هل لكَ فيهِ يا ابنَ حمدٍ كما

هل لكَ فيهِ يا ابنَ حمدٍ كما

تؤثرُ من بسط ومن قَبضِ

تؤثرُ من بسط ومن قَبضِ

Would you have him, O son of Hamd, as

Do you have, O son of Hamad, as you like

you prefer, in slackening and tightening?

To extend or retract as you wish?

كأَنَّ هاديهِ اذا عِجتَه

كأَنَّ هاديهِ اذا عِجتَه

يَرغَبُ بالبعضِ عن البعضِ

يَرغَبُ بالبعضِ عن البعضِ

It is as though his neck, when you turn him,

As if when his guide hurries him

prefers one part to another.

He longs for some over others

فكلَّما زدتَ الى جيدِه

فكلَّما زدتَ الى جيدِه

عِنَانَه ذادَك في الركضِ

عِنَانَه ذادَك في الركضِ

And whenever you let out farther toward his neck

So whenever you give his reins

his rein, he thrusts you back as he gallops.

More slack he races you faster

طوراً وطوراً زيغُ مُرانِهِ

طوراً وطوراً زيغُ مُرانِهِ

تلعبُ بالتثقيفِ والعَضِّ

تلعبُ بالتثقيفِ والعَضِّ

Now one way, now another, his spear-shaft swerves;

Now and then his training swerves

you play with straightening and biting.

You toy with spur and lash

كأَنه البرقُ اذا رِعتَه

كأَنه البرقُ اذا رِعتَه

أَو هربُ السهمِ مِنَ النبضِ

أَو هربُ السهمِ مِنَ النبضِ

He is like lightning when you startle him,

As if he were lightning you startled

or an arrow's flight from the bowstring's twang.

Or an arrow recoiling from the bowstring

من آل حلابٍ سَرى عِرقُه

من آل حلابٍ سَرى عِرقُه

فنالَ أَقصى سِرّها المَحضِ

فنالَ أَقصى سِرّها المَحضِ

His bloodline runs from the house of Hallab,

Of the family of Hilab his pedigree stems

and reaches the utmost of its pure essence.

Reaching the utmost of their pure breed

منغَمِسٌ في مائِها منقعُ

منغَمِسٌ في مائِها منقعُ

يعطيكَ أَو يَجزيكَ بالقَرضِ

يعطيكَ أَو يَجزيكَ بالقَرضِ

Immersed in its water, thoroughly steeped,

Immersed in its water, fully soaked

he gives to you, or repays you for a loan.

To give or reward you with a loan

تذعرُ منه ناشِطاتُ المَلا

تذعرُ منه ناشِطاتُ المَلا

بكوكبٍ في الجَوِّ منقَضِّ

بكوكبٍ في الجَوِّ منقَضِّ

The roaming antelopes of the open plain take fright at him,

The celestial spheres are startled by him

as at a star plunging through the sky.

Like a shooting star darting through space

مطرداتٌ ككعبوبِ القَنا

مطرداتٌ ككعبوبِ القَنا

أَو لُؤلُؤٍ في السلكِ مُرفَضِّ

أَو لُؤلُؤٍ في السلكِ مُرفَضِّ

Driven in succession like the joints of spear-shafts,

Galloping like a stud of horses

or pearls on a string, scattering loose.

Or pearls strung on a necklace

وهي اذا طالَ بها طيلُها

وهي اذا طالَ بها طيلُها

كأَنما تفخرُ في رَبضِ

كأَنما تفخرُ في رَبضِ

And when their tether lets them range far,

And when she lengthens her path with him

they seem to boast in a resting crouch.

It's as if she boasts in her resting place

اذا سما في صَيَدٍ رأسهِ

اذا سما في صَيَدٍ رأسهِ

أكرمتُ فوديهِ عن العضِ

أكرمتُ فوديهِ عن العضِ

When his head rises with a stiff, proud tilt,

When his head rises to noble game

I spare both sides of his head the bite.

I ransom my love from the hunt

تقريبُه أَدبُ خداريةٍ

تقريبُه أَدبُ خداريةٍ

الى سليلٍ خَدِرِ النهضِ

الى سليلٍ خَدِرِ النهضِ

His canter is the bearing of a dark female eagle,

Bringing him near is the discipline of nurses

approaching a fledgling too sluggish to rise.

To a cub numb from rising

لا عيب فيه غيرَ تيسيره

لا عيب فيه غيرَ تيسيره

وأَنه يمشي على الأرضِ

وأَنه يمشي على الأرضِ

He has no flaw except his tractability,

He has no fault but his docility

and that he walks upon the earth.

And that he walks upon the earth

لعله ينعلُ في نقعه

لعله ينعلُ في نقعه

قوماً تلافيتَ من الدَّحضِ

قوماً تلافيتَ من الدَّحضِ

Perhaps, amid his dust, he will strike with his hooves

Maybe horseshoes on his hooves

folk whom you rescued from slipping.

