إِنَّ الفُؤادَ لِلبائِنِ الغَرِدِ
لَمّا تَذَيَّلَ خَلفَ العُنَّسِ الخُرُدِ
The heart longs for the one who has departed,
When he disappeared behind the little hill.
وَالعيسُ تَنقُلُ نَقلاً وَهوَ يَتبَعُها
يَمشي مِنَ الغَيِّ مَشيَ النابِ بِالرَبَدِ
The doe moves slowly as she walks ahead,
And he follows her with the walk of the hungry wolf in the early morning.
وَاِستَجمَعَ الحَيُّ ظَعناً وَاِتَبَدَّ بِهِم
ناوٍ يَرى الغَيَّ بِالإِتباعِ كَالرَشَدِ
The living gathered their riding animals, confused,
A guide seeing the path like the rightly guided.
مُستَقبَلٌ وَلَدَتهُ الجِنُّ أَو ضَرَبَت
فيهِ الشَياطينُ ذو ضِغنٍ وَذو حَسَدٍ
A newborn whom the jinn birthed, or upon whom
The devils cast hatred and envy.
وَاِسطترَبَت ظُعنُهُم لَمّا اِحزَأَلَّ بِهِم
آلُ الضُحى ناشِطاً مِن داعِياتِ دَدِ
Their riding animals startled when the dawn lit up with them,
The Aal Al Duhaa clan active from the callers of the morning.
مازِلتُ أُتبِعُهُم عَيناً مَدامِعُها
يُحسَبنَ رُمداً وَما بِالعَينِ مِن رَمَدِ
I continued to follow them, with tearful eyes,
That you'd think were full of discharge, but no discharge was in the eye.
حَتّى اِسمَدَرَّ بَصيرُ العَينِ وَاِبتَدَرَت
أَخصامُها عَبرَةً مِن لاعِجِ الكَمَدِ
Until the eyesight weakened, and its adversaries
Overcame it with tears like pulsing veins.
يا طَيِّءَ السَهلِ وَالأَجبالِ موعِدُكُم
كالمُبتَغي الصَيدَ في عِرّيسَةِ الأَسَدِ
O Tayy of the plain and mountains, your tryst
Is like the hunter seeking game in the lion's den.
وَاللَيثُ مَن يَلتَمِس صَيداً بِعَقوَتِهِ
يُعرَج بِحَوبائِهِ مِن أَحرَزِ الجَسَدِ
The lion who seeks prey with his claws
Reaches for its vitals from the most protected area of its body.
ضَجَّت تَميمٌ وَأَحزَتها مَثالِبُها
يُنقَلنَ مِن بَلَدٍ ناءٍ إِلى بَلَدِ
Tameem cried out, and its wounds pained it,
As they were moved from one thin land to another.
وَالقَينُ لَم يَبقَ مِنهُ عِندَ كَبرَتِهِ
إِلّا كَما أَبقَتِ الأَيّامُ مِن لُبَدِ
Nothing remained of the old man except what
The days left behind, like worn out cloth.
لا عَزَّ نَصرُ اِمرِئٍ أَضحى لَهُ فَرَسٌ
عَلى تَميمٍ يُريدُ النَصر مِن أَحَدِ
No help comes to a man with a horse
Against Tameem, if he seeks help from anyone.
إِذا دَعا بِشِعارِ الأَزدِ نَفَّرَهُم
كَما يُنَفِّرُ صَوتُ اللَيثِ بالنَقَدِ
If he calls out with the war cry of the Azd, it alarms them
As the lion's roar alarms the herd.
لَو حانَ وِردُ تَميمٍ ثُمَّ قيلَ لَها
حَوضُ الرَسولِ عَلَيهِ الأَزدُ لَم تَرِدِ
If it were time for Tameem's turn to water, and they were told:
"The Azd are at the Prophet's basin," they would not turn back.
أَو أَنزَلَ اللَهُ وَحياً أَن يُعَذِّبَها
إِن لَم تَعُد لِقِتالِ الأَزدِ لَم تَعُدِ
Or if Allah sent down a revelation that He would punish them
If they did not return to fight the Azd, they would not return.
