لَقَد واصَلتُ سَلمى في لَيالٍ

وَأَيّامٍ وَعَيشٍ غَيرِ عَشِّ

I associated with Salma during nights,

Days, and a life unlike any other,

لَقَد هازَلتُها في يَومِ دَجنٍ

عَلى عُتُقٍ مِنَ الديباجِ فُرشِ

I jested with her one gloomy day,

On a rug made of brocade beautifully laid out,

كَأَنَّ مُدامَةً وَرُضابَ مِسكٍ

وَكافوراً ذَكِيّاً لَم يَغَشِّ

As if spikenard oil and pleasing musk,

And camphor, pure and unadulterated,

تُعَلُّ بِهِ ثَنايا بارِداتٌ

كَلَونِ الأُقحَوانِ غَداةَ طَشِّ

Adorned her cool folds,

Like the color of peaches at dawn when plucked.

تُحِيرُ بِنَقشِ سُنَّتِها إِذا ما

بَدَت يَوماً مَحاسِنَ كُلِّ نَقشِ

Her engraved bracelets confuse, whenever

The beauty of every engraving appeared one day.

تَبُذُّ العِينَ إِن قَعَدَت جَمالاً

وَتَنطِقُ مَن رَآها حينَ تَمشي

Eyes are dazzled if she sits in beauty,

And anyone who sees her speaks when she walks.

إِذا اِرتَجَّت رَوادِفُها تَهادَت

مُبَتَّلَةً شَواها غَيرُ حُمشِ

When her pendant sways, untroubled,

Like the plaited tresses of an unmarried girl.

عَلَيها الدُرُّ نِيطَ لَها شُنوفاً

كَبَيضِ ضَئيلَةٍ في جَوفِ عُشِّ

Pearls are strung on her like eggs

Of a small bird in the midst of a nest.

أَجادَ بِها بُحورٌ مِن بُحورٍ

وَعَينٌ مِن نِساءٍ غَيرِ عُمشِ

With it, seas of seas and an eye

From women unlike any other boasted.

كَشَمسِ الصَيفِ غُرَّتُها ضِياء

يَكادُ شُعاعُها في البَيتِ يُعشي

Like the summer sun, her face glows,

Her rays in the house almost make it dark.

كَأَنّي شارِبٌ يَومَ اِستَقَلَّت

دِماءَ ذَرارِحٍ وَسِمامَ رُقشِ

As if I was drinking the day she left,

The blood of my veins and poison of deadly nightshade.

فَأَضحَت دارُها مِنها قِفاراً

قَطوعُ الوُدِّ لا تُرشي لِمُرشي

So her house became desolate because of her,

Severed affection does not shelter a shelterer.

وَغَيَّرَ آيَ دِمنَتِها غُيوثٌ

تُعِجُّ التَلعَ مِن وَبلٍ بِحَفشِ

And change afflicted the signs of her abode,

Sweeping away the ridges with torrential rain.

سَقى ماءُ النَدى مِنها رِياضاً

وَسارَحَةً مَعَ اليَومِ المُرِشِّ

The water of dew irrigated from it gardens,

And an open plain along with a rainy day.

بِها نَورٌ مِنَ الأَزواجِ شَتّى

تَجولُ بِها أَوابِدُ كُلِّ وَحشِ

With it is a light from diverse spouses

Wandering in it are the lonely of every wilderness.

وَمِن جَأبِ النُسالَةِ أَخدَرِيٌّ

وَمِن شَخصٍ تَرودُ وَأُمِّ جَحشِ

And from a fawn of soft skin, a black one,

And from a gazelle that turns away and a mother ostrich.

وَمِن عَيناءَ راتِعَةٍ وَأُخرى

إِذا رَبَضَت تَرُدُّ رَجِيعَ كِرشِ

And from a one-eyed female camel, and another

Who when she kneels down, turns back the calves of a barren camel.

وَظُلمان تَقودُ لَها رِئالاً

كَأَنَّ نَعامَهُنَّ سَبِيُّ حُبشِ

And darkness leads for it does,

As if their ostriches are booty of Abyssinia.

وَلَستَ إِذا عَرا ظُلمي صَديقي

إِذا مادامَ مِن وُدّي بِبَشِّ

You are not, when the darkness of my friend covers me,

If his affection for me remains bashful.