Will protect some from slipping away

لك الذي في العَظمِ من نَقيهم

لك الذي في العَظمِ من نَقيهم

وما على العَظمِ من النحضِ

وما على العَظمِ من النحضِ

Yours is the marrow within their bones,

Yours is the essence of their elite

and the flesh upon the bone,

And what clings to that essence

من هادمٍ ينبيكَ أو ناقضٍ

من هادمٍ ينبيكَ أو ناقضٍ

ينشُجُ ما أَوليتَ بالنقضِ

ينشُجُ ما أَوليتَ بالنقضِ

be it a destroyer who repels you or an unraveler

No destroyer can alarm you or critic

who weaves what you bestowed by unraveling.

Rend what you tied with a bond

عسى ظلومٌ جارَ في حكمهِ

عسى ظلومٌ جارَ في حكمهِ

يقضي عليه بالذي يَقضي

يقضي عليه بالذي يَقضي

May an oppressor, unjust in his judgment,

Perhaps an unjust ruler in his rule

rule against him as he himself rules.

Will pass judgment on him for what he judges

لله وافٍ جارُه منه في

لله وافٍ جارُه منه في

ظلٍّ ظليلٍ وجَنى غَضِّ

ظلٍّ ظليلٍ وجَنى غَضِّ

God bless a loyal man whose neighbor lives, through him, in

God protects his neighbor from him in

deep shade and tender fruit.

Shady, shaded refuge and harvest

نال العلا بالكدِّ من عيشهِ

نال العلا بالكدِّ من عيشهِ

والخفضُ يدنيكَ من الخفضِ

والخفضُ يدنيكَ من الخفضِ

He reached the heights through the toil of his life,

He reached glory by striving in his life

while ease brings you nearer to lowliness.

And humility brings you closer to humility

لا يَفطِم الدالق من جَفنِهِ

لا يَفطِم الدالق من جَفنِهِ

ويَفطِمُ العينَ من الغَمضِ

ويَفطِمُ العينَ من الغَمضِ

He does not wean the quick-slipping blade from its sheath,

Sleeplessness does not wean an eyelid

but weans the eye from sleep.

And wakefulness weans the eye from slumber

لم يُتبدلْ والده أَوقاتُه

لم يُتبدلْ والده أَوقاتُه

تبدلُ مسوداً بمبيضَّ

تبدلُ مسوداً بمبيضَّ

His father remained unchanged; his times

His times have not changed from his father's

replace white with black.

Exchanging blackness for whiteness

فالبؤس كالنعمةِ في جسمهِ

فالبؤس كالنعمةِ في جسمهِ

والحُبُّ في عينيه كالبُغْضِ

والحُبُّ في عينيه كالبُغْضِ

So hardship is like prosperity to his body,

So misery in his body is like bliss

and love in his eyes is like hatred.

And love in his eyes like hatred

تجاوزَ الوصفَ فتىً لطفُه

تجاوزَ الوصفَ فتىً لطفُه

يُخْرِجُ زُبدَ الماءِ بالمَخضِ

يُخْرِجُ زُبدَ الماءِ بالمَخضِ

A youth has surpassed description; his subtle skill

A youth whose charm surpasses description

draws butter from water by churning.

Can extract water's foam by churning

ليس بمحدودٍ اذا قِستَهُ

ليس بمحدودٍ اذا قِستَهُ

يُعلمُ منه الكلُّ بالبعضِ

يُعلمُ منه الكلُّ بالبعضِ

He is not a bounded thing that, when you measure him,

He cannot be measured if compared

lets his whole be known through a part.

The whole is known by the part

كيف يقيسُ الفلكَ المعتلى

كيف يقيسُ الفلكَ المعتلى

مَنْ طرفُه يُنضى ولا يَنضي

مَنْ طرفُه يُنضى ولا يَنضي

How can the lofty celestial sphere be measured

How can the revolving celestial sphere be measured

by one whose gaze is wearied but cannot weary it,

Whose edge twists but does not twist

ومَنْ اذا حل بديمومةٍ

ومَنْ اذا حل بديمومةٍ

لم يعرفِ الطولَ من العَرضِ

لم يعرفِ الطولَ من العَرضِ

and by one who, on halting in a trackless desert,

And when it lingers aimlessly

cannot tell length from breadth?

It knows no length from width

يا ناقَ سِيري وذري وادياً

يا ناقَ سِيري وذري وادياً

مرتعُهُ يُسرعُ في العرضِ

مرتعُهُ يُسرعُ في العرضِ

O she-camel, journey on and leave behind a valley

O camel of my travels, make my way a valley

whose pasture swiftly consumes one's honor.

Whose pasture hastens across its width

انَّ مرادَ العِزِّ ترعينَه

انَّ مرادَ العِزِّ ترعينَه

خيرٌ من الخُلَّةِ والحَمضِ

خيرٌ من الخُلَّةِ والحَمضِ

Surely the pasture of glory that you graze

The wish of glory is to pasture it

is better than sweet herbage and salty herbage.

Better than swamp plants and sour fruit