يا صاحِ هذا العَجَبُ
لِكُلِّ أَمرٍ سَبَبُ
O friend, such wonder this is
For everything has a cause
أَهلُ سُلَيمى غَضِبُوا
فِيمَ تَراهُم عَتَبُوا
The people of Suleima were angry
Why were they offended?
لَم نَأتِ سُخطاً لَهُمُ
وَلا لَدَينا قُصِبُوا
We brought them no displeasure
Nor did we backbite them
قَد بَعَثُوا رَسُولُهم
فَنَقَّبُوا وَطَلَبُوا
They sent their messenger
Who searched and sought
كَي يَجِدُوا ذَنباً لَنا
وَكُلَّ أَرضٍ ضَرَبُوا
That they might find fault with us
And every land they struck
ما تَسكُنُ العُجمُ وَما
تَسكُنُ فيهِ العَرَبُ
Neither non-Arabs are appeased
Nor in it are Arabs appeased
وَإِنَّما صرمي لِغَي
ظِي وَبُعادِي قَرَّبُوا
But rather my separation and remoteness
They brought near
إِذ رَكِبُوا فيما أُرى
مِن حالِهِم ما رَكِبُوا
When they rode, as I see
The state in which they rode
ما زالَ واشٍ مَعَهُم
يَكذِبُ حَتّى اِنشَعَبُوا
The slanderer did not stop with them
Lying until they were exhausted
عُلَيُّ قَد يَشعَبُ ذا
الوَجدِ المُحِبِّ الكَذِبُ
Ulayy who often lies
With ardor, love and lies
يا لَيتَ أَهلِينا طَرِي
قاً لَم يَكُونوا اِصطَحَبُوا
Oh would that our people had taken
A path that they did not accompany
إِذ وَرَّثُوني كَمَداً
فَالقَلبُ مِنّي يَضرِبُ
When they left me anxious
My heart within me throbs
بَل لَيتَ شِعري وَالفَتى
لِحينِهِ مُجتَلَبُ
Rather would that I knew, by the youth
In his time made uneasy
هَل يَقتُلُ المَرءَ رَخِي
مٌ دَلُّهُ مُختَضِبُ
Can slackness kill a man?
His guide misguided, drunk
رَحصٌ غَضِيضُ الطَرفِ لا
تُكشَفُ عَنهُ الحُجُبُ
Remote, frowning, eyes unveiled
By her no veils removed
كَالغُصنِ أَعلاهُ وَرا
بٍ ما تُوارى النُقُبُ
Like a branch, above a
Thicket, peaks not concealed
يُديرُ عَيني جُؤذَرٍ
يَحنُو عَلَيهِ رَبرَبُ
She turns the eyes of Ju'dhir
Who inclines toward her, fluttering
جِيدُ غَزالٍ جِيدُهُ
وَالثَغرُ مِنهُ أَشنَبُ
The neck of a tender gazelle, her neck
And from it the lips protrude
كَأَنَّما رِيقَتُهُ
مِسكٌ عَلَيهِ ضَرَبُ
As though her saliva were
Musk, poured upon it
شِيبَ بِهِ مِن قُنَّةٍ
ماءٌ زلالٌ قَعِبُ
Gray hair aged her, from a
Flask, pure, flowing water
أَسجَرُ قَد باتَ عَلَي
هِ مِن سَحابٍ ضَرِبُ
Asjar, who spent the night with
Clouds striking upon him
لَم تَرَهُ الشَمسُ وَلَم
يَعتِك عَلَيهِ الطُحلَبُ
The sun did not see him, nor
Did lichen cling to him
لَهُ مَعَ النَعتِ الَّذي
أَنعَتُ لَونٌ مُشرَبُ
He has, along with the description
I described, a colored infusion
كَوَرَقِ المَصحَفِ قَد
أُجرى عَلَيهِ الذَهَبُ
Like the pages of scripture
Upon which gold was made to flow
