Sol 6.1

  1. أُنظُر إِلى المَجدِ كَيفَ يَنهَدِمُ

    وَعُروَةِ المُلكِ كَيفَ تَنفَصِمُ

    Look at glory—how it crumbles,

    and at the bond of sovereignty—how it snaps.

  2. وَاِعجَب لِشُهبِ البُزاةِ كَيفَ غَدَت

    تَسطو عَلَيها الحِداةُ وَالرَخَمُ

    And marvel how the gray falcons have come

    to be attacked by kites and vultures.

  3. قَد كُنتُ أَختارُ أَن أُغَيَّب في ال

    تُربِ وَتَبلى عِظامِيَ الرِمَمُ

    I would have chosen to be buried in the

    earth, and my crumbling bones to decay,

  4. وَلا أَرى اليَومَ مِن أَكابِرِنا

    أُسداً وَفيها الذِئابُ قَد حَكَموا

    rather than see today among our great men

    lions over whom wolves have come to rule.

  5. ظَنّوا الوِلاياتِ أَن تَدومَ لَهُم

    فَاِقتَطَعوا بِالبِلادِ وَاِقتَسَموا

    They thought the governorships would remain theirs,

    so they carved up the lands and shared them out.

  6. وَاِقتَدَحوا بِالوَعيدِ نارَ وَغىً

    وَرُبَّ نارٍ وُقودُها الكَلِمُ

    And with threats they sparked the fire of battle,

    and many a fire is fueled by words.

  7. لَم يَعلَموا أَيَّ جُذوَةٍ قَدحَوا

    وَأَيَّ أَمرٍ إِلَيهِ قَد قَدِموا

    They did not know what ember they had kindled,

    or what undertaking they had ventured into.

  8. بَل زَعَموا أَن يَصُدَّنا جَزَعٌ

    كانَت يَدُ اللَهِ فَوقَ ما زَعَموا

    Rather, they supposed dismay would turn us back;

    God's hand was above what they supposed.

  9. لا عُرِفَ العِزُّ في مَنازِلِنا

    وَأَنكَرَتنا الصَوارِمُ الخُذُمُ

    May honor never be known in our dwellings,

    and may the keen, cutting swords disown us,

  10. إِن لَم نَقُدها شُعثاً مُضَمَّرَةً

    تَذوبُ مِن نارِ حِقدِها اللُجُمُ

    if we do not lead forth shaggy, lean horses,

    their bridles melting in the fire of their rancor,

  11. بِكُلِّ أَزرٍ في مَتنِهِ أُسُدٌ

    وَكُلُّ طَودٍ مِن فَوقِهِ صَنَمُ

    with lions on the back of every stout steed,

    and an idol atop every mountain,

  12. مِن فِتيَةٍ أَرخَصوا نُفوسَهُمُ

    كَأَنَّهُم لِلحَياةِ قَد سَئِموا

    from among young men who have held their lives cheap,

    as though they had grown weary of life.

  13. إِن زَأَروا في الهِياجِ تَحسِبُهُم

    أُسداً عَليها مِنَ القَنا أَجَمُ

    If they roar in battle's tumult, you would think them

    lions with thickets of spears above them.

  14. شوسٌ تَظُنُّ العِدى سِهامَهُمُ

    شُهُباً بِها المارِدونَ قَد رُجِموا

    Fierce-eyed warriors—their foes take their arrows

    for shooting stars with which rebellious demons have been pelted.

  15. صَغيرُهُم لا يَعيبُهُ صِغَرٌ

    وَشَيخُهُم لا يَشينُهُ هَرَمُ

    Their young man is not diminished by youth,

    and their elder is not marred by old age.

  16. فَفي القَضايا إِن حُكِّموا عَدَلوا

    وَفي التَقاضي إِن حوكِموا ظُلِموا

    So in disputes, if made judges, they judge justly,

    and in litigation, if tried, they are wronged.

  17. إِن صَمَتوا كانَ صَمتُهُم أَدَباً

    أَو نَطَقوا كانَ نُطقُهِم حِكَمُ

    If they fall silent, their silence is courtesy,

    or if they speak, their speech is wisdom.

  18. ما عُذرُنا وَالسُيوفُ قاطِعَةٌ

    وَأَمرُنا في العِراقِ مُنتَظِمُ

    What excuse have we, when the swords are sharp,

    and our affairs in Iraq are well ordered,

  19. وَحَولَنا مِن بَني عُمومَتِنا

    كَتائِبٌ كَالغَمامِ تَزدَحِمُ

    and around us, from among our paternal cousins,

    battalions crowd together like clouds?

  20. بِأَيِّ عَينٍ نَرى الأَنامَ وَقَد

    تَحَكَّمَت في أُسودِنا الغَنَمُ

    With what eye can we look upon mankind, now that

    sheep have come to rule our lions?

