1. لا تَحسَبي شَيبَ رَأسي أَنَّهُ هَرَمُ

    وَإِنَّما أَبيَضَّ لَمّا اِبيَضَّتِ اللِمَمُ

    Do not think the grayness of my head is decrepitude;

    It only whitened when the locks turned white.

  2. وَلا تَظُنّي نُحولَ الجِسمِ مِن أَلَمٍ

    فَالهَمُّ يَفعَلُ مالا يَفعَلُ الأَلَمُ

    Nor think the body's wasting comes from pain;

    For anguish does what pain does not.

  3. كَتَمتُ حُبَّكِ دَهراً ثُمَ بُحتُ بِهِ

    وَسِرُّ كُلِّ مُحِبٍّ لَيسَ يَنكَتِمُ

    I concealed my love for you for an age, then revealed it;

    And no lover's secret remains concealed.

  4. عَذَّبتُمُ بِالهَوى قَلبي وَلا عَجَباً

    أَن شَرَّقَ الماءُ وَهوَ البارِدُ الشَبمُ

    You tormented my heart with passion—and no wonder

    That water should make one choke, though it is cold, ice-cold.

  5. وَشَفَّ ما في ضَميري مِن مَحبَّتِكُم

    وَإِنَّما شَفَّ لَمّا شَفَّني السَقَمُ

    And the love for you within my heart showed through;

    It showed through only when illness wasted me.

  6. ضِنّي بِوَصلِكِ أَو مُنّي عَليَّ بِهِ

    فَواحِدٌ عِنديَ الوِجدانُ وَالعَدَمُ

    Withhold your union, or bestow it on me;

    For possession and deprivation are one to me.

  7. ما أَقبَحَ العِرضَ مَدنُوساً بِفاحِشَةٍ

    يَخُطُّها اللَوحُ أَو يَجري بِها القَلَمُ

    How ugly is honor sullied by a shameful deed

    Which the tablet records or the pen sets down.

  8. وَالحُسنُ لا حُسنَ في وَجهٍ تَأَمَّلُهُ

    إِن لَم تَكُن مِثلَهُ الأَخلاقُ وَالشِيَمُ

    And beauty—there is no beauty in a face you contemplate

    If character and disposition do not match it.

  9. وَلِلشَبِيبَةِ بُنيانٌ تُكَمِّلُهُ

    لَكَ الثَلاثونَ عاماً ثُمَّ يَنهَدِمُ

    And youth has an edifice that is perfected

    For you by thirty years, then crumbles.

  10. وَمَن يَكُن بِأَبي العُلوان مُعتَصِماً

    فَإِنَّهُ بِحِبالِ اللَهِ مُعتَصِمُ

    And whoever holds fast to Abu al-Ulwan

    Is indeed holding fast to the cords of God.

  11. مُبارَكُ الوَجهِ صاغَ اللَهُ طِينَتَهُ

    مِن طينَةٍ مِنها الجُودُ وَالكَرَمُ

    Blessed of countenance, God fashioned his clay

    From a clay of which bounty and generosity are made.

  12. تُريكَ هَضبَ هُمامٍ في حِجى مَلِكٍ

    مِن آلِ مِرداسَ في عِرنينهِ شَمَمُ

    It shows you a hero's rain-like bounty in a king's wisdom,

    Of the house of Mirdas, his nose high with pride.

  13. أَغنى الجَزيرَةَ لَمّا أَن أَقامَ بِها

    عَن أَن تُشامَ لَها الأَنواءُ وَالدِيَمُ

    When he settled there, he freed al-Jazira from the need

    To have rain-stars and steady showers watched for on its behalf.

  14. وَأَمَّنَ اللَهُ أَهلَ الرقَّتينِ بِهِ

    أَن يَستَبِدّ بِهِم ظُلمٌ وَلا ظُلَمُ

    And God, through him, made the people of the two Raqqas secure

    So neither oppression nor darkness could tyrannize over them.

  15. جَنابُهُ لَهُمُ رِيفٌ وَجانِبُهُ

    مِنَ المُلِمِّ الَّذي يَخشونَهُ حَرَمُ

    His domain is fertile land for them, and his vicinity

    A sanctuary from the calamity they fear.

  16. ظَنَّ الأَعادي بِهِ ظَنّاً فَأَخلَفَهُ

    لَمّا اِلتَقوا وَعُبابُ الظُلمِ يَلتَطِمُ

    The foes formed an opinion of him, but he proved it false

    When they met, as oppression's billows crashed together.

  17. رَماهُمُ بِليوثٍ لَو رَمى بِهِمُ

    دَعائِمَ الطَودِ لَم تَثبُت لَها دَعَمُ

    He hurled lions at them; had he hurled them

    At a mountain's pillars, no supports would have stood firm.

  18. وَفِتيَةٍ كَاللُيوثِ الغُلبِ لَيسَ لَهُم

    إِلّا السَنَوَّر أَغيالٌ وَلا أَجَمُ

    And youths like thick-necked lions, who have no

    Forest lairs or thickets except their armor.

  19. شابَت نَواصي الوَغى مِنهُم فَهُم عَجَمٌ

    وَعُودُهُم غَيرُ خوّارٍ إِذا عُجِمُوا

    Battle's forelocks have grayed because of them, for they are hardened men;

    And their timber does not yield when they are tested.

  20. مِن حَولِ أَروَعَ تُغنيهِم مَهابَتُهُ

    عَنِ السُيوفِ الَّتي أَغمادُها القِمَمُ

    Around a majestic man whose awe suffices them

    In place of swords whose sheaths are heads.

