أَبلِغ خَليلي عَبدَ هِندٍ فَلاَ

زِلتَ قَريباً مِن سَوادِ الخُصُوص

Tell my friend Abd al-Hind, though you are not very far

From the village of Khusus, running parallel

مُوازِيَ الفُورَةِ أو دُونَها

غيرُ بَعيدٍ مِن عُمَيرِ اللُّصُوص

To al-Furah or a little less,

Not so far from the abode of thieves,

تُجنَى لكَ الكَمأَةث ربِعِيَّةً

بِالخَبِّ تَندَى في أُصُولِ القَصيص

Where you can pluck ripe fruit whenever you wish

And drink fermented sap from the trunks of the Qasils trees,

تَقنصُكَ الَخيلُ ويَصطادُكَ ال

طَّيرُ ولا تُنكَعُ لَهوَ القَنيص

Hunted by horses and trapped by birds,

Never bored by the pleasures of the hunt.

تَأكُلُ ما شِئتَ وتَعتَلُّها

حَمراءَ مِن خُصٍّ كَلَونِ الفُصُوص

Eat what you want and drink it too

As red as the skins of foxes.

غُيِّبتَ عَنِّي عَبدُ في ساعَةِ الشَّ

رِّ وجُنِّبتَ ذَواتَ العَويص

When troubles come, Abd disappears

And avoids the thorns.

لا تَنسَيَن ذِكري على لَذَّةِ ال

كأسِ وطَوفٍ بالخَذوفِالنَّحوص

Do not let the joy of the wine cup

And the girls with anklets make you forget me.

إنَّكَ ذُو عَهدٍ وذُو مَصدَقٍ

مُجانِبٌ هَديَ الكَذُوبِ اللَّموص

You are true to your word

And avoid the lies of smooth-tongued deceivers.

يا عَبدُ هَل تَذكُرُني ساعَةً

في مَوكبٍ أو رائداً للقَنيص

Abd, do you remember me sometimes

When with a group on an expedition or raid?

يَوماً مَعَ الرَّكبِ إذا أَوضَعُوا

نَرفَعُ فيهم مِن نَجَاءِ القَلُوص

When they dismount to rest, I call out greetings

That rise above the din.

قَد يُدرِكُ الُمبطئُ مشن حَظِّهِ

والخَيرُ قد يَسبِقُ جُهدَ الَحريص

The laggard may still get his share of luck,

And earnest toil does not guarantee success.

فلا يَزَل صَدرُك في ريَبةٍ

تذكُرُ منِّي تَلفَي أو خَلُوص

So do not always doubt me—

I have not abandoned or forgotten you.

يا نَفسُ إبقي واتَّقي شَتمَ ذي ال

أَعراضِ إنَّ الحِلمَ ما إن يَنُوص

Curb your soul, do not abuse

Men of pride—patience seldom lasts forever.

يا لَيتَ شِعري وأَنَا ذُو غِنىً

مَتَى أَرَى شَرباً حَوالي أَصِيص

Would that I knew, rich as I am,

When I’ll see a cup pass round a small party.

بَيتَ جُلُوفٍ بارِدٌ ظِلُّهُ

فيهِ ظِباءٌ ودَواخِيلُ خُوص

A cool room, its shade filled

With mountain cows and wild pigs.

وَالرَّبَربُ الَمكفُوفُ أَردانُهُ

يَمشي رُوَيداً كَتَوَقِّي الرَّهيص

The blind watchman with his stick

Walks around slowly, pacing himself.

يَنفَحُ مِن أَردانِه المِسكُ وال

عَنبَرُ والغَارُ وَلبنَى قَفُوص

The scent of musk, ambergris, aloes wood

Comes from his armpits, he needs no perfume.

والمُشرِفُ الَمشمُولُ يُسقَى بِهِ

أَخضَرَ مَطموثاً كَمَاءِ الَخريص

The drunken cupbearer is given to drink

The freshest greenest wine.

ذَلكَ خَيرٌ مِن فُيوجٍ عَلَى ال

بَابِ وَقَيدَينِ وَغِلٍّ قَرُوص

Better than the shackles by the door

And two chains round the feet.

ومُرتَقَى نِيقٍ عَلَى نَقنَقٍ

أَدبَرَ عَودٍ في إكَافٍ قَمُوص

The braying of a donkey mounting a she-donkey,

Turning away on a Friday at a loom.

لا يُثمِنُ البَيعَ ولا يَحمِلُ ال

رِّدفَ ولا يُعطي بهِ قَلبَ خُوص

It thinks nothing of selling or loading,

Or making a saddened heart happy.

أو مِن نُسُورٍ حَولَ مَوتَى مَعاً

يَأكلُنَ لَحماً مِن طَرِيِّ الفريض

Or vultures gathered around dead men together

Feeding on pieces of scattered corpses.