1. يا أَخا الأَزدِ ما حَفِظتَ الإِخاءَ

    لِمُحِبٍّ وَلا رَعَيتَ الوَفاءَ

    O brother of al-Azd, you have not preserved brotherhood

    for a lover, nor have you upheld fidelity.

  2. عَذَلاً يَترُكُ الحَنينَ أَنيناً

    في هَوىً يَترُكُ الدُموعَ دِماءَ

    Such reproach turns yearning into groaning,

    in a passion that turns tears into blood.

  3. لا تَلُمني عَلى البُكاءِ فَإِنّي

    نِضوُ شَجوٍ ما لُمتُ فيهِ البُكاءَ

    Do not blame me for weeping, for I am

    a wreck of sorrow, in which I have never faulted weeping.

  4. كَيفَ أَغدو مِنَ الصَبابَةِ خِلواً

    بَعدَ ما راحَتِ الدِيارُ خَلاءَ

    How can I become free of longing

    after the dwellings have become deserted,

  5. غِبَّ عَيشٍ بِها غَريرٍ وَكانَ الـ

    ـعَيشُ في عَهدِ تُبَّعٍ أَفياءَ

    after a carefree life there—and

    life in Tubbaʿ's time was shade.

  6. قِف بِها وَقفَةً تَرُدُّ عَلَيها

    أَدمُعاً رَدَّها الجَوى أَنضاءَ

    Stop there a while, giving back to them

    tears that burning heartache has worn thin.

  7. إِنَّ لِلبَينِ مِنَّةً ما تُؤَدّى

    وَيَداً في تُماضِرٍ بَيضاءَ

    Indeed, parting has done a favor beyond repayment,

    and shown a white hand of kindness in Tumadir's case.

  8. حَجَبوها حَتّى بَدَت لِفِراقٍ

    كانَ داءً لِعاشِقٍ وَدَواءَ

    They kept her hidden until she appeared for a parting

    that was both sickness and cure to a lover.

  9. أَضحَكَ البَينُ يَومَ ذاكَ وَأَبكى

    كُلَّ ذي صَبوَةٍ وَسَرَّ وَساءَ

    Parting that day made laugh and made weep

    everyone in love, and pleased and pained them.

  10. فَجَعَلنا الوَداعَ فيهِ سَلاماً

    وَجَعَلنا الفِراقَ فيهِ لِقاءَ

    So we made farewell a greeting then,

    and made separation, then, a meeting.

  11. وَوَشَت بي إِلى الوُشاةِ دُموعُ الـ

    ـعَينِ حَتّى حَسِبتُها أَعداءَ

    The tears of my eye betrayed me to the informers,

    until I thought them enemies.

  12. قُل لِداعي الغَمامِ لَبَّيكَ وَاِحلُل

    عُقَلَ العيسِ كَي تُجيبَ الدُعاءَ

    Say to the cloud's summoner, 'At your service!' and undo

    the pale camels' hobbles, that they may answer the summons.

  13. عارِضٌ مِن أَبي سَعيدٍ دَعانا

    بِسَنا بَرقِهِ غَداةَ تَراءى

    A raincloud from Abu Saʿid summoned us

    with its lightning's radiance the morning it appeared.

  14. كَيفَ نُثني عَلى اِبنِ يوسُفَ لا كَيـ

    ـفَ سَرى مَجدُهُ فَفاتَ الثَناءَ

    How can we praise Ibn Yusuf? There is no way—

    his glory has journeyed by night and outstripped praise.

  15. جادَ حَتّى أَفنى السُؤالَ فَلَمّا

    بادَ مِنّا السُؤالُ جادَ اِبتِداءَ

    He gave until he put an end to asking; then,

    when asking had ceased among us, he gave unasked.

  16. صامِتِيٌّ يَمُدُّ في كَرَمِ الفِعـ

    ـلِ يَداً مِنهُ تَخلُفُ الأَنواءَ

    A Samiti, who in noble deeds extends

    a hand of his that takes the rain-stars' place.

  17. فَهوَ يُعطي جَزلاً وَيُثنى عَلَيهِ

    ثُمَّ يُعطي عَلى الثَناءِ جَزاءَ

    He gives lavishly, and is praised,

    then gives a reward for the praise.

  18. نِعَمٌ أَعطَتِ العُفاةَ رِضاهُم

    مِن لُهاها وَزادَتِ الشُعَراءَ

    Bounties that have satisfied the seekers

    with their lavish gifts, and given poets still more.