وَذاكَ أَنَّ تَمياً غادَرَت سَلَماً
لِلأَزدِ كُلَّ كَعابٍ وَعَثةِ اللِبَدِ
That's because Tameem left Salamah
To the Azd clan - every liar and sprawling army.
مِثلِ المَهاةِ إِذا اِبتُزَّت مَجاسِدُها
بِغَيرِ مَهرٍ أَصابوها وَلا صَعَدِ
Like an unattended camel if they take it without
Payment or approval fee, and access its proscribed areas.
خَلَّت مَحارِمَها لِلأَزدِ ضاحِيَةً
وَلَم تُعَرِّج عَلى مالٍ وَلا وَلَدِ
It left its sanctities to the Azd, exposed,
Without deviating towards money or children.
لا تَأمَنَنَّ تَميمِيّاً عَلى جسد
قَد ماتَ ما لَم تَزايَل أَعظُمُ الجَسَدِ
Do not feel safe, O Tameemi, for your body
When the greatest body has died if you do not renounce.
لا يَحسَبِ القَينُ أَنَّ العابَ يَغسِلُهُ
عَن قَومِهِ مَعجُهُ بِالزورِ وَالفَنَدِ
Let not the old man think that the shame washes
His people of his lies and fraud.
وَالقَينُ إِن يَلقَ مِن أَيّامِهِ عنتاً
يَسقُط بِهِ الأَمرُ في مُستَحكِمِ السَنَدِ
If the old man experiences hardship in his days,
The command falls into the hands of the firmly knotted rope.
كَبَعضِ ما كانَ مِن أَيّامِ أَوَّلِنا
لاقى بَنو السَيدِ مِنّا لَيلَةَ السَنَدِ
Like some of what happened in the days of our early ones -
The Bani Al Sayyid clan faced from us the night of Sanad.
وَدارِمٌ قَذَفنا مِنهُمُ مائَةً
في جاحِمِ النارِ إِذ يَنزونَ في الخُدَدِ
And Daarim threw a hundred of them for us
Into the blaze, when they came down into the valleys.
يَنزونَ بِالمُشتَوى مِنها وَيوقِدُها
عَمرٌو وَلَولا شُحومُ القَومِ لَم تَقِدِ
Coming down burnt, and Amr kindling it,
And were it not for the clan's fat, it would not have caught fire.
فَاِسأَل زُرارَةَ وَالمَأمومَ ما فَعَلَت
قَتلى أُوارَةَ مِن زَغوانَ وَالكَدَدِ
So ask Zurarah and Al Mamoom what they did
To the dead of Uwara from Zaghwaan and Al Kidad.
إِذ يَرسِمانِ خِلالَ الجَيشِ مُحكَمَةً
أَرباقُ أَسرِهِما في مُحكَمِ ا لقِدَدِ
As they marked the army's formations perfectly -
The necks of their prisoners in the strong knotted ropes.
أَبَيتُ ضَبَّةَ تَهجوني لِأَهجُوَها
أُفٍ لِضَبَّةَ مِن مَولىً وِمِن عَضُدِ
I refused to lampoon Dabba for her to lampoon me -
Uff to Dabba, an ally and a supporter!
يا ضُبَّ إِن تَكفُري أَيّامَ نِعمَتِنا
فَقَد كَفَرتِ أَيادي أَنعُمٍ تُلُدِ
O Dabba, if you disbelieve the days of our bounty
Then you have disbelieved the hands that gave bounty.
يَوما أُوارَةَ مِن أَيّامِ نِعمَتِنا
وَيَومُ سَلمى يَدٌ يا ضَبَّ بَعدَ يَدِ
The day of Uwara from the days of our bounty,
And the day of Salmaa, O Dabba, a hand after hand.
وَكُلُّ لُؤمٍ يُبيدُ الدَهرُ أَثلَتَهُ
وَلُؤمُ ضَبَّةَ لَم يَنقُص وَلَم يَبِدِ
Every friend whose progeny time destroys,
Yet Dabba's progeny did not diminish or pass away.
