1. سَلِ العيسَ ما بَينَ اللِّوى فَأَبانِ

    خِماصاً تَبيدُ البيدَ بِالوَخدانِ

    Ask the pale camels between al-Liwa and Aban,

    lean-flanked, wearing out the deserts with their swift strides,

  2. عَنِ الرَّكبِ في أَكوارِها هَل تَسانَدَت

    أَنامِلُهُ إِلّا عَلى خَفَقانِ

    about the riders in their saddles: have they rested

    their fingers upon anything but throbbing hearts?

  3. وَهَل نَشَقَت ريح العَرارِ فَلَم تَزَل

    حَقائِبُها مِن شِدَّةِ النَّزَوانِ

    And did they breathe the scent of oxeye without dislodging

    their packs through the violence of their leaps?

  4. أخا العُربِ سُقها إِنَّ دونَ سُوَيقَةِ

    مَجالَ عُيونٍ في عِراض مَغاني

    Brother of the Arabs, drive them on: before Suwayqa

    lies a roaming-ground for eyes amid broad dwelling places.

  5. سَلَوتُ غَرامي إِن رَضيتُكَ صاحِباً

    إِذا لَم تُعِنّي في بُكاء مَعاني

    May I forget my passion if I accept you as a companion,

    when you will not help me weep for my dwelling places.

  6. تَلَفَّتُّ مِن سَفحِ الجِبالِ وَدارُها

    حِجازِيَّةٌ إِنَّا لَمُختَلِفانِ

    I looked back from the foot of the mountains, while her abode

    lies in the Hijaz: we are surely far apart.

  7. فَلَم تَجهَلِ العَينانِ لائِحَ رَسمِها

    عَلَى البُعدِ لَولا كَثرَةُ الهَمَلانِ

    My eyes would not have missed the glimmer of her abode's traces

    from afar, but for the copious flow of tears.

  8. خَليلَيَّ هَل زالَ الحِمى بَعدَ أَهلِهِ

    وَهَل أقفرت مِن بَعدِنا العَلَمانِ

    My two friends, has the guarded pasture vanished after its people?

    And have the two landmark hills grown desolate since we left?

  9. وَهَل لِخَشيفٍ بِالعَقيقِ عَلاقَةٌ

    بِقَلبِيَ أَم دانَيتُ غَيرَ مُداني

    And does a fawn in al-Aqiq have a bond

    with my heart, or have I drawn near to one who will not draw near?

  10. وَما ذاتُ أَفراخ نُهِشنَ مَعَ الصِّبا

    وَأَفراخُها في غَفلَة وَأَمانِ

    No mother bird whose chicks were torn apart in their youth,

    while her chicks lay heedless and secure,

  11. أُتيحَ لَها وَالدَّهرُ جَمٌّ صُروفُهُ

    عَجولٌ بِحمراوَينِ يَشتَعِلانِ

    against whom was loosed—Time's reversals are many—

    a swift assailant with two blazing red eyes,

  12. يَظَلّ قَذى الظَّلماء يَنزو بِعَزمِهِ

    إذا غَيرُهُ أعيا على الطَّيرانِ

    a mote of darkness that keeps leaping with fierce resolve

    when others are too weary to fly,

  13. فَلَم يَبقَ إِلّا شلوُ كُلِّ مُمَزَّق

    كَأَن بِهِ آثارَ حَدِّ يَمانِ

    till nothing remained but a scrap of each mangled body,

    as though bearing marks of a Yemeni blade's edge,

  14. إذا ما رَأت سِرباً مِنَ الوُرقِ ضاحِياً

    ظَنَنت جناحيها فؤاد جنان

    who, whenever she sees a flock of gray doves in the open,

    makes you think her wings a jinn's heart,

  15. وَناحَت بِصَوت أَعجَمِيٍّ وَإِنَّهُ

    يَبينُ عَنِ المَحزونِ أيَّ بَيانِ

    and mourns in an inarticulate voice that nevertheless

    speaks for the sorrowful with perfect clarity,

  16. بِأَجزَعَ مِنّي إِذ تَقولُ عَدَيتُهُ

    تَراكَ عَلى رَغمِ الزَّمانِ تَراني

    is more anguished than I when she says, 'I passed him by.'

