1. أَهاجَ قَذاءَ عَينِيَ الإِذِّكارُ

    هُدُوّاً فَالدُموعُ لَها اِنحِدارُ

    Remembrance stirred the grit in my eye

    in the still of night, so the tears stream down.

  2. وَصارَ اللَيلُ مُشتَمِلاً عَلَينا

    كَأَنَّ اللَيلَ لَيسَ لَهُ نَهارُ

    And night wrapped itself around us,

    as though the night had no day.

  3. وَبِتُّ أُراقِبُ الجَوزاءَ حَتّى

    تَقارَبَ مِن أَوائِلِها اِنحِدارُ

    I spent the night watching Orion until

    the setting of its foremost stars drew near.

  4. أُصَرِّفُ مُقلَتَيَّ في إِثرِ قَومٍ

    تَبايَنَتِ البِلادُ بِهِم فَغاروا

    I turn my eyes in the wake of a people

    whom the lands scattered far apart, and who vanished.

  5. وَأَبكي وَالنُجومُ مُطَلِّعاتٌ

    كَأَن لَم تَحوِها عَنّي البِحارُ

    And I weep while the stars are rising,

    as though the seas had not hidden them from me,

  6. عَلى مَن لَو نُعيتُ وَكانَ حَيّاً

    لَقادَ الخَيلَ يَحجُبُها الغُبارُ

    for one who, had my death been announced while he lived,

    would have led the horses, veiled by dust.

  7. دَعَوتُكَ يا كُلَيبُ فَلَم تُجِبني

    وَكَيفَ يُجيبُني البَلَدُ القِفارُ

    I called you, O Kulayb, but you did not answer me.

    Yet how can the desolate land answer me?

  8. أَجِبني يا كُلَيبُ خَلاكَ ذَمُّ

    ضَنيناتُ النُفوسِ لَها مَزارُ

    Answer me, O Kulayb; you are beyond reproach.

    Those dear to the soul have a place of visitation.

  9. أَجِبني يا كُلَيبُ خَلاكَ ذَمُّ

    لَقَد فُجِعَت بِفارِسِها نِزارُ

    Answer me, O Kulayb; you are beyond reproach.

    Nizar has indeed been bereaved of its horseman.

  10. سَقاكَ الغَيثُ إِنَّكَ كُنتَ غَيثاً

    وَيُسراً حينَ يُلتَمَسُ اليَسارُ

    May rain water you, for you were rain,

    and prosperity when prosperity was sought.

  11. أَبَت عَينايَ بَعدَكَ أَن تَكُفّا

    كَأَنَّ غَضا القَتادِ لَها شِفارُ

    After you were gone, my eyes refused to stop weeping,

    as though the qatad's ghada-wood were blades against them.

  12. وَإِنَّكَ كُنتَ تَحلُمُ عَن رِجالٍ

    وَتَعفو عَنهُمُ وَلَكَ اِقتِدارُ

    And you were forbearing toward men,

    and pardoned them, though you had the power.

  13. وَتَمنَعُ أَن يَمَسَّهُمُ لِسانٌ

    مَخافَةَ مَن يُجيرُ وَلا يُجارُ

    And you kept any tongue from touching them,

    for fear of one who grants protection but is not protected.

  14. وَكُنتُ أَعُدُّ قُربي مِنكَ رِبحاً

    إِذا ما عَدَّتِ الرِبحَ التِجارُ

    I counted my nearness to you as profit,

    whenever merchants counted their profit.

  15. فَلا تَبعَد فَكُلٌّ سَوفَ يَلقى

    شَعوباً يَستَديرُ بِها المَدارُ

    So do not be far away; everyone will meet

    Sha'ub—Death—around whom the wheel turns.

  16. يَعيشُ المَرءُ عِندَ بَني أَبيهِ

    وَيوشِكُ أَن يَصيرَ بِحَيثُ صاروا

    A man lives among the sons of his father,

    and soon goes where they have gone.

  17. أَرى طولَ الحَياةِ وَقَد تَوَلّى

    كَما قَد يُسلَبُ الشَيءُ المُعارُ

    I see the long span of life, when it has passed,

    as a borrowed thing that may be reclaimed.

  18. كَاَنّي إِذ نَعى النّاعي كُلَيباً

    تَطايَرَ بَينَ جَنبَيَّ الشَرارُ

    When the herald announced Kulayb's death, I felt as though

    sparks flew between my sides.

  19. فَدُرتُ وَقَد عَشِيَّ بَصَري عَلَيهِ

    كَما دارَت بِشارِبِها العُقارُ

    So I reeled, my sight grown dim over him,

    as wine sets its drinker spinning.

  20. سَأَلتُ الحَيَّ أَينَ دَفَنتُموهُ

    فَقالوا لي بِسَفحِ الحَيِّ دارُ

    I asked the clan, 'Where did you bury him?'

    They told me, 'His dwelling is at the foot of the settlement.'

  21. فَسِرتُ إِلَيهِ مِن بَلَدي حَثيثاً

    وَطارَ النَومُ وَاِمتَنَعَ القَرارُ

    So I journeyed swiftly to him from my homeland,

    and sleep fled, and rest would not come.

  22. وَحادَت ناقَتي عَن ظِلِّ قَبرٍ

    ثَوى فيهِ المَكارِمُ وَالفَخارُ

    And my she-camel veered from the shadow of a grave

    where noble virtues and glory lay at rest,

  23. لَدى أَوطانِ أَروَعَ لَم يَشِنهُ

    وَلَم يَحدُث لَهُ في الناسِ عارُ

    at the abodes of a splendid man whom nothing had sullied,

    nor had any disgrace befallen him among men.

  24. أَتَغدوا يا كُلَيبُ مَعي إِذا ما

    جَبانُ القَومِ أَنجاهُ الفِرارُ

    Will you go forth in the morning with me, O Kulayb, when

    flight saves the coward of the clan?

  25. أَتَغدوا يا كُلَيبُ مَعي إِذا ما

    حُلوقُ القَومِ يَشحَذُها الشِفارُ

    Will you go forth in the morning with me, O Kulayb, when

    blades hone the throats of the clan?

  26. أَقولُ لِتَغلِبٍ وَالعِزُّ فيها

    أَثيروها لِذَلِكُمُ اِنتِصارُ

    I say to Taghlib, in whom glory dwells:

    'Rouse it; in that lies vengeance for you.'

  27. تَتابَعَ إِخوَتي وَمَضوا لِأَمرٍ

    عَلَيهِ تَتابَعَ القَومُ الحِسارُ

    My brothers followed one another and went forth for a cause,

    for which the weary people followed in succession.

  28. خُذِ العَهدَ الأَكيدَ عَلَيَّ عُمري

    بِتَركي كُلَّ ما حَوَتِ الدِيارُ

    Take my solemn pledge, binding on me for my lifetime,

    to leave all that the dwellings contain,

  29. وَهَجري الغانِياتِ وَشُربَ كَأسٍ

    وَلُبسي جُبَّةً لا تُستَعارُ

    and to shun fair women and drinking from a cup,

    and to wear a robe that is not borrowed.

  30. وَلَستُ بِخالِعٍ دِرعي وَسَيفي

    إِلى أَن يَخلَعَ اللَيلَ النَهارُ

    And I shall not lay aside my armor and my sword

    until day strips away the night,

  31. وَإِلّا أَن تَبيدَ سَراةُ بَكرٍ

    فَلا يَبقى لَها أَبَداً أَثارُ

    or unless the chieftains of Bakr perish,

    so that no trace of it ever remains.