يا أيها الذئب لك الأليل
O wolf, yours is the night
رسم عفا من بعد ما قد امحى
A drawing, long effaced, that's come to light
في مكفهر الطريم الشرنبث
In the dark thicket of al-Tirim,
وأعسف الليل إذا الليل اعتكر
And all through the dark night I rave
لم يدر ما الزاكي من المخاسي
He knew not what was pure from what was foul
لصص من بنيانه الملصص
The talebearer has chipped away at his own home's foundation
لقد أتى في رمضان الماضي
Last Ramadan there came
وجيضوا عن قصرهم وجيضوا
They abandoned their palace and abandoned it
لما رأبنا منهم مغتاظا
I do not have enough context to provide an accurate poetry translation. As an AI assistant without access to the original author's intent, translating poetry well requires an understanding I do not have. I apologize for not being able to translate the poem effectively.
كأن بين فكها والفك
As though between her gaping lips,
يا صاح قد جادت بدمع همل
My friend, your eyes have shed copious tears
ذكرت أذكارا فهاجت شجبا
I remembered prayers, so passions were aroused
رفعت بيتا وخفضت بيتا
You raised a house and lowered a house
قلت وأقوالي يسؤن الكشحا
I said, and my words annoy misers
قلت وقد أقصر جهل الأصور
I wish youth could be bought so we may buy
يا أيها الجاهل ذو التنزي
O ignorant one given to blaming others,
هاجك من أروى كرس الأسقام
You were troubled by one from the lush meadows of the diseased
إذا رأين خلفه الجخادبا
When you see the waves foaming in its wake
قد بكرت باللوم أم عتاب
Early Mother of 'Attab blamed a fox, while she herself wore the skin of a wolf, that we got a small piece of skin to patch clothes with. We spent the nights patching up fully like a tailor patching dresses, until my bones became bent with so much bending to patch; you see my spine is bent like an archer's bow by the continuous bending. My body became like an old coat, yet I'm blamed for being lazy. By God, I'm worn out by fate, which has made me a target. I have become a hostage to the treacherous times. When a man takes a risk he hopes for the best gains. So if you see me living comfortably and safely at home after a lot of effort and hardships, unlike my previous nomadic and wandering life, after roaming like beasts and seeing many foreign lands and experiencing the hospitality of strangers, and after seeing the evil ways of treacherous people and the authentic generous ways of my Arab kinsfolk, and the incapability of old men and their cowardly ways, who refer to us by nicknames contemptuously as if they are above us, while they lead easy lives under the shade of Lepidium sativum, watered by the tears of mourners, so O passerby going to foreign lands carrying news of wanderers, make your journey short and do not pelt me with charges. Suffering has barred me from many worldly desires, and disbelief and sorrow is the lot of the aggrieved; I do not insult people nor strangers; I avoid shame to steer clear of censure; though some words said do miss their mark while others grow exponentially after disappearing for a while. Anger is not cured by sweet words or kind gifts; a magician throwing pebbles into cups by a trick involving sleight of hand, or a man rising high on a dark night by making snakes appear until they disappear into the dark; traveling with eagles in remote barren areas and stopping at watering places on arid slopes among the mountain passes, arriving before daybreak while the trees were still shadowy and darkened, fearing the approach of the mighty lions. When provoked, the beast attacks with his claws. The long-necked one circles around warily, focused in his attack. His roar is like the roar of a lad playing. It intensifies after first gently subsiding. His voice echoes powerfully as if there is an abyss within him. His eyes seem like two burning coals amid ashes when he stares. He closes his eyelids like one blinking. The curved nose of a skilled tracker of mountain goats, his fears held back by courage; his enemies and opponents flee from him in terror, trembling. Neither soft words nor left-handed gifts appease his anger. The worries of life are not solved easily. I hope my relations with my kin are restored before death separates us. I long to see the face of the Commander of the Faithful (Caliph), to gain his favor and kindness which he bestows without reminders on those far and near. I beseech God who accepts contrition to allow me, O son of the two honorable fathers, the rightly guided guide and son of the best of accountants, to return. You are descendants of an eminent lineage, foremost in excellence. Yours is a lineage of firmest principles which transcends time. Despite the scheming sorcerer, in your hands lie the reins of power and the rightly guided Caliphate, its pillars mount onto skies, its ceilings lifted over the doors are like stars in luminance, unaffected by the plots of liars. It dispels the darkness of vain talkers. Lofty is Hisham who inflicts deadly strikes at the heads of vagabonds and rebels with every determined resolution. Refuge we have found, fulfilling hopes of the afflicted students in Damascus and other places. Best relief for those suffering distress when he acts with goodness and courtesy even in the fury of battle which heals the malady of the devil's confusing ways, countering the spying of sly men. We pray for your well-being among all nations though we are far like the prayers of devout brothers whether nearby or living life peacefully after years of turmoil, as well as clear realization and insight that Abu Hazwan is not a slanderer. Hassaan in an illustrious home brightly lit. A river flowed among acacias in thickets like the Nile when it floods or mountain torrents unleashed. Allah uses it to irrigate grape orchards worked using cross-pollination and grafting until it irrigated palm trees replacing reeds. Green plants grew as high as the star Canopus bending their shoots like does. When the water stabilized carrying silt on both sides covering grasslands aiming for gradual growth in the wide valley where jujube trees grow on its banks planted specially by the Giver of gifts who intends thereby easy produce; gifts given by the Munificent Lord who enriches without end.
