Sol 6.1

  1. لَهُ الوَيلُ مِن لَيلٍ تَطاوَلَ آخِرُه

    وَوَشكِ نَوى حَيٍّ تُزَمُّ أَباعِرُه

    Woe to him for a night whose ending drags on,

    and for the imminent departure of a clan whose camels are being bridled.

  2. إِذا كانَ وِردُ الدَمعِ بِالنَأيِ أَعوَزَت

    بِغَيرِ تَداني الحِلَّتَينِ مَصادِرُه

    When separation brings tears welling up,

    they cannot ebb unless the two encampments draw near.

  3. أَدارَهُمُ الأولى بِدارَةِ جُلجُلٍ

    سَقاكِ الحَيا رَوحاتُهُ وَبَواكِرُه

    O their former dwelling at Darat Juljul,

    may rain water you with its evening and morning showers,

  4. وَجاءَكَ يَحكي يوسُفَ بنَ مُحَمَّدٍ

    فَرَوَّتكِ رَيّاهُ وَجادَكِ ماطِرُه

    and come to you in the likeness of Yusuf ibn Muhammad,

    its laden cloud quenching you, its raincloud drenching you.

  5. عَلى أَنَّهُ لَو شاءَ رَبعُكِ بَيَّنَت

    مَعالِمُهُ لِلصَبِّ أَينَ تُماضِرُه

    Yet, if your dwelling wished, it would be made clear

    by its landmarks to the lovesick man where his Tumadir is.

  6. وَإِنّي لَثانٍ مِن عِناني فَسائِلٌ

    جَآذِرُهُ أَينَ اِستَقَرَّت جَآذِرُه

    And I shall indeed turn my reins aside and question

    its oryx calves: where have its oryx calves settled?

  7. تَقَضّى الصِبا إِلّا خَيالاً يَعودُني

    بِهِ ذو دَلالٍ أَحوَرُ الطَرفِ فاتِرُه

    Youth has passed, save for a phantom that visits me,

    embodying a coy beloved, dark-pupilled and languid of gaze.

  8. يَجوبُ سَوادَ اللَيلِ مِن عِندِ مُرهَفٍ

    ضَعيفِ قَوامِ الخَصرِ سودٍ غَدائِرُه

    It crosses the blackness of night from a slender one,

    delicate-waisted, whose tresses are black.

  9. فَيُذكِرُني العَهدَ القَديمَ وَلَيلَةً

    لَدى سَمُراتِ الجِزعِ إِذ نامَ سامِرُه

    It reminds me of the old days, and of a night

    beside the acacias of the valley bend, when its night companions slept;

  10. وَعَهداً أَبَينا فيهِ إِلّا تَبايُناً

    فَلا أَنا ناسيهِ وَلا هُوَ ذاكِرُه

    and of a pledge over which we chose only to differ:

    I do not forget it, nor does he remember it.

  11. رَأَيتُ أَبا يَعقوبَ وَالناسُ ذو حِجاً

    يُؤَمِّلُهُ أَو ذُو ضَلالِ يُحاذِرُه

    I saw Abu Ya'qub: men are either possessed of reason,

    placing hope in him, or astray, dreading him.

  12. هُوَ المَلِكُ المَرجُوُّ لِلدينِ وَالعُلا

    فَلِلَّهِ تَقواهُ وَلِلمَجدِ سائِرُه

    He is the king looked to for religion and high honor;

    his piety belongs to God, and the rest of him to glory.

  13. لَهُ البَأسُ يُخشى وَالسَماحَةُ تُرتَجى

    فَلا الغَيثُ ثانيهِ وَلا اللَيثُ عاشِرُه

    His might is feared, and his generosity hoped for;

    not even rain ranks second to him, nor the lion tenth.

  14. وَقورُ النَواحي وَالنَدى يَستَخِفُّهُ

    لَنا وَأَميرُ الشَرقِ وَالجودُ آمِرُه

    Dignified in bearing, yet bounty stirs him eagerly

    for us; commander of the East, yet generosity commands him.

  15. إِذا وَقَعَت بِالقُربِ مِنهُ مُلِمَّةٌ

    ثَنى طَرفَهُ نَحوَ الحُسامِ يُشاوِرُه

    When a calamity befalls anywhere near him,

    he turns his gaze toward his keen sword, consulting it.

