Sol 6.1

  1. لَقَد نادى أَميرُكَ بِاِحتِمالِ

    وَصَدَّعَ نِيَّةَ الأَنَسِ الحِلالِ

    Your leader has indeed called for departure,

    and shattered the settled companions' resolve.

  2. أَمِن طَرَبٍ نَظَرتَ غَداةَ رَهبى

    لِتَنظُرَ أَينَ وُجِّهَ بِالجِمالِ

    Was it yearning that made you gaze that morning at Rahba,

    to see which way the camels had been sent?

  3. وَما كَلَّفتَ نَفسَكَ مِن صَديقٍ

    يُمَنّينا وَيَبخَلُ بِالنَوالِ

    And what a friend you have burdened yourself with,

    who feeds us hopes yet grudges giving!

  4. لَقَد تَرَكَت حَوائِمَ صادِياتٍ

    وَتَمنَعُ صَفوَ ذي حَبَبٍ زُلالِ

    She has indeed left thirsty birds circling,

    and withholds the pure, bubbling, limpid water.

  5. وَقالَت فيمَ أَنتَ مِنَ التَصابي

    مَتى عَهدُ التَشَوُّقِ وَالدَلالِ

    And she said, "What business have you with playing the youth?

    How long since your days of yearning and coquetry?

  6. فَما تَرجو وَلَيسَ هَوى الغَواني

    لِأَصحابِ التَنَحنُحِ وَالسُعالِ

    What do you hope for? The love of lovely women is not

    for men of throat-clearing and coughing."

  7. دَعيني إِنَّ شَيبِيَ قَد نَهاني

    وَتَجريبي وَشَيبِيَ وَاِكتِهالي

    Leave me be: my gray hair has already restrained me,

    as have my experience, my gray hair, and my middle age.

  8. رَأَت مَرَّ السِنينَ أَخَذنَ مِنّي

    كَما أَخَذَ السَرارُ مِنَ الهِلالِ

    She saw how the passing years had diminished me,

    as the moon's dark phase diminishes the crescent.

  9. وَمَن يَبقى عَلى غَرَضِ المَنايا

    وَأَيّامٍ تَمُرُّ مَعَ اللَيالي

    And who can endure as a target for death

    and for days that pass along with the nights?

  10. أَلَمَّ بِنا الخَيالُ بِذاتِ عِرقٍ

    فَحَيّا اللَهُ ذَلِكَ مِن خَيالِ

    The dream-phantom visited us at Dhat Irq;

    so may God bless that phantom!

  11. فَإِنَّ سُراكِ تَقصُرُ عَن سُرانا

    وَعَن وَخدِ المُخَدَّمَةِ العِجالِ

    For your night-travel falls short of ours,

    and of the swift stride of the anklet-marked, fleet she-camels.

  12. لَقَد أَخزى الفَرَزدَقَ إِذ رَمَينا

    قَوارِعُ صَدَّعَت غَرَضَ النِضالِ

    Indeed, what shamed al-Farazdaq when we shot

    were crushing blows that split the archery target.

  13. فَإِنَّ لِآخِرِ الشُعَراءِ مِنّي

    كَما لِلأَوَّلينَ مِنَ النَكالِ

    For the last of the poets shall receive from me,

    as the first do, by way of punishment,

  14. مَواسِمَ ما بَقيتُ لَهُم وَبَعدي

    مَواسِمُ عِندَ حَزرَةَ أَو بِلالِ

    branding irons as long as I live; and after me,

    branding irons in Hazra's or Bilal's keeping.

  15. عَلى أَنفِ الفَرَزدَقِ لَو نَهاهُم

    جَديدٌ مِن وُسومَيَ غَيرُ بالِ

    On al-Farazdaq's nose—if only it would deter them!—

    is a fresh, unfaded brand of mine.

  16. إِذا ماتَ الفَرَزدَقُ فَاِرجُموهُ

    كَما تَرمونَ قَبرَ أَبي رِغالِ

    When al-Farazdaq dies, stone him,

    as you stone the grave of Abu Righal.

  17. وَكُنتَ إِذا اِغتَرَبتَ بِدارِ قَومٍ

    لِأَحسابِ العَشيرَةِ شَرَّ والي

    And whenever you lived abroad among a people,

    you were the worst guardian of your clan's honor.

  18. تُجَدَّعُ ما أَقَمتَ بِها ذَليلاً

    وَتَخزى عِندَ مَنزِلَةِ الزِيالِ

    Your nose was mutilated while you stayed there, abased,

    and you were disgraced at the hour of departure.

  19. أَتَنسَونَ الزُبَيرَ قَتيلَ سَعدٍ

    وَجِعثِنَ إِذ تُصَرَّفُ كُلَّ حالِ

    Do you forget al-Zubayr, slain by Sa'd,

    and Ji'thin, when she was handled every which way?

  20. وَباتَ أَبو الفَرَزدَقِ وَهوَ يَدعو

    بِدَعوى الذُلِّ غَيرَ نَعيمِ بالِ

    And al-Farazdaq's father spent the night calling,

    with a cry of humiliation, ill at ease.

  21. لَقَد ضَرِيَت قُفَيرَةُ بِالخَلايا

    وَحَوكِ الدَرعِ مِن وَبَرِ الفِصالِ

    Qufayra has indeed grown accustomed to milch camels,

    and weaving a tunic from the hair of weaned camel calves.

  22. تُطيفُ مُجاشِعٌ وَبَنو حُمَيسٍ

    بِقَينٍ بَينَ شَرِّ أَبٍ وَخالِ

    Mujashi' and the sons of Humays circle

    around a smith, between the worst father and maternal uncle.

