عَفا قَوٍّ وَكانَ لَنا مَحَلّاً

عَفا قَوٍّ وَكانَ لَنا مَحَلّاً

إِلى جَوَّي صَلاصِلَ مِن لُبَينى

إِلى جَوَّي صَلاصِلَ مِن لُبَينى

Qaww has faded, though once our dwelling,

Kindness passed us by though it once was our abode

as far as Salasil's two hollows, bereft of Lubayna.

To lovely doves with necklaces of shining pearls

أَلا نادِ الظَعائِنَ لَو لَوَينا

أَلا نادِ الظَعائِنَ لَو لَوَينا

وَلَولا مَن يُراقِبنَ اِرعَوَينا

وَلَولا مَن يُراقِبنَ اِرعَوَينا

Come, call to the women in their litters—if only they would turn aside!

Oh, call the gazelles if only we might sport

And were it not for those they fear, they would relent.

And were it not for those who watch we would have sported

يَقُلنَ وَقَد تَلاحَقَتِ المَطايا

يَقُلنَ وَقَد تَلاحَقَتِ المَطايا

كَذاكَ القَولُ إِنَّ عَلَيكَ عَينا

كَذاكَ القَولُ إِنَّ عَلَيكَ عَينا

They say, as the riding camels catch up with one another:

They say, as misfortunes come one after another

"So goes the talk: there is an eye upon you."

Such are the words, as if eyes were upon you

أَلَم تَرَني بَذَلتُ لَهُنَّ وُدّي

أَلَم تَرَني بَذَلتُ لَهُنَّ وُدّي

وَكَذَّبتُ الوُشاةَ فَما جَزَينا

وَكَذَّبتُ الوُشاةَ فَما جَزَينا

Have you not seen me lavish my love upon them?

Did you not see me showing affection to them

And I disbelieved the talebearers, yet they gave me no reward.

And calling those who slander liars, yet we were not rewarded

إِذا ما قُلتَ حانَ لَنا التَقاضي

إِذا ما قُلتَ حانَ لَنا التَقاضي

بَخِلنَ بِعاجِلٍ وَوَعَدنَ دَينا

بَخِلنَ بِعاجِلٍ وَوَعَدنَ دَينا

Whenever you say, "It is time for us to collect our due,"

Whenever you say it is time for us to settle accounts

they withhold ready payment and promise only credit.

They are miserly with the present yet promise a debt

تُضيءُ لَنا الحِجالُ سَنا غِمامٍ

تُضيءُ لَنا الحِجالُ سَنا غِمامٍ

إِذا لَمَحَت غَوارِبُهُ اِنجَلَينا

إِذا لَمَحَت غَوارِبُهُ اِنجَلَينا

The curtained chambers shine for us with a cloud's radiance;

The Pleiades shine for us like a rainy cloud

when its crests flash, the women stand revealed.

When its edges glow, we look upon them delighted

فَقَتَّلنا الرُهونَ بِغَيرِ رَهنٍ

فَقَتَّلنا الرُهونَ بِغَيرِ رَهنٍ

وَأَشطَطنا القَضِيَّةَ وَاِعتَدَينا

وَأَشطَطنا القَضِيَّةَ وَاِعتَدَينا

So they slew the hostages, with no hostage in return,

We killed the pledges without any collateral

and dealt unjustly in the case and overstepped.

And we exceeded proper bounds and trespassed

ذَكَرتَ وَلَيتَ أَنَّكَ لَم تَذَكَّر

ذَكَرتَ وَلَيتَ أَنَّكَ لَم تَذَكَّر

زَماناً كانَ حِقَبٍ مَضَينا

زَماناً كانَ حِقَبٍ مَضَينا

You remembered—would that you had not remembered—

You remembered—would that you had not recalled—

a time from ages long gone.

A time that was an epoch now passed

وَيَرمينَ القُلوبَ بِنَبلِ جِنٍّ

وَيَرمينَ القُلوبَ بِنَبلِ جِنٍّ

فَقَد أَقصَدنَ قَلبَكَ إِذ رَمَينا

فَقَد أَقصَدنَ قَلبَكَ إِذ رَمَينا

And they shoot hearts with the arrows of jinn;

And they shoot hearts with the arrows of jinn

indeed, they struck your heart dead when they shot.

For they aimed at your heart when they shot

يَروغُ القِردُ مِنّي إِن رَآني

يَروغُ القِردُ مِنّي إِن رَآني

فَقُل لِلقِردِ أَينَ تَروغُ أَينا

فَقُل لِلقِردِ أَينَ تَروغُ أَينا

The monkey dodges away from me if he sees me;

The ape eludes me when he sees me

so tell the monkey: "Where do you dodge—where?"

Say to the ape, where, where do you elude?

أَحينَ رَأَيتَني مَرِسَت حِبالي

أَحينَ رَأَيتَني مَرِسَت حِبالي

وَجَدَّ الجِدُّ تَسأَلُني الهُوَينا

وَجَدَّ الجِدُّ تَسأَلُني الهُوَينا

Is it now, when you see my ropes tangled,

Did you see me when my ropes slackened

and matters grown earnest, that you ask me for gentleness?

