Sol 6

  1. أدارَهُمُ بيْنَ الأجارِعِ فالسِّدْرِ

    سقَتْكَ الغَوادي كلَّ مُنْسكِب القَطْرِ

    Their homes lie between al-Ajariʿ and the lote trees.

    May the morning clouds shower you with every pouring rain.

  2. أجيبي تجافَتْ عنْ رُباكِ يدُ الرّدَى

    ولا نَضِبَتْ أمْواهُ موْرِدِكِ الغَمْرِ

    Answer me: may death's hand keep away from your hills,

    and may the waters of your abundant spring never dry up.

  3. ولازالَ ظِلُّ البانِ فيكِ منَعَّماً

    يَميسُ منَ الأوْراقِ في حُلَلٍ خُضْرِ

    May the shade of the moringa remain luxuriant in you,

    swaying in green robes of leaves.

  4. متَى ظَعنَ الحيُّ الجميعُ وأصْبَحوا

    كَما افْتَرَقَ الحُجّاجُ في ليْلَةِ النّفْرِ

    When did the whole tribe depart and become

    like pilgrims dispersing on the night of departure?

  5. وأيْنَ استَقلّوا هلْ بهَضْبِ تِهامَةٍ

    مُحِلّينَ أم حَلوا على قُنّةِ الحِجْرِ

    And where did they set out for? Did they camp on the heights of Tihama,

    or settle on the summit of al-Hijr?

  6. وإذا زجَروها مُعْرِقينَ فهَل سَروا

    بشَطِّ دُجيْلٍ أم أجازوا على الجِسْرِ

    And when they urged their mounts toward Iraq, did they travel

    along the bank of Dujayl, or cross by the bridge?

  7. أم الشّامَ أمّوا أم على رمْلِ عالِجٍ

    حدَوْا عابِرينَ النّيلَ قصْداً الى مِصْرِ

    Or did they head for Syria, or, over the sands of ʿAlij,

    urge their mounts across the Nile, bound for Egypt?

  8. فقالَتْ سَروا واللّيْلُ مُرْخٍ سُدولَهُ

    وجُنْحُ الدّياجي في اقْتِبالٍ منَ العُمْرِ

    She said: They traveled while night let down its curtains,

    and the dark hours were still in the prime of their life.

  9. وشدّوا عُقودَ العَزْمِ فوقَ رِحالِهِمْ

    فما راعَني إلا رَكائِبُهُمْ تَسْري

    They bound firm resolve upon their saddles,

    and suddenly their mounts startled me as they moved through the night.

  10. فهَذا حَديثي قد بثَثْتُ شُجونَهُ

    إليْكَ وما قد كان بعْدُ فلا أدْري

    This is my account; I have poured out its sorrows

    to you, but what happened afterward I do not know.

  11. ولوْلا نسيمٌ دلَّ طيبُ حَديثِهِ

    عليَّ وآراجٌ تضَوَّعَ للسّفْرِ

    Were it not for a breeze whose sweet report pointed

    to me, and scents that spread for the travelers,

  12. لمّا عرَفوا منّي المَكانَ ولا بدَتْ

    مُثولُ طُلولٍ فوْقَ كُثْبانيَ العُفْرِ

    they would not have known my place, nor would there have appeared

    the standing traces of deserted dwellings above my dun sandhills.

  13. يَميناً بربِّ الرّاقِصاتِ الى مِنىً

    وحُرْمَةِ ما بيْنَ المَقامِ الى الحِجْرِ

    I swear by the Lord of the mounts that hasten to Mina,

    and by the sanctity of what lies between the Station and the Hijr:

  14. لوَ انّني أعْطَيْتُ الصّبابةَ مِقْوَدي

    وأمْكَنْتُ مُغْتالَ التشوُّقِ منْ صَدْري

    if I had given longing my reins

    and let the assassin of yearning reach my breast,

  15. لمَا سُغْتُ منْ وِرْدِ الحَياةِ صُبابَةً

    ولوْ سُغْتَها من بعْدِ ذاكَ فما عُذْري

    I could not have swallowed a drop from life's spring;

    and if I swallowed it after that, what excuse would I have?

  16. ولكِنْ أبَتْ إلا التصبُّرَ همّةٌ

    لها قَصباتُ السَّبْقِ في مَعْرَك الدّهْرِ

    But a spirit that insists on patience refused otherwise,

    a spirit that has won the foremost prizes in life's struggle.

  17. تعوّضْتُ أُنْسَ الصّبْرِ منْ وحْشَةِ النّوى

    وفوّضْتُ للّهِ التصرُّفَ في أمْري

    I exchanged the loneliness of separation for the comfort of patience

    and entrusted the direction of my affairs to God.

  18. أفَقْراً وقد أوْرَدْتُ في موْرِدِ الغِنى

    وخوْفاً وقد أصْبَحْتُ جارَ بَني نَصْرِ

    Should I fear poverty when I have come to the spring of wealth,

    or fear when I have become a neighbor of the Banu Nasr?

