Sol 6.1

  1. عَرَفتَ بِجَوِّ عارِمَةَ المُقاما

    لِسَلمى أَو عَرَفتَ لَها عَلاما

    You recognized the dwelling in Arima's hollow,

    Salma's—or recognized a landmark of hers.

  2. لَيالِيَ تَستَبيكَ بِذي غُروبٍ

    وَمُقلَةِ جُؤذَرٍ يَرعى بَشاما

    In nights when she captivated you with a mouth of sharp, gleaming teeth,

    and the eye of an oryx calf grazing on balsam.

  3. وَإِذ قَومي لِأُسرَتِها عَدُوٌّ

    لِتُبلِيَ بَينَها سَجلاً وَخاما

    And when my people were enemies to her clan,

    to inflict among her kin a grievous turn of battle.

  4. فَإِن يَمنَعكِ قَومُكِ أَن تَبيني

    فَقَد نَغنى بِعارِمَةٍ سِلاما

    So if your people prevent you from leaving,

    yet once we lived in Arima at peace.

  5. فَلَو عَلِمَت سُلَيمى عِلمَ مِثلي

    غَداةَ الرَوعِ واصَلَتِ الكِراما

    Had Sulayma known the worth of one like me,

    on the morning of terror, she would have cleaved to noble men.

  6. تَرَكنا مَذحِجاً كَحَديثِ أَمسٍ

    وَأَرحَبَ إِذ تَكَفَّنُهُم فِئاما

    We left Madhhij like yesterday's tale,

    and Arhab, as they were shrouded in throngs.

  7. وَبِعنا شاكِراً بِتِلادِ عَكٍّ

    وَلاقى مَنسِرٌ مِنّا جُذاما

    And we sold Shakir for Akk's ancestral wealth,

    and a raiding band of ours met Judham.

  8. وَطَحطَحنا شَنوءَةَ كُلَّ أَوبٍ

    وَلاقَت حِميَرٌ مِنّا غَراما

    And we crushed Shanu'a on every side,

    and Himyar met ruin at our hands.

  9. وَهَمدانٌ هُنالِكَ ما أُبالي

    أَحَرباً أَصبَحوا لي أَم سَلاما

    And Hamdan there—I do not care

    whether they stood at war with me or at peace.

  10. وَلاقَينا بِأَبطَحِ ذي زَرودٍ

    بَني شَيبانَ فَاِلتُهِموا اِلتِهاما

    And we met, on the gravel flats of Dhu Zarud,

    the sons of Shayban, and they were utterly devoured.

  11. وَحَيّاً مِن بَني أَسَدٍ تَرَكنا

    نِسائَهُمُ مُسَلِّبَةٍ أَيامى

    And a clan of the sons of Asad—we left

    their women in mourning clothes, widowed.

  12. وَقَتَّلنا سَراتَهُمُ جِهاراً

    وَأَشبَعنا الضِباعَ خُصىً عِظاما

    And we slaughtered their nobles openly,

    and sated the hyenas with huge testicles.

  13. وَقَتَّلنا حَنيفَةَ في قُراها

    وَأَفنى غَزوُنا حَكَماً وَحاما

    And we slaughtered Hanifa in its villages,

    and our raiding annihilated Hakam and Ham.

  14. قَتَلنا كَبشَهُم فَنَجَوا شِلالاً

    كَما نَفَّرتَ بِالطَردِ النَعاما

    We killed their ram, and they fled headlong,

    as you scatter ostriches by chasing them.

  15. وَجِئنا بِالنِساءِ مُرَدَّفاتٍ

    وَأَذوادٍ فَكُنَّ لَنا طَعاما

    And we brought the women riding pillion,

    and small camel-herds, which became our food.

  16. وَبَيَّتنا زُبَيداً بَعدَ هَدءٍ

    فَصَبَّحَ دارَهُم لَجِباً لُهاما

    And we raided Zubayd by night, after a spell of stillness,

    and a clamorous, overwhelming host struck their homes at dawn.

