أبَتْ إبِلي والليلُ وَحْف الغَدائِرِ

رَشيفَ صَرىً في مُنْحَنى الوِرْدِ غائِرِ

My she-camels refused and the night and the dark clouds,

Pouring copious rain on the bending meadows of roses sinking down.

وباتَتْ تُنادي جارَها وهْوَ راقِدٌ

وهَيْهاتَ أن يرْتاحَ مُغْفٍ لساهِرِ

And they called out to their neighbor while he was sleeping,

Alas, no rest for one kept awake by a wakeful companion!

وقد كادَ أولادُ الوَجيهِ ولاحِقٍ

ترِقُّ لأبْناءِ الجَديلِ وداعِرِ

And the sons of the chief and his pursuer

Almost caught up with the sons of the plain and the rocky ground.

دَعي إبِلي رَجْعَ الحَنينِ بمَبْرَكٍ

يَضيقُ على ذَوْدِ الخَليطِ المُجاوِرِ

Leave my she-camels to yearn again for the blessed

Return, though the space is narrow for the mixed herds around.

فعَنْ كَثَبٍ تَشْكو مَناسِمُكِ الوَجى

وتَطوي الفَلا مَخْصوفَةً بالحوافِرِ

And from a hill they complain of your markings,

Folding up the meadows with their hooves.

وتُرْويكِ في قَيْسٍ حِياضٌ تُظِلُّها

ذَوابِلُ في أيْدي لُيوثٍ خَوادِرِ

And at Qais you water them in an enclosure shaded

By jujubes in the hands of brave lion cubs.

بحيثُ رُغاءُ المُتْلِياتِ وَراءَهُ

صَهيلُ الجيادِ المُقْرَباتِ الضّوامِرِ

Where the lowing of the weak camels behind

Is the neighing of steeds, noble racers.

بَنو عَرَبيّاتٍ يَحوطُ ذِمارَها

كُماةٌ كأنْضاءِ السّيوفِ البَواتِرِ

Sons of she-camels they protect their young

Like the gleam of swords, Indian blades.

لهُمْ في نِزارٍ مَحْتِدٌ دونَ فَرْعِهِ

تَخاوُصُ ألحاظِ النّجومِ الزّواهِرِ

For them in Nizar is an honored one, the best of its branches,

Competing for the glances of the shining stars.

ولما طَوَتْ عنّي خُزَيْمةُ كَشْحها

ولم تَرْعَ في حَيَّيْ قُرَيْشٍ أواصِري

And when Khuzayma folded away her stinginess from me

And did not quench my thirst among my Quraysh comrades,

لوَيْتُ عِناني والليالي تَنوشُني

إِلى أرْيَحيٍّ من ذُؤابَةِ عامِرِ

I turned my reins and the nights intoxicated me

To more comfortable Arha of lucky ‘Amir.

فأفْرَخَ رَوْعي إذ قَمَعْتُ بِهِ العِدا

وخَفَّضَ جَأشي حينَ رفَّعَ ناظِري

So my terror burst forth when I confronted the foe,

And my awe subsided when my gaze was raised.

فَتى الحَيِّ يأبى صُحْبَةَ الدِّرْعِ في الوَغى

ولا تكْلَفُ الأرْماحُ إلا بحاسِرِ

The young man of the tribe refuses the company of armor in battle,

And spears are not formed except for one who breaks them.

ويومٍ تَراءَى شَمسُهُ منْ عَجاجِهِ

تَطَلُّعَ أسْرارِ الهَوى منْ ضَمائِرِ

And on a day when its sun shone from its clouds,

The secrets of love peered out from consciences.

وتَخْتَفِقُ الراياتُ فيهِ كأنّما

هَفَتْ بحَواشِيها قَوادِمُ طائرِ

And the banners stirred in it as if

Their edges were set in motion by the flight of a bird.

تبَسَّمَ حتى انْجابَ جِلْبابُ نَقْعِهِ

بمَرْموقَةٍ تَطْوي رِداءَ الدّياجِرِ

He smiled until his robe revealed

A glimpse that folded the gown of the thick clouds.

تُضيءُ وَراءَ اللُّثْمِ كالشّمْسِ أشْرَقَتْ

وَراءَ غَمامٍ للغَزالَةِ ساتِرِ

Shining behind the veil like the sun when it rose

Behind a cloud, veiling the beautiful gazelle.

فغَضَّ طِماحَ الحرْبِ وهْيَ أبيّةٌ

بكُلِّ عُقَيْليٍّ كَريمِ العَناصِرِ

So he restrained his war passions while they refused

To accept any noble elements among its ingredients.

وحَفّتْ بهِ مِنْ سِرِّ جوثَةَ غِلْمَةٌ

مَناعيشُ للمَوْلى رِقاقُ المآزرِ

And a group of slave girls circled around him

With gifts for the Master, the soft and delicate virgins.

إذا اعْتَنَقَ الأبْطالُ خلْتَ عُيونَهُمْ

تَبُثُّ شَرارَ النّارِ تحت المَغافِرِ

When the heroes embrace their waists, you see their eyes

Scatter the sparks of fire beneath the eye lashes.

