Poems
- أبعد عثمان ترجو الخير أمتهAfter Uthman, does his community hope for good?
- أتته المنايا حين تم تمامهDeath came to him when he had attained perfection.
- أحجاج إن الله أعطاك غايةO Hajjaj, God has granted you a height
- أذلك أم كدرية هاج وردهاIs it that, or a dusky sandgrouse whose journey to water was stirred
- أريقت جفان ابن الخليع فأصبحتIbn al-Khaliʿ’s great bowls were emptied; now
- أقسمت أرثي بعد توبة هالكاI swore to lament no dead man after Tawba,
- ألا حييا ليلى وقولا لها هلاCome, you two, greet Layla and say to her, 'Whoa!'
- ألا كل ما قال الرواة وأنشدواLo, all that the transmitters said and recited
- ألا ليت شعري والخطوب كثيرةAh, if only I knew—though calamities are many—
- ألا يا ليل أخت بني عقيلAh, O Layla, sister of the Banū ʿUqayl,
- إن كنت تبغي أبا بكر فإنهمIf you seek Abu Bakr, then they
- أنابغ لم تنبغ ولم تك أولاO Nabigha, you never rose to distinction, nor were you first;
- أنيخت لدى باب ابن مروان ناقتيMy she-camel was made to kneel at Ibn Marwan's gate
- أيا عين بكي توبة بن حميرO eye, weep for Tawba son of Humayyir,
- أيذهب ريعان الشباب ولم أزرWill the bloom of youth pass away before I have visited
- بعيد الثرى لا يبلغ القوم قعرهDeep as the earth—the people cannot reach his depths.
- تأوبني بعارمة الهمومSorrows revisited me by night at ʿĀrimah,
- تحوط العشيرة أفعالهHis deeds protect the clan,
- تخلى عن أبي حرب فولىHe deserted Abū Ḥarb and turned to flee—
- تشافي رواياهم هبالة بعدماHubālah draws level with their water-camels, after
- جزى الله خيرا والجزاء بكفهMay God reward with good—and recompense is in His palm—
- جزى الله شرا قابضا بصنيعهMay God repay Qabid with evil for his deed.
- حجاج أنت الذي ما فوقه أحدHajjaj, you are the one above whom there is none
- حداك الحين أن غالبت ملكاDoom drove you to challenge a king,
- حذاء مدبرة سكاء مقبلةShort-tailed as she turns away, earless as she approaches;
- حمامة بطن الواديين ترنميDove of the hollow of the two valleys, sing!
- دعا قابضا والموت يخفق ظلهHe called Qabid as death's shadow fluttered.
- دعاك فلا من أنفس القوم أنتمHe called you; so you are not among the noblest of the people,
- رموها بأثواب خفاف فلا ترىThey cast light garments upon her, so you see no
- سأغلب والسماء ومن بناهاI shall surpass, by heaven and the One who built it,
- ستحملني ورحلي ذات وخدA swift-striding she-camel will carry me and my saddle,
- شم العرانين أسماط نعالهمHigh-nosed, their sandals are single-soled;
- طربت وما هذا بساعة مطربI was stirred with longing, though this is no hour for rejoicing,
- عفا الله عنها هل أبيتن ليلةMay God pardon her! Shall I ever spend a night
- عقرت على أنصاب توبة مقرماI slaughtered a prized breeding camel at Tawba’s grave markers,
- غضوب للمهامه ذات لوثFierce against the desert wastes, endowed with strength,
- فتى لم يزل يزداد خيرا لدن نشاA youth who did not cease to increase in goodness since he was a baby
- فلله قوم غادروا ابن حميرGod! Those men left Ibn Humayyir
- فنعم فتى الدنيا لئن كان فاجراWhat a fine young man of this world, even if he was sinful;
- كأن فتى الفتيان توبة لم يرضAs though Tawba, the finest of young men, had never tamed
- كأنك ليلى بغلة تدمريةYou, Layla, are like a Palmyrene mule
- كريم يغض الطرف فضل حيائهA noble man—the fullness of his modesty lowers his gaze;
- كم هاتف بك من باك وباكيةHow many a weeping man and woman cries out for you:
- كما انصلتت كدراء تسقي فراخهاAs a dusky sandgrouse darted off to water her chicks,
- لتبك العذارى من خفاجة كلهاLet all the maidens of Khafaja weep,
- لتبك العذارى من خفاجة نسوةLet the maiden women of Khafāja weep
- لتسقي زغبا بالتنوفة لم يكنTo water downy chicks in the wilderness, who had
- لعمرك ما الهجران أن تشحط النوىBy your life, separation is not when distance stretches far;
- لعمرك ما بالموت عار على الفتىBy your life, death is no disgrace to a young man,
- لما تخايلت الحمول حسبتهاWhen the laden camels loomed, I thought them
- لنعم الفتى يا توب كنت إذا التقتTruly a fine young man you were, O Tawb, when there clashed
- لو توبة يلقاهموIf Tawba were to meet them,
- معاذ إلهي كان والله سيداI seek refuge in my God! By God, he was a chief,
- معاوي لم أكد آتيك تهويO Muʿāwiya, I barely managed to reach you, as she sped
- مهفهف الكشح والسربال منخرقSlender-flanked, with his outer garment torn,
- نأتك بليل دارها ما تزورهاHer dwelling grew distant from you by night; you do not visit it.
- نحن الأخايل ما يزال غلامناWe are the Akhayil; our young man remains
- نحن الذين صبحوا الصباحاWe are those who raided al-Sabbah at dawn,
- نحن منعنا بين أسفل ناعتWe defended the stretch from the lower reaches of Nāʿit
- نظرت ودوني من عماية منكبI gazed, with a shoulder of ʿAmāyah lying before me,
- نظرت وركن من ذقانين دونهI looked; a spur of Dhiqanayn lay beyond
- هراقت بنو عوف دما غير واحدBanū ʿAwf have shed the blood of more than one man;
- هلا سألت بيومي رحرحان وقدWhy did you not ask about the two days of Rahrahan, when
- وذي حاجة قلنا له لا تبح بهاAnd to one with a desire we said: Do not reveal it;
- وعنه عفا ربي وأحسن حفظهAnd may my Lord pardon him and guard him well.
- وقائلة والنعش قد فات خطوهاAnd a woman said—the bier had outstripped her steps
- ولم يغد قبل الصبح طيان بطنهAnd his belly did not bloat before dawn
- يا عين بكي بدمع دائم السجمO eye, weep with tears that flow unceasingly.
- يرد المياه حضيرة ونفيضةHe reaches the watering places with a small band and a scouting party,
- يشبهون ملوكا في تجلتهمThey are likened to kings in their majestic bearing,
- يقول رجال لا يضرك نأيهاMen say, “Her distance does not harm you.”
No poems found.