  17. وَقَد نِلنا لِعَبدِ القَيسِ سَبياً

    مِنَ البَحرَينِ يُقتَسَمُ اِقتِساما

    And we took captives from Abd al-Qays,

    from Bahrayn, to be divided into shares.

  18. وَلاقَينا بِذي نَجَبٍ حُصَيناً

    فَأَهلَكنا بِمُقلَتِنا أُساما

    And we met Husayn at Dhu Najab,

    and for our eye we laid a lion low.

  19. وَأَفلَتَنا عَلى الحَومانِ قَيسٌ

    وَأَسلَمَ عِرسَهُ ثُمَّ اِستَقاما

    And Qays eluded us at al-Hawman,

    and abandoned his wife, then went straight on.

  20. وَلَو آسى حَليلَتَهُ لَلاقى

    هُنالِكَ مِن أَسِنَّتِنا حِماما

    Had he stood by his wife, he would have met

    death there from our spearheads.

  21. وَآلُ الجَونِ قَد ساروا إِلَينا

    غَداةَ الشِعبِ فَاِصطُلِموا اِصطِلاما

    And the house of al-Jawn had marched against us

    that morning at al-Shi'b, and were utterly annihilated.

  22. قَتَلنا مِنهُمُ مِئَةً بِشَيخٍ

    وَصَفَّدناهُمُ عُصَباً قِياما

    We killed a hundred of them for one elder,

    and shackled them as they stood in bands.

  23. وَيَومَ الشِعبِ لاقَينا لَقيطاً

    كَسَونا رَأسَهُ عَضَباً حُساما

    And on the day of al-Shi'b we met Laqit;

    we clothed his head with a sharp, cleaving sword.

  24. أَسَرنا حاجِباً فَثَوى أَسيراً

    وَلَم نَترُك لِأُسرَتِهِ سَواما

    We captured Hajib, and he remained a captive,

    and left his clan no grazing livestock.

  25. وَجَمعُ بَني تَميمٍ قَد تَرَكنا

    نُبينُ سَواعِداً مِنهُم وَهاما

    And we left the host of the sons of Tamim,

    hewing off their forearms and heads.

  26. وَكانَ لَهُم بِها يَومٌ طَويلٌ

    كَما أَجَّجتَ بِاللَهَبِ الضِراما

    And they had a long day there,

    as when you set dry tinder ablaze with flame.

  27. بِدارِهِمُ تَرَكنا يَومَ نَحسٍ

    لَدى أَوطانِهِم تُسقى السِماما

    In their homes we left them on an ill-starred day,

    within their own lands, made to drink venom.

  28. فَإِن لا يُرهِقِ الحَدَثانُ نَفسي

    يُؤَدّوا الخَرجَ لي عاماً فَعاما

    So if the blows of fate do not claim my life,

    they shall pay me tribute year after year.

  29. يُؤَدّوهُ عَلى رَغمٍ صَغاراً

    وَيُعطونَ المَقادَةَ وَالزِماما

    They shall pay it unwillingly, in humiliation,

    and yield obedience and the reins.

  30. فَأَبلِغ إِن عَرَضتَ جَميعَ سَعدٍ

    فَبيتوا لَن نُهَيِّجَكُمُ نِياما

    So tell all of Sa'd, if you pass their way:

    So pass the night; we shall not attack you as you sleep.

  31. نَصَحتُم بِالمَغيبِ وَلَم تُعينوا

    عَلَينا إِنَّكُم كُنتُم كِراما

    You kept faith in our absence and did not aid

    against us; truly, you were noble.

  32. فَلَو كُنتُم مَعَ اِبنِ الجَونِ كُنتُم

    كَمَن أَودى وَأَصبَحَ قَد أَلاما

    Had you stood with the son of al-Jawn, you would have been

    like one who perished and came to deserve reproach.