هاجَ رَسمٌ دارِسٌ طَرَباً

هاجَ رَسمٌ دارِسٌ طَرَباً

فطويلا ظَللّتَ مُكتَئِبا

فطويلا ظَللّتَ مُكتَئِبا

A faded trace stirred longing,

A craving depiction yearned anxiously,

so long you remained despondent,

So long you remained depressed and gloomy,

أن رأَيتَ الدارَ موحِشَةً

أن رأَيتَ الدارَ موحِشَةً

بِلغاطٍ كَم لَها رَجَبا

بِلغاطٍ كَم لَها رَجَبا

because you saw the dwelling desolate

When you saw the abode deserted,

at Lughāṭ—how many Rajabs it has seen!

With clay how long it resisted and endured,

دارَ هِندٍ بالسِتارِ وَقَد

دارَ هِندٍ بالسِتارِ وَقَد

رَثَّ حَبلُ العهد فاِنقَضَبا

رَثَّ حَبلُ العهد فاِنقَضَبا

Hind's dwelling at al-Sitār, though already

A house of affection with curtains,

the cord of the bond had frayed and snapped,

The rope of the pact snapped and broke,

بَينَ سيلِ الواديَينِ كَما

بَينَ سيلِ الواديَينِ كَما

نَمنَمَ ابنا مُنذِرٍ كُتُبا

نَمنَمَ ابنا مُنذِرٍ كُتُبا

between the two valleys' streams, like

Between the valley streams like

books finely penned by Mundhir's two sons.

The starling of Mundhir's son sang,

أَنبأتكَ الطَيرُ إِذ سَنَحَت

أَنبأتكَ الطَيرُ إِذ سَنَحَت

وَالغُرابُ الوَحفُ إِذ نَعَبا

وَالغُرابُ الوَحفُ إِذ نَعَبا

The birds told you, when they passed to the right,

The birds informed you when they chanced,

and the shaggy raven, when it croaked,

And the ominous raven when it croaked,

أَنَّ هِنداً غَيرَ مُسقِبَةٍ

أَنَّ هِنداً غَيرَ مُسقِبَةٍ

بالديارِ كالَّذي حَسِبا

بالديارِ كالَّذي حَسِبا

that Hind was not nearby

That Hind is not veiled,

at the dwellings, just as he had supposed.

In the abode like the one who reckoned,

وَعروبٍ غيرِ مُسقِبَةٍ

وَعروبٍ غيرِ مُسقِبَةٍ

قَد مَلكتُ شُكرَها حِقَبا

قَد مَلكتُ شُكرَها حِقَبا

And many an amorous woman, not close by,

And a bare-headed Arab woman

whose gratitude I won for long years,

Whose gratitude I earned deservingly,

ثم آلت لا تُكَلِّمُنا

ثم آلت لا تُكَلِّمُنا

كُلُّ حَيٍّ مُعقِبٌ عُقَبا

كُلُّ حَيٍّ مُعقِبٌ عُقَبا

then swore she would not speak to us—

Then she became unable to speak to us,

every living soul has its turns of fortune.

Every living being has what comes after,

وَلَقَد آوى إِلى ثُبَةٍ

وَلَقَد آوى إِلى ثُبَةٍ

يُحسِنونَ بينهم أَدَبا

يُحسِنونَ بينهم أَدَبا

Indeed, I resort to a company

And I took refuge in Thu'ba,

who observe fine manners among themselves.

Where they have good manners between them,

ثم أُروي الواغلينَ وَلَم

ثم أُروي الواغلينَ وَلَم

أَكُ كَلباً بينهم كَلِبا

أَكُ كَلباً بينهم كَلِبا

Then I give even the uninvited drink, and never

Then I watered the camels and did not

was I a ravenous dog among them.