لَو كانَ يَخفى عَلى الرَحمَنِ خافِيَةٌ
مِن خَلقِهِ خَفِيَت عَنهُ بَنو أَسَدِ
If the Most Merciful did not know what is hidden
From His creation, the Bani Asad clan would be hidden from Him.
لا يَنفَعُ الأَسَدِيَّ الدَهرَ مَطعَمُهُ
في نَفسِهِ وَلَهُ فَضلٌ عَلى أَحَدِ
It does not benefit the Asadi food for himself
Despite surplus over anyone.
قَومٌ أَقامَ بِدارِ الذُلِّ أَوَّلُهُم
كَما أَقامَت عَلَيهِ جِذمَةُ الوَتَدِ
A people who were the first to live in the abode of disgrace,
As the tent peg remained in it.
أَبدَت فَضائِحَها لِلأَزدِ وَاِعتَذَرَت
بَعدَ الفَضيحَةِ بِالبُهتانِ وَالفَنَدِ
They revealed their shame to the Azd, and apologized
After the dishonor with lies and fraud.
لِكُلِّ حَيٍّ عَلى الجَعراءِ قَد عَلِموا
فَضلٌ وَلَيسَ لَكُم فَضلٌ عَلى أَحَدِ
For every clan they know they have virtue
Over Al Ja'rra, and you have no virtue over anyone.
وَاِسأَل قُفَيرَةَ بِالمَرّوتِ هَل شَهِدَت
شَوطَ الحُطَيئَةِ بَينَ الكِسرِ وَالنَضَدِ
And ask Qufaira in chivalry - did she witness
The Hudhaily race between breakage and scattering?
أَو كانَ في غالِبٍ شِعرٌ فَيُشبِهَهُ
شِعرُ اِبنِهِ فَيَنالَ الشِعرَ مِن صَدَدِ
Or was there poetry in Ghaaib that his son's
Poetry resembles, so he attained poetry from its source?
جاءَت بِهِ نُطفَةً مِن شَرِّ ماءٍ صَرىً
سيقَت إِلى شَرِّ وادٍ شُقَّ في بَلَدِ
It came to him as a drop of evil water, despicable,
Taken to an evil valley cleaved into the land.
فيمَ تَقولُ تَميمٌ يا اِبنَ قَينِهِمُ
وَقَد صَدَقتُ وَما إِن قُلتُ عَن فَنَدِ
How can Tameem say, O son of their old man,
When I have been honest and did not invent lies?
وَمَن يَرُم طَيِّئاً يَوماً إِذا زَخَرَت
أَرفادُها يَتَوَعَّر وَهوَ في الجَدَدِ
Whoever slanders Tayy one day when
Its strong young men are active, slides and stumbles when climbing.
قَحطانُ جيبَت لِكَهلانَ المُلوكِ كَما
جيبَ القَبائِلُ مِن كَهلانَ عَن أُدَدِ
Qahtaan submitted to the kings of Kulain,
As the tribes submitted to the kings of Ud.
قَومٌ لَهُم بَعدَ شَرقِ الأَرضِ مَغرِبُها
إِذا تَباسَقَ أَهلُ الأَرضِ في كَبَدِ
A people who, beyond the east of earth, have its west as their domain
When the people of earth compete in glory.
وَمَن يُلَبَّ يَوافوهُ بِبَطنِ مِنىً
فَيضَ الحَصى مِن فَجاجِ الأَيمَنِ البُعُدِ
Whoever barks at them, they meet with an army from Mina
So pebbles pour from the blessed right valley.
فَفي تَميمٍ تُساميهِم وَما خُلِقوا
حَتّى مَضَت قِسمَةُ الأَحسابِ وَالعَدَدِ
So among Tameem are their equals, though they were not created
Until the allotment of worth and number passed away.
لَولا قُرَيشٌ وَحَقٌّ في الكِتابِ لَها
وَأَنَّ طاعَتَهُم تَهدي إِلى الرَشَدِ
Were it not for Quraish, who have a right in the Book,
And that obeying them leads to guidance.
دِنّا تَميماً كَما كانَت أَوائِلُنا
دانَت أَوائِلَهُم في سالِفِ الأَبَدِ
We followed Tameem as our early ones
Followed their early ones in epochs long past.