  19. حطَطْتُ بآلِ اللهِ عُوجَ رَكائِبي

    فلُقّيتُ بالتّرْحيبِ والسّهْلِ والبِرِّ

    I brought my weary mounts to rest with God's family,

    and was met with welcome, ease, and kindness.

  20. ولذْتُ بهِمْ منْ صَوْلَةِ الدّهْرِ عائِداً

    كما جنَحَ الطّيْرُ المَروعُ الى وَكْرِ

    I sought refuge with them from the assaults of time,

    as a frightened bird turns toward its nest.

  21. فمدّ جَناحَ الأمْنِ فوقَ مَخافَتي

    وقد فرّ عنْها الذُّعْرُ منْ شدّةِ الذّعْرِ

    So he spread the wing of safety over my fear,

    and terror fled from it in utter fright.

  22. وأصبَحْتُ لا أخْشى الزّمانَ ودونَهُ

    كَتائِبُ منْ قوْمٍ كِرامٍ ومِنْ وَفْرِ

    Now I do not fear time, for between it and me

    stand battalions of noble and numerous men.

  23. مُقيماً أرى الأحْداثَ منْ حيثُ لا تَرَى

    فمَنْ مُبْلِغٌ عنْ منزِلي ربَّةَ الخِدْرِ

    Settled here, I watch events from where you cannot see them;

    who will tell the sheltered lady of my dwelling?

  24. بأقْدَمِ مَنْ يَمْضي إذا الخَيْلُ أحْجَمَتْ

    وأحْلَمِ مَنْ يُغْضي وأكْرَمِ منْ يَقْري

    I dwell with the boldest man to advance when horsemen hold back,

    the most forbearing when he overlooks an offense, and the most generous host.

  25. إذا نزلَ المَكْروهُ أو بخِلَ الحَيا

    فغَيْثٌ لمُعْتَرٍّ وغوْثٌ لمُضْطَرِّ

    When calamity descends or rain proves scarce,

    he is rain for the supplicant and rescue for the desperate.

  26. فَدونَكِ يا آلَ الوَجيهِ فلاعِبي

    ظِلالَكِ والدّيباجُ مِنْ مِدَحِ الشِّعْرِ

    So, house of al-Wajih, come and play

    in your shade, clothed in the brocade of poetic praise.

  27. ويا بِدَرَ المالِ الصّموتِ تبرّجي

    وشأنُكِ فابْيَضّي إذا شِئْتِ واصْفَرّي

    And you silent full moons of wealth, show yourselves;

    as you wish, gleam white or shine yellow.

  28. ويا حِلَلَ الهَضْبِ اليَمانيّ فاخِري

    نُجومَ الدُّجى أو حاسِني زمَنَ الزّهْرِ

    And you garments of the Yemeni highland, vie

    with the stars of darkness, or rival the season of blossoms.

  29. ويا طاعِناً نحْرَ الدُّجُنّةِ يَبْتَغي

    طُلوعَ سَنى الخَيْماتِ في مَطْلَعِ الفَجْرِ

    And you who pierce the throat of darkness, seeking

    the rising glow of the tents at dawn:

  30. ألا حدِّثَنْ عنّي الأحبّةَ أنّني

    حطَطْتُ بحَيٍّ لا يَلينُ على قَسْرِ

    tell the loved ones on my behalf that

    I have settled among people who do not yield to force,

  31. وأنّيَ مُذْ يمّمْتُ حضْرَةَ يوسُفٍ

    تَقِلُّ مَقاديرُ الخلائِقِ عنْ قدْري

    and that since I came to Yusuf's court,

    the standing of other people falls short of my worth.

  32. بحيْثُ أتَيتُ الأرْضَ مِسْكاً تُرابُها

    وأوطِيتُ من حَصْبائِها أنْفَسَ الدُّرِّ

    I came to a land whose dust is musk,

    and trod on pebbles more precious than pearls.

  33. سُقيتُ بها ظمْآنَ منْ موْرِدِ الحَيا

    وأُنْشِقْتُ في آفاقِها عنْبَرَ الشِّحْرِ

    There, thirsty, I drank from a spring of life-giving rain,

    and breathed the ambergris of al-Shihr upon its horizons.

  34. وحَيَّيْتُ شمْسَ المُلْكِ في مطْلَعِ الهُدى

    وقبّلْتُ كفَّ اللّيْثِ في لُجّةِ البحْرِ

    I greeted the sun of kingship at the rising place of guidance

    and kissed the lion's hand amid the sea's depths.

  35. ووقّفْتُ آمالي على مَلِكِ الوَرى

    فأعْدَيْتُ أرْباحَ الرّجاءِ على خُسْرِ

    I placed my hopes in the king of humankind,

    and made the gains of hope outweigh its losses.