Become a dog among dogs,

وَكَميٍّ قَد أَدَوتُ له

وَكَميٍّ قَد أَدَوتُ له

لَم يكن لِقاؤُه لَعِبا

لَم يكن لِقاؤُه لَعِبا

And many an armored warrior I have stalked,

And Mayyi whose abode

whose encounter was no game:

Meeting him was not playing,

فَتحاجَزنا به رَمَقٌ

فَتحاجَزنا به رَمَقٌ

جَسِدَ اللَباتِ مُختضِبا

جَسِدَ اللَباتِ مُختضِبا

we broke off, with a remnant of life in him,

So we were separated by a glance

his upper chest blood-caked and stained.

That kindled the ashes,

وَتخاطَرنا النفوسَ وَقَد

وَتخاطَرنا النفوسَ وَقَد

يُفلِجُ الموائِلُ النَدبا

يُفلِجُ الموائِلُ النَدبا

We staked our lives against each other; sometimes

And we gambled our souls though

the refuge-seeker defeats the valiant.

Parting causes laments,

وَلَقَد وَصَلتُ ذا رَحِمٍ

وَلَقَد وَصَلتُ ذا رَحِمٍ

وَنَظَرتُ نَظرَةً عَجَبا

وَنَظَرتُ نَظرَةً عَجَبا

Indeed, I kept ties with a kinsman,

And I visited a relative

and looked with a wondering gaze.

And looked a wondrous look,

من ذُرى حَورانَ قُلتُ لَه

من ذُرى حَورانَ قُلتُ لَه

وَكِلانا ناظِرٌ دأَبا

وَكِلانا ناظِرٌ دأَبا

From the heights of Ḥawrān I said to him,

Of the offspring of Hawran I said to him

while we both watched intently,

While both of us were intent and busy,

أَعُبَيدُ هَل تَرى ظُعُناً

أَعُبَيدُ هَل تَرى ظُعُناً

أَقبلت حَزايقا عُصَبا

أَقبلت حَزايقا عُصَبا

“O ʿUbayd, do you see women traveling in litters,

Do you see, O Aba Ubayd,

approaching in bands and groups,

Approaching companies bound tightly,

طايفاتٍ يعتَسِفنَ مَعاً

طايفاتٍ يعتَسِفنَ مَعاً

مِن أَعالي حائِلٍ كُثُبا

مِن أَعالي حائِلٍ كُثُبا

roaming, taking trackless ways together,

Roaming together

from the heights of Ḥāʾil, close at hand,

From the heights of Hail ascending,

قاطِعاتٍ بَطنَ مافِقَةٍ

قاطِعاتٍ بَطنَ مافِقَةٍ

يبَتَدِرنَ الهَجمَ وَالقَرَبا

يبَتَدِرنَ الهَجمَ وَالقَرَبا

crossing the hollow of Māfiqah,

Cutting through the belly of Mafeqah,

racing toward al-Hajm and al-Qarab,

Brandishing weapons and spears,

جازِعاتٍ بالغُطاطِ مَعاً

جازِعاتٍ بالغُطاطِ مَعاً

مِن أَعالي عازِفٍ شُعَبا

مِن أَعالي عازِفٍ شُعَبا

crossing together at al-Ghuṭāṭ,

Terrifying with cries together

through ravines from the heights of ʿĀzif?”

From the heights of Azif ascending,

أفأَثلا قُلتُ تحسِبُهم

أفأَثلا قُلتُ تحسِبُهم

أَم نخيلاً أَينعَت رُطَبا

أَم نخيلاً أَينعَت رُطَبا

“Do you then take them,” I said, “for tamarisks,

Are they human, I said, you think

or palms whose fresh dates have ripened?”

Or palm trees laden with fruit,

وَعَلى الأَحداجِ مُغزِلَةٌ

وَعَلى الأَحداجِ مُغزِلَةٌ

يَبتَذِلنَ الدُرَّ وَالذَهَبا

يَبتَذِلنَ الدُرَّ وَالذَهَبا

And on the camel-litters are does with fawns,

And on the litters unveiled

wearing pearls and gold as everyday adornment.

