أَمِن عَهدِ ذي عَهدٍ تَفيضُ مَدامِعِ

أَمِن عَهدِ ذي عَهدٍ تَفيضُ مَدامِعِ

كَأَنَّ قَذى العَينَينِ مِن حَبِّ فُلفُلِ

كَأَنَّ قَذى العَينَينِ مِن حَبِّ فُلفُلِ

Is it from remembering Dhu ʿAhd that my tears overflow,

Is it from a pact of the one with whom there was a pact that tears overflow

as though the grit in both eyes were peppercorns?

As if the motes in my eyes were from love of falfel

فَإِن يَرَ سَلمى الجِنُّ يَستَأنِسوا بِها

فَإِن يَرَ سَلمى الجِنُّ يَستَأنِسوا بِها

وَإِن يَرَ سَلمى راهِبُ الطورِ يَنزِلِ

وَإِن يَرَ سَلمى راهِبُ الطورِ يَنزِلِ

For if the jinn see Salma, they seek her company;

If the jinn see Salma they befriend her

and if the monk of Sinai sees Salma, he descends.

And if the monk of the mountain sees Salma he descends

مِنَ البيضِ لَم تَظعَن بَعيداً وَلَم تَطَأ

مِنَ البيضِ لَم تَظعَن بَعيداً وَلَم تَطَأ

عَلى الأَرضِ إِلّا نيرَ مِرطٍ مُرَحَّلِ

عَلى الأَرضِ إِلّا نيرَ مِرطٍ مُرَحَّلِ

One of the fair women, she has not journeyed far, nor trodden

Of the white she did not go far nor walk

on the earth except upon the woven border of a saddle-patterned mantle.

On the ground except the step of a saddled trained horse

إِذا ما مَشَت لَم تَنتَهِز وَتَأَوَّدَت

إِذا ما مَشَت لَم تَنتَهِز وَتَأَوَّدَت

كَما اِنآدَ مِن خَيلٍ وَجٍ غَيرُ مُنعَلِ

كَما اِنآدَ مِن خَيلٍ وَجٍ غَيرُ مُنعَلِ

Whenever she walks, she does not hurry, but sways,

When she walked she did not hasten and was gentle

as a sore-hoofed, unshod horse sways.

As the neigh of horses, pure and unshod

كَما مالَ فَضلُ الجُلِّ عَن مَتنِ عائِذٍ

كَما مالَ فَضلُ الجُلِّ عَن مَتنِ عائِذٍ

أَطافَت بِمُهرٍ في رِباطٍ مُطَوَّلِ

أَطافَت بِمُهرٍ في رِباطٍ مُطَوَّلِ

As the loose edge of a horsecloth tilts from a nursing mare's back,

As the excellence of the excellent over the back of a fleeing refuge

while she circles her foal on a long tether.

She circled around a stallion in a long tether

لَها مِثلُ لَونِ البَدرِ في لَيلَةِ الدُجى

لَها مِثلُ لَونِ البَدرِ في لَيلَةِ الدُجى

وَريحُ الخُزامى في دِماثٍ مُسَهَّلِ

وَريحُ الخُزامى في دِماثٍ مُسَهَّلِ

Hers is the full moon's hue on a night of darkness,

She has the color of the full moon on a pitch black night

and the scent of lavender on soft, level ground.

And the fragrance of musk in subdued soft leather

أَإِن سُبَّ قَينٌ وَاِبنُ قَينٍ غَضِبتُمُ

أَإِن سُبَّ قَينٌ وَاِبنُ قَينٍ غَضِبتُمُ

أَبَهدَلَ يا أَفناءَ سَعدٍ لِبَهدَلِ

أَبَهدَلَ يا أَفناءَ سَعدٍ لِبَهدَلِ

Is it because a smith and a smith's son were reviled that you grew angry,

What! Were Qain and the son of Qain angry that I blamed

O Bahdal, O clans of Saʿd, for Bahdal's sake?

The wastefulness of Sa'd's quarters for waste

أَعَيّاشُ قَد ذاقَ القُيونُ مَرارَتي

أَعَيّاشُ قَد ذاقَ القُيونُ مَرارَتي

وَأَوقَدتُ ناري فَاِدنُ دونَكَ فَاِصطَلِ

وَأَوقَدتُ ناري فَاِدنُ دونَكَ فَاِصطَلِ

O ʿAyyash, the smiths have tasted my bitterness;

I have tasted the bitterness of Eyyash's bow

and I have lit my fire: draw near—here it is for you—and warm yourself!

