1. مَن رَأى أَعيُناً حَذَف

    نَ الدُموعَ الجَوارِيا

    Who has seen eyes that cast

    their flowing tears?

  2. قَد عَرَفنَ السُهادَ حَت

    تى نَكَرنَ اللَيالِيا

    They have known sleeplessness

    until the nights became strangers to them.

  3. تَتبَعُ النَجمَ نَظرَةٌ

    وَالوَميضَ اليَمانِيا

    A gaze follows the star

    and the lightning flashing from Yemen.

  4. كُلَّ يَومٍ يَجِدنَ رَب

    عاً مِنَ الحَيِّ خالِياً

    Every day they find a dwelling

    deserted among the tribe,

  5. بِدُموعٍ رَوائِحاً

    وَدِماءٍ غَوادِيا

    with tears flowing at evening

    and blood at dawn.

  6. إِن تَرَ الطَرفَ دامِعاً

    فَاِعلَمِ القَلبَ دامِيا

    If you see the eye weeping,

    know that the heart is bleeding.

  7. قُل لِوادٍ عَلى الثَوِي

    يَةِ حُيِّيتَ وادِيا

    Say to a valley at al-Thawiyya:

    "Greetings to you, valley!"

  8. أَينَ قَومٌ عَهِدتُهُم

    يَملَؤونَ المَقارِيا

    Where are the people I once knew

    filling the guest-bowls?

  9. لا يُخَلّى غَديرُهُم

    عَن حَيا الماءِ ظامِيا

    Their pool is never left

    parched, without life-giving water.

  10. لَحَّبوا المَجدَ وَاِبتَنَوا

    في المَعالي مَبانِيا

    They blazed glory's path and built

    edifices amid the heights of honor.

  11. وَثَبوها وَغَيرُهُم

    صَعِدوها مَراقِيا

    They leapt to those heights, while others

    climbed them step by step.

  12. مَعشَرٌ إِن بَلَوتَهُم

    غَيبَهُم وَالمَبادِيا

    A people whom, if you tested

    in their hidden and outward selves,

  13. كَرُموا أَنفُساً عِظا

    ماً وَراقوا مَجالِيا

    you would find noble, great souls

    and splendid outward bearing.

  14. وَمُلوكٌ قادوا الرُؤو

    سَ مُطيعاً وَآبِيا

    And kings who led the heads

    of the obedient and the defiant,

  15. لا يُبالونَ في القِيا

    دِ الرِقابَ العَواصِيا

    paying no heed, in their rule,

    to rebellious necks.

  16. وَإِذا اليَومَ قَرَّبوا

    لِلطِعانِ المَذاكِيا

    And when, on battle day, they brought forward

    full-grown steeds for spear-fighting,

  17. أَعجَلوا المُلجِماتِ أَو

    رَكِبوها عَوارِيا

    they hurried the bridlers, or

    rode the steeds bareback.

  18. وَرَسَوا في ظُهورِها

    يَعلَقونَ النَواصِيا

    They settled firmly on their backs,

    clinging to the forelocks,

  19. كَأُسودِ الشَرى رَكِب

    نَ الظِباءَ العَواطِيا

    like the lions of al-Shara riding

    gazelles reaching up to browse.

  20. وَإِذا ما غَدا فَمُ ال

    شَمسِ بِالنَقعِ راغِيا

    And when the mouth of the

    sun foamed with dust,

  21. حَفِظوا عَورَةَ العُلى

    وَرَقوا لِلعَوالِيا

    they guarded honor's exposed flank

    and rose to meet the lofty spears.

  22. كَم رَمَوا بِالمَطِيِّ تِل

    كَ الحُزونَ الفَيافِيا

    How often they drove their mounts across

    those rugged, desert wastes,

  23. يَعسِفونَ الذُرى وَيَع

    تَسِفونَ المَوامِيا

    forcing their way over summits

    and traversing trackless wildernesses.

  24. جَمَّلوا شَحمَةَ السِنا

    مِ وَقَد كانَ وارِيا

    They melted away the hump's fat,

    though it had once been plump.

  25. كُلُّ صِلٍّ يَبيتُ في

    مَربَإِ النَجمِ رابِيا

    Each viper spends the night

    high at the star's lookout.

  26. زَحَمَت مِنهُمُ المَنو

    نُ الجِبالَ الرَواسِيا

    Death assailed, among them,

    mountains firmly rooted.

  27. لَم تَخَف مِنهُمُ القَنا

    وَالدُروعَ الأَواقِيا

    It did not fear their spears

    or their protective armor.

  28. قُلَلٌ لِلعَلاءِ عا

    دَت تُراباً وَسافِيا

    Peaks of lofty honor turned

    to earth and wind-scattered dust.

  29. وَعِظامُ البَلاءِ صا

    روا عِظاماً بَوالِيا

    The mighty in battle became

    decaying bones.

  30. وَمَضَوا مُعقِبينَ إِر

    ثاً مِنَ المَجدِ باقِيا

    They departed, leaving a legacy

    of glory that endures.

  31. كُلَّما أَحرَزوا المَكا

    رِمَ شادوا المَعالِيا

    Whenever they attained noble virtues,

    they built up the heights of honor.

