1. قضى دَينَ سُعدَى طيفُها المتأوِّبُ

    ونَوَّل إلا ما أَبَى المتحَوِّبُ

    Su'da's returning phantom paid her debt,

    and bestowed all except what the sin-fearing would refuse.

  2. سَرَى فأراناها على عهد ساعةٍ

    ومن دونها عَرضُ الغُويرِ فَغُرَّبُ

    It came by night and showed her to us as though only an hour had passed,

    though between us and her lay the breadth of al-Ghuwayr, then Ghurrab.

  3. فمثَّلها لا عِطْفُها متشمِّسٌ

    ولا مسُّها تحت الكرى متصعِّبُ

    It embodied her, her side unresisting,

    nor was touching her in slumber difficult.

  4. تحيِّي نَشاوَى من سُرى الليل ألصقوا

    جُنوباً بجِلدِ الأرضِ ما تتقلَّبُ

    She greeted men dazed by night travel, who had pressed

    their sides against the earth's skin, without turning over.

  5. إذا أَنِسوا بالليل جَاذَبَ هامَهُم

    حوافرُ قَطْعِ الليل والنومُ أطيبُ

    Whenever they settled at ease in the night, their heads were tugged at

    by the hooves of night travel, though sleep was sweeter.

  6. وفي التُّربِ مما استصحبَ الطيفُ فَعْمَةٌ

    يراوح قلبي نَشْرُها المتغرِّبُ

    In the dust remained a fragrant breath of what the phantom brought,

    its far-traveling scent refreshing my heart.

  7. فَعَرَّفني بين الركاب كأنما

    حقيبةُ رحلي باقِيَ الليلِ مَسْحَبُ

    It perfumed me among the riding camels, as though

    my saddlebag, for the rest of the night, were a scented trail.

  8. ألا ربما أعطتك صادِقَةَ المُنَى

    مصادَفَةُ الأحلامِ من حيثُ تَكذِبُ

    Ah, sometimes you receive the true fulfillment of wishes

    through chance encounters in dreams, precisely where they lie.

  9. ويومٍ كظلِّ السيفِ طال قصيرُهُ

    على حاجةٍ من جانبِ الرَّملِ تُطلَبُ

    And a day like a sword's shadow, whose brief span grew long

    over a desire sought beside the sands.

  10. بعثتُ لها الوَجناءَ تَقفو طريقَها

    أمامَ المطايا تستقيمُ وتَنكُبُ

    For it I sent the stout-cheeked she-camel along her path,

    ahead of the mounts, going straight and turning aside.

  11. فمالت على حكم الصَّبا لمحجَّرٍ

    وللسير في أُخرَى مَظَنٌّ ومَحْسَبُ

    She turned, at the east wind's bidding, toward Muhajjar,

    though travel in another direction offered hope and expectation.

  12. أعِدْ نَظَراً واستأنِ يا طرفُ ربّما

    تكون التي تهوَى الت تتجنَّبُ

    Look again and take your time, O eye; perhaps

    the one you love is the very one you avoid.

  13. فما كلُّ دارٍ أقفرتْ دارةُ الحِمَى

    ولا كلّ بيضاءِ الترائبِ زَينبُ

    For not every deserted dwelling is Darat al-Hima,

    nor every woman fair at the breastbones is Zaynab.

  14. عجبتُ لقلبي كيف يستقبل الهوى

    ويرجو شبابَ الحيّ والرأسُ أشيبُ

    I marveled at my heart: how it welcomes love

    and yearns for the tribe's youth, though my head is gray.

  15. تَضُمُّ حِبالَ الوصل من أمِّ سالمٍ

    وحبلُكَ بعد الأربعينَ مُقَضَّبُ

    You draw together the cords of union with Umm Salim,

    while your own cord, after forty, is severed.

  16. وليس لسوداءِ اللحاظِ ولو دنا

    بها سببٌ في أبيض الرأس مَطْرَبُ

    A dark-eyed woman, even if brought near

    by a bond, finds no delight in a white-haired man.

  17. ولائمةٍ في الحظّ تحسَبُ أنّه

    بفضلِ احتيالِ المرءِ والسعيِ يُجْلَبُ

    And a woman reproaching me over fortune supposes that it

    is won through a man's clever contriving and striving.

  18. رأت شَعَثاً غطَّى عليه تَصَوُّني

    وعيشاً بغيضاً وهو عندي محبَّبُ

    She saw shabbiness concealed beneath my self-respect,

    and a hateful life, though to me it is dear.

  19. وقد كنتُ ذا مالٍ مع الليل سارحٍ

    عليّ لو أن المالَ بالفضلِ يُكسَبُ

    I would have had wealth, flowing nightly

    upon me, if wealth were earned by merit.

  20. ولكنه بالعِرضِ يُشرَى خِيارُه

    وينمى على قَدرِ السؤالِ ويَخصِبُ

    But its choicest portion is purchased with one's honor,

    and grows and flourishes according to how much one begs.