And kindled my fire, so come closer to me and light it

سَأَذكُرُ ما قالَ الحُطَيأَةُ جارُكُم

سَأَذكُرُ ما قالَ الحُطَيأَةُ جارُكُم

وَأُحدِثُ وَسماً فَوقَ وَسمِ المُخَبَّلِ

وَأُحدِثُ وَسماً فَوقَ وَسمِ المُخَبَّلِ

I shall recall what al-Hutayʾa, your neighbor, said,

I will remember what Hutya said, your neighbor

and add a new brand above al-Mukhabbal's brand.

And create a brand over the brand of the fired clay

أَعَيّاشُ ما تُغني قُفَيرَةُ بَعدَما

أَعَيّاشُ ما تُغني قُفَيرَةُ بَعدَما

سَقَيتُكَ سَمّاً في مَرارَةِ حَنظَلِ

سَقَيتُكَ سَمّاً في مَرارَةِ حَنظَلِ

O ʿAyyash, of what use is Qufayra after

Eyyash, cursing does not benefit you after I

I have made you drink poison in the bitterness of colocynth?

Gave you poison to drink in the bitterness of oak apples

أَعَيّاشُ قَد آوَت قُفَيرَةُ نَسلَها

أَعَيّاشُ قَد آوَت قُفَيرَةُ نَسلَها

إِلى بَيتِ لُؤمٍ ما لَهُ مِن مُحَوَّلِ

إِلى بَيتِ لُؤمٍ ما لَهُ مِن مُحَوَّلِ

O ʿAyyash, Qufayra has sheltered her offspring

Eyyash, Qufeyra has entrusted her progeny

in a house of baseness from which there is no escape.

To the house of disgrace which has no change

تُذَئِّرُ أَبكارَ اللِقاحِ وَلَم تَكُن

تُذَئِّرُ أَبكارَ اللِقاحِ وَلَم تَكُن

قُفَيرَةُ تَدري ما جَناةُ القَرَنفُلِ

قُفَيرَةُ تَدري ما جَناةُ القَرَنفُلِ

She makes first-calving milch-camels foster calves; yet never had

She makes the stallions infertile and Qufeyra

Qufayra known what plucked cloves were.

Did not know the crime of cross-pollinating cloves

فَإِن تَدَّعوا لِلزِبرِقانِ فَإِنَّكُم

فَإِن تَدَّعوا لِلزِبرِقانِ فَإِنَّكُم

بَنو بِنتِ قَينٍ ذي عَلاةٍ وَمِرجَلِ

بَنو بِنتِ قَينٍ ذي عَلاةٍ وَمِرجَلِ

So if you claim descent from al-Zibriqan, then you are

If you call for help against Zubraqan we are

sons of a smith's daughter—a smith with an anvil and a cauldron.

The sons of Qain's daughter possessors of might and club

فَشُدّوا الحُبى لِلغَدرِ إِنّي مُشَمِّرٌ

فَشُدّوا الحُبى لِلغَدرِ إِنّي مُشَمِّرٌ

إِذا ما عَلا مَتنَ المُفاضَةِ مِحمَلي

إِذا ما عَلا مَتنَ المُفاضَةِ مِحمَلي

So tighten your knee-bands for treachery; I am girded for action,

Prepare the ropes for betrayal, I am resolved

when my sword-belt lies over the back of my ample coat of mail.

When the battle was inflamed to bear my burdens

وَلا تَطلُبا يا اِبنَي قُفَيرَةَ سابِقاً

وَلا تَطلُبا يا اِبنَي قُفَيرَةَ سابِقاً

يَدُقُّ جِماحاً كُلَّ فَأسٍ وَمِسحَلِ

يَدُقُّ جِماحاً كُلَّ فَأسٍ وَمِسحَلِ

And do not pursue, you two sons of Qufayra, a racing steed

And do not, my two sons, seek to precede Qufeyra

that bolts, shattering every bridle-iron and bit.

Every axe and sword brandishing its blade

كَما رامَ مِنّا القَينُ أَيّامَ صَوأَرٍ

كَما رامَ مِنّا القَينُ أَيّامَ صَوأَرٍ

فَلاقى جِماحاً مِن حِمامٍ مُعَجَّلِ

فَلاقى جِماحاً مِن حِمامٍ مُعَجَّلِ

As the smith sought one among us in the days of Sawʾar,

As Qain intended against us in the days of Sowar

and met a headlong rush of hastened death.