And someone in earnest asks me, where are they slacking?

فَقَد أَمسى البَعيثُ سَخينَ عَينٍ

فَقَد أَمسى البَعيثُ سَخينَ عَينٍ

وَما أَمسى الفَرَزدَقُ قَرَّ عَينا

وَما أَمسى الفَرَزدَقُ قَرَّ عَينا

So al-Ba'ith has ended the day with an eye hot with grief,

The death woef has become hot coals

and al-Farazdaq has not ended it with an eye cool with comfort.

Yet al-Farazdaq's eye is not burning hot

وَحَربٍ تَضجَرُ النُخَباتُ مِنها

وَحَربٍ تَضجَرُ النُخَباتُ مِنها

قَرَيناها الأَسِنَّةَ وَاِصطَلَينا

قَرَيناها الأَسِنَّةَ وَاِصطَلَينا

And many a war that wearies the choicest warriors—

And war that the elite are weary of

we served it spearheads and warmed ourselves at its fire.

We made it familiar with our tongues when we met

إِذا ذُكِرَت مَساعينا غَضِبتُم

إِذا ذُكِرَت مَساعينا غَضِبتُم

أَطالَ اللَهُ سُخطَكُمُ عَلَينا

أَطالَ اللَهُ سُخطَكُمُ عَلَينا

Whenever our exploits are mentioned, you grow angry;

When our efforts are mentioned, you become angry

may God prolong your wrath against us.

May your anger at us be prolonged

تَفيشُ مُجاشِعٌ بِلِحىً عِظامٍ

تَفيشُ مُجاشِعٌ بِلِحىً عِظامٍ

وَأَحلامٍ ضَلِلنَ وَما اِهتَدَينا

وَأَحلامٍ ضَلِلنَ وَما اِهتَدَينا

Mujashi' boasts of huge beards,

Adolescents with the beards of grown men blab

and minds that strayed and never found guidance.

Having gone astray with no guidance found

فَقَد صارَت حُماتُكُم إِماءً

فَقَد صارَت حُماتُكُم إِماءً

وَحاميكُم بَني وَقبانَ قَينا

وَحاميكُم بَني وَقبانَ قَينا

So your defenders have become slave-women,

Your protectors have become our slave girls

and your champion, sons of Waqban, a smith.

And your allies—the tribe of Wulayb—our slaves

تَباعَدَ مِن بَني وَقبانَ صُلحي

تَباعَدَ مِن بَني وَقبانَ صُلحي

وَقَد مَرِسَت حِبالي وَاِلتَوَينا

وَقَد مَرِسَت حِبالي وَاِلتَوَينا

My peace has grown distant from the sons of Waqban,

My reconciliation with the tribe of Wulayb has waned

and my ropes have tangled, and we have become entwined.

And my ropes have gone slack though I twist them

وَقَد كانَ الجَبابِرُ قَد عَلِمتُم

وَقَد كانَ الجَبابِرُ قَد عَلِمتُم

إِذا لَم نَرضَ حُكمَهُمُ عَصَينا

إِذا لَم نَرضَ حُكمَهُمُ عَصَينا

And there were mighty rulers, as you well know;

You know the overlords—if we reject

when we did not accept their judgment, we rebelled.

Their rule we disobey

إِذا لَمَعَ الرَبيئَةُ لَم نُكَذِّب

إِذا لَمَعَ الرَبيئَةُ لَم نُكَذِّب

وَلا نَشوي العَدوَّ إِذا اِلتَقَينا

وَلا نَشوي العَدوَّ إِذا اِلتَقَينا

When the lookout signals, we do not hang back,

When the Pleiades shine we do not deny

nor merely wound the enemy when we meet.

Nor burn the foe when we meet

وَذي سَرحٍ يَظَلَّ بِنا مُقيماً

وَذي سَرحٍ يَظَلَّ بِنا مُقيماً

وَمُغتَبِطٍ بِمَنزِلِنا نَفَينا

وَمُغتَبِطٍ بِمَنزِلِنا نَفَينا

And many a herd-owner who spent the day settled among us,

With free rein they remain shading us

and one pleased with our dwelling, we drove away.

While glad of our abode we banish them

وَلَو مِنّا فَتاتُكُمُ لَغِرنا

وَلَو مِنّا فَتاتُكُمُ لَغِرنا

وَلَو عادَ الزُبَيرُ بِنا وَفَينا

وَلَو عادَ الزُبَيرُ بِنا وَفَينا

And had your maiden been one of us, we would have guarded her jealously;

Were we to gain even your crumbs we would be wealthy

and had al-Zubayr returned with us, we would have kept faith.

And were al-Zubayr to return to us we would fulfill

أَتَعدِلُ لا أَبا لَكُمُ الخَناثى

أَتَعدِلُ لا أَبا لَكُمُ الخَناثى

بِيَربوعٍ تَباعَدَ ذاكَ بَينا

بِيَربوعٍ تَباعَدَ ذاكَ بَينا

Do you equate the effeminate men—may you have no father—

Do you have equity—no!—for you effeminate ones

with Yarbu'? Wide indeed is the gulf between them!

With well ropes far apart between them