ألا أبلغ بني عوف بن كعب — Jarwal Ibn Aws

أَلا أَبلِغ بَني عَوفِ بنِ كَعبِ

وَهَل قَومٌ عَلى خُلُقٍ سَواءُ

Listen! Convey this to the sons of Awf ibn Ka'b—

and are a people's characters all alike?—

عُطارِدَها وَبَهدَلَةَ بنَ عَوفٍ

فَهَل يَشفي صُدورَكُمُ الشِفاءُ

to their Utarid and Bahdala ibn Awf:

will a cure, then, heal your hearts?

أَلَم أَكُ نائِياً فَدَعَوتُموني

فَجاءَ بِيَ المَواعِدُ وَالدُعاءُ

Was I not far away, until you summoned me?

Then the promises and the invitation brought me.

أَلَم أَكُ جارَكُم فَتَرَكتُموني

لِكَلبي في دِيارِكُمُ عُواءُ

Was I not your neighbor, yet you abandoned me,

while my dog howled in your dwellings?

وَآنَيتُ العَشاءَ إِلى سُهَيلٍ

أَوِ الشِعرى فَطالَ بِيَ العَشاءُ

And I delayed supper until Suhayl appeared,

or Sirius; supper was long delayed for me.

وَلَمّا كُنتُ جارَكُمُ أَبَيتُم

وَشَرُّ مَواطِنِ الحَسَبِ الإِباءُ

And when I was your neighbor, you refused me,

and refusal is the worst stance in matters of honor.

وَلَمّا كُنتُ جارَهُمُ حَبَوني

وَفيكُم كانَ لَو شِئتُم حِباءُ

And when I was their neighbor, they gave me gifts;

you too had gifts to give, had you wished.

وَلَمّا أَن مَدَحتُ القَومَ قُلتُم

هَجَوتَ وَما يَحِلُّ لَكَ الهِجاءُ

And when I praised those people, you said,

'You have lampooned us, though satire is forbidden you.'

أَلَم أَكُ مُحرِماً وَيَكونَ بَيني

وَبَينَكُمُ المَوَدَّةُ وَالإِخاءُ

Was I not under protection, and should there not be between me

and you affection and brotherhood?

فَلَم أَشتُم لَكُم حَسَباً وَلَكِن

حَدَوتُ بِحَيثُ يُستَمَعُ الحُداءُ

I did not insult your ancestral honor, but

sang where the camel-driver's song is heeded.

فَلا وَأَبيكَ ما ظَلَمَت قُرَيعٌ

بِأَن يَبنوا المَكارِمَ حَيثُ شاؤوا

No, by your father, Quray' did no wrong

in building noble deeds wherever they pleased.

فَلا وَأَبيكَ ما ظَلَمَت قُرَيعٌ

وَلا بَرِموا لِذاكَ وَلا أَساؤوا

No, by your father, Quray' did no wrong,

nor did they weary of that or act amiss,

بِعَثرَةِ جارِهِم أَن يَجبَروها

فَيَغبُرَ حَولَهُ نَعَمٌ وَشاءُ

in repairing their neighbor's stumble,

so that camels and sheep might remain around him,

فَيَبني مَجدَها وَيُقيمَ فيها

وَيُمشي إِن أُريدَ بِهِ المَشاءُ

and he might build their glory and dwell among them,

and gain more livestock, if such increase is wished for him.

وَإِنَّ الجارَ مِثلُ الضَيفِ يَغدو

لِوِجهَتِهِ وَإِن طالَ الثَواءُ

For a neighbor, like a guest, sets out

for his destination, however long his stay.

وَإِنّي قَد عَلِقتُ بِحَبلِ قَومٍ

أَعانَهُمُ عَلى الحَسَبِ الثَراءُ

And I have grasped the rope of a people

whose wealth has helped them uphold their honor.

هُمُ المُتَضَمِّنونَ عَلى المَنايا

بِمالِ الجارِ ذَلِكُمُ الوَفاءُ

They stand surety, against the strokes of death,

for a neighbor's wealth: that is fidelity.

هُمُ الآسونَ أُمَّ الرَأسِ لَمّا

تَواكَلَها الأَطِبَّةُ وَالإِساءُ

They heal the head's very core when

doctors and healers leave it to one another.

هُمُ القَومُ الَّذينَ إِذا أَلَمَّت

مِنَ الأَيّامِ مُظلِمَةٌ أَضاؤوا

They are the people who, when there comes

a dark calamity from time, bring light.

هُمُ القَومُ الَّذينَ عَلِمتُموهُم

لَدى الداعي إِذا رُفِعَ اللِواءُ

They are the people whom you have known

beside the caller when the banner is raised.

إِذا نَزَلَ الشِتاءُ بِدارِ قَومٍ

تَجَنَّبَ دارَ بَيتِهِمُ الشِتاءُ

When winter descends upon a people's dwelling,

winter shuns the dwelling of their household.

فَأَبقوا لا أَبا لَكُمُ عَلَيهِم

فَإِنَّ مَلامَةَ المَولى شَقاءُ

So spare them—may you have no father!—

for reproaching a kinsman is misery.

فَإِنَّ أَباهُمُ الأَدنى أَبوكُم

وَإِنَّ صُدورَهُم لَكُمُ بُراءُ

For their nearest forefather is your father,

and their hearts bear no ill will toward you.

وَإِنَّ سُعاتَهُم لَكُمُ سُعاةٌ

وَإِنَّ نَمائَهُم لَكُمُ نَماءُ

And those who strive for them strive for you;

and their increase is an increase for you;

وَإِنَّ سَنائَهُم لَكُمُ سَناءٌ

وَإِنَّ وَفائَهُم لَكُمُ وَفاءُ

and their splendor is splendor for you;

and their loyalty is loyalty for you.