Sporting pearls and gold,

أَبلغِ الملوكَ مألُكَةً

أَبلغِ الملوكَ مألُكَةً

مَن نأى في الأَرضِ أَو قَرُبا

مَن نأى في الأَرضِ أَو قَرُبا

Convey a message to the kings,

Inform the kings, whichever

those far away in the land or near,

Drew apart or came near in the land,

أَنَّ حَولي مِن ذُرى أجأ

أَنَّ حَولي مِن ذُرى أجأ

زَلَقاً تَخالُه نُصُبا

زَلَقاً تَخالُه نُصُبا

that around me, among the peaks of Ajaʾ,

That around me are offspring of Ajaa

are slippery crags you would take for idols.

Whose valor seems established,

حَولَهُ تَرعى حَمولتُنا

حَولَهُ تَرعى حَمولتُنا

تأكُلُ العِضاهَ وَالكَنَبا

تأكُلُ العِضاهَ وَالكَنَبا

Around them our beasts of burden graze,

Around it our camels graze

eating thorn-trees and kanab plants.

Eating thorns and anab,

يا بُرَيقا بِتُّ أَرقُبُه

يا بُرَيقا بِتُّ أَرقُبُه

كانِساً في المُزنِ محتَجِبا

كانِساً في المُزنِ محتَجِبا

O little lightning-flash—I spent the night watching it,

O Burayqa who spent the night awake

sheltering in the rainclouds, concealed.

Hiding in the baggage,

باتَ يَرقى في السَماءِ كَما

باتَ يَرقى في السَماءِ كَما

حَرَّقت حاريَّةٌ قَصَبا

حَرَّقت حاريَّةٌ قَصَبا

All night it climbed into the sky, as though

He spent the night ascending in the sky as

a woman of al-Ḥīrah had set reeds ablaze.

A shooting star kindled the reeds,

تَحتَهُ ريحٌ يمانيةٌ

تَحتَهُ ريحٌ يمانيةٌ

فَتُثيرُ وادِقاً هَدِبا

فَتُثيرُ وادِقاً هَدِبا

Beneath it was a wind from Yemen,

Under it a yamani wind

stirring a raincloud with trailing fringes;

Stirring up a storm,

فَتسُحُّ الماءَ ما سكنَت

فَتسُحُّ الماءَ ما سكنَت

فَإِذا هاجَت له اضطَرَبا

فَإِذا هاجَت له اضطَرَبا

it pours down water while the wind is still,

Then it sweeps the water that calmed

but when the wind rages against it, it roils.

So when it rages it is turbulent,

فَلِتَرعَهُ بنو ثُعَلٍ

فَلِتَرعَهُ بنو ثُعَلٍ

وَليَسقِ نَؤوه العُشُبا

وَليَسقِ نَؤوه العُشُبا

So let the sons of Thuʿal graze its pasture,

So let the clan of Thu'al water it

and let its rain water the grasses,

And let its meadows give it to drink,

وَبَنو جَرمٍ وَإِن زَعَموا

وَبَنو جَرمٍ وَإِن زَعَموا

أَنَّ شِعري كانَ مؤتَشِبا

أَنَّ شِعري كانَ مؤتَشِبا

and the sons of Jarm, though they claimed

And the clan of Jarm, though they claimed

that my poetry was tangled.

That my poetry was fabricated,

إِنَّني غَيرَ الَّذي زَعَموا

إِنَّني غَيرَ الَّذي زَعَموا

واسِطٌ في طَيءٍ نَسَبا

واسِطٌ في طَيءٍ نَسَبا

I am not what they claimed:

I am not the one they claimed

at the heart of Ṭayyiʾ by descent.

A mediator among Tayyi in lineage,

إِنَّني مِن غَضبَةٍ فَرَعَت

إِنَّني مِن غَضبَةٍ فَرَعَت

ذِروةً لما تَكن ذَنَبا

ذِروةً لما تَكن ذَنَبا

I am from Ghaḍbah, which scaled

I am from Ghadbah who grazed

a summit and has never been a tail.

A peak when she was not with calf,