  21. وما ماءُ وجهي لي إذا ما تركتُهُ

    يُراقُ على ذلِّ الطِّلابِ ويَنضُبُ

    And the water of my face is not mine if I let it

    be spilled in the humiliation of begging and run dry.

  22. وإنكِ لا تدرين واليومُ حاضرٌ

    بحال اختلالي ما غداً لي مُغَيَّبُ

    You do not know, though today is present,

    in my state of poverty, what tomorrow keeps hidden for me.

  23. لعلّ بعيداً ما طَلَتْ دونه المُنَى

    سيحكُمُ تاجُ المُلْكِ فيه فيقرُبُ

    Perhaps a distant goal, before which wishes have been wasted,

    will come within reach when Taj al-Mulk rules on it.

  24. فما فوقه مَرمىً لظنٍّ موسَّعٍ

    ولا عنه للحقّ المضَيَّعِ مَذْهَبُ

    There is no higher aim for hope, however wide its scope,

    nor any refuge away from him for a neglected right.

  25. وإن فاتني مِن جودِهِ واصطفائِهِ

    إلى اليوم ما تُسنِي يداه ويوهَبُ

    And if I have missed, of his generosity and favor,

    until today the bounty his hands lavish and grant,

  26. وأيبَسَ رَبعي وحدَه من سَحابةٍ

    تبيتُ لمثلي من عَطاياه تَسْكُبُ

    and my dwelling alone has stayed dry beneath a cloud

    that pours his gifts all night on men like me,

  27. فرِجْليَ كانت دون ذاك قصيرةً

    وحظِّيَ فيما جازني منه مَذْنِبُ

    then my own foot fell short of reaching that,

    and my luck is to blame for what passed me by.

  28. ولا لومَ أَن لم يأتني البحرُ إنما

    على قدر ما أسعَى إلى البحرِ أشربُ

    The sea is not to blame for failing to come to me; rather,

    I drink in proportion to how far I strive toward the sea.

  29. حَمَى بَيْضةَ الإسلامِ ليثٌ تناذرتْ

    ذئابُ الأعادِي الطُّلْسُ عما يُذَبَّبُ

    A lion guarded Islam's heartland; warnings passed among

    the dusky wolves of the enemy to shun what is defended.

  30. وزانت جبينَ المُلكِ دُرَّةُ تاجِهِ

    فما ضرَّه أيُّ العمائم يُسْلَبُ

    The pearl of his crown adorned the brow of kingship,

    so whichever turban is stripped away does it no harm.

  31. وَفَى بالمعالي مستقِلاً بحملها

    ميتنٌ إذا خارت قُوَى العزمِ صُلَّبُ

    He fulfilled the demands of high honors, bearing their burden alone,

    sturdy and unyielding when resolve's strength gives way.

  32. تريه خَفِيَّاتِ الشَّواكلِ فكرةٌ

    بصيرٌ بها مِن خَطْفةِ النجم أثقبُ

    Thought shows him the hidden patterns of things;

    through it he sees more keenly than a star's sudden flash.

  33. إذا استقبل الأمرَ البطيءَ برأيه

    تبيَّنَ منْ أُولاهُ ما يَتَعقَّبُ

    When he confronts a slow-unfolding matter with his judgment,

    he discerns from its outset what will follow.

  34. ومُزلِقَةِ المتنين تَمنعُ سرجَها

    وتُسأَلُ قُوسُ اللُّجمِ من أين تُصحَبُ

    And a slippery-backed mare that refuses her saddle,

    whose curved bridles are asked how she can be tamed,

  35. أَبَتْ أن يُطيف الرائضون بجنْبها

    فقوَّدتَها مملوكةَ الظَّهرِ تُركَبُ

    refused to let the trainers approach her side,

    yet you led her, her back mastered, fit to be ridden.

  36. ويومٍ بلون المشرفيَّةِ أبيضٍ

    ولكنه مما يُفَجَّرُ أصهَبُ

    And a day white as Mashrafi blades,

    yet tawny-red from what was made to gush,

  37. إذا أسفَرتْ ساعاتُهُ تحت نَقْعهِ

    عن الموتِ ظلَّت شمسُه تَتنقَّبُ

    when its hours revealed beneath its dust

    death, its sun kept veiling itself.

  38. صبَرتَ له نَفْساً حبيباً بقاؤها

    إلى المجدِ حتّى جئتَ بالنصرِ يُجْنَبُ

    You held steadfast through it a soul whose survival was dear,

    for glory, until you came with victory led beside you.

  39. كواسِطَ والأنبارُ أمسِ كواسطٍ

    ومِن إيِّما يومَيْك لا أتعجَّبُ

    As at Wasit—and yesterday al-Anbar was like Wasit—

    and neither of your two days surprises me.

  40. وكم دولةٍ شاختْ وأنتَ لها أخٌ

    وأُخرى تُرَيِّها وأنتَ لها أبُ

    How many a dynasty grew old while you were its brother,

    and another you nurture, while you are its father.

