Sol 6.1

  1. أَتارِكَةٌ تَدَلَّلَها قَطامِ

    وَضِنّاً بِالتَحِيَّةِ وَالكَلامِ

    Is Qatam abandoning her coyness,

    and her grudging of greetings and speech?

  2. فَإِن كانَ الدَلالَ فَلا تَلَجّي

    وَإِن كانَ الوَداعَ فَبِالسَلامِ

    If it is coyness, then do not persist;

    and if it is farewell, then depart in peace.

  3. فَلَو كانَت غَداةَ البَينِ مَنَّت

    وَقَد رَفَعوا الخُدورَ عَلى الخِيامِ

    If only she had shown favor on the morning of parting,

    when they had raised the curtains over the tents!

  4. صَفَحتُ بِنَظرَةٍ فَرَأَيتُ مِنها

    تُحَيتَ الخِدرِ واضِعَةَ القِرامِ

    I glanced aside and saw of her,

    just beneath the curtain, as she lowered the tapestry,

  5. تَرائِبَ يَستَضيءُ الحَليُ فيها

    كَجَمرِ النارِ بُذَّرَ بِالظَلامِ

    a bosom where the ornaments drew their light,

    like fire's embers scattered in the darkness.

  6. كَأَنَّ الشَذرَ وَالياقوتَ مِنها

    عَلى جَيداءَ فاتِرَةِ البُغامِ

    As though her gold beads and rubies

    lay on a long-necked doe with a faint call,

  7. خَلَت بِغَزالِها وَدَنا عَلَيها

    أَراكُ الجِزعِ أَسفَلَ مِن سَنامِ

    alone with her fawn, while close above her stood

    the valley-bend's arak trees, below Sanam.

  8. تَسَفُّ بَريرَهُ وَتَرودُ فيهِ

    إِلى دُبُرِ النَهارِ مِنَ البَشامِ

    She nibbles their berries and wanders among them

    until day's end, amid the balsam trees.

  9. كَأَنَّ مُشَعشَعاً مِن خَمرِ بُصرى

    نَمَتهُ البُختُ مَشدودَ الخِتامِ

    As though diluted wine from Busra,

    borne by Bactrian camels with its seal tightly bound—

  10. نَمَينَ قِلالَهُ مِن بَيتِ راسٍ

    إِلى لُقمانَ في سوقٍ مُقامِ

    they carried its jars from Bayt Ras

    to Luqman at an established market—

  11. إِذا فُضَّت خَواتِمُهُ عَلاهُ

    يَبيسُ القُمَّحانِ مِنَ المُدامِ

    when its seals were broken, was overlaid

    with dried froth from the aged wine,

  12. عَلى أَنيابِها بِغَريضِ مُزنٍ

    تَقَبَّلَهُ الجُباةُ مِنَ الغَمامِ

    lay on her canine teeth, mixed with fresh rainwater

    that water-collectors received from the clouds;

  13. فَأَضحَت في مَداهِنَ بارِداتٍ

    بِمُنطَلَقِ الجَنوبِ عَلى الجَهامِ

    then it lay in cool rock basins,

    where the south wind is loosed upon rainless clouds.

  14. تَلَذُّ لِطَعمِهِ وَتَخالُ فيهِ

    إِذا نَبَّهتَها بَعدَ المَنامِ

    You relish its taste and swagger with it

    when you wake her after sleep.

  15. فَدَعها عَنكَ إِذ شَطَّت نَواها

    وَلَجَّت مِن بُعادِكَ في غَرامِ

    So leave her aside, since her destination lies far away,

    and her separation from you persists in torment.

  16. وَلَكِن ما أَتاكَ عَنِ اِبنِ هِندٍ

    مِنَ الحَزمِ المُبَيَّنِ وَالتَمامِ

    But what has reached you about the son of Hind,

    of his manifest resolve and completeness—

  17. فِداءٌ ما تُقِلُّ النَعلُ مِنّي

    إِلى أَعلى الذُؤابَةِ لِلهُمامِ

    may all of me the sandal bears be a ransom,

    up to my highest lock of hair, for the valiant lord—

  18. وَمَغزاهُ قَبائِلَ غائِظاتٍ

    عَلى الذِهيَوطِ في لَجِبٍ لَهامِ

    and his campaign against hostile tribes,

    on al-Dhihyawt, amid a roaring, devouring host.

