ألا قل لتياك ما بالها — Al Asha

أَلا قُل لِتَيّاكَ ما بالُها

أَلِلبَينِ تُحدَجُ أَحمالُها

Come, say to that woman: what ails her?

Are her loads being strapped on for departure?

أَم لِلدَلالِ فَإِنَّ الفَتا

ةَ حَقٌّ عَلى الشَيخِ إِدلالُها

Or for coquetry? For a young woman

has the right to play the coquette with an old man.

فَإِن يَكُ هَذا الصِبى قَد نَبا

وَتَطلابُ تَيّا وَتَسآلُها

If this youthful passion has now failed,

this pursuit of that woman and asking after her,

فَأَنّى تَحَوَّلُ ذا لِمَّةٍ

وَأَنّى لِنَفسِكَ أَمثالُها

how can you become a man with flowing locks,

and how could you win women like her for yourself?

عَسيبُ القِيامِ كَثيبُ القُعو

دِ وَهنانَةٌ ناعِمٌ بالُها

A palm-stalk standing, a sand dune seated,

languid, with her life at ease.

إِذا أَدبَرَت خِلتَها دِعصَةً

وَتُقبِلُ كَالظَبيِ تِمثالُها

When she turns away, you take her for a dune;

she approaches with the figure of a gazelle.

وَفي كُلِّ مَنزِلَةٍ بِتَّها

يُؤَرِّقُ عَينَيكَ أَهوالُها

At every halting-place where you spend the night,

its terrors keep your eyes awake.

هِيَ الهَمُّ لَو ساعَفَت دارُها

وَلَكِن نَأى عَنكَ تَحلالُها

She is your heart's concern, if only her home were within reach;

but her encampment lies far from you.

وَصَهباءَ صِرفٍ كَلَونِ الفُصوصِ

سَريعٍ إِلى الشِربِ إِكسالُها

And tawny wine, unmixed, the color of gemstones,

swift to bring languor to its drinkers,

تُريكَ القَذى وَهيَ مِن دونِهِ

إِذا ما يُصَفَّقُ جِريالُها

letting you see the motes beyond it

when its crimson liquor is decanted—

شَرِبتُ إِذا الراحُ بَعدَ الأَصي

لِ طابَت وَرُفِّعَ أَطلالُها

I drank it when the wine, after late afternoon,

grew pleasant and its jars were lifted.

وَأَبيَضَ كَالنَجمِ آخَيتُهُ

وَبَيداءَ مُطَّرِدٍ آلُها

And a shining one, star-like, I took as a brother;

and a desert with its streaming mirage

قَطَعتُ إِذا خَبَّ رَيعانُها

وَنُطِّقَ بِالهَولِ أَغفالُها

I crossed when its foremost mirages raced

and its unmarked wastes were girdled with terror,

بِناجِيَةٍ مِن سَراةِ الهِجا

نِ تَأتي الفِجاجَ وَتَغتالُها

on a swift she-camel of the finest white stock,

entering the mountain passes and devouring them.

تَراها كَأَحقَبَ ذي جُدَّتَي

نِ يَجمَعُ عوناً وَيَجتالُها

You see her like a white-bellied wild ass with two stripes,

gathering mature she-asses and driving them about:

نَحائِصَ شَتّى عَلى عَينِهِ

حَلائِلَ لَم يُؤذِهِ قالُها

lean jennies, scattered beneath his eye,

consorts whose chatter has never troubled him.

عَنيفٌ وَإِن كانَ ذا شِرَّةٍ

بِجَمعِ الضَرائِرِ شَلّالُها

Harsh, though full of ardor

for gathering co-wives, he drives them hard.

إِذا حالَ مِن دونِها غَبيَةٌ

مِنَ التَربِ فَاِنجالَ سِربالُها

When a cloud comes between him and them,

of dust, then its mantle clears away,

فَلَم يَرضَ بِالقُربِ حَتّى يَكونَ

وِساداً لِلَحيَيهِ أَكفالُها

he is not content with nearness until

their rumps become a pillow for his jaws.

أَقامَ الضَغائِنَ مِن دَرئِها

كَفَتلِ الأَعِنَّةِ فَتّالُها

He straightens their wayward courses by shoving them,

as a rein-twister twists the reins.

فَذَلِكَ شَبَّهتُهُ ناقَتي

وَما إِن لِغَيرِكَ إِعمالُها

That is what I likened my she-camel to;

her exertion is for none but you.

وَكَم دونَ بَيتِكَ مِن مَهمَهٍ

وَأَرضٍ إِذا قيسَ أَميالُها

How many a trackless waste lies before your house,

and land whose miles, when measured,

يُحاذِرُ مِنها عَلى سَفرِها

مَهامِهُ تيهٌ وَأَغوالُها

make one fear for those who travel through it—

bewildering deserts and their ghouls!

