طربت وهاجتك الظباء السوارح — Antar Bin Shaddad

طَرِبتَ وَهاجَتكَ الظِباءُ السَوارِحُ

غَداةَ غَدَت مِنها سَنيحٌ وَبارِحُ

You were stirred to longing; the roaming gazelles aroused you,

at dawn, when some passed rightward and others leftward.

تَغالَت بِيَ الأَشواقُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

بِزَندَينِ في جَوفي مِنَ الوَجدِ قادِحُ

Longings carried me so far that it was as though

someone were striking two fire-sticks inside me out of yearning.

وَقَد كُنتَ تُخفي حُبَّ سَمراءَ حِقبَةَ

فَبُح لِانَ مِنها بِالَّذي أَنتَ بائِحُ

You had long concealed your love for Samra;

so now disclose about her what you have to disclose.

لَعَمري لَقَد أَعذَرتُ لَو تَعذِرينَني

وَخَشِّنتِ صَدراً غَيبُهُ لَكَ ناصِحُ

By my life, I have offered my excuse—if only you would excuse me!

And you have embittered a heart whose secret thoughts are true to you.

أَعاذِلَ كَم مِن يَومِ حَربٍ شَهِدتُهُ

لَهُ مَنظَرٌ بادي النَواجِذِ كالِحُ

O reproacher, how many a day of war I have witnessed,

grim to behold, its molars bared!

فَلَم أَرَ حَيّاً صابَروا مِثلَ صَبرِنا

وَلا كافَحوا مِثلَ الَّذينَ نُكافِحُ

Never have I seen a tribe endure as we endure,

nor fight foes like those we meet face-to-face.

إِذا شِئتُ لاقاني كَميٌّ مُدَجَّجٌ

عَلى أَعوَجِيٍّ بِالطِعانِ مُسامِحُ

Whenever I wished, a fully armed warrior met me,

on an Aʿwaji steed, unstinting with spear-thrusts.

نُزاحِفُ زَحفاً أَو نُلاقي كَتيبَةً

تُطاعِنُنا أَو يَذعَرُ السَرحَ صائِحُ

We engage an advancing host, or meet a battalion

that trades spear-thrusts with us, or a crier startles the grazing herds.

فَلَمّا اِلتَقَينا بِالجِفارِ تَصَعصَعوا

وَرُدَّت عَلى أَعقابِهِنَّ المَسالِحُ

But when we met at al-Jifar, they faltered,

and the armed detachments were driven back on their heels.

وَسارَت رِجالٌ نَحوَ أُخرَى عَليهُمُ ال

حَديدُ كَما تَمشي الجِمالُ الدَوالِحُ

And men advanced toward another band, clad in

iron, as heavily laden camels walk.

إِذا ما مَشَوا في السابِغاتِ حَسِبتَهُم

سُيولاً وَقَد جاشَت بِهِنَّ الأَباطِحُ

When they marched in full-length mail, you would take them for

torrents, the gravelly valleys surging with them.

فَأَشرَعتُ راياتٍ وَتَحتَ ظِلالِها

مِنَ القَومِ أَبناءُ الحُروبِ المَراجِحُ

Then I raised banners, and beneath their shadows

stood the clan’s steadfast sons of war.

وَدُرنا كَما دارَت عَلى قَطبِها الرُحى

وَدارَت عَلى هامِ الرِجالِ الصَفائِحُ

We wheeled as millstones turn upon their pivot,

and broad sword-blades wheeled upon men’s heads,

بِهاجِرَةٍ حَتّى تَغيَّبَ نورُها

وَأَقبَلَ لَيلٌ يَقبَضُ الطَرفَ سائِحُ

in the noonday heat, until its light had vanished,

and far-spreading night approached, obscuring sight.

تَداعى بَنو عَبسٍ بِكُلِّ مُهَنَّدٍ

حُسامٍ يُزيلُ الهامَ وَالصَفُّ جانِحُ

The sons of ʿAbs rallied with every Indian-forged

keen sword, striking off heads as the battle-line leaned in,

وَكُلَّ رُدَينِيٍّ كَأَنَّ سِنانَهُ

شِهابٌ بَدا في ظُلمَةِ اللَيلُ واضِحُ

and every Rudayni spear, its spearhead like

a meteor appearing bright in the darkness of night.

فَخَلّوا لَنا عوذَ النِساءِ وَجَبِّبوا

عَبابيدَ مِنهُم مُستَقيمٌ وَجامِحُ

So they left us the women with newborns—and fled

in scattered bands, some straight ahead and others wildly astray—

وَكُلَّ كَعابٍ خَذلَةِ الساقِ فَخمَةٍ

لَها مَنصِبٌ في آلِ ضَبَّةَ طامِحُ

and every budding-breasted maiden, plump of calf and ample,

of lofty lineage in the house of Dabba.

تَرَكنا ضِراراً بَينَ عانٍ مُكَبَّلٍ

وَبَينَ قَتيلٍ غابَ عَنهُ النَوائِحُ

We left Dirar among captives bound in fetters

and the slain, with no wailing women beside them.

وَعَمرواً وَحَبّاناً تَرَكنا بِقَفرَةٍ

تَعودُهُما فيها الضِباعُ الكَوالِحُ

And ʿAmr and Habban we left in a wasteland,

where snarling hyenas come to visit them.

يُجَرِّرنَ هاماً فَلَقَتها رِماحُنا

تَزَيَّلُ مِنهُنَّ اللِحى وَالمَسائِحُ

They drag along heads our spears have split,

beards and locks of hair falling away from them.