    'Do you think, despite Time, that you will see me?'

  17. أَما وَأَبيها لَو رَأَتنِي لأَكبَرَت

    مَقاليَ إِنّي في غَرامِكِ عاني

    Indeed, by her father, had she seen me, she would have esteemed

    my words: 'I am a captive in your love.'

  18. إِذا شِئتَ تَبلو مُرهَفاتِ عَزائِمي

    وَيُعلَمُ صِدقُ البَرقِ بِالهَطَلانِ

    If you wish to test the sharpened edges of my resolves—

    and lightning's truth is known by pouring rain—

  19. فَشِم في الوَرى فِكراً صَحيحاً فَإِنَّهُ

    يُريكَ مَكانَ النَّجم دونَ مَكاني

    then discern among mankind a sound mind, for it

    will show you the star's station beneath my own.

  20. وَذَرني وَإِيّاها فَإِن لَم أَفُز بِها

    سَريعاً وَإِلّا لَستُ نَجلَ سِنانِ

    And leave me with her: if I do not win her

    soon—otherwise I am no son of Sinan.

  21. وَما أَرَبي إِلّا الَّذي تَعلَمونَهُ

    إِذا ما عَنوا أَمرا فَذاكَ أَعانِ

    My aim is nothing but what you know:

    when they seek a thing, that is what I strive for.

  22. سَبَقتُ وَما بَلَّغتُ عَشراً كَوامِلاً

    فَكَيفَ وَقَد جاوَزتُها بِثَمانِ

    I outstripped others before I had reached ten full years;

    how, then, now that I have passed them by eight?

  23. وَلي في قِراعِ النّائِباتِ عَزائِمٌ

    تُريكَ بُلوغَ النَّجمِ بِالزحلانِ

    In combating calamities, I have resolves

    that show you the stars reached by crawling.

  24. وَرَكبٍ تَعاطَوا بَينَهُم نَشوَةَ الكَرى

    فَلا لمَّةٌ إِلّا لقي بِلبانِ

    And many a caravan shared the intoxication of sleep,

    so every lock of hair met a breast.

  25. سَأَلناهُمُ وَالعيسُ حَسرى مِنَ الوَجى

    وَجُنحَ الدُّجا وَالصُّبحُ يَصطَرِعانِ

    We questioned them while the pale camels were spent from sore feet,

    and the wing of darkness and the dawn were wrestling.

  26. مَنِ الرَّكبُ قالوا مِن لُؤيِّ بنِ غالِبٍ

    مَصابيحُ يَومَي نائِلٍ وَطِعانِ

    'Who are the riders?' They said, 'Of Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib,

    beacons on days of giving and spear-thrusts.'

  27. فَقُلنا بَنو عَمِّ الشَّريفِ مُحَمَّدٍ

    سِمامِ العِدى ضَرّاب كُلِّ جَرانِ

    We said, 'The cousins of the Sharif Muhammad,

    venom to his enemies, the mighty striker of every neck.'

  28. فَأَطرَبَهُم تِذكارَهُ وَتَرَنَّموا

    بِأَخلاقِ مِفلاقِ الرِّكابِ هِجانِ

    The remembrance of him delighted them, and they sang

    of the virtues of the slaughterer of purebred white riding camels.

  29. وَمالوا عَلى الأَكوارِ سَكرى كَأَنَّما

    تَسافَوا عَلى وَجدٍ رِضابَ غَواني

    They leaned drunkenly upon their saddles, as though

    in passion they had sipped the saliva of lovely maidens.