فَمِنكَ تَؤوبُ إِذا أَدبَرَت

وَنَحوَكَ يُعطَفُ إِقبالُها

From you she returns whenever she turns away,

and toward you her approach is turned.

إِياسُ وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ لا يُرى

لِنَفسِكَ في القَومِ مِعدالُها

Iyas, you are a man—none can find

your equal among the people.

أَبَرُّ يَميناً إِذا أَقسَموا

وَأَفضَلُ إِن عُدَّ أَفضالُها

The truest in oath when men swear,

and the most generous when favors are counted.

وَجارُكَ لا يَتَمَنّى عَلَي

هِ إِلّا الَّتي هُوَ يَقتالُها

Your neighbor asks nothing of

him except what he himself chooses to ask.

كَأَنَّ الشَموسَ بِها بَيتُهُ

يُطيفُ حَوالَيهِ أَوعالُها

As though his house were on al-Shamus,

its ibexes circling all around it.

وَكامِلَةِ الرِجلِ وَالدارِعينَ

سَريعٍ إِلى القَومِ إيغالُها

And many a host, full of footmen and mail-clad men,

swift to strike deep among the foe,

سَمَوتَ إِلَيها بِرَجراجَةٍ

فَغودِرَ في النَقعِ أَبطالُها

you assailed with a surging host,

and its champions were left in the dust.

وَمَعقودَةِ العَزمِ مِن رَأيِهِ

قَليلٌ مِنَ الناسِ يَحتالُها

And many a plan, firm in resolve, from his judgment,

which few men could find a way to carry out,

تَمَّمتَ عَلَيها فَأَتمَمتَها

وَتَمَّ بِأَمرِكَ إِكمالُها

you pursued and brought to completion;

at your command its fulfillment was complete.

وَإِنَّ إِياساً مَتى تَدعُهُ

إِذا لَيلَةٌ طالَ بَلبالُها

And Iyas, whenever you call upon him

on a night whose turmoil drags on,

أَخٌ لِلحَفيظَةِ حَمّالُها

حَشودٌ عَلَيها وَفَعّالُها

is a brother in honor's defense, bearing its burden,

rallying men to it and carrying it through.

وَفي الحَربِ مِنهُ بَلاءٌ إِذا

عَوانٌ تَوَقَّدَ أَجذالُها

In war he proves his valor, when

renewed battle has its logs blazing;

وَصَبرٌ عَلى الدَهرِ في رُزئِهِ

وَإِعطاءُ كَفٍّ وَإِجزالُها

he is patient with fate in its calamities,

with a giving hand, lavish in its gifts.

وَتَقوادُهُ الخَيلَ حَتّى يَطو

لَ كَرُّ الرُواةِ وَئيغالُها

And he leads the horses, till long grow

the narrators' retellings and far-ranging accounts.

إِذا أُدلِجوا لَيلَةً وَالرِكا

بُ خوصٌ تَخَضخَضَ أَشوالُها

When they marched by night, and the riding camels

were sunken-eyed, their scant milk churning,

وَتُسمَعُ فيها هَبي وَاِقدَمي

وَمَرسونُ خَيلٍ وَأَعطالُها

and 'Up!' and 'Advance!' were heard among them,

with horses haltered and horses bare,

وَنَهنَهَ مِنهُ لَهُ الوازِعو

نَ حَتّى إِذا حانَ إِرسالُها

the marshals held some back for him

until the moment came to unleash them.

أُجيلَت كَمَرِّ ذَنوبِ القَرى

فَأَلوى بِمَن حانَ إِشعالُها

They were wheeled like a bucket swung for guests,

and he swept away those due to face their onslaught.

فَآبَ لَهُ أُصُلاً جامِلٌ

وَأَسلابُ قَتلى وَأَنفالُها

So at dusk a camel herd came back to him,

and the gear of the slain, and booty besides,

إِلى بَيتِ مَن يَعتَريهِ النَدى

إِذا النَفسُ أَعجَبَها مالُها

to the house of one whom generosity moves

when the soul is charmed by its wealth.

وَلَيسَ كَمَن دونَ ماعونِهِ

خَواتِمُ بُخلٍ وَأَقفالُها

He is not like one whose bounty is barred

by seals of miserliness and its locks.

فَعاشَ بِذَلِكَ ما ضَرَّهُ

صُباةُ الحُلومِ وَأَقوالُها

Thus he lived, unharmed

by men of childish judgment and their words.

يَنولُ العَشيرَةَ ما عِندَهُ

وَيَغفِرُ ما قالَ جُهّالُها

He gives his clan whatever he has

and forgives what its ignorant men have said.

وَبَيتُكَ مِن سِنبِسٍ في الذُرى

إِلى العِزِّ وَالمَجدِ أَحبالُها

Your house among Sinbis stands on the heights;

its ropes stretch to honor and glory.