  21. حَتّى إِذا اِشتَجَرَ الخَطّيُّ بَينَهُمُ

    تَبَيَّنَ القَومُ أَيُّ الحاضِرينَ هُمُ

    Until, when the Khatti spears crossed among them,

    The company recognized who they were among those present.

  22. في مَأزِقٍ زُوِّقَ المَوتُ الذُعافُ بِهِ

    وَشابَتِ العُذرُ مِمّا تَنفُضُ اللُجُمُ

    In a narrow battlefield where venomous death was adorned,

    And the cheek-straps grayed from what the bridles shook off.

  23. لَو كانَ غَيرُ اِبنِ فَخرِ المُلكِ حارَبَهُم

    لَم يَنهَهُ عَنهُمُ قُربى وَلا رَحِمُ

    Had anyone but the son of Fakhr al-Mulk fought them,

    No kinship or blood-tie would have held him back from them.

  24. وَإِنَّما حارَبُوا قَرماً يَعُوذُ بِهِ

    خِيَمٌ كَريمٌ وَلَحمٌ طَيِّبٌ وَدَمُ

    They fought only a noble chief in whom find refuge

    A noble nature, wholesome flesh and blood.

  25. وَآلُ مِرداسَ خَيرُ الناسِ إِن رَحَلوا

    وَإِن أَقامُوا وَإِن أَثَروا وَإِن عَدِمُوا

    And the house of Mirdas are the best of people, whether they depart

    Or stay, whether they grow rich or have nothing.

  26. لا يَبخَلونَ بِمَعروفٍ إِذا سُئِلوا

    وَلا يَخِفُّونَ عَن حِلمٍ إِذا نَقِمُوا

    They do not begrudge a kindness when asked,

    Nor forsake forbearance when they take offense.

  27. تَعَلَّموا كُلَّ فَضلٍ مِن نُفوسِهِمِ

    فَما يُزادونَ عِلماً فَوقَ ما عَلِمُوا

    They learned every virtue from their own souls,

    So no one can add knowledge beyond what they already know.

  28. لَو شاهَدَ اِبنُ أَبي سُلمى مَكارِمَهُ

    لَكانَ غَيرَ كَريمٍ عِندَهُ هَرِمُ

    Had Ibn Abi Sulma witnessed his noble deeds,

    Harim would have seemed ungenerous to him.

  29. وَلَو رَأَى حاتمُ الطائِيُّ فَضلَهُمُ

    لَقالَ مِن آلِ مِرداسٍ بَدا الكَرَمُ

    And had Hatim al-Ta'i seen their excellence,

    He would have said, 'Generosity shone forth from the house of Mirdas.'

  30. يُصَغِّرونَ عَظيماً مِن مَحَلِّهِم

    فَكُلَّما صَغَّرُوا مِن قَدرِهِم عَظُمُوا

    They make little of the greatness of their station;

    So whenever they lower their standing, they grow greater.

  31. سَمادِعٌ شَيَّعوا ذِكري بِذِكرِهِمُ

    فَصرتُ أُعرَفُ بِالوَسمِ الَّذي وَسَمُوا

    Magnanimous lords, they escorted my renown with theirs;

    So I became known by the mark they set upon me.

  32. يا مَن يُحَمِّلُّ مِن شُكري لِنِعمَتِهِ

    حِملاً تُحمِّلُ مِثلي مَثلَهُ الأُمَمُ

    O you who burden me with gratitude for your bounty,

    A load whose like nations impose on one like me:

  33. إِنّي وَزَنت بِكَ الأَملاكَ قاطِبَةً

    فَما وَفى بِكَ لا عُربٌ وَلا عَجَمُ

    Indeed, I weighed all kings against you,

    And neither Arabs nor non-Arabs equaled you.

  34. ما صَحَّ مَذهَبُ أَهلِ النَسخِ عِندَهُمُ

    إِلّا بِأَنَّكَ أَنتَ الناسُ كُلُّهُمُ

    The doctrine of transmigration proved true to its adherents

    Only because you yourself are all mankind.

  35. جَمَعتَ ما في جَميعِ الناسِ مِن كَرَمٍ

    فَالفَضلُ عِندَكَ مَجموعٌ وَمُقتَسَمُ

    You gathered all the generosity found in all people;

    So excellence in you is gathered together and shared out.

  36. أَفدي بِنَفسي نَفيسَ النَفسِ عادَتُهُ

    أَن لا يُذَمَّ لَهُ فِعلٌ وَلا ذِمَمُ

    I would ransom with my life that precious soul, whose custom

    Is that no deed or pledge of his is reproached.

  37. أَزُورُهُ وَبِوُدّي لَو مَشى بَصَري

    عَنّي وَلَم يَمشِ لي ساقٌ وَلا قَدَمُ

    I visit him, and wish my sight could walk

    In my stead, with neither leg nor foot walking for me.

  38. وَلَو قَدِرتُ لَما زارَت مُقَفِّلَةً

    إِلّا بِخَدّي إِلَيهِ الوُخد الرُسُمُ

    And if I could, they would not come back to visit

    Him save across my cheek—the quick-striding, swift-trotting camels.

  39. كَرامَةً لِكَريمِ الخيمِ ما كَبُرَت

    إِلّا لَهُ عِنديَ الآلاءُ وَالنِعَمُ

    In honor of one noble in nature: none have seemed great

    To me except his—the favors and blessings.

  40. فَسَوفَ أَشكُرُهُ حَيّاً وَتَشكُرُهُ

    عَنّي إِذا ما ثَوَيتُ الأَعظُمُ الرِمَمُ

    So I shall thank him while alive; and he shall be thanked

    On my behalf, when I lie buried, by my crumbling bones.