1. طَحا بِكَ قَلبٌ في الحِسانِ طَروبُ

    بُعَيدَ الشَبابِ عَصرَ حانَ مَشيبُ

    A heart enraptured by beautiful women has carried you away,

    just after youth, when the time for gray hair has come.

  2. تُكَّلِفُني لَيلى وَقَد شَطَّ وَلْيُها

    وَعادَت عَوادٍ بَينَنا وَخُطوبُ

    Layla burdens me, though her nearness has grown remote,

    and obstacles and troubles have come between us.

  3. مُنَعَّمَةٌ لا يُستَطاعُ كَلامُها

    عَلى بابِها مِن أَن تُزارَ رَقيبُ

    Pampered, she cannot be spoken to;

    at her door a guard prevents her being visited.

  4. إِذا غابَ عَنها البَعلُ لَم تُفشِ سِرَّهُ

    وَتُرضي إِيابَ البَعلِ حينَ يَؤوبُ

    If her husband is absent, she does not divulge his secret,

    and makes his homecoming pleasing when he returns.

  5. فَلا تَعدِلي بَيني وَبَينَ مُغَمَّرٍ

    سَقَتكِ رَوايا المُزنِ حَيثُ تَصوبُ

    So do not equate me with an untried man;

    may the rain clouds' water-bearers drench you wherever they pour.

  6. سَقاكِ يَمانٍ ذو حَبِيٍّ وَعارِضٍ

    تَروحُ بِهِ جُنحَ العَشِيِّ جَنوبُ

    May a cloud from Yemen water you, piled high and broad across the horizon,

    borne at the fall of evening by the south wind.

  7. وَما أَنتَ أَم ما ذِكرُها رَبَعِيَّةً

    يُخَطُّ لَها مِن ثَرمَداءَ قَليبُ

    And what is she to you—or why recall her, a woman of Rabi'a,

    for whom a well is dug in Tharmada'?

  8. فَإِن تَسأَلوني بِالنِساءِ فَإِنَّني

    بَصيرٌ بِأَدواءِ النِساءِ طَبيبُ

    If you ask me about women, then I

    am a physician well versed in women's ailments.

  9. إِذا شابَ رَأسُ المَرءِ أَو قَلَّ مالُهُ

    فَلَيسَ لَهُ مِن وُدِّهِنَّ نَصيبُ

    If a man's head turns gray, or his wealth dwindles,

    he has no share in their affection.

  10. يُرِدنَ ثَراءَ المالِ حَيثُ عَلِمنَهُ

    وَشَرخُ الشَبابِ عِندَهُنَّ عَجيبُ

    They seek abundant wealth wherever they know it to be,

    and the bloom of youth is marvelous in their eyes.

  11. فَدَعها وَسَلِّ الهَمَّ عَنكَ بِجَسرَةٍ

    كَهَمِّكَ فيها بِالرِدافِ خَبيبُ

    So leave her, and ease your care with a sturdy she-camel,

    whose trot with a second rider is just as you desire;

  12. وَناجِيَةٍ أَفنى رَكيبَ ضُلوعِها

    وَحارِكَها تَهَجَّرٌ فَدُؤوبُ

    and a swift one whose flesh over her ribs has been worn away,

    and over her withers, by midday travel and ceaseless toil.

  13. وَتُصبِحُ عَن غِبِّ السُرى وَكَأَنَّها

    مُوَلَّعَةً تَخشى القَنيصَ شَبوبُ

    And in the morning after the night's journey, she is like

    a full-grown, dappled wild cow, afraid of hunters.

  14. تَعَفَّقَ بِالأَرطى لَها وَأَرادَها

    رِجالٌ فَبَذَّت نَبلَهُم وَكَليبُ

    Among the arta shrubs, on her trail and intent on her, prowled

    men; but she outran their arrows and hounds.

  15. إِلى الحارِثِ الوَهّابِ أَعمَلتُ ناقَتي

    لِكَلكَلِها وَالقُصرَيَينَ وَجيبُ

    To al-Harith, the lavish giver, I drove my she-camel hard,

    her breast and her two hindmost ribs pounding,

  16. لِتُبلِغَني دارَ اِمرِئٍ كانَ نائِياً

    فَقَد قَرَّبَتني مِن نَداكَ قَروبُ

    to bring me to the dwelling of a man who was far away;

    for a swift-traveling she-camel has brought me near your bounty.

  17. إِلَيكَ أَبَيتَ اللَعنَ كانَ وَجيفُها

    بِمُشتَبِهاتٍ هَولُهُنَّ مَهيبُ

    Toward you—may you be above reproach—was her swift running,

    through look-alike wastes whose terrors inspire dread.

  18. تَتَبَّعُ أَفياءَ الظِلالِ عَشِيَّةً

    عَلى طُرُقٍ كَأَنَّهُنَّ سُبوبُ

    She follows the lengthening shadows at evening,

    along tracks like strips of linen.

  19. هَداني إِلَيكَ الفَرقَدانِ وَلاحِبٌ

    لَهُ فَوقَ أَصواءِ المِتانِ عُلوبُ

    The two Farqad stars and a clear road guided me to you,

    with track marks over the landmark heights of the hard uplands.

  20. بِها جِيَفُ الحَسرى فَأَمّا عِظامُها

    فَبيضٌ وَأَمّا جِلدُها فَصَليبُ

    Along them lie the carcasses of exhausted camels; as for their bones,

    they are white, while their hides are hard.