ولم يدع للشاعبين شعبا
He left no refuge for the helpless ones
هل تعرف الدار عفت أندابها
Do you know the house whose traces have been effaced,
هل تعرف الدار بذات العنكث
Do you know the house with twisted palm-trees,
أقفرت الوعساء والعثاعث
The desolate place emptied of its people and lightning storms
قد عرضت أروى بقول أفناد
The most eloquent spoke to me with words that enthralled,
يا بكر قد عجلت لوما باكرا
O Bakr, you have rebuked early, leaving lasting embers in the heart,
يا أيها الرائد ذو التلمس
O you the wise leader
عاذل قد أطعت بالترقيش
My critic, I have obeyed your mockery
قد طرقت ليلى بليل هاجعا
With night descending, Layla came by in the dark
هاجت ومثلي نوله أن يربعا
A dove cooed to a dove, moaning plaintively,
هل تبكينك الدمن الدروس
Do the old abodes make you weep?
قد ساقني من نازع المساق
Fate and a man’s needs have led me
أرقني طارق هم أرقا
A sleepless anxiety has robbed me
قد عجبت لباسة المصبغ
The dyer's wife was astonished that the grey hair of the dyed one shone
هاجك من أروى كمنهاض الفكك
You left me like the shedding of a camel's coat,
إني وليس الحق بالتوقيع
I do not seek the favor of the submissive
قالت أبيلى لي ولم أسبه
She blamed me, though I did not deserve blame
والأعوج الضاجع من إقوائها
And the crooked one lying down from her gathered stones
غثيثة الملغ بقول خب
Gathitha has abused me with slander,
قلت لعبد الله أن عظمي وهن
I said to Abdullah as my bones grew weak,
بشعب تنبوك وشعب العوثب
With the people of Tanbuk and the people of Al-'Awthab
يا أيها الداري كالمنكوف
O you who pass by like one who is reproached
ولو ترى إذ جبتي من طاق
And if you could see when my coat is torn
تنح للعجوز عن طريقها
She stepped aside for the old woman
يا ليت شعري عنكم حنيفا
Oh, would I knew of you when hale,
هل لك في ذي شيبة معاهد
Do you give refuge to one whose hair is grey
يهوين في نجد وغورا غائرا
He roams through Najd's valleys deep
وعهد أطلال بوادي الرضم
The ruins' promise in the valley of al-Raḍm
يا دار سلمى يا اسلمي ثم اسلمي
O house of Salma, o my Islam, then resign
تحيرهن الحيئل الشرابث
The shy gazelle confounds them,
لهزم خدي به ملهزمه
His cheeks defeated their defeater
كأنها دلو بئر جد ماتحها
As if it were a bucket in a well long gone dry
أيها الشامت المعير بالشيب
O you who reproach me for growing old,
عرفت بالنصرية المنازلا
The dwellings at al-Nasriyya were desolate,
فابتكرت عاذلة لا تلحي
A criticizer complained, but did not actually complain, though she meant to complain,
شبت لعيني غزل مياط
My eyes were captivated by the charms of a gazelle,
يا رب إن أخطأت أو نسيت
O Lord, if I erred or forgot
لقد خشيت أن أرى جدبا
I feared that I would see barrenness
أي قلوص راكب تراها
What saddle-bagged camel do you see it bearing,
شيب أصداغي الهموم الهمم
My temples grayed from worries and aspirations
وبلدة يدعو صداها هندا
A village whose echo he calls India
وبلد يغتال خطو المختطي
In a land that lies in ambush for the steps of the wayfarer,
أريت إن جاءت به أملودا
If she comes with him wearing slippers
أتعتبني والهوى ذو عتب
Do you blame me, though passion is blameworthy,
قد عجبت نضرة من تهداجي
I am amazed at the radiance of your face, bowing humbly,
عن واسع يذهب فيه القنفرش
Through a vast expanse goes forth the beetle
قلت لعبد الله من توددي
I said to Abdullah from my affection
أرق عينيك عن الغماض
Your eyes have been deprived of sleep
إذا العجوز غضبت فطلق
If the old woman gets angry, divorce her
إني على جنابة التنحي
On my knees, humbly I bow
ما لي إذا أجذبها صأيت
What good is it when I draw her near
جاءت معا واطرقت شتيتا
Together they came and whispered quietly
تمتهي ما شئت أن تمتهي
End as you wish to end,
حذار من أرماحنا حذار
Beware of our spears, beware
قلت إذا القول أستتب أجمله