  19. وَكَذاكَ السَحابُ لَيسَ يَعُمُّ الـ

    ـأَرضَ وَبلاً حَتّى يَعُمَّ السَماءَ

    So too the cloud does not cover

    the earth with downpour until it covers the sky.

  20. جَلَّ عَن مَذهَبِ المَديحِ فَقَد كا

    دَ يَكونُ المَديحُ فيهِ هِجاءَ

    He is beyond the reach of praise; indeed, it is almost

    satire to offer praise of him.

  21. وَجَرى جودُهُ رَسيلاً لِجودِ الـ

    ـغَيثِ مِن غايَةٍ فَجاءا سَواءَ

    His bounty ran abreast of the bounty of

    rain, from one starting mark, and both finished even.

  22. الهِزَبرُ الَّذي إِذا اِلتَفَّتِ الحَر

    بُ بِهِ صَرَّفَ الرَدى كَيفَ شاءَ

    The lion who, when war gathers

    around him, directs death however he wills.

  23. تَتَدانى الآجالُ ضَرباً وَطَعناً

    حينَ يَدنو فَيَشهَدُ الهَيجاءَ

    Death's appointed hours draw near through blows and thrusts

    when he draws near and joins the battle.

  24. سَل بِهِ إِن جَهِلتَ قَولي وَهَل يَجـ

    ـهَلُ ذو الناظِرَينِ هَذا الضِياءَ

    Ask about him if my words are strange to you; can one

    with two eyes fail to recognize this light?

  25. إِذ مَضى مُجلِباً يُقَعقِعُ في الدَر

    بِ زَئيراً أَنسى الكِلابَ العُواءَ

    When he advanced clamoring, thundering through the pass

    a roar that made the dogs forget their howling,

  26. حينَ حاضَت مِن خَوفِهِ رَبَّةُ الرو

    مِ صَباحاً وَراسَلَتهُ مَساءَ

    when the lady of the Byzantines menstruated from fear of him

    in the morning, and sent him messages in the evening.

  27. وَصُدورُ الجِيادِ في جانِبِ البَحـ

    ـرِ فَلَولا الخَليجُ جُزنَ ضَحاءَ

    And the horses' breasts were at the sea's edge;

    but for the gulf, they would have crossed by forenoon.

  28. ثُمَّ أَلقى صَليبَهُ المَلسَنيو

    سُ وَوالى خَلفَ النَجاءِ النَجاءَ

    Then al-Malsaniyus cast down his cross

    and followed one escape with another.

  29. لَم تُقَصِّر عُلاوَةُ الرُمحِ عَنهُ

    قيدَ رُمحٍ وَلَم تَضَعهُ خَطاءَ

    The spearhead did not fall short of him

    by a spear's length, nor did you thrust it amiss.

  30. أَحسَنَ اللَهُ في ثَوابِكَ عَن ثَغـ

    ـرٍ مُضاعٍ أَحسَنتَ فيهِ البَلاءَ

    May God reward you generously for a frontier stronghold

    left neglected, where you proved your valor well.

  31. كانَ مُستَضعَفاً فَعَزَّ وَمَحرو

    ماً فَأَجدى وَمُظلِماً فَأَضاءَ

    It was deemed weak, then grew mighty; deprived,

    then prosperous; and dark, then radiant.

  32. لَتَوَلَّيتَهُ فَكُنتَ لِأَهليـ

    ـهِ غِنىً مُقنِعاً وَعَنهُم غَناءَ

    You surely took charge of it, becoming for its people

    ample wealth, and a defense on their behalf.

  33. لَم تَنَم عَن دُعائِهِم حينَ نادَوا

    وَالقَنا قَد أَسالَ فيهِم قَناءَ

    You did not sleep through their call when they cried out,

    while spears had set crimson blood flowing among them.

  34. إِذ تَغَدّى العُلوجُ مِنهُم غُدُوّاً

    فَتَعَشَّتهُمُ يَداكَ عِشاءَ

    When the foreign brutes breakfasted on them in the morning,

    your two hands supped on those brutes in the evening.

  35. لَم تُسِغهُم بَرودُ جَيحانَ حَتّى

    قَلَسوا في الرِماحِ ذاكَ الماءَ

    Jayhan's cool waters had scarcely gone down

    before they vomited that water amid the spears.

  36. وَكَأَنَّ النَفيرَ حَطَّ عَلَيهِم

    مِنكَ نَجماً أَو صَخرَةً صَمّاءَ

    It was as though the battle summons had brought down upon them

    from you a star, or a solid boulder.

  37. لَم يَكُن جَمعُهُم عَلى المَوجِ إِلّا

    زَبَداً طارَ عَن قَناكَ جُفاءَ

    Their host upon the waves was nothing but

    foam that flew from your spears, cast away as scum.