  16. إِذا خَرِسَ الأَبطالُ في حَمَسِ الوَغى

    عَلَت فَوقَ أَصواتِ الحَديدِ زَماجِرُه

    When champions fall silent in the heat of battle,

    his roars rise above the sounds of steel.

  17. إِذا التَهَبَت في لَحظِ عَينَيهِ غَضبَةٌ

    رَأَيتَ المَنايا في النُفوسِ تُؤامِرُه

    When anger blazes in the glance of his eyes,

    you see death consulting him over lives.

  18. وَلا عِزَّ لِلإِشراكِ مِن بَعدِ ما التَقَت

    عَلى السَفحِ مِن عُليا طَرونَ عَساكِرُه

    No might remains to polytheism since the gathering

    of his armies on the slope of upper Tarun.

  19. وَلَيسَ بِهِ أَلّا يَكونَ مَرامُها

    عَسيراً وَلَكِن أَسلَمَ الغابَ خادِرُه

    It was not because their objective was not

    difficult; rather, its lurking lion surrendered the forest.

  20. وَما كانَ بُقراطُ بنُ آشوطَ عِندَهُ

    بِأَوَّلِ عَبدٍ أَوبَقَتهُ جَرائِرُه

    Nor was Buqrat ibn Ashut, in his eyes,

    the first slave whom his crimes had ruined.

  21. وَقَد شاغَبَ الإِسلامَ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

    فَلا الخَوفُ ناهيهِ وَلا الحِلمُ زاجِرُه

    He had harassed Islam for fifty years;

    neither fear restrained him nor forbearance checked him.

  22. وَلَمّا اِلتَقى الجَمعانِ لَم تَجتَمِع لَهُ

    يَداهُ وَلَم يَثبُت عَلى البيضِ ناظِرُه

    When the two hosts met, he could not bring together

    his hands, nor could his gaze hold steady on the bright swords.

  23. وَلَم يَرضَ مِن جُرزانَ حِرزاً يُجيرُهُ

    وَلا في جِبالِ الرومِ رَيداً يُجاوِرُه

    He would accept no refuge in Jurzan to protect him,

    nor a crag in the mountains of Rum to dwell beside.

  24. فَجاءَ مَجِيءَ العَيرِ قادَتهُ حَيرَةٌ

    إِلى أَهرَتِ الشِدقَينِ تَدمى أَظافِرُه

    So he came like a wild ass led by bewilderment

    toward a wide-jawed lion whose claws were bloodied.

  25. وَمَن كانَ في اِستِسلامِهِ لائِماً لَهُ

    فَإِنّي عَلى ماكانَ مِن ذاكَ عاذِرُه

    Whoever might blame him for his surrender,

    I, for my part, excuse him for what happened.

  26. وَكَيفَ يَفوتُ اللَيثَ في قيدِ لَحظَةٍ

    وَكانَ عَلى شَهرَينِ وَهوَ مُحاصِرُه

    How could he elude the lion within a glance's reach,

    when it had besieged him from two months' journey away?

  27. تَضَمَّنَهُ ثِقلُ الحَديدِ فَأُحكِمَت

    خَلاخِلُهُ مِن صَوغِهِ وَأَساوِرُه

    The weight of iron enclosed him; firmly fastened were

    his anklets and bracelets, forged from it.

  28. فَإِن أَدرَكَتهُ بِالعِراقِ مَنِيَّةٌ

    فَقاتِلُهُ عِندَ الخَليفَةِ آسِرُه

    Should death overtake him in Iraq,

    then, in the caliph's eyes, his captor is his slayer.

  29. بِتَدبيرِكَ المَيمونِ أُغلِقَ كَيدُهُ

    عَلَيهِ وَكَلَّت سُمرُهُ وَبَواتِرُه

    Through your auspicious planning, his plot was sealed

    upon him, and his dusky spears and keen swords grew blunt;

  30. وَطَيِّكَ سِرّاً لَو تَكَلَّفَ طَيَّهُ

    دُجى اللَيلِ عَنّا لَم تَسَعهُ ضَمائِرُه

    and by your hiding a secret: were its concealment attempted

    by night's darkness to keep it from us, its depths could not contain it.