  23. قُفَيرَةُ ساءَ ما كَسَبَت بَنيها

    وَليلى القَينِ قينِ بَني عِقالِ

    Qufayra—evil was what she earned her sons—

    and Layla of the smith, the smith of Banu 'Iqal.

  24. أَتَتهُمُ بِالفَرَزدَقِ أُمُّ سوءٍ

    لَدى حَوضِ الحِمارِ عَلى مِثالِ

    An evil mother brought them al-Farazdaq,

    beside the donkey's trough, upon a bed.

  25. سَيُخزيكَ الخَليفَةُ ثُمَّ تَخزى

    بِعِزَّةِ ذي التَكَرُّمِ وَالجَلالِ

    The caliph will disgrace you; then you will be disgraced

    by the might of the Lord of generosity and majesty.

  26. تَبَدَّل يا فَرَزدَقُ مِثلَ قَومي

    بِقَومِكَ إِن قَدَرتَ عَلى البِدالِ

    Get yourself, Farazdaq, a people like mine

    in exchange for yours, if you can make the exchange.

  27. فَإِن أَصبَحتَ تَطلُبُ ذاكَ فَاِنقُل

    شَماماً وَالمِقَرَّ إِلى وِعالِ

    And if you begin to seek that, then move

    Shamam and al-Miqarr to Wi'al.

  28. لِيَربوعٍ عَلى النَخَباتِ فَضلٌ

    كَتَفضيلِ اليَمينِ عَلى الشِمالِ

    Yarbu' surpasses the choicest,

    as the right hand is preferred to the left.

  29. وَيَربوعٌ تُذَبِّبُ عَن تَميمٍ

    وَيَقصُرَ دونَ غَلوِهِمُ المُغالي

    And Yarbu' defends Tamim,

    and the farthest shooter falls short of their range.

  30. وَنازَلنا المُلوكَ بِذاتِ كَهفٍ

    وَقَد خُضِبَت مِنَ العَلَقِ العَوالي

    And we fought the kings at Dhat Kahf,

    and the spearheads were already dyed with clotted blood.

  31. وَقَد ضَرَبَ اِبنَ كَبشَةَ إِذ لَحِقنا

    حُشَيشٌ حَيثُ تَفرُقُهُ الفَوالي

    And when we caught up, Ibn Kabsha was struck

    by Hushaysh, where the lice-pickers part his hair.

  32. مَكارِمُ لَستَ مُدرِكُهُنَّ حَتّى

    تُزيلُ الراسِياتِ مِنَ الجِبالِ

    Honors you cannot attain until

    you dislodge the firmly rooted mountains.

  33. خُذُوا كُحلاً وَمِجمَرَةً وَعِطراً

    فَلَستُم يا فَرَزدَقُ بِالرِجالِ

    Take kohl, an incense burner, and perfume,

    for you are not men, O Farazdaq.

  34. وَشُمّوا ريحَ عَيبَتِكُم فَلَستُم

    بِأَصحابِ العِناقِ وَلا النِزالِ

    And sniff the scent of your clothes chest, for you are not

    men of close grappling or combat.

  35. بَلاءُ بَني قَباقِبَ كانَ خِزياً

    وَعاراً كُلَّما ذُكِرَ التَبالي

    The showing of Banu Qabaqib was disgrace,

    and shame whenever feats of valor were recalled.

  36. صَفَقتُم لِلبُزاةِ حُبارِياتٍ

    فَأَخزى الخُنثَيَينِ مُنى الضَلالِ

    You flapped like female bustards before the falcons,

    so false hopes disgraced the two hermaphrodites.

  37. وَكُنتَ إِذا لَقيتَ بَني هِلالٍ

    وَكَعباً وَالفَوارِسَ مِن هِلالِ

    And whenever you met Banu Hilal,

    and Ka'b and the horsemen of Hilal,

  38. تُقَرقِرُ يا فَرَزدَقُ إِذ فَزِعتُم

    خَزيراً باتَ في أُدَرٍ ثِقالِ

    you gurgled, Farazdaq, when you took fright,

    like meat gruel left overnight in heavy, swollen scrotums.

  39. وَعَبسٌ بِالثَنيَّةِ يَومَ عَمروٍ

    سَقَوهُ ذَواعِفَ الأَسَلِ النِهالِ

    And 'Abs, at the pass on 'Amr's day,

    made him drink the deadly poison of blood-sated spears.

  40. وَمَعبِدُكُم دَعا عُدَسَ بنِ زَيدٍ

    فَأُسلِمَ لِلكُبولِ بِشَرِّ حالِ

    And your Ma'bad called on 'Udas ibn Zayd,

    so he was handed over to shackles in the worst plight.

  41. وَكُنتَ إِذا لَقيتَ بَني نُمَيرٍ

    لَقيتَ المَوتَ أَقتَمَ ذا ظِلالِ

    And whenever you met Banu Numayr,

    you met death, dark with dust and full of shadows.

  42. كَأَنَّكُمُ بِإِمعَزِ وارِداتٍ

    نَعامُ الصَيفِ زَفَّ مَعَ الرِئالِ

    As though, on Waridat's stony ground, you were

    summer ostriches rushing along with their chicks.

  43. فَأَرسِل في الضِئينَ مُجاشِعِيّاً

    أَزَبَّ المِنخَرَينِ أَبا رِخالِ

    So send a Mujashi'i among the sheep,

    hairy-nostrilled, a father of ewe-lambs.