ذرفت عيني دموعا — Al Nabigha_Al Shaibani

ذَرَفَت عَيني دُموعاً

مِن رُسومٍ بِحَفيرِ

My eye shed tears

over ruins at Hafir,

موحِشاتٍ طامِساتٍ

مِثلِ آياتِ الزَبورِ

desolate and effaced,

like verses of the Psalms.

غَيَّرَتها في سُفورٍ

مَرُّ أَيّامِ الدُهورِ

At Sufur they were changed

by the passing days of the ages.

جادَها كُلَّ مُلِثٍّ

ذي أَهاضيبَ مَطيرِ

Every lingering cloud drenched them,

bearing heavy, pouring showers.

وَإِذا النَكباءُ هاجَت

لَعِبَت فيها بِمورِ

And when the crosswind raged,

it toyed with them in swirling gusts;

وَجَنوبٌ وَشَمالٌ

وَصَباً بَعدَ الدَبورِ

and south wind and north wind,

and east wind after west wind,

قَد أَذاعَت بِرُسومٍ

لا تَبِينُ لِبَصيرِ

have laid waste to the traces,

no longer clear to a keen eye,

غَيرَ بالٍ ناحِلٍ في الدْ

دَارِ كَالجِذلِ القَصيرِ

save a worn, slender remnant in the

dwelling, like a short tree-stump,

وَأَوارِيٍّ وَنُؤيٍ

وَمَطايا لِلقُدورِ

and tethering-pegs and a trench,

and mounts for the cooking-pots:

نِصفُها سودٌ وَنِصفٌ

ضَبَّحَتهُ بِسَعيرِ

half are black, and half

scorched by a blazing fire.

فَهيَ كَالأَظآرِ حَنَّت

حَولَ بَوٍّ وَكَسيرِ

They are like foster-camels lowing

around a stuffed calfskin and an injured calf.

بُدِّلَ الرُبعُ وُحوشاً

مِن كَبيرٍ وَصَغيرِ

The campsite was given wild beasts instead,

both great and small:

مِن نِعاجٍ وَظِباءٍ

وَنِعامٍ وَحَميرِ

wild cows and gazelles,

ostriches and wild asses,

آبِداتٍ رائِداتٍ

راتِعاتٍ في غَميرِ

untamed, seeking pasture,

grazing in lush grass.

ذاكَ مِن بَعدِ حِلالٍ

وَأَنيسٍ وَعُمورِ

All this, after encamped folk,

companions and thronging clans,

وَهِجانٍ وَقِيانٍ

وَقِبابٍ كَالقُصورِ

and noble white camels and singing slave-girls,

and domed tents like palaces,

وَخُيولٍ أَرِناتٍ

مِن إِناثٍ وَذُكورِ

and high-spirited horses,

mares and stallions,

ذي تَليلٍ وَفُصوصٍ

سَلِطاتٍ كَالفُهورِ

with necks and joints

hard as pounding-stones,

وَسَماحيجَ سِراعٍ

مِثلِ عِقبانٍ كُسورِ

and swift, long-bodied mares,

like swooping eagles,

قَد دَعاها جُنحُ لَيلٍ

حينَ قَضَّت لوكورِ

called by the onset of night

as they plunged toward their eyries;

وَقَنا الخَطِّيِّ لَدنٌ

مَعَهُم حَدُّ كَثيرِ

and supple spears of al-Khatt,

among them, keen steel in plenty,

وَدُروعٍ وَسُيوفٍ

كُلُّ عَضبٍ كَالغَديرِ

and coats of mail and swords,

each keen blade like a pool;

وَحسّانٍ آنِساتٍ

وَعَذارى في خُدورِ

and lovely, companionable women,

and maidens in secluded chambers,

قاصِراتٌ ناعِماتٌ

في نَعيمٍ وَسُرورِ

modest-eyed and tender,

in ease and delight,

جاعِلاتٌ كُلَّ بابٍ

ذي سُتورٍ مِن حَريرِ

furnishing every doorway

with curtains of silk,

مُؤثِقاتٍ كُلَّ رَأيٍ

بِعُيونِ الغُرِّ حورِ

binding every mind

with the wide, dark eyes of fair women,

وَفُروعٍ كَالمَثاني

زانَها حُسنُ جَميرِ

and locks like twisted cords,

adorned by lovely braiding,

وَأَنوفٍ وَخُدودٍ

وَلِثاتٍ وَثُغورِ

and noses and cheeks,

and gums and mouths,

رائِعاتٍ واضِحاتٍ

كَالأَقاحِيِّ المُنيرِ

dazzling and bright,

like radiant camomile flowers,

وَبِأَعناقٍ حِسانٍ

وَثُدِيٍّ وَنُحورِ

and lovely necks,

and breasts and throats,

وَخَلاخيلَ مِلاءٍ

وَدَماليجَ وَسُورِ

and well-filled anklets,

and armlets and bracelets,

وَبِوُشحٍ قَلِقاتٍ

في بُطرُنٍ وَظُهورِ

and swaying ornamental sashes

over bellies and backs,

وَبِأَعجازٍ كَرَملٍ

مُثقَلاتٍ وَخُصورِ

and haunches like sandhills,

heavy-laden, and waists.