  21. أَمّا مَماتٌ وَذِكرُنا حَسَنٌ

    أَما حَياةٌ وَرَبعُنا حَرَمُ

    Either death, with our memory held in honor,

    or life, with our dwelling inviolable.

  22. لا شاعَ ذِكري بِنَظمِ قافِيَةٍ

    تَلوحُ حُسناً كَأَنَّها عَلَمُ

    May my fame never spread through a rhyme I compose,

    shining in beauty like a banner,

  23. وَلا اِهتَدَت فِكرَتي إِلى دُرَرٍ

    يُشرِقُ مِن ضَوءِ نورِها الكَلِمُ

    nor may my thought find its way to pearls

    whose radiant light makes words shine,

  24. وَشَلَّ مِنّي يَدٌ عَوائِدُها

    يَجولُ فيها الحُسامُ وَالقَلَمُ

    and may a hand of mine be palsied, whose habit is

    to wield the keen sword and the pen,

  25. إِن لَم أُخَضِّب مَلابِسي عَلَقاً

    يُصبَغُ مِن سَيلِ قَطرِها القَدَمُ

    if I do not dye my garments with clotted blood,

    so that their flowing drops stain the foot,

  26. وَآخِذُ الثَأرَ مِن عِداكَ وَلو

    تَحَصَّنوا بِالحُصونِ وَاِعتَصَموا

    and take vengeance on your enemies, even if

    they fortify themselves in strongholds and hold fast,

  27. في وَقعَةٍ تُسلَبُ العُقولُ بِها

    وَأَنفُسُ الدارِعينَ تُختَرَمُ

    in a battle that robs men of their wits,

    and snatches away the lives of armored warriors.

  28. إِن بِاشَرَتها أَقارِبي بِيَدٍ

    يَوماً فَلي دونَهُم يَدٌ وَفَمُ

    If my kinsmen take part in it with a hand

    one day, I too have a hand and a mouth.

  29. يا صاحِبَ الرُتبَةِ الَّتي نُكِصَت

    مِن دونِ إِدراكِ شَأوِها الهِمَمُ

    O holder of the rank before which were turned back

    ambitions, short of attaining its height,

  30. قَد كُنتَ لي ذابِلاً أَصولُ بِهِ

    ما خِلتُهُ في الهِياجِ يَنحَطِمُ

    you were for me a slender spear with which I charged;

    I never thought it would shatter in battle.

  31. ما كُنتُ أَخشى الزَمانَ حينَ غَدا

    خَصمي لِعِلمي بِأَنَّكَ الحَكَمُ

    I did not fear Time when it became

    my adversary, knowing that you were the judge.

  32. كَفَفتَ عَنَّ كَفَّ الخُطوبِ فَمِن

    بَعدِكَ أَمسى الزَمانُ يَنتَقِمُ

    You held calamity's hand away from us; but since

    your departure, Time has begun to take revenge.

  33. ما أَلبَسَتنا الأَيّامُ ثَوبَ عُلىً

    إِلّا وَأَنتَ الطِرازُ وَالعَلَمُ

    Never did the days clothe us in a robe of eminence

    without you as its embroidery and its ornate border.

  34. عَزَّ عَلى المَجدِ أَن تَزولَ وَأَن

    تُخلِقَ تِلكَ الأَخلاقُ وَالشِيَمُ

    It grieved glory that you should depart, and that

    those virtues and noble traits should grow threadbare.

  35. تَبكي المَواضي وَطالَما ضَحِكَت

    مِنكَ وَأَمسَت غُمودَها القِمَمُ

    The keen swords weep, though so often they laughed

    through you, and the crowns of heads became their sheaths.

  36. فَاليَومَ قَد أَصبَحَت صَوارِمُها

    وَشَملُها في الهِياجِ مُنصَرِمُ

    Today, then, their keen blades are left

    with their unity in battle torn apart.

  37. يُذكِرُني جودَكَ الغَمامُ إِذا

    أَصبَحَ دَمعُ الغَمامِ يَنسَجِمُ

    The clouds remind me of your generosity when

    the clouds' tears begin to stream.

  38. إِذ كُنتَ لي ديمَةً تَسُحُّ وَلا

    يَنساكَ قَلبي ما سَحَّتِ الدِيَمُ

    For you were to me a steady rain, pouring down; and never

    will my heart forget you while the steady rains pour.

  39. لا جَمَدَت أَدمُعي وَلا خَمَدَت

    نارُ أَسىً في حَشايَ تَضطَرِمُ

    May my tears never freeze, nor ever be quenched

    the fire of sorrow blazing in my breast.

  40. وَكَيفَ يَرقا عَليكَ دَمعُ فَتىً

    وَلَحمُهُ مِن ثَراكَ مُلتَحِمُ

    And how can a young man's tears for you dry up,

    when his flesh is knit together from your soil?