  31. وَلَم يَبقَ بِطريقٌ لَهُ مِثلُ جُرمِهِ

    بِأَرّانَ إِلّا عازِبُ اللُبِّ طائِرُه

    No patrician with guilt like his was left

    in Arran save with his wits astray and taking flight.

  32. كَسَرتَهُمُ كَسرَ الزُجاجَةِ بَعدَهُ

    وَمَن يَجبُرُ الوَهى الَّذي أَنتَ كاسِرُه

    You shattered them after him as a glass vessel shatters;

    and who can mend the fracture you have made?

  33. فَإِن يَكُ هَذا أَوَّلُ النَقصِ فيهِمُ

    وَكُنتَ لَهُم جاراً فَما هُوَ آخِرُه

    If this is their first loss,

    with you as their neighbor, it will not be the last.

  34. وَما مُسلِمُ الثَغرِ المُعانِدُ رَبَّهُ

    بِناءٍ عَنِ الكَأسِ الَّتي اِشتَفَّ كافِرُه

    Nor is the frontier's Muslim who defies his lord

    far from the cup its unbeliever drained to the dregs.

  35. وَقَد عَلِمَ العاصي وَإِن أَمعَنَت بِهِ

    مَحَلَّتُهُ في الأَرضِ أَنَّكَ زائِرُه

    The rebel knows, however far he is borne

    by his camp across the earth, that you will visit him.

  36. حُسامُ وَعَزمٌ كَالحُسامِ وَجَحفَلٌ

    شِدادٌ قُواهُ مُحصَداتٌ مَرائِرُه

    A keen sword, resolve like a keen sword, and a mighty host,

    strong in its forces, its cords tightly twisted;

  37. قَليلُ فُضولِ الزادِ إِلّا صَواهِلاً

    ظَهارِيَّ طَعنٍ أَو حَديداً يُظاهِرُه

    with little surplus provision, save neighing horses,

    mounts for spear-thrusting, or iron it wears in layers.

  38. إِذا اِنبَثَّ في عَرضِ الفَضاءِ فَمَذحِجٌ

    مَيامِنُهُ وَالحَيُّ قَيسٌ مَياسِرُه

    When it deploys across the breadth of open ground, Madhhij

    forms its right wing, and the tribe of Qays its left.

  39. تَهولُ الصُدورَ الهائِلاتِ سُلَيمُهُ

    وَأَعصُرُهُ في السابِغاتِ وَعامِرُه

    Its Sulaym daunts even daunting hearts,

    as do its A'sur and Amir, clad in full-length mail.

  40. أَمَعشَرَ قَيسٍ قَيسِ عَيلانَ إِنَّكُم

    حُماةُ الوَغى يَومَ الوَغى وَمَساعِرُه

    O company of Qays—Qays Aylan—you are

    battle's defenders on the day of battle, and its kindlers.

  41. عَجِلتُم إِلى نَصرِ الأَميرِ وَلَم يَزَل

    يُوالي مَواليهِ وَيُنصَرُ ناصِرُه

    You hastened to aid the prince, and he has never ceased

    to favor his loyal followers; whoever aids him is aided.

  42. وَإِن يَكثُرِ الإِحسانُ مِنكُم فَإِنَّهُ

    بِأَنعُمِهِ جازٍ عَلَيهِ وَشاكِرُه

    Though your good service be abundant, he

    repays it with his favors and is grateful for it.

  43. غَدا قِسمَةً عَدلاً فَفيكُم نَوالُهُ

    وَفي سَروِ نَبهانَ بنِ عَمرٍو مَآثِرُه

    He is justly apportioned: his bounty is among you,

    and his glorious deeds among the nobles of Nabhan ibn Amr.

  44. وَلا عَجَبٌ أَن تَشهَدوا الطَعنَ دونَهُ

    وَما عَشَرَتكُم في نَداهُ عَشائِرُه

    No wonder you face the spear-thrusts in his defense—

    his own clans have not received a tenth of your share of his bounty—

  45. وَلَو لَم تَكُن إِلّا مَساعيكُمُ الَّتي

    يَقومُ بِها بَينَ السِماطَينِ شاعِرُه

    even if there were only those exploits of yours

    that his poet stands to proclaim between the two ranks.