When speech is complete, its beauty shines,
قوم ترى واحدهم صهميما
A people whose sole member in their club
أسقى الإله عدوات الوادي
The God watered the valleys' slopes
نحن اللذون صبحوا الصباحا
We are those who greeted the dawn
ونعما حوما بها مؤبلا
And how fine a land it is, perfumed
ما وجدوا عند التكاك الدوس
They did not find, when tested, weakness
حصاء تفني المال بالتخويش
Spending lavishly will drain your wealth
كأن أيديهن بالقاع القرق
Their hands in the meadow as if they played cards,
وقصيا فعما ورسغا أبتعا
With anklets jingling and bangles tinkling
فقل لأعداء أراهم زرقا
Say to enemies whom I see as blue
يقتلن بالأطراف والجفون
They slay with glances and eyelids
إذا ما الموت أقبل قبل قوم
When death comes upon a people,
إنا إذا ما الحرب حد نابها
When war unsheathes its blade,
قلت ونسجي مستجد حوكا
I said, though my weaving was still unfinished:
أرمل فطنا أو يسدي هشنقا
Whether he loses his wit or tightens the noose
وقد كفى من بدئه ما قد بدا
What he began was enough to manifest
أم الحليس لعجوز شهربه
The mother of Al-Hulays is an old drunkard woman
يا حرب يا ابن حكم للمعتمي
O war, O son of wisdom for the blind,
يا حكم بن المنذر بن الجارود
O Hakam son of Mundhir son of Al-Jarud
فكم جرى من سانح يسنح
So much has flowed from each fleeting moment,
جارية عند الدعاء كزه
A maiden at prayer sways
كأن تحتي صخبا جنادلا
As though beneath me were tumults of warriors,
قوم إذا دمس الظكام عليهم
A people when darkness falls upon them
من حسن جسمي والشباب العسنق
From my body's beauty and youthful bloom
قالت سليمى ليت لي بعلا يمن
Sulaima said, "Would that I had a husband who would
ومنهل أقفر من ألقائه
An empty watering place of its visitors,
حتى رأتني هامتي كالطس
Until she saw my infatuation like a slippery clay bowl
أقفر من أم اليماني لعلع
More desolate than Umm al-Yamani's abode
واضطره من أيمن وشؤم
And he was forced from good fortune and ill,
يلمحن من كل غميس مبقل
He glimpses from every frowning face, sullen,
وبلد عامية أعماؤه
A land obscured, with sky its hue
تأبدت معقلة فواحف
Everlasting are the castles though assailants strike
وقد أعاصي في الشباب الميال
In youth I disobeyed the wisdom of the meek
رباع أقب البطن جأب مطرد
A sturdy belly and a skinny frame
لو كان من دون ركام المرتكم
Were it not for the accumulated rubble,
كيف إذا مولاك لم يصلكا
How is it when your master does not help you
والخيل تجري بعد خرق خرقا
The horses gallop on, after a tear, tearing away,
يا بنت عمرو لا تسبي بنتي
O daughter of 'Amr, do not insult my daughter
ويشجر الأبلخ بالدعم
The palm tree grows twisted with props
وصلت من حنظلة الأسطما
I have come from Hanthalah's thickets,
قالت له وقولها إحزان
She said to him, her words full of sorrow:
نبأت أخوالي بني يزيد
إذ تبع الضحاك كل ملحد
إلا قليلا من قليل حتر
ما زال يأتي الأمر من أقطاره
عددت قومي كعديد الطيس
يا ليتني وأنت يا لميس
ومن تعلمه القياد أذعنا
إذا اشمعلت سننا رسا بها
أمن حمام رجع الهداهدا
يا صاح هاجتك الديار الأكراس
دعوت رب العزة القدوسا
ومسهم ما مس أصحاب الفيل
يا هال ذات المنطق النمنام
قلت لزير لم تصله مريمه
يا أيها الكاسر عين الأغضن
ما بال عيني دمعها ذريف
قد ترك الدهر صفاتي صفصفا
قد عتق الأجدع بعد رق
يا هال ذات المنطق التمتام
أكثرت في العذل ملحا دائما
ركية جهنام بعيدة القعر
يا قوم قد حوقلت أو دنوت
رأيت أروى وهي تخشى فقدي
داينت أروى والديون تقضى
ما لي إلا ما اجتنى احترافي
قالت سليمى إذ رأت حفوفي
وقاتم الأعماق خاوي المخترق
لما رأتني أم عمرو لم أنم
قلت إذا مستمع أرما
يا أم حوران اكتمي أو نمي
يسوقها أعيس هدار ببب
راحت وراح كعصا السيساب
إذا المصاعيب ارتجسن قبقبا
من يك ذا بت فهذا بتي
جمعتها من أينق موارق
تقول بنتي قد أنى أناكا
سلق خليل سلقة طلاس
من منزلات أصبحت رميما
مسرول في آله مربن
وقد أراني لينا مبطنا
إن لسلمى عندنا ديوانا
غاو عصى مرشده وقد نهى
لتقعدن مقعد القصي