يَصولونَ والهَيْجاءُ تُلقي جِرانها

بمأثورَةٍ بِيضٍ وأيْدٍ قَوادِرِ

They advance while madness casts its columns

With acts of valor and hands that hold the reins.

ويَرْجونَ منْ آلِ المُهَيّا غَطارفاً

عِظامَ المَقاري واللُّها والمآثِرِ

And they aspire to hear from the family of Muhyya

Songs of praise, flags, encampments, glories and narrations.

ويَنْمي ضِياءُ الدينِ منْ كُبَرائِهِمْ

إِلى خَيْرِ بادٍ في مَعَدٍّ وحاضِرِ

And the light of religion grows from their great ones

To the best people of the past and present.

سَليلُ مُلوكٍ منْ نِزارٍ تَخيّروا

لهُ سَرَواتِ المُحْصَناتِ الحَرائِرِ

A descendant of kings carefully chosen from Nizar

Who adorn you with glorious nights thick with heavy rain.

فجاءَ كَماءِ المُزْنِ مَحْضاً نِجارُهُ

مُقابَلَ أطرافِ العُروقِ الزّواخِرِ

And you were brought to his court from among your best

Families that you do not trade for cheap prices.

يُطيفُ به أنّى تلَفَّتَ سُؤْدَدٌ

أوائِلُهُ مَشْفوعَةٌ بالأواخِرِ

So you settled them where piety casts its moorings,

With power, glory, and plaited tresses.

بَني البَزَرى صاهَرْتُمُ منهُ ماجِداً

يَزينُكُمُ أخرى الليالي الغَوابِرِ

And you were distinguished, O Ka’b, among all tribes with glories

That surpass the heights of towering spears.

وسُقْتُمْ إِلى أحْسابِهِ منْ خِيارِكُمْ

عَقائِلَ لا تَشْرونَها بالأباعِرِ

Had the full moon offered its stars to a suitor

It would reach Thurayya with the lengths of relations.

فبوّأتُموها حيثُ يُلقي به التُّقى

مَراسِيهُ والعِزُّ مُرْخَى الضّفائِرِ

O Abu Shaddad! Behind us are tales

That will be told about us in social circles.

وحُزْتُمْ بكَعْبٍ في كِلابٍ مَناقِباً

تُنافي أنابيبَ الرِّماحِ الشّواجِرِ

Is there anyone who will donate me a saddle cloth thrown on a smooth-running steed

That roams freely in the waving meadow?

ولو بَذَلَ البَدْرُ النّجومَ لخاطِبٍ

لمَدَّ إِلى ثَرْوانَ باعَ المُصاهِرِ

If the tremor of fear excites him

He climbs above the horizon like a falcon above high ground.

فإيهٍ أبا الشّدّادِ إنّ وراءَنا

أحاديثَ تُرْوى بَعْدَنا في المَعاشِرِ

Are you pleased when the Bedouins have none but you as refuge,

Sheltering them with the sands of Zarud and Hajiz?

فمَنْ لي بخِرْقٍ ثائِرٍ فَوقَ سابِحٍ

تَردّى بإعْصارٍ منَ النّقْعِ ثائِرِ

A thirst has parched their souls,

And they were forced by hunger to the Sirius star.

إذا حَفَزَتْهُ هِزّةُ الرّوعِ خِلْتَهُ

على الطِّرْفِ صَقْراً فوقَ فَتْخاءَ كاسِرِ

You brought them blessings and they thank it,

For blessings are not befriended except by one who thanks.

أتَرضى وما للعُرْبِ غيرَكَ مَلجأ

توَسُّدَهُمْ رَملَيْ زَرُودٍ وحاجِزِ

So where are the courageous steeds that step toward the foe

On elegant legs that make the land flow with water?

بهِمْ ظَمَأٌ أدْمى الجَوانِحَ بَرْحُهُ

وذمّوا إِلى الشِّعْرى احْتِدامَ الهَواجِرِ

And the boys of truth who plunge into the struggle

With death’s hands bloodying its fingers?

وطوّقْتَهُمْ نُعْمى فهُمْ يَشكُرونَها

ولا تأنَسُ النَّعْماءُ إلا بشاكِرِ

On she-camels recognizing the stab of the spears, frowning,

With long necks and braided forelocks.

فأينَ الجِيادُ الجُرْدُ تَخْطو إِلى العِدا

على عَلَقٍ تَرْوَى بهِ الأرضُ مائِرِ

They were heated by lengthy separation and mixed

Blood with tears in the eyes of the one who parts.

وفِتْيانُ صِدْقٍ يَصْدُرونَ عن الوَغى

وأيدِي المَنايا دامِياتُ الأظافِرِ

And their only goal is one of two exalted ends:

The breasts of the heights or the branches of the pulpits.

على عارِفاتٍ للطّعانِ عَوابِسٍ

طِوالِ الهَوالي مُجْفَراتِ الخواصِرِ

تَقَدّتْ بآطالِ الظِّباءِ ومزّجَتْ

دَماً بدُموعٍ في عُيونِ الجآذِرِ

وحاجَتُهُمْ إحدى اثْنَتيْنِ من العُلا

صُدورُ العَوالي أو فروعُ المنابِرِ