إن بالشعب الذي دون سلع — Al Shanfari

إِنَّ بِالشّعبِ الذي دونَ سلعٍ

لَقتيلاً دَمُه ما يُطَلُّ

Indeed, in the ravine this side of Salʿ,

Lies a slain man whose blood will not go unavenged.

خَلَّفَ العِبءَ علَيَّ وَوَلّى

أَنَا بِالعِبءِ له مُستَقِلُّ

He left the burden upon me and departed;

I am equal to bearing that burden for him.

وَوَراءَ الثَّأرِ منّي ابنُ أُختٍ

مَصِعٌ عُقدَتُهُ ما تُحَلُّ

And I, his sister's son, stand behind the vengeance,

Fierce, whose knot of resolve cannot be undone.

مُطرِقٌ يَرشُح مَوتاً كَما

أطرَقَ أَفعى يَنفُثُ السمَّ صِلُّ

Head bowed, he oozes death, just as

A viper bows its head—a venom-spitting asp.

خَبَرٌ ما نابَنا مصمَئِلٌّ

جَلَّ حَتّى دَقَّ فِيه الأَجَلُّ

Crushing news has indeed befallen us,

So great that even the greatest seemed small beside it.

بَزَّنِي الدَّهرُ وكانَ غَشُوماً

بِأبِيٍّ جَارُهُ ما يُذَلُّ

Time robbed me, ruthless as it was,

Of a proud man whose neighbor is never brought low.

شَامِسٌ في القُرِّ حتّى إِذا ما

ذَكَتِ الشِّعرى فَبَردٌ وظِلُّ

A sun in the bitter cold; but when

Sirius blazes, he is coolness and shade.

يَابِسَ الجَنبَينِ من غَيرِ بُؤس

وَنَدِيُّ الكَفَّينِ شَهمٌ مُدِلُّ

Lean on both flanks, though not from want,

And dewy-palmed with bounty, gallant and self-assured.

ظَاعِنٌ بالحَزمِ حَتّى إِذا ما

حَلَّ حَلَّ الحَزمُ حَيث يَحُلُّ

He travels with prudence, and whenever

He alights, prudence alights wherever he does.

غَيثُ مُزنٍ غامِرٌ حيثُ يُجدِي

وَإِذا يَسطُو فَلَيثٌ أَبَلُّ

A raincloud's downpour, flooding wherever he gives;

And when he strikes, a fierce lion.

مُسبِلٌ في الحَيِّ أَحوى رِفَلٌّ

وإِذا يَعدُو فَسِمعٌ أَزَلُّ

Among the tribe, dark-complexioned and stately in trailing robes;

And when he runs, a lean-hipped wolf-hyena.

وَلَهُ طَعمانِ أَريٌ وَشَريٌ

وَكِلا الطَّعمَينِ قَد ذاقَ كُلُّ

And he has two flavors: honey and bitter colocynth,

And everyone has tasted both flavors.

يَركَبُ الهَولَ وَحِيداً وَلا

يَصحَبُهُ إِلّا اليَمانِي الأَفَلُّ

He rides into terror alone, and none

Accompanies him except the notched Yemeni blade.

وَفُتُوٍّ هَجَّروُا ثُمَّ أَسرُوا

لَيلَهم حتّى إِذا انجابَ حَلُّوا

And young warriors marched at noon, then journeyed

Through the night, halting when its darkness lifted.

كُلُّ ماضٍ قَد تَرَدَّى بماضٍ

كَسَنا البَرقِ إِذا ما يُسَلُّ

Each resolute man had clothed himself in a keen sword,

Like lightning's flash whenever it is unsheathed.

فاحتَسَوا أَنفاسَ نَومٍ فَلَمَّا

ثَمِلُوا رُعتُهُم فَاشمَعَلُّوا

Then they sipped breaths of sleep; and when

They grew drunk with it, I startled them, and they sprang into action.

فَادَّرَكنا الثَّأرَ مِنهُم وَلَمَّا

يَنجُ مِلحَيَّينِ إِلّا الأَقَلُّ

So we exacted vengeance upon them, and no one

Escaped from the two clans except a very few.

فَلَئِن فَلَّت هُذَيلٌ شَبَاهُ

لَبِما كانَ هُذَيلاً يَفُلُّ

So if Hudhayl has blunted his edge,

Indeed, many a time had he blunted Hudhayl.

وَبِما أَبركَهُم في مُناخٍ

جَعجَعٍ يَنقُبُ فِيه الأَظَلُّ

And often he made them kneel in a halting place

So rugged that a camel's footpad wears through there.

وَبِما صَبَّحَها في ذُراها

مِنهُ بَعد القَتلِ نَهلٌ وَشَلُّ

And often he attacked her at dawn upon her heights,

From him, after the killing, came a first draught and a rout.

صَلِيَت مِنّى هُذَيلٌ بِخِرقٍ

لا يَمَلُّ الشَّرَّ حَتّى يَمَلُّوا

Hudhayl has been scorched by me, a daring warrior,

Who never tires of strife until they do.

يُنهِلُ الصَّعدَة حتّى إِذا مَا

نَهِلَت كانَ لَها مِنهُ عَلُّ

He gives the straight spear its first draught, and when

It has drunk, he gives it a second draught.

تَضحَكُ الضَّبعُ لِقَتلى هُذَيلٍ

وَتَرى الذِّئبَ لَها يَستَهِلُّ

The hyena laughs over Hudhayl's slain,

And you see the wolf howling to her.

وَعِتَاقُ الطَّيرِ تَهفُو بِطَاناً

تَتَخَطّاهُمُ فَما تَستَقِلُّ

And the noble birds flutter, full-bellied;

They step over them, unable to take wing.

حَلَّتِ الخَمرُ وكانَت حَرَاماً

وَبِلأيٍ ما أَلَمَّت تَحِلُّ

Wine is lawful now, though it had been forbidden,

And only with hardship has it barely become lawful.

فاسقِنيها يا سَوادَ بنَ عَمرو

إِنَّ جِسمي بَعدَ خالِي لَخَلُّ

So pour it for me, O Sawād son of ʿAmr,

Indeed, since my maternal uncle's death, my body is wasted.

رائحٌ بالمجدِ غادٍ عليهِ

من ثيابِ الحَمدِ ثَوبٌ رِفَلٌّ

Returning at dusk with glory, setting out with it at dawn,

An ample, trailing robe from the garments of praise.

أَفتَحُ الراحة بالجُودِ جُوداً

عاشَ في جَدوى يَدَيِهِ المُقِلُّ

Broad-palmed in giving, with such generosity

That the needy lived on the bounty of his hands.