  30. مِنَ القَومِ طَلقٌ لا يَزالُ بَنانُهُ

    لِبَذلِ نَوال أَو لِصَونِ عَنانِ

    Among his people, an open-faced man whose fingers are always

    giving gifts or guarding a rein;

  31. وَأَشجَعُ إِن ضارَبتَهُ بِمُهَنَّدٍ

    وَأَعلَمُ إِن جادَلتَهُ بِلِسانِ

    and bravest if you duel with him with an Indian-steel blade,

    and most learned if you debate with him by tongue;

  32. وَأَبهى بَياناً فَوقَ أَعوادِ مِنبَرٍ

    وَأَمضى جِناناً فَوقَ ظَهرِ حِصانِ

    and most splendid in eloquence upon a pulpit's timbers,

    and most resolute of heart upon a stallion's back.

  33. أَخا هاشِم كَم قُدتَها هاشِمِيَّةً

    يغصُّ بِها مِن نَفعِها المَلَوانِ

    Kinsman of Hashim, how often you have led a Hashimite undertaking,

    whose abundant benefit makes day and night brim over!

  34. وَفُزتَ بِها تَهفوا عَلى رَغمِ حاسِدٍ

    تَلَمَّظَ بِالبَغضاءِ وَالشَّنَآنِ

    And you have won it, soaring despite an envious man

    who licks his lips with hatred and rancor.

  35. فَإِن طَرَقَت فيكَ اللَّيالي بِفادِحٍ

    فَلا عَجَبٌ أَن يُكسَفَ القَمَرانِ

    If the nights assail you with a grievous blow,

    it is no wonder that the two luminaries should be eclipsed.

  36. وَما قادَتِ الأَيّامُ مِنكَ موقِعاً

    ذَلولاً وَلا أَرهَفنَ غَيرَ سِنانِ

    The days have gained no foothold in you

    that yields, nor sharpened anything but a spearpoint.

  37. مَدَحتُكَ لا أَبغي نَداكَ وَإِنَّما

    أَبوحُ بِوُدٍّ مِنكَ غَير مُهانِ

    I praised you, not seeking your bounty, but only

    disclosing an affection not dishonored by you.

  38. وَلَيسَ يَبينُ الوُدُّ في اليُسرِ إِنَّما

    وَفاء الفَتى في لزبة الحَدَثانِ

    Affection does not show itself in ease; rather,

    a man's loyalty shows in the harsh straits of calamity.

  39. فَيالَيتَني شاطَرتُكَ الشر سامِحاً

    بِبَسطِ بنانٍ لِلأَذى وَجنانِ

    Would that I had shared your misfortune, willingly

    stretching out fingers and heart to suffering,

  40. وَأَصبَحَ قَلبانا نَديمَي نَوائبٍ

    كَما غُودِرا في الخَفضِ يَصطَحِبانِ

    and our two hearts had become boon-companions of calamities,

    as they had been left keeping company in ease.

  41. وَمِثلَكَ أَردَتهُ اللَّيالي فَإِنَّها

    تحلُّ الثَّرى في مَوطِنِ الدَّبَرانِ

    The nights have struck down men like you, for they

    set the dust in Aldebaran's station.

  42. وَقَلَّ زَمانُ العاجِزينَ فَإِنَّني

    لأُكرِمُ نَفسي أَن أَقولَ زَماني

    And the age of the powerless has dwindled, for I

    hold myself too dear to say, 'my age.'

  43. إِذا باعَدَت مِنّا المَناسِبُ قَرَّبَت

    مَوَدَّةَ لا ناس وَلا مُتَواني

    If ties of lineage keep us apart, there draws us close

    an affection neither forgetful nor remiss.

  44. وَإِنَّ سِنانَ الرُّمحِ يُنجِدُ كَعبَهُ

    عَلى بُعدِهِ لازُجُّهُ المُتَداني

    The spear's point comes to the aid of its shaft's joint,

    despite its distance—not its nearby butt-cap.

  45. وَغَيرُكَ في خَفضِ الزَّمانِ وَسِلمِهِ

    خَمولاً فَما تَهوي بِهِ القَدَمانِ

    Others, not you, live in Time's ease and peace,

    in obscurity, so their feet never send them plunging;

  46. وَغَيري فَإِنّي مُذ خُلِقتُ صُروفُهُ

    وقوف عَلى ما ساءَني وَشَجاني

    and others, not I: since I was born, its reversals

    have stood intent on whatever hurts and grieves me.