وَأَنصَحُ لِلنَّصيحِ إِذا اِستَراني

وَأُرفِدُ ذا الضَغينَةِ شَرَّ غِشِّ

And I advise the adviser when he seeks refuge in me,

And I refrain the resentful from the worst treachery.

وَتَأتيني قَوارِصُ عَن رِجالٍ

فَأُبلِغُ حاجَتي في غَيرِ فَحشِ

And women come to me covertly on behalf of men,

So I fulfill my need without any shamelessness.

وَأُدرِكُ صالِحَ الأَوتارِ عَفواً

بِعَونِ اللَهِ في طَلَبي وَنَجشي

And I attain mature strings through pardon,

With God's help in my request and success.

أَبي لي ما غَلِبتُ بِهِ الأَعادي

عَطاءُ اللَهِ مِن شِعري وَبَطشي

My father denied me what I used to defeat enemies,

A gift from God of my poetry and might.

فَلا يَخشى ذَوو الأَحلامِ جَهلي

وَلا أُرعي عَلى البَذِخِ الغِطَمشِ

So the ignorant do not fear my ignorance,

Nor do I mind prodigal wastefulness.

أَهَشُّ لِحَمدِ قَومي كُلَّ يَومٍ

وَلَستُ إِلى مَلامَتِهِم بِهَشِّ

I applaud my people everyday,

And I am not harsh to their criticism.

وَجَدتُ أَبا رَبيعَةَ فَوقَ بَكرٍ

كَما عَلَتِ البِلادَ بَناتُ نَعشِ

I found Abu Rabee'ah above Bakr,

As highlands tower above the daughters of Na'sh.

نُغَدّي الضَعيفَ مِن قَمَعِ المَتالي

سَديفاً مُشبِعاً مِنهُ يُعَشّي

We host the weak from the oppression of aggressors,

Giving them a satisfying dinner after which we supper.

وَنَحمِلُ كُلَّ مُضلِعَةٍ وَعَقلٍ

وَنَضرِبُ في الكَتيبَةِ كُلَّ كَبشِ

And we carry every pregnant and rational being,

And strike in the army every billy goat.

وَنَضرِبُ مَن تَعَرَّضَ مُوضِحاتٍ

عَلانِيَّةً جِهاراً غَيرَ غُطشِ

And we strike whoever openly attacks modesty,

Publicly and openly without any covering.

هُمُ المُستَقدِمونَ إِلىالمَنايا

وَقَد لَبِسوا سِلاحاً غَيرَ وَخشِ

They are the first to the fate,

And they have worn armor unlike any padding.

سَأَعني مَن عَنى قَومي بِسوءٍ

وَلا يَبلى إِذا رَجَمتُ خَدشي

I will help those who intended evil against my people,

And my skin does not wear out if I pelt my enemies.

وَلَيلٍ قَد قَطَعتُ وَخَرقِ تِيهٍ

عَلى هَولٍ بِذي خُصَلٍ لِجُشِّ

By night I crossed and tore through lost wandering,

Through fearsome darkness with shameful traits.

أُقَدِّمُهُ يَجوبُ بِيَ الحُدابى

عَلى ثَبَجٍ مِنَ الظَلماءِ جَرشِ

I lead it, it wanders with me through the darkness,

Through intense darkness like pulling hides.

لَولا اللَهُ لَيسَ لَهُ شَريكٌ

إِلَهُ الناسِ ذو مُلكٍ وَعَرشِ

If it not for God, who has no partner,

The God of mankind, possessing dominion and throne.

نَباكَرَني مِنَ الخُرطومِ كَأسٌ

تَكادُ سُؤورُ نَفحَتِها تُنَشّي

A cup from the vine intoxicated me,

Its breaths almost make one drowsy.

تَدِبُّ لَها حُمَيا حينَ تَنمي

وَيَنفَحُ ريحُها عِندَ التَجَشّي

Bees buzz around it when it grows,

And its fragrance blows when branches burst.

يُباعُ الكَأسُ مِنها غَيرَ صِرفٍ

بِصافِيَةٍ مِنَ الأَوراقِ حُرشِ

From it the cup is sold without any addition,

With a strainer made of leaves and twigs.

وَإِنَّ خَلائِقي حَسُنَت وَطابَت

كِرامٌ لا يُسَبُّ بِهِنَّ نَعشي

And my manners have become good and pure,

Nobility that does not bring shame upon my bier.