But met with wings of hastened doves

ضَغا القِردُ لَمّا مَسَّهُ الجَهدُ وَاِشتَكى

ضَغا القِردُ لَمّا مَسَّهُ الجَهدُ وَاِشتَكى

بَنو القَينِ مِنّا حَدَّ نابٍ وَكَلكَلِ

بَنو القَينِ مِنّا حَدَّ نابٍ وَكَلكَلِ

The monkey shrieked when hardship touched him, and complaint arose

The ape chewed when exhaustion afflicted him and complained

from the smith's sons at our fang's edge and our breast.

The sons of Qain against us have the bite and anklet bells

لَعَلَّكَ تَرجو يا اِبنَ نافِخِ كيرِهِ

لَعَلَّكَ تَرجو يا اِبنَ نافِخِ كيرِهِ

قُروماً شَبا أَنيابِها لَم يُفَلَّلِ

قُروماً شَبا أَنيابِها لَم يُفَلَّلِ

Perhaps you hope, O son of one who blows his bellows,

Perhaps you hope, son of the blower of Kirah

for mighty camel sires whose fang-tips have never been blunted.

For steeds whose canines have not been blunted

أَتَعدِلُ يَربوعاً وَأَيّامَ خَيلِها

أَتَعدِلُ يَربوعاً وَأَيّامَ خَيلِها

بِأَيّامِ مَضفونينَ في الحَربِ عُزَّلِ

بِأَيّامِ مَضفونينَ في الحَربِ عُزَّلِ

Do you equate Yarbuʿ and the battle-days of its horses

Are the four sacred months equal to the days of Khayl and her horses

with those of men borne pillion, unarmed in war?

When we were outcasts in war, deposed

أَلا تَسأَلونَ المُردَفاتِ عَشِيَّةً

أَلا تَسأَلونَ المُردَفاتِ عَشِيَّةً

مَعَ القَومِ لا يَخبَأنَ ساقاً لِمُجتَلي

مَعَ القَومِ لا يَخبَأنَ ساقاً لِمُجتَلي

Will you not ask the women carried pillion, one evening,

Do you not ask the rearers in the evening

with the host, hiding no shin from an onlooker,

With the tribe whose leg cannot be hidden by the mantles

مَنِ المانِعونَ السَبيَ لا تَمنَعونَهُ

مَنِ المانِعونَ السَبيَ لا تَمنَعونَهُ

وَأَصحابُ أَعلالِ الرَئيسِ المُكَبَّلِ

وَأَصحابُ أَعلالِ الرَئيسِ المُكَبَّلِ

who are those who prevent capture—you do not prevent it—

Who prevented the captives, you did not prevent them

and those who dealt repeated blows to the fettered chief?

And the chieftains of the fettered eminent leader

وَفي أَيِّ يَومٍ لَم تُسَلَّل سُيوفُنا

وَفي أَيِّ يَومٍ لَم تُسَلَّل سُيوفُنا

فَنَعلو بِها هامَ الجَبابِرِ مِن عَلِ

فَنَعلو بِها هامَ الجَبابِرِ مِن عَلِ

And on what day were our swords not drawn,

And on which day were our swords not unleashed

so that with them we strike the tyrants' skulls from above?

That we plant them into the skulls of tyrants

تَبَدَّل بِهِ في رَهطِ تِسعَةَ مِثلَهُ

تَبَدَّل بِهِ في رَهطِ تِسعَةَ مِثلَهُ

أَباً شَرَّ ذي نَعلَينِ أَو غَيرِ مُنعَلِ

أَباً شَرَّ ذي نَعلَينِ أَو غَيرِ مُنعَلِ

Take in his place, among a company of nine like him,

He substituted among a group of nine like him

a father—the worst of those wearing two sandals or going unshod.

A father, evil, with two sandals or unshod

فَما لُمتُ نَفسي في حَديثٍ وَليتُهُ

فَما لُمتُ نَفسي في حَديثٍ وَليتُهُ

وَلا لُمتُ فيما قَدَّمَ الناسُ أَوَّلي

وَلا لُمتُ فيما قَدَّمَ الناسُ أَوَّلي

So I have not blamed myself for a recent affair I undertook,

So I did not blame myself in a discourse nor wish

nor blamed my forebear for what people have put forward.

Nor blame what the people did at first