  36. ونادَيْتُ بالآمالِ منْ هَضْبَةِ العُلا

    هَلمّوا الى ورْدِ السّماحَةِ والبِشْرِ

    From the height of eminence I called to my hopes:

    Come to the spring of generosity and cheerful welcome!

  37. أميرَ الطِّوالِ السُّمْرِ والقُضُبِ البُتْرِ

    وحافِظَ دين اللهِ في نازِحِ الثّغْرِ

    Prince of the long dark spears and keen short swords,

    guardian of God's religion on the distant frontier:

  38. خَبَتْ نار حرْبٍ لمْ تهِجْها وأقْفَرَتْ

    منازِلُ قوْمٍ لمْ تبِتْ منْكَ في خَفْرِ

    a war's fire has died when you did not kindle it, and deserted

    are the homes of people who did not sleep safe from you.

  39. وفُلَّتْ جُموعٌ ناصَبَتْكَ فإنّها

    تُقارِعُ سيْفاً في يدِ الصَّمَدِ الوِتْرِ

    Forces that opposed you were broken, since they

    clashed with a sword in the hand of the One, the Eternal.

  40. ترَكْتَ أبِيّاتِ المَفارِقِ منْهُمُ

    تُراباً وأنْهارُ السّيوفِ بِها تجْري

    You left their proud, high-held heads

    as dust, while rivers of swords ran through them.

  41. فللّهِ ما أعْزَزْتَ منْ مِلّةِ الهُدى

    وللّهِ ما أذْلَلْتَ منْ مِلّةِ الكُفْرِ

    How greatly, by God, you strengthened the faith of guidance;

    and how greatly, by God, you humbled the faith of unbelief.

  42. وللّهِ عيدٌ فاتَحَتْكَ سُعودُهُ

    تُحيّيكَ بالفتْحِ القَريبِ وبالنّصْرِ

    And what a feast day, whose good fortune first greeted you,

    saluting you with a near conquest and victory.

  43. وللّهِ منْ صوْمٍ قضَيْتَ حُقوقَهُ

    وزوّدْتَهُ المَتْلوَّ منْ مُحْكَمِ الذِّكْرِ

    And what a fast, whose duties you fulfilled

    and provisioned with recitation from the clear Scripture.

  44. وصَلْت بهِ ليْلَ التّمامِ بيَوْمِهِ

    وناجَيْتَ منْهُ الرَّوْحَ في ليْلَةِ القَدْرِ

    You joined its final night to its day

    and communed with the Spirit on the Night of Decree,

  45. الى أن تقضّى عنْكَ لا عنْ مَلالةٍ

    فبوركَ منْ صوْمٍ زكِيٍّ ومِنْ فِطْرِ

    until it ended for you, though not from weariness.

    Blessed was that pure fast, and blessed its breaking.

  46. أمَوْلايَ لو كانَ النّهارُ صحيفَتي

    وكان ظلامُ اللّيلِ منْ دونِها حِبْري

    My lord, if daylight were my page,

    and the darkness of night my ink,

  47. وكانت حديداتُ الجَوارِحِ ألْسُناً

    تقصّرْتُ في حَمْدي عُلاكَ وفي شُكْري

    and the sharp points of my limbs were tongues,

    I would still fall short in praising your eminence and giving thanks.

  48. أعَدْتَ لنا منْ عهْدِ أسْلافِكَ الرِّضا

    عُهوداً فَيا طيبَ الوصالِ على الهَجْرِ

    You restored to us the favor known in your forebears' time,

    renewing old bonds; how sweet reunion is after estrangement.

  49. وجدّدْتَ فينا نِعْمَةً طالَ عهْدُنا

    بِها فاجْتَلَيْنا غُرّةَ الزّمَنِ النّضْرِ

    You renewed among us a blessing we had long known,

    and we beheld the bright face of a flourishing age.

  50. خَليليَّ إنّ الشِّعْرَ سِحْرٌ وإنّني

    إذا شِئْتُما تَحقيقَهُ بابِلُ السِّحْرِ

    My two friends, poetry is magic, and I,

    if you wish to see it proved, am a Babylon of magic.

  51. وما الدُّرُّ إلا ما أراني قائِلاً

    فساحِلُهُ نظْمي ولُجّتُهُ فِكْري

    Pearls are nothing but what I find myself saying:

    my verse is their shore, and my thought their depths.

  52. جعَلْتُ امتِداحي فيكَ أشْرَفَ حِلْيَةٍ

    أُباهي بِها الأقْوامَ في مَحْفِلِ الفَخْرِ

    I have made my praise of you my noblest ornament,

    with which I boast before people at gatherings of pride.

  53. وأعْدَدْتُ حُبّي في عُلاكَ وسيلَةً

    أُلاقي بِها الرّحْمانَ في موقِفِ الحشْرِ

    And I have prepared my love for your eminence as a means

    by which to meet the Merciful on the Day of Gathering.