لَيسَ مِن يَذكُرُ هذا

يا لقَومٍ بِصَبورِ

He who remembers all this

cannot be patient—O people!

وَكَهولٍ قَد أَراهُم

كَخَضاريمِ البُحورِ

And mature men I once saw

like the vast reaches of the seas,

وَرِجالٍ لَم يَشيبوا

وَشَبابٍ كَالسُقورِ

and men not yet gray,

and youths like falcons.

فَإِذا نادى المُنادي

أَينَ أَيسارُ الجُزورِ

When the caller cried,

"Where are the gamblers for the slaughter-camel?"

طارَ مِنهُم كُلُّ خِرقٍ

بِخَميسٍ أَو عَشيرِ

each generous man among them sprang up

with a fifth or a tenth share.

ثُمَّ لا تَسأَل بِعيرٍ

أَبَداً مِن بَعدِ عِيرِ

Then ask not of caravan

after caravan, without end:

كُلُّ وَجناءَ وَشَهمٍ

عَوهَجٍ ضَخمِ الكُسورِ

each sturdy she-camel and spirited male,

long-necked and massive-limbed.

فَإِذا تَحدو اِجرَهَدَّت

وَتَعالَت بِصُدورِ

When you sing them onward, they race ahead,

lifting their chests high,

مُمعِناتٍ دالِحاتٍ

دالِفاتٍ بِخُمورِ

pressing onward, heavily laden,

plodding with wine

في زِقاقٍ كُلُّ جَحلَي

نِ أَضَرّا بِبَعيرِ

in skins—each two huge ones

weighed down a camel—

مُجلَخِدّاتٍ مِلاءٍ

بَطَّنوهُنَّ بِقيرِ

bulging and full,

which they had lined inside with pitch.

فَإِذا صِرتَ إِلَيهِم

صِرتَ في خَيرِ مَصيرِ

And when you reach them,

you reach the finest haven,

عِندَ شُبّانٍ وَشِيبٍ

أَعمَلوا كَأسَ المُديرِ

among young men and graybeards

who kept the cupbearer's cup passing.

كَم تَرى فيهم وَفينا

مِن رَئيسٍ كَالأَميرِ

How many you see among them and us:

chieftains like princes,

ذي عَطاءٍ وَغَناءٍ

مُحسِنٍ نَسجَ الأُمورِ

men of bounty and prowess,

skilled in weaving affairs together,

قائِدٍ جَيشاً لُهاماً

عِندَ حَلٍّ وَمَسيرِ

leading a mighty host

at rest and on the march,

لَجِباً يُسمِعُ رِزّاً

عِندَ طَعنٍ وَنَفيرِ

clamorous, sending out a rumble

at spear-thrust and muster.

فَإِذا تُندى شَبابٌ

كُلُّ مَيمونٍ مُغيرِ

When young men are summoned,

each a fortunate raider,

رَكِبوا كُلَّ عَلَندى

ذي أَفانينَ صَبورِ

they mount every mighty beast,

versatile in gait, enduring.

فَإِذا لا قَوا أُسوداً

أَوعَدَت أُسداً بِزيرِ

And when they meet lions,

lions threaten lions with roars.

طاعَنوا بَعدَ رِماءٍ

وَضِرابٍ بِالذُكورِ

They thrust with spears after archery

and blows with hard-steel swords.

رُبَّ حَدباءَ فَيافٍ

في رِمالٍ وَوُعورِ

Many a desert ridge,

amid sand and rugged ground,

قَد تَجَشَّمتُ تَنوفا

تٍ قِفاراً بِجَسورِ

I have braved—trackless deserts,

barren, on a fearless mount.

خِلتَ هِرَّينِ وَقَد صا

رَت مَنيناً كَالحَسيرِ

You would think two cats, when she had

grown worn, like a weary beast,

نَهَسا القُربَينِ مِنها

وَهيَ تَرمَدُّ بِكُورِ

had bitten her two flanks,

as she raced beneath her saddle,

مِثلَ ما يَجري عَلى المِح

وَرِ تَقليبُ الدَريرِ

like motion round an axle:

the whirling of a spinning top.

وَمِنَ الناسِ غَنِيٌّ

ذي سَوامٍ وَقُدورِ

Among people there is the wealthy man,

with grazing herds and cauldrons,

وَوَسيطٌ في زَماعٍ

ذو مَعاشٍ وَفَقيرِ

and a middling man among the throng,

with a livelihood, and a poor man.

كُلُّ باغي الخَيرِ يَوماً

راكِبُ الهَولِ الكَبيرِ

Every seeker of good will one day

ride into great peril.