  21. فَأَورَدتُها ماءً كَأَنَّ جِمامَهُ

    مِنَ الأَجنِ حِنّاءٌ مَعاً وَصَبيبُ

    So I brought her to water whose pooled water seemed,

    from stagnation, like henna and red dye together.

  22. تُرادَ عَلى دِمنِ الحِياضِ فَإِن تَعُفُّ

    فَإِنَّ المُنَدّى رِحلَةٌ فَرُكوبُ

    She is coaxed by the dung-stained troughs; if she turns away,

    then saddle her and ride, to bring her back to drink.

  23. وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ أَفضَت إِلَيكَ أَمانَتي

    وَقَبلَكَ رَبَّتني فَضِعتُ رُبوبُ

    And you are a man to whom my trust has come;

    before you, lords fostered me, yet I was forsaken.

  24. فَأَدَّت بَنو عَوفِ بنِ كَعبٍ رَبيبَها

    وَغودِرَ في بَعضِ الجُنودِ رَبيبُ

    So the sons of 'Awf ibn Ka'b handed over their ward,

    while a ward was left behind among some of the troops.

  25. فَوَاللَهِ لَولا فارِسُ الجَونِ مِنهُمُ

    لَآبوا خَزايا وَالإِيابُ حَبيبُ

    By God, but for al-Jawn's rider among them,

    they would have returned disgraced, though homecoming is dear.

  26. تُقَدِّمُهُ حَتّى تَغيبَ حُجولُهُ

    وَأَنتَ لِبَيضِ الدارِعينَ ضَروبُ

    You drive him forward until his white stockings vanish,

    and you deal mighty blows to the helmets of armored men.

  27. مُظاهِرُ سِربَالي حَديدٌ عَلَيهِما

    عَقيلاً سُيوفٍ مِخذَمٌ وَرُسوبُ

    Wearing two layered coats of iron mail, with over them

    two prized swords, Mikhdham and Rusub,

  28. فَجالَدتَهُم حَتّى اِتَّقوكَ بِكَبشِهِم

    وَقَد حانَ مِن شَمسِ النَهارِ غُروبُ

    you then battled them until they shielded themselves with their ram—their champion,

    when the daytime sun was due to set.

  29. وَقاتَلَ مِن غَسّانَ أَهلُ حِفاظِها

    وَهِنبٌ وَقاسٌ جالَدَت وَشَبيبُ

    And Ghassan's guardians of honor fought,

    and Hinb and Qas battled, and Shabib.

  30. تَخَشخَشُ أَبدانُ الحَديدِ عَلَيهِمُ

    كَما خَشخَشَت يَبسَ الحَصادِ جَنوبُ

    Iron corselets clatter upon them,

    as the south wind rattles the dry harvest stalks.

  31. تَجودُ بِنَفسٍ لا يُجادُ بِمِثلِها

    وَأَنتَ بِها يَومَ اللِقاءِ تَطيبُ

    You offer a life whose like is never offered,

    and on the day of battle you give it gladly.

  32. كَأَنَّ رِجالَ الأَوسِ تَحتَ لَبانِهِ

    وَما جَمَعَت جَلٌّ مَعاً وَعَتيبُ

    It was as though, for the men of al-Aws beneath his horse's breast,

    and all whom Jall and 'Atib had gathered together,

  33. رَغا فَوقَهُم سَقبُ السَماءِ فَداحِصٌ

    بِشَكَّتِهِ لَم يُستَلَب وَسَليبُ

    heaven's camel-foal had bellowed above them: one writhing,

    in his war-gear, not stripped, and another stripped bare.

  34. كَأَنَّهُمُ صابَت عَلَيهِم سَحابَةٌ

    صَواعِقُها لِطَيرِهُنَّ دَبيبُ

    As though a cloud had poured down upon them,

    whose thunderbolts, beside their flight, merely crawl.

  35. فَلَم تَنجُ إِلّا شَطبُةٌ بِلِجامِها

    وَإِلّا طِمِرٌّ كَالقَناةِ نَجيبُ

    So none escaped but a slender mare with her bridle,

    or a leaping, well-bred steed, like a lance,

  36. وَإِلّا كَمِيٌّ ذو حِفاظٍ كَأَنَّهُ

    بِما اِبتَلَّ مِن حَدِّ الظُباتِ خَصيبُ

    or an armored warrior devoted to honor, as though he were

    lush with the moisture from the blades' edges.

  37. وَفي كُلِّ حَيٍّ قَد خَبَطتَ بِنِعمَةٍ

    فَحُقَّ لِشَأسٍ مِن نَداكَ ذَنوبُ

    And in every tribe you have lavished a favor,

    so Sha's is owed a bucketful of your bounty.

  38. وَما مِثلُهُ في الناسِ إِلّا قَبيلُهُ

    مُساوٍ وَلا دانٍ لَذاكَ قَريبُ

    And no one among men, except his own kin,

    is his equal, nor does anyone draw near that rank.

  39. فلَا تُحرِمَنّي نائِلاً عَن جَنابَةٍ

    فَإِنّي اِمرُؤٌ وَسطَ القِبابِ غَريبُ

    So do not deny me a gift because I am an outsider,

    for I am a man, a stranger among the domed tents.