لَم أَرَ كالفِتيانِ في غَبَنِ ال
أيَّامِ يَنسَونَ ما عَواقبُهَا
I have not seen the likes of youth in the days of ignorance
Forgetting what its consequences would be
ما يَغفَلُوا لَم يكُن لهم يَتَمٌ
في كلِّ صَرفٍ تِسعَى مآربُهِا
Had they not been heedless they would not have become orphans
In every condition, its purposes move about
يَروَنَ إخوانَهُم ومَصرَعَهمُ
وكيفَ تَغتالُهُم مَخالِبُها
They see their brothers and their place of death
And how its claws take them by surprise
ماذا تُرَجِّي النُّفوسُ مِن طَلَبِ ال
خَيرِ وحُبُّ الَحياةِ كاذِبُها
What do souls hope for from seeking good
And the love of life deceives them
تَظُنُّ أن لَن يُصِيبَها عَنَتُ ال
دَّهرِ ورَيبُ الَمنُونِ كارِبُها
It thinks that the tyranny of fate will not afflict it
And the mishap of death will miss it
ما بعدَ صَنعاءَ كانَ يَعمُرُها
ساداُ مُلكٍ جَزلٌ مَواهِبُها
After Sana'a, which was inhabited
By mighty kings, abundant were their gifts
يَرفَعُها مَن بَنى لَدَى قَزَعِ
الُمزنِ وتَندَى مِسكاً مَحارِبُها
He who built it at the foot of al-Muzna
And its knights would ride forth perfumed
مَحفوفَةٌ بِالجبَالِ دونض عُرضى ال
كَيدِ فيها تَرقَى غَواربُها
Surrounded by mountains, difficult for the enemy to access
In it, their caravans ascend
يَأنَسُ فيها صَوتُ النُّهَامِ إذا
جاوَبَها بالعَشِيِّ قاصِبُها
The voice of the ostrich can be heard answering
When the night bird calls out to it
ساقَت إليها الأسبابُ جُند بني ال
أحرارِ فُرسانُها مَواكِبُها
Circumstances brought to it the army of the noble free men
Its horsemen were its processions
وفَوَّزت بالبغالِ تُوسَقُ بال
حَتفِ وتَسعَى بها تَوالِبُها
And it prevailed with camels taken as war booty
Killed with the sword as their necks were sought
حتىَّ رآها الأقوالُ مِن طَرَف ال
منِقَلِ مُخضرَّةٌ كَتائِبهُا
Until the emigrant saw it from afar
Green were its battalions
يومَ يَقولُونَ يالَ بَربَرَ وأل
يَكسُوَم لا يَفلِتنَ هارِبُها
The day they said, O to the Berber! May their fugitive not escape!
And it was a day, the rest are tales
وكانَ يوماً باقي الحديثِ وزا
لَت إمَّةٌ ثابِتُ مَراتُبها
And a nation passed whose steps were firm
And neighing was replaced with the sound of bells
وبُدِّلَ الفَيحُ بالزُّرافَةِ وأل
أيَّامُ خُونٌ جَمٌّ عَجائُبها
And days of betrayal, amazing are their wonders
After the Tubba, contented were their abodes
بعدَ بني تُبَّعٍ نَخَاورةَ
قَدِ أطَمأَنًّت بهِم مَرازِبُها
And Hadhar was hit with an affliction
From a gap with strong pillars
والَحضرُ صابَت عليهِ آسَيةٌ
من ثُغرَةٍ أَيِّدٍ مَناكبُها
A maiden who did not awaken her father
Out of love for him when her watcher was absent
رَبيبَةٌ لَم تُوَقِّ والدَها
لِحُبِّها إذ يُضاعُ راقبُها
Love blinded her for what she did
When he slept unaware of her wrongdoing
أَجَشمَها حُبُّها لِمَا فَعَلَت
إذ نامَ عنها لِلغَيِّ حاجِبُها
She seduced him with red wine
While he was shy and intoxicated by its drinking
إذ غَبَّقَتهُ حَمراَء صافَيةَ
وألخَمرَ وَهلٌ يهيمُ شارِبُها
And she handed over her lord in the night
Thinking the leader was her suitor
وأَسلَمَت رَبَّها بِلَيلَتِها
تَظُنُّ أنَّ الرَّئيسَ خاطِبُها
So the lot of the bride was, when dawn gleamed
Her blood flowing in streams
فكانَ حَظُّ العَروسِ إذ بَرقَ أل
صُّبحُ دِماءً تَجري سَبائبُها
And Hadhar was ruined and violated
And burned within its walls were its dwellings
وحُوِّرَ الَحضرُ وأستُبيحَ وقَد
أُحرِقَ في خِدرِها مَشاجبُها
Nothing remained but the fallen leaves of grapevines
And dunes roaring with their peaks
لَم يَبقَ فيه إلاَّ مَراوِحُ طا
ياتٍ وَبُورٌ تَضغُو ثَعالِبُها
And I was not unaware of the events and days
What they would bring if their lover wished
ولم أَكُن أَجهَلُ ألَحوادثَ وأل
أيَّامَ ما أن يَعِفَّ راغِبُها
My share of beauty would be that I not take
A path of wantonness, its gains inauspicious
يكونُ حَظِّي مِنَ ألَجمَالِ فلا
أَغشَى سبيلاً وَعراً مكاسِبُها
I befriend prudence with good implied
While some turn away from it
وآلفُ ألخُطَّةَ ألُضمَّنَةَ أل
خَيرِ إذ بَعُضُهم مُجانِبُها
And I seek noble manners with strength
When its seeker is guided
وأَطلُبُ ألُخطَّةَ النَّبيلَةَ بال
قُوَّةِ إذ يُستَهَدُّ طالبُها
O Lord of a people I did favors for
But am I today their molder?
يا رُبَّ قَومٍ أَبلَيتُهُم نِعَماً
فَهَل أَنَا أليَومَ عَمُرو قالِبُها
They did not advise when her visitor
Sought to find fault, while my heart argues with it
ما نَصَحُوا إذ يَرُومُ رائمُها
رَيبَتَهُ والفُؤادُ هايِبهُا
The fetters of imprisonment prevent me
From strife, and life remains for me to blame it
تَمنَعُني أُربَةُ الوِثَاقِ مِنَ ال
جُهدِ وبُقيَا نَفسٍ أُعاتُبِها
