Sol 6.1

  1. عَجِبَت عُبَيلَةُ مِن فَتىً مُتَبَذِّلِ

    عاري الأَشاجِعِ شاحِبٍ كَالمُنصُلِ

    ʿUbayla marveled at a shabbily dressed youth,

    With fleshless knuckles, pale as a sword blade,

  2. شَعثِ المَفارِقِ مُنهَجٍ سِربالُهُ

    لَم يَدَّهِن حَولاً وَلَم يَتَرَجَّلِ

    His hair disheveled, his garment threadbare;

    For a year he has neither oiled himself nor combed his hair.

  3. لا يَكتَسي إِلّا الحَديدَ إِذا اِكتَسى

    وَكَذاكَ كُلُّ مُغاوِرٍ مُستَبسِلِ

    When he clothes himself, he wears only iron;

    And so does every dauntless raider.

  4. قَد طالَما لَبِسَ الحَديدَ فَإِنَّما

    صَدَأُ الحَديدِ بِجِلدِهِ لَم يُغسَلِ

    Long has he worn iron; it is only

    Iron's rust upon his skin that has not been washed away.

  5. فَتَضاحَكَت عَجَباً وَقالَت يا فَتى

    لا خَيرَ فيكَ كَأَنَّها لَم تَحفِلِ

    Then she laughed in wonder and said, ‘Young man,

    There is no good in you!’—as though she did not care.

  6. فَعَجِبتُ مِنها حينَ زَلَّت عَينُها

    عَن ماجِدٍ طَلقِ اليَدَينِ شَمَردَلِ

    So I marveled at her when her eye strayed

    From a noble, openhanded, stalwart man.

  7. لا تَصرِميني يا عُبَيلَ وَراجِعي

    فِيَّ البَصيرَةَ نَظرَةَ المُتَأَمِّلِ

    Do not forsake me, ʿUbayl; look again

    At me discerningly, with a thoughtful observer's gaze.

  8. فَلَرُبَّ أَملَحَ مِنكِ دَلّاً فَاِعلَمي

    وَأَقَرَّ في الدُنيا لِعَينِ المُجتَلي

    For many a woman more charming than you in coyness—know this—

    And more pleasing in this world to the beholder's eye,

  9. وَصَلَت حِبالي بِالَّذي أَنا أَهلُهُ

    مِن وُدِّها وَأَنا رَخِيَّ المِطوَلِ

    Has joined her cords to mine with what I deserve

    Of her affection, while my tether hung loose.

  10. يا عَبلَ كَم مِن غَمرَةٍ باشَرتُها

    بِالنَفسِ ما كادَت لَعَمرُكِ تَنجَلي

    O ʿAbl, how many a battle's turmoil have I faced

    In person—by your life, it scarcely cleared!

  11. فيها لَوامِعُ لَو شَهِدتِ زُهاءَها

    لَسَلَوتِ بَعدَ تَخَضُّبٍ وَتَكَحُّلِ

    Gleaming blades were there; had you seen their multitude,

    You would have left your henna and kohl behind.

  12. إِمّا تَرَيني قَد نَحَلتُ وَمَن يَكُنْ

    غَرَضاً لِأَطرافِ الأَسِنَّةِ يَنحَلِ

    If you see me grown thin—whoever is

    A target for spear-points grows thin.

  13. فَلَرُبَّ أَبلَجَ مِثلِ بَعلِكِ بادِنٍٍ

    ضَخمٍ عَلى ظَهرِ الجَوادِ مُهَيَّلِ

    For many a broad-browed man, stout like your husband,

    Massive, mound-like upon his charger's back,

  14. غادَرتُهُ مُتَعَفِّراً أَوصالُهُ

    وَالقَومُ بَينَ مُجَرَّحٍ وَمُجَدَّلاِ

    Have I left, his limbs coated with dust,

    And the men were wounded or struck down.

  15. فيهُم أَخو ثِقَةٍ يُضارِبُ نازِلاً

    بِالمَشرَفِيِّ وَفارِسٌ لَم يَنزِلِ

    Among them a trusty warrior fought dismounted

    With a Mashrafi blade, while another horseman stayed mounted.

  16. وَرِماحُنا تَكِفُ النَجيعَ صُدورُه

    وَسُيوفُنا تَخلي الرِقابَ فَتَختَلي

    And our spears drip gore from their points,

    And our swords mow necks, shearing them off.

