Sol 6.1

  1. تَعَفَّت رُسومٌ مِن سُلَيمى دَكادِكا

    خَلاءً تُعَفّيها الرِياحُ سَواهِكا

    Sulayma's dwelling-traces have faded into low mounds,

    Desolate, erased by the scouring winds.

  2. تَبَدَّلنَ بَعدي مِن سُلَيمى وَأَهلِها

    نَعاماً تَراعاها وَأُدماً تَرائِكا

    In my absence they took, in place of Sulayma and her people,

    Ostriches grazing there, and pale antelopes left undisturbed.

  3. وَقَفتُ بِها أَبكي بُكاءَ حَمامَةٍ

    أَراكِيَّةٍ تَدعو حَماماً أَوارِكا

    I stood there, weeping with the weeping of a dove,

    An arak-tree dove calling to doves that roost there.

  4. إِذا ذَكَرَت يَوماً مِنَ الدَهرِ شَجوَها

    عَلى فَرعِ ساقٍ أَذرَتِ الدَمعَ سافِكا

    Whenever, on some day in time, she recalls her sorrow,

    On a bough of a tree, she sheds her streaming tears.

  5. سَراةَ الضُحى حَتّى إِذا ما عَمايَتي

    تَجَلَّت كَسَوتُ الرَحلَ وَجناءَ تامِكا

    At the height of morning, when at last my bewilderment

    Cleared, I saddled a sturdy, high-humped she-camel.

  6. كَأَنَّ قُتودي فَوقَ جَأبٍ مُطَرَّدٍ

    رَأى عانَةً تَهوي فَوَلّى مُواشِكا

    As though my saddle-bows rode a stout wild ass driven off

    That saw a herd of she-asses rushing along, then sped away.

  7. وَنَحنُ قَتَلنا الأَجدَلَينِ وَمالِكاً

    أَعَزَّهُما فَقداً عَلَيكَ وَهالِكا

    And we killed the two Falcons, al-Ajdalayn, and Malik,

    The dearer of the two to you, in loss and death.

  8. وَنَحنُ جَعَلنا الرُمحَ قِرناً لِنَحرِهِ

    فَقَطَّرَهُ كَأَنَّما كانَ وارِكا

    And we made the spear an adversary to his throat;

    It flung him onto his side, as though he had been reclining.

  9. وَنَحنُ قَتَلنا مُرَّةَ الخَيرِ مِنكُمُ

    وَقُرصاً وَقُرصٌ كانَ مِمّا أولَئِكا

    And we killed Murra the Good from among you,

    And Qurs—and Qurs was one of that company.

  10. وَنَحنُ صَبَحنا عامِراً يَومَ أَقبَلوا

    سُيوفاً عَلَيهِنَّ النَجادُ بَواتِكا

    And we assailed Amir at dawn, the day they advanced,

    With keen-cutting swords, their baldrics upon them.

  11. عَطَفنا لَهُم عَطفَ الضَروسِ فَأَدبَروا

    شِلالاً وَقَد بَلَّ النَجيعُ السَنابِكا

    We wheeled upon them like a biting she-camel, and they fled,

    Scattered in rout, fresh blood already soaking the hooves.

  12. وَيَومَ الرِبابِ قَد قَتَلنا هُمامَها

    وَحُجراً قَتَلناهُ وَعَمراً كَذَلِكا

    And on the day of al-Ribab we killed their champion,

    And Hujr we killed, and Amr likewise.

  13. وَنَحنُ قَتَلنا جَندَلاً في جُموعِهِ

    وَنَحنُ قَتَلنا شَيخَهُ قَبلَ ذَلِكا

    And we killed Jandal amid his hosts,

    And we killed his elder before that.

  14. وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ أَلهاكَ دَفٌّ وَقَينَةٌ

    فَتُصبِحُ مَخموراً وَتُمسي كَذَلِكا

    And you are a man distracted by a frame drum and a singing-girl—

    So you wake drunk and reach evening the same—

  15. عَنِ الوِترِ حَتّى أَحرَزَ الوِترَ أَهلُهُ

    وَأَنتَ تُبَكّي إِثرَهُ مُتَهالِكا

    From blood-revenge, till those owing it had put it beyond your reach,

    While you lament in its wake, distraught.

  16. فَلا أَنتَ بِالأَوتارِ أَدرَكتَ أَهلَها

    وَلَم تَكُ إِذ لَم تَنتَصِر مُتَماسِكا

    So you neither overtook those responsible for the blood-debts,

    Nor, when you failed to avenge yourself, did you keep your composure.

  17. وَرَكضُكَ لَولاهُ لَقَيتَ الَّذي لَقوا

    فَذاكَ الَّذي أَنجاكَ مِمّا هُنالِكا

    And but for your galloping, you would have met what they met;

    That was what saved you from what happened there.

  18. ظَلِلتَ تُغَنّي إِن أَصَبتَ وَليدَةً

    كَأَنَّ مَعَدّاً أَصبَحَت في حِبالِكا

    You went on singing whenever you won a slave-girl,

    As though Ma'add had fallen into your snares.