  38. حينَ أَبدَت إِلَيكَ خَرشَنَةُ العُلـ

    ـيا مِنَ الثَلجِ هامَةً شَمطاءَ

    When Upper Kharshana showed you

    a head streaked gray with snow,

  39. ما نَهاكَ الشِتاءُ عَنها وَفي صَد

    رِكَ نارٌ لِلحِقدِ تُنهي الشِتاءَ

    winter did not keep you from it; within your breast

    a fire of hatred brought winter to an end.

  40. طالَعَتكَ الأَبناءُ مِن شُرَفِ الأَبـ

    ـراجِ زُرقاً إِذ تَذبَحُ الآباءَ

    The sons peered out at you from the battlements of

    the towers, blue-eyed, as you slaughtered their fathers.

  41. بِتَّها وَالقُرانُ يَصدَعُ فيها ال

    هَضبَ حَتّى كادَت تَكونُ حِراءَ

    You spent the night there, while the Qur'an cleft

    its rocky hills, until it almost became Hira.

  42. وَأَقَمتَ الصَلاةَ في مَعشَرٍ لا

    يَعرِفونَ الصَلاةَ إِلّا مُكاءَ

    You established prayer among a people who did not

    know prayer except as whistling.

  43. في نَواحي بُرجانَ إِذ أَنكَروا التَكـ

    ـبيرَ حَتّى تَوَهَّموهُ غِناءَ

    In the regions of Burjan, they found the cry

    'God is greatest' so strange they thought it song.

  44. حَيثُ لَم تورِدِ السُيوفَ عَلى خِمـ

    ـسٍ وَلَم تُصدِرِ الرِماحَ ظِماءَ

    Where you never made the swords wait five days to drink,

    nor led the spears away thirsty,

  45. يَتَعَثَّرنَ في النُحورِ وَفي الأَو

    جُهِ سُكراً لَمّا شَرِبنَ الدِماءَ

    they stumbled among throats and among

    faces, drunk after drinking blood.

  46. وَأَزَرتَ الخُيولَ قَبرَ امرِئِ القَيـ

    ـسِ سِراعاً فَعُدنَ مِنهُ بِطاءَ

    You made the horses visit Imru' al-Qays's grave,

    swift on arrival, slow on their return.

  47. وَجَلَبتَ الحِسانَ حُوّاً وَحوراً

    آنِساتٍ حَتّى أَغَرتَ النِساءَ

    And you brought beauties, dark-lipped, with eyes of black and white,

    winsome companions, until you made the women jealous.

  48. لَم تَدَعكَ المَها الَّتي شَغَلَت جَيـ

    ـشَكَ بِالسَوقِ أَن تَسوقَ الشاءَ

    The oryxes would not let you—keeping your army

    busy driving them—drive the sheep.

  49. عَلِمَ الرومُ أَنَّ غَزوَكَ ما كا

    نَ عِقاباً لَهُم وَلَكِن فَناءَ

    The Byzantines knew that your invasion was not

    punishment for them, but annihilation,

  50. بِسِباءٍ سَقاهُمُ البَينَ صِرفاً

    وَبِقَتلٍ نَسَوا لَدَيهِ السِباءَ

    with captivity that made them drink separation unmixed,

    and slaughter beside which they forgot captivity.

  51. يَومَ فَرَّقتَ مِن كَتائِبِ آرا

    ئِكَ جُنداً لا يَأخُذونَ عَطاءَ

    The day you deployed, from the battalions of your plans,

    troops who took no pay:

  52. بَينَ ضَربٍ يُفلِّقُ الهامَ أَنصا

    فاً وَطَعنٍ يُفَرِّجُ الغَمّاءَ

    both blows that split skulls into

    halves, and thrusts that dispelled dark distress.

  53. وَبِوُدِّ العَدُوِّ لَو تُضعِفُ الجَيـ

    ـشَ عَلَيهِم وَتَصرِفُ الآراءَ

    The enemy would gladly have you double the army

    against them, and turn your stratagems aside.

  54. خَلَقَ اللَهُ يا مُحَمَّدُ أَخلا

    قَكَ مَجداً في طَيِّئٍ وَسَناءَ

    God created, O Muhammad, your character

    as glory and eminence among Tayy.

  55. فَإِذا ما رِياحُ جودِكَ هَبَّت

    صارَ قَولُ العُذّالِ فيها هَباءَ

    Whenever the winds of your generosity blow,

    the faultfinders' words turn to dust within them.