  17. وَالهامُ تَندُرُ بِالصَعيدِ كَأَنَّما

    تُلقي السُيوفُ بِها رُؤوسَ الحَنظَلِ

    And heads tumble upon the ground, as though

    The swords were flinging down bitter-gourd heads.

  18. وَلَقَد لَقيتُ المَوتَ يَومَ لَقيتُهُ

    مُتَسَربِلاً وَالسَيفُ لَم يَتَسَربَلِ

    I truly faced death the day I met him,

    Clad in mail, while the sword was bare.

  19. فَرَأَيتُنا ما بَينَنا مِن حاجِزٍ

    إِلّا المِجَنَّ وَنَصلُ أَبيَضَ مِفصَلِ

    Then I saw us, with no barrier between us

    Except the shield and a gleaming, joint-cleaving blade,

  20. ذَكَرٍ أَشُقُّ بِهِ الجَماجِمَ في الوَغى

    وَأَقولُ لا تُقطَع يَمينُ الصَيقَلِ

    Hard-tempered, with which I split skulls in battle,

    And I say, ‘May the sword-polisher's right hand never be severed!’

  21. وَلَرُبَّ مُشعِلَةٍ وَزَعتُ رِعالَها

    بِمُقَلَّصٍ نَهدِ المَراكِلِ هَيكَلِ

    And many a spreading host's squadrons have I checked

    On a long-legged steed, full-flanked and mighty,

  22. سَلِسِ المُعَذَّرِ لاحِقٍ أَقرابُهُ

    مُتَقَلِّبٍ عَبَثاً بِفَأسِ المِسحَلِ

    Yielding to the cheek-strap, his flanks tucked in,

    Tossing playfully against the bit's crossbar,

  23. نَهدِ القَطاةِ كَأَنَّها مِن صَخرَةٍ

    مَلساءَ يَغشاها المَسيلُ بِمَحفَلِ

    Full in the croup, as though it were rock,

    Smooth, swept by a torrent where waters gather.

  24. وَكَأَنَّ هادِيَهُ إِذا اِستَقبَلتَهُ

    جِذعٌ أُذِلَّ وَكانَ غَيرَ مُذَلَّلِ

    And his neck, when you face him, seems

    A tree trunk made yielding, though once unyielding.

  25. وَكَأَنَّ مَخرَجَ رَوحِهِ في وَجهِهِ

    سَرَبانِ كانا مَولِجَينِ لِجَيأَلِ

    And the breath-passages in his face seem

    Two tunnels that once were entrances for a she-hyena.

  26. وَكَأَنَّ مَتنَيهِ إِذا جَرَّدتَهُ

    وَنَزَعتَ عَنهُ الجُلَّ مَتنا إِيِّلِ

    And his back seems, when you strip him

    And remove his horsecloth, the back of a stag.

  27. وَلَهُ حَوافِرُ موثَقٌ تَركيبُها

    صُمُّ النُسورِ كَأَنَّها مِن جَندَلِ

    And he has hooves compactly built,

    With solid hoof-frogs, as though made of stone.

  28. وَلَهُ عَسيبٌ ذو سَبيبٍ سابِغٍ

    مِثلِ الرِداءِ عَلى الغَنِيِّ المُفضِلِ

    And he has a tail bearing long, flowing hair,

    Like a cloak upon a wealthy, generous man.

  29. سَلِسُ العِنانِ إِلى القِتالِ فَعَينُهُ

    قَبلاءُ شاخِصَةٌ كَعَينِ الأَحوَلِ

    He follows the rein into battle, and his eye

    Is inward-turned and staring, like a cross-eyed man's.

  30. وَكَأَنَّ مِشيَتَهُ إِذا نَهنَهتُهُ

    بِالنَكلِ مِشيَةُ شارِبٍ مُستَعجِلِ

    And his gait, when I hold him back

    With the curb, is like a hurried drinker's.

  31. فَعَلَيهِ أَقتَحِمُ الهِياجَ تَقَحُّماً

    فيها وَأَنقَضُّ اِنقِضاضَ الأَجدَلِ

    So on him I plunge headlong into the fray,

    And there I swoop down as a falcon swoops.