  19. يُقَدنَ مَعَ اِمرِئٍ يَدَعُ الهُوَينا

    وَيَعمِدُ لِلمُهِمّاتِ العِظامِ

    They are led beside a man who forsakes leisurely ease

    and turns to mighty undertakings.

  20. أُعينَ عَلى العَدوِّ بِكُلِّ طِرفٍ

    وَسَلهَبَةٍ تُجَلَّلُ في السِمامِ

    He was aided against the enemy by every noble steed,

    and long-limbed mare cloaked in deadly arms,

  21. وَأَسمَرَ مارِنٍ يَلتاحُ فيهِ

    سِنانٌ مِثلُ نِبراسِ النِهامِ

    and pliant brown shaft on which flashed

    a spearhead like a monk's lamp.

  22. وَأَنبَأَهُ المُنَبِّئُ أَنَّ حَيّاً

    حُلولاً مِن حَرامٍ أَو جُذامِ

    An informant told him that a tribe

    of Haram or Judham was encamped,

  23. وَأَنَّ القَومَ نَصرُهُمُ جَميعٌ

    فِئامٌ مُجلِبونَ إِلى فِئامِ

    and that the tribesmen's supporters were all assembled,

    bands clamoring to join other bands.

  24. فَأَورَدَهُنَّ بَطنَ الأَتمِ شُعثاً

    يَصُنَّ المَشيَ كَالحِدَءِ التُؤامِ

    So he brought them, disheveled, into al-Atm's hollow,

    sparing their steps, like paired kites,

  25. عَلى إِثرِ الأَدِلَّةِ وَالبَغايا

    وَخَفقِ الناجِياتِ مِنَ الشَآمِ

    on the trail of guides and scouts

    and the pounding of swift she-camels from al-Sham.

  26. فَباتوا ساكِنينَ وَباتَ يَسري

    يُقَرِّبُهُم لَهُ لَيلُ التِمامِ

    They spent the night at rest, while he marched by night;

    the full-length night brought them nearer to him.

  27. فَصَبَّحَهُم بِها صَهباءَ صِرفاً

    كَأَنَّ رُؤوسَهُم بَيضُ النَعامِ

    At dawn he assailed them with the steeds: tawny wine, unmixed,

    as though their heads were ostrich eggs.

  28. فَذاقَ المَوتُ مَن بَرَكَت عَلَيهِ

    وَبِالناجينَ أَظفارٌ دَوامِ

    Then those upon whom it knelt tasted death,

    and bloodied claws clung to those who escaped.

  29. وَهُنَّ كَأَنَّهُنَّ نِعاجُ رَملٍ

    يُسَوّينَ الذُيولَ عَلى الخِدامِ

    And they seemed like does of the sands,

    straightening their trailing hems over their anklets.

  30. يُوَصّينَ الرُواةَ إِذا أَلَمّوا

    بِشُعثٍ مُكرَهينَ عَلى الفِطامِ

    They charged the water-carriers, whenever they came near,

    to tend unkempt little ones forced to be weaned.

  31. وَأَضحى ساطِعاً بِجِبالِ حِمسى

    دُقاقُ التُربِ مُختَزِمُ القَتامِ

    And by morning there towered over the hills of Himsa

    fine earth, tightly gathered into a dark haze.

  32. فَهَمَّ الطالِبونَ لِيُدرِكوهُ

    وَما راموا بِذَلِكَ مِن مَرامِ

    The seekers resolved to reach him—

    and what a goal they sought in that!

  33. إِلى صَعبِ المَقادَةِ ذي شَريسٍ

    نَماهُ في فُروعِ المَجدِ نامِ

    Toward one hard to lead, fierce of temper,

    whom a nurturer raised into glory's lofty branches:

  34. أَبوهُ قَبلَهُ وَأَبو أَبيهِ

    بَنَوا مَجدَ الحَياةِ عَلى إِمامِ

    his father before him, and his father's father,

    built the glory of life upon an exemplar.

  35. فَدَوَّختَ العِراقَ فَكُلُّ قَصرٍ

    يُجَلَّلُ خَندَقٌ مِنهُ وَحامِ

    Thus you subdued Iraq, and every fortress

    has its moat and defender engulfed.

  36. وَما تَنفَكُّ مَحلولاً عُراها

    عَلى مُتَناذِرِ الأَكلاءِ طامِ

    And you never cease—with its bonds loosened—

    to surge over the pastures men warn each other against.