وَإِنَّ بَلائَهُم ما قَد عَلِمتُم

عَلى الأَيّامِ إِن نَفَعَ البَلاءُ

And their proven valor is what you have already known

through the days, if valor is of use.

وَثَغرٍ لا يُقامُ بِهِ كَفَوكُم

وَلَم يَكُ دونَهُم فيكُم كِفاءُ

And a frontier where none could hold out—they secured it for you,

and among you there was no defense apart from them,

بِجُمهورٍ يَحارُ الطَرفُ فيهِ

يَظَلُّ مُعَضِّلاً مِنهُ الفَضاءُ

with a mighty host in which the gaze is bewildered,

that leaves the open plain choked by its mass.

وَلَمّا أَن دَعَوتُ لَهُ بَغيضاً

أَتاني حينَ أَسمَعَهُ الدُعاءُ

And when I called Baghid to it,

he came to me as soon as the summons reached his ears.

فَضَلتَ بِخَصلَتَينِ عَلى رِجالٍ

وَرِثتَهُما كَما وُرِثَ الوَلاءُ

You surpassed men through two qualities,

which you inherited as allegiance is inherited.

فَجُدتَ بِنائِلٍ سَبِطٍ جَزيلٍ

تُخالِطُهُ الحَفيظَةُ وَالحَياءُ

So you gave freely with flowing, ample bounty,

mingled with protective zeal and modesty.

فَأَمضى مِن سِنانٍ أَثرَبيٍّ

طَعَنتَ بِهِ إِذا كُرِهَ المَضاءُ

Keener, then, than an Athrabi spearhead

with which you thrust when advancing is dreaded.

إِذا بَهَشَت يَداهُ إِلى كَمِيٍّ

فَلَيسَ لَهُ وَإِن زُجِرَ اِنتِهاءُ

When his hands reach eagerly toward an armored warrior,

he will not stop, even if rebuked.

وَقَد قالَت أُمامَةُ هَل تَعَزّى

فَقُلتُ أُمامَ قَد غُلِبَ العَزاءُ

And Umama said, 'Will you take comfort?'

I said, 'Umam, consolation has been defeated.'

إِذا ما العَينُ فاضَ الدَمعُ مِنها

أَقولُ بِها قَذىً وَهُوَ البُكاءُ

When tears overflow from the eye,

I say, 'A mote is in it'—but it is weeping.

إِذا ما المَرءُ باتَ عَلَيهِ وَكفٌ

مِنَ الحِدثانِ لَيسَ لَهُ كِفاءُ

When a man spends the night with a leak above him

from time's calamities, with no shelter,

لَعَمرُكَ ما رَأَيتُ المَرءَ تَبقى

طَريقَتُهُ وَإِن طالَ البَقاءُ

by your life, I have never seen a man whose

way endures, however long he lives,

عَلى رَيبِ المَنونِ تَداوَلَتهُ

فَأَفنَتهُ وَلَيسَ لَها فَناءُ

against fate's vagaries, which have beset him in turn,

then consumed him, though they never perish.

إِذا ذَهَبَ الشَبابُ فَبانَ مِنهُ

فَلَيسَ لِما مَضى مِنهُ لِقاءُ

When youth departs and parts from him,

there is no reunion with what has gone from him.

يَصَبُّ إِلى الحَياةِ وَيَشتَهيها

وَفي طولِ الحَياةِ لَهُ عَناءُ

He yearns for life and desires it,

yet in long life there is suffering for him.

فَمِنها أَن يُقادَ بِهِ بَعيرٌ

ذَلولٌ حينَ تَهتَرِشُ الضِراءُ

One of its burdens is that a camel is led with him aboard,

a docile one, while the fierce beasts fight.

وَمِنها أَن يَنوءَ عَلى يَدَيهِ

وَيَنهَضَ في تَراقيهِ اِنحِناءُ

Another is that he struggles up upon his hands,

and rises with a bend about his collarbones.

وَيَأخُذُهُ الهِداجُ إِذا هَداهُ

وَليدُ الحَيِّ في يَدِهِ الرِداءُ

And a tottering gait seizes him when he is guided

by a child of the tribe, the cloak in his hand.

وَيَنظُرُ حَولَهُ فَيَرى بَنيهِ

حِواءً مِن وَرائِهِمِ حِواءُ

And he looks around him and sees his sons,

one encampment, with another encampment behind them.

وَيَحلِفُ حَلفَةً لِبَني بَنيهِ

لَأَمسَوا مُعطِشينَ وَهُم رِواءُ

And he swears an oath to his sons' sons

that they have reached evening thirsty, though they have drunk their fill.

وَيَأمُرُ بِالجِمالِ فَلا تُعَشّى

إِذا أَمسى وَإِن قَرُبَ العَشاءُ

And he orders that the camels not be given evening grazing

when he reaches evening, though feeding time is near.

إِذا كانَ الشِتاءُ فَأَدفِؤوني

فَإِنَّ الشَيخَ يَهدِمُهُ الشِتاءُ

'When winter comes, keep me warm,

for winter breaks the old man down;

وَأَمّا حينَ يَذهَبُ كُلُّ قَرٍّ

فَسِربالٌ خَفيفٌ أَو رِداءُ

but when all cold has gone,

then a light tunic or a cloak will do.'

تَقولُ لَهُ الظَعينَةُ أَغنِ عَنّي

بَعيرَكَ حينَ لَيسَ بِهِ غَناءُ

The woman in the howdah says to him, 'Keep away from me

your camel,' when it is of no use.