1. اليَومَ عَهدُكُمُ فَأَينَ المَوعِدُ

    هَيهاتَ لَيسَ لِيَومِ عَهدِكُمُ غَدُ

    Today is the day you promised; where, then, is the meeting?

    Far from reach! The day of your promise has no tomorrow.

  2. المَوتُ أَقرَبُ مِخلَباً مِن بَينِكُم

    وَالعَيشُ أَبعَدُ مِنكُمُ لا تَبعُدوا

    Death's claw is nearer than your parting,

    And life is farther away than you—do not go far.

  3. إِنَّ الَّتي سَفَكَت دَمي بِجُفونِها

    لَم تَدرِ أَنَّ دَمي الَّذي تَتَقَلَّدُ

    Indeed, she who shed my blood with her eyelids

    Did not know it was my blood she wore around her neck.

  4. قالَت وَقَد رَأَتِ اِصفِرارِيَ مَن بِهِ

    وَتَنَهَّدَت فَأَجَيتُها المُتَنَهِّدُ

    She said, seeing my pallor, "Who has afflicted him?"

    And sighed; I answered her, "The one who sighed."

  5. فَمَضَت وَقَد صَبَغَ الحَياءُ بَياضَها

    لَوني كَما صَبَغَ اللُجَينَ العَسجَدُ

    Then she went away, modesty having dyed her whiteness

    My color, just as gold dyes silver.

  6. فَرَأَيتُ قَرنَ الشَمسِ في قَمَرِ الدُجى

    مُتَأَوِّداً غُصنٌ بِهِ يَتَأَوَّدُ

    So I saw the sun's rim within the moon of night,

    Swaying, with a bough that swayed with it.

  7. عَدَوِيَّةٌ بَدَوِيَّةٌ مِن دونِها

    سَلبُ النُفوسِ وَنارُ حَربٍ توقَدُ

    A woman of ʿAdī, a Bedouin; before her stand

    The taking of lives, and a fire of war kept blazing,

  8. وَهَواجِلٌ وَصَواهِلٌ وَمَناصِلٌ

    وَذَوابِلٌ وَتَوَعُّدٌ وَتَهَدُّدُ

    And trackless wastes, and neighing horses, and swords,

    And slender spears, and menaces, and threats.

  9. أَبلَت مَوَدَّتَها اللَيالي بَعدَنا

    وَمَشى عَلَيها الدَهرُ وَهوَ مُقَيَّدُ

    The nights wore out her affection after we left,

    And Time walked over it, though he was shackled.

  10. بَرَّحتَ يا مَرَضَ الجُفونِ بِمُمرَضٍ

    مَرِضَ الطَبيبُ لَهُ وَعيدَ العُوَّدُ

    You have dealt cruelly, O languor of eyelids, with an ailing man

    Whose physician fell ill for him, and whose visitors were visited in turn.

  11. فَلَهُ بَنو عَبدِ العَزيزِ بنِ الرِضا

    وَلِكُلِّ رَكبٍ عيسُهُم وَالفَدفَدُ

    For him are the sons of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Riḍā,

    And for every caravan, its pale camels and the wasteland.

  12. مَن في الأَنامِ مِنَ الكِرامِ وَلا تَقُل

    مَن فيكِ شَأمُ سِوى شُجاعٍ يُقصَدُ

    Who among mankind's noble men—and do not say

    "Who within you, O Syria?"—is sought out except Shujāʿ?

  13. أَعطى فَقُلتُ لِجودِهِ ما يُقتَنى

    وَسَطا فَقُلتُ لِسَيفِهِ ما يولَدُ

    He gave, and I said, "Whatever is acquired is for his bounty";

    And he struck, and I said, "Whatever is born is for his sword."

  14. وَتَحَيَّرَت فيهِ الصِفاتُ لِأَنَّها

    أَلفَت طَرائِقَهُ عَلَيها تَبعُدُ

    And descriptions were bewildered by him, because they

    Found his ways beyond their reach.

  15. في كُلِّ مُعتَرَكٍ كُلىً مَفرِيَّةٌ

    يَذمُمنَ مِنهُ ما الأَسِنَّةُ تَحمَدُ

    In every battlefield are kidneys ripped open,

    Blaming in him what spearheads praise.

  16. نِقَمٌ عَلى نِقَمِ الزَمانِ يَصُبُّها

    نِعَمٌ عَلى النِعَمِ الَّتي لا تُجحَدُ

    Vengeances he pours upon Time's afflictions,

    Bounties upon the bounties that none deny.

  17. في شانِهِ وَلِسانِهِ وَبَنانِهِ

    وَجَنانِهِ عَجَبٌ لِمَن يَتَفَقَّدُ

    In his conduct, his tongue, and his fingertips,

    And his heart lie marvels for whoever looks closely.

  18. أَسَدٌ دَمُ الأَسَدِ الهِزَبرِ خِضابُهُ

    مَوتٌ فَريصُ المَوتِ مِنهُ تُرعَدُ

    A lion, whose dye is the blood of the mighty lion;

    Death, before whom Death's flanks tremble.

  19. ما مَنبِجٌ مُذ غِبتَ إِلّا مُقلَةٌ

    سَهِدَت وَوَجهُكَ نَومُها وَالإِثمِدُ

    Since you departed, Manbij is nothing but an eye

    That has lain sleepless; your face is its sleep and its kohl.

  20. فَاللَيلُ حينَ قَدِمتَ فيها أَبيَضٌ

    وَالصُبحُ مُنذُ رَحَلتَ عَنها أَسوَدُ

    So night in it was white when you arrived,

    And dawn has been black since you left it.