  41. ينام عزيرزاً كهلُها وغلامُها

    وأنت عليها المُشْبِلُ المتحدِّبُ

    Its older man and its youth sleep in honor,

    while you guard it like a lion with cubs, bending over it in care.

  42. أَرَى الوزراءَ الدارجينَ تطلَّبوا

    على فضلهم ما نلتَهُ فتخيَّبوا

    I see that the departed viziers sought,

    despite their merit, what you attained, and failed.

  43. تباطَوْا عن الأمر الذي قمت آخذاً

    بأعجازه واستبعدوا ما تُقَرِّبُ

    They lagged behind the task you rose to grasp

    by its hindquarters, and deemed distant what you bring near.

  44. فلو لحقَتْ أيامُهم بك خلتَهم

    بهَدْيِك ساروا أو عليك تأدّبوا

    Had their days reached yours, you would have thought

    they traveled by your guidance or were schooled by you.

  45. نَهيتُ الذي جاراك راكبَ بَغيهِ

    إلى حَيْنِه والبغيُ للحَيْنِ مَركَبُ

    I warned the man who vied with you, riding his aggression

    toward his doom; aggression is a mount for destruction.

  46. وقلتُ تَفلَّلْ إنما أنت حابِلٌ

    على جنبك الواهي تَحُشُّ وتَحطُبُ

    And I said: Be blunted! You are only a snare-setter,

    cutting fodder and gathering wood against your own frail flank.

  47. دعِ الرأسَ واقنع بالوسيطةِ ناجياً

    بنفسك إن الرأسَ بالتّاج أنسبُ

    Leave the head and settle for the middle, escaping

    with your life; the head is better suited to the crown.

  48. وإن وليّ الأمر دونك ناهضُ ال

    بصيرةِ طَبٌّ بالخطوب مدرَّبُ

    And the ruler, unlike you, has vigorous

    insight, expertise in crises, and seasoned skill.

  49. وأهيبُ فينا من قُطوبك بِشرُهُ

    وما كلّ وجهٍ كالحٍ يُتَهيَّبُ

    His smile inspires more awe in us than your frown,

    and not every scowling face is feared.

  50. بفعلك سُدْ إن الأسامِي مُعارةٌ

    وبالنفس فاخِرْ لا بمن قمتَ تَنْسُبُ

    Lead through your deeds, for names are borrowed,

    and boast of yourself, not of those whose lineage you claim.

  51. تمنَّوْكَ تاجَ الملكِ أن يتعلَّقوا

    غُبارَك وابنُ الريح في السَّبق أنجبُ

    They longed, Taj al-Mulk, to cling to

    your dust, but the son of the wind is the better racer.

  52. فظنّوا تكاليفَ الوزارة سهلةً

    ونكِبُ رَضوَى في العريكة يَصعُبُ

    They thought the burdens of the vizierate easy,

    yet Radwa resists being moved, stubborn in its temper.

  53. فلا زلتَ تلقَى النصرَ حيث طلبتَه

    بجَدّك يعلو أو بسيفك يَضرِبُ

    May you ever meet victory wherever you seek it,

    rising through your fortune or striking with your sword.

  54. تَمُدُّ لك الدنيا مَطَاها ذليلةً

    فَتركَبُ منها ما تشاءُ وتُركِبُ

    The world stretches its back to you, submissive,

    so you ride what you wish of it and mount others upon it,

  55. إلى أن ترى ظهرَ البسيطةِ قَبضةً

    بكفّيك يَلْقَى مَشرِقاً منه مَغرِبُ

    until you see the earth's expanse as a handful

    in your two palms, its west meeting its east.

  56. وقُيِّضَ لي من حُسنِ رأيك ساعةٌ

    يُساعِف فيها حظِّيَ المتجنِّبُ

    And may a moment of your gracious regard be granted me,

    when my elusive fortune lends its aid,

  57. فتُمطِرني من عدْلِ جودك دِمةٌ

    تَبلُّ ثرى حالي بما أنا مُجدِبُ

    and a steady rain of your equitable generosity showers me,

    wetting the soil of my condition, for I am parched.

  58. لعل خَفِيّاً كامناً من مَحاسني

    تبوحُ به نُعماك عنّي وتُعرِبُ

    Perhaps some hidden, latent merit of mine

    will be disclosed and made plain by your favors.

  59. ومَن لِيَ لو أنِّي على العجز ماثلٌ

    بناديك يُصغِي المُفحَمون وأخطُبُ

    Who will grant me this: that despite my helplessness I might stand

    in your assembly, the silenced listening while I speak,

  60. فتشهد أَني ما عدمتُ فضيلةً

    إلى مثلكم مثلي بها يَتَقرَّبُ

    so that you witness I have not lacked a virtue

    by which one like me draws close to men like you,

  61. وتَعلم منّي كيفَ أمدحُ ناظماً

    فإنك تدرِي ناثراً كيف أكتُبُ

    and learn from me how I praise in verse,

    for you know how I write in prose.