبتَدَأَت

    بِالبِشرِ ثُمَّ اِقتَبَلنا بَعدَها النِعَما

    First came your cheerful welcome, which began

    with good cheer; then, after it, we received your favors.

  36. كَالمُزنَةِ اِستُؤنِفَت أولى مَخيلَتِها

    ثُمَّ اِستَهَلَّت بِغُزرٍ تابَعَ الدِيَما

    Like a raincloud whose first promise of rain has begun anew,

    and which then pours copiously, sending steady showers in succession.