  21. ما زِلتَ تَدنو وَهيَ تَعلو عِزَّةً

    حَتّى تَوارى في ثَراها الفَرقَدُ

    You kept drawing near, while it rose higher in glory,

    Until Farqad disappeared within its soil.

  22. أَرضٌ لَها شَرَفٌ سِواها مِثلُها

    لَو كانَ مِثلُكَ في سِواها يُوجَدُ

    A land of honor; another would be its equal

    If someone like you could be found elsewhere.

  23. أَبدى العُداةُ بِكَ السُرورَ كَأَنَّهُم

    فَرِحوا وَعِندَهُمُ المُقيمُ المُقعِدُ

    The enemies showed delight in you, as though they

    Rejoiced, though they harbored what makes one rise and sit.

  24. قَطَّعتَهُم حَسَداً أَراهُم ما بِهِم

    فَتَقَطَّعوا حَسَداً لِمَن لا يَحسُدُ

    You tore them apart with envy that showed them their own plight;

    So they fell to pieces envying one who envies no one.

  25. حَتّى اِنثَنوا وَلَوَ أَنَّ حَرَّ قُلوبِهِم

    في قَلبِ هاجِرَةٍ لَذابَ الجَلمَدُ

    Until they turned away—and if the heat of their hearts

    Were in the heart of a scorching noon, solid rock would melt.

  26. نَظَرَ العُلوجُ فَلَم يَرَوا مَن حَولَهُم

    لَمّا رَأَوكَ وَقيلَ هَذا السَيِّدُ

    The foreigners looked, but saw no one around them

    When they saw you, and it was said, "This is the lord."

  27. بَقِيَت جُموعُهُمُ كَأَنَّكَ كُلُّها

    وَبَقيتَ بَينَهُمُ كَأَنَّكَ مُفرَدُ

    Their multitudes remained as though you were all of them,

    And you remained among them as though alone.

  28. لَهفانَ يَستَوبي بِكَ الغَضَبَ الوَرى

    لَو لَم يُنَهنِهكَ الحِجى وَالسُؤدُدُ

    Anguished—mankind would find your anger a plague,

    Were reason and nobility not to restrain you.

  29. كُن حَيثُ شِئتَ تَسِر إِلَيكَ رِكابُنا

    فَالأَرضُ واحِدَةٌ وَأَنتَ الأَوحَدُ

    Be wherever you wish; our riding camels will journey to you,

    For the earth is one, and you are the peerless one.

  30. وَصُنِ الحُسامَ وَلا تُذِلهُ فَإِنَّهُ

    يَشكو يَمينَكَ وَالجَماجِمُ تَشهَدُ

    Protect the keen sword, and do not abase it, for it

    Complains of your right hand, and the skulls bear witness.

  31. يَبِسَ النَجيعُ عَلَيهِ وَهوَ مُجَرَّدٌ

    مِن غِمدِهِ وَكَأَنَّما هُوَ مُغمَدُ

    The gore has dried upon it, though it is drawn

    From its scabbard, yet as though it were sheathed.

  32. رَيّانَ لَو قَذَفَ الَّذي أَسقَيتَهُ

    لَجَرى مِنَ المُهَجاتِ بَحرٌ مُزبِدُ

    Sated with drink—if it spewed out what you gave it to drink,

    A foaming sea of lifeblood would flow.

  33. ما شارَكَتهُ مَنِيَّةٌ في مُهجَةٍ

    إِلّا وَشَفرَتُهُ عَلى يَدِها يَدُ

    Never did Death share with it in taking a life

    Without its blade being a hand above hers.

  34. إِنَّ الرَزايا وَالعَطايا وَالقَنا

    حُلَفاءُ طَيٍّ غَوَّروا أَو أَنجَدوا

    Indeed, calamities, gifts, and spears

    Are Ṭayy's allies, whether they go to the lowlands or the uplands.

  35. صِح يا لَجُلهُمَةٍ تُجِبكَ وَإِنَّما

    أَشفارُ عَينِكَ ذابِلٌ وَمُهَنَّدُ

    Cry, "Help, Julhuma!" and they will answer you; indeed,

    Your eye's lashes are but a slender spear and an Indian sword.

  36. مِن كُلِّ أَكبَرَ مِن جِبالِ تِهامَةٍ

    قَلباً وَمِن جَودِ الغَوادي أَجوَدُ

    From every man greater than the mountains of Tihāma

    In heart, and more generous than the morning rainclouds' bounty.

  37. يَلقاكَ مُرتَدِياً بِأَحمَرَ مِن دَمٍ

    ذَهَبَت بِخُضرَتِهِ الطُلى وَالأَكبُدُ

    He meets you in garb red with blood;

    Throats and livers have taken away its green.

  38. حَتّى يُشارَ إِلَيكَ ذا مَولاهُمُ

    وَهُمُ المَوالي وَالخَليقَةُ أَعبُدُ

    Until you are pointed out as "This is their lord,"

    While they are the masters, and all creation is enslaved.

  39. أَنّى يَكونُ أَبا البَرِيَّةِ آدَمٌ

    وَأَبوكَ وَالثَقلانِ أَنتَ مُحَمَّدُ

    How can Adam be the father of creation,

    When your father is Muḥammad—and you are humankind and jinn?

  40. يَفنى الكَلامُ وَلا يُحيطُ بِوَصفِكُم

    أَيُحيطُ ما يَفنى بِما لا يَنفَدُ

    Speech runs out without encompassing your description;

    Can what runs out encompass what is inexhaustible?