  32. فَهُمُ اليَومَ جيرَةٌ

    لا يُجيبونَ داعِيا

    So today they are neighbors

    who answer no caller.

  33. قَرَعَ الذُلُّ مِنهُمُ

    مارِناً كانَ حامِيا

    Humiliation struck, among them,

    a nose-tip once fiercely proud.

  34. وَأَناخوا مُناخَ مَن

    لَم يُرَ الدَهرَ سارِيا

    And they halted where one rests

    who, through all time, is never seen journeying.

  35. طَوَّحَتهُم أَيدي المَنو

    نِ الغُيوبَ الأَقاصِيا

    The hands of Death flung them

    into the farthest unseen realms,

  36. كَنِبالِ القاريَّ يَر

    مي بِهِنَّ المَرامِيا

    like the Qari's arrows,

    which he shoots toward his targets.

  37. كُنتُ مِن مَجدِهِم أَحِل

    لُ الذُرى وَالرَوابِيا

    Through their glory I used to dwell

    on summits and hills.

  38. وَإِذا شِئتُ زاحَموا

    بِالقَنا مِن وَرائِيا

    And whenever I wished, they pressed forward

    with spears from behind me.

  39. أَقرَضوني مِن عِزِّهِم

    وازِنَ القَدرِ وافِيا

    They lent me of their might

    a full measure, weighty in worth.

  40. فَجُزوا أَن قَضَيتُهُم

    مِن يَدي أَو لِسانِيا

    So they were recompensed by my repayment,

    with my hand or my tongue.

  41. وَإِذا أَعوَزَ الجَزا

    ءُ جَزَيتُ القَوافِيا

    And when recompense was lacking,

    I repaid them in rhyming verses.

  42. وَأَرى بَعدَهُم مُوا

    مِقَ قَومي مُرامِيا

    After them, I see the loving friend

    of my people hurling missiles,

  43. وَرِجالاً قَد أَعبَقوا

    بِالبُرودِ المَخازِيا

    and men who have made

    disgrace cling to their cloaks.

  44. إِن لَقوني أَصادِقاً

    فارَقوني أَعادِيا

    If they meet me as friends,

    they leave me as enemies.

  45. ما تَرى الناسَ كَالبِها

    مِ يُوَقِّعنَ ضارِيا

    Do you not see people like lambs

    that bring down a ravening beast?

  46. كُلَّ يَومٍ يُجَهِّزو

    نَ إِلى اللَهِ غازِيا

    Every day they send forth

    a warrior to God,

  47. وَيَقودونَ سالِياً

    عَن قَليلٍ وَناسِيا

    and they lead away one untroubled,

    and forgetful, before long.

  48. ريعَةُ الذَودِ قَد أَمِن

    نَ عَلى القُربِ حادِيا

    The small herd of she-camels feels safe,

    even with a camel-driver close by.

  49. قَد رَجَعنا ضَواحِكاً

    وَمَضَينا بَواكِيا

    We returned laughing,

    though we had gone out weeping.

  50. وَتَرى المَرءَ إِن رَأى

    عارِضَ الخَطبِ رانِيا

    And you see a man, when he sees

    calamity's looming cloud, staring,

  51. خافِقَ الجَأشِ ناظِراً

    مَن يُجيبُ الدَواعِيا

    with fluttering heart, looking

    for someone who will answer the appeals.

  52. فَإِذا اِنجابَ لَيلُهُ

    وَاِنجَلى عَنهُ ناجِيا

    Then, when his night is dispelled

    and clears away from him, leaving him safe,

  53. طَرَحَ الهَمَّ جانِباً

    وَتَمَنّى الأَمانِيا

    he casts his distress aside

    and indulges in wishes.

  54. ما لِهَذا الزَمانِ يُل

    قي عَلَينا المَراسِيا

    What ails this age, that it casts

    its anchors upon us?

  55. كُلَّ يَومٍ يَجلو عَلَي

    نا خُطوباً عَوادِيا

    Every day it unveils before us

    calamities that assail us.

  56. كَم طَوى بِالرَدى صَفي

    ياً لِقَلبي مُصافِيا

    How many a dear friend it has folded away in death,

    one true to my heart—

  57. ثالِثَ الناظِرَينِ عِز

    زاً وَلِلنَفسِ ثانِيا

    a third to my two pupils in preciousness,

    and a second to my soul.

  58. صارَ بِالدَمعِ آمِراً

    فيهِ مَن كانَ ناهِيا

    He now commands tears

    over himself, he who once forbade them.

  59. أَغتَدي مِنهُ عاطِلاً

    بَعدَما كُنتُ حالِيا

    I begin the day unadorned, without him,

    after once being adorned.

  60. عَطِّلِ الكَأسَ لا تُحِس

    سَ النَديمَ المُعاطِيا

    Leave the cup idle—you cannot sense

    the companion who shared it with you.

  61. إِن تَفِض عَبرَتي تَجِد

    كَمَدَ القَلبِ باقِيا

    If my tears overflow, you will find

    the heart's grief abiding.

  62. رُبَّما تَعرِفُ الجَوى

    وَتَرى الدَمعَ غالِيا

    You may know the heart's burning pain

    yet find tears costly.