أَهاجَكَ بِالمَلا دِمَنٌ عَوافي

كَخَطِّ الكَفِّ بِالآيِ العِجافِ

The one who agitated you with love is a constant lover

Like the line of the palm with the twisted scripture

تَعاوَرَهُنَّ بَعدَ مُضِيِّ حَولٍ

مَصايِفُ جُلُّها بَردُ وَسافي

After the passing of a year, the seasons succeeded each other

Most of them being cool and winter-like

فَعَيناهُ لِصَرمِ حِبالِ سَلمى

وَطولِ فِراقِها بَعدَ اِئتِلافِ

His eyes yearn for the necklaces of Salma

And the length of her separation after union

كَغَربَي شَنَّةٍ خَلَقينِ مَجّا

غَريضَ الماءِ مِن خُرَزِ الأَشافي

Like two mournful doves created as twins

Whose eyes poured tears like rain from the rims

لَعَمرُكَ يَومَ بَينِ الحَيِّ إِنّي

لَذو صَبرٍ عَلَيهِ وَذو اِعتِرافِ

By your life, on the day I was between the living, I am

Truly patient with it and confessing

عَلى صُعَداءَ مِن زَفَراتِ شَوقٍ

تَرَفَّعَ عَروُها تَحتَ الشَغافِ

On the heights of the groans of yearning

Its fragrances rose under the awning

فَمَهلاً بَعضَ وَجدِكَ كُلُّ أَمرٍ

يَصيرُ وَإِن أَحَمَّ إِلى اِنكِشافِ

So wait, for every matter, even if pressing

Will eventually reveal and unfold

كَذاكَ الدّارُ تُسقِبُ بَعدَ نَأيٍ

وَبَعدَ شَتاتِ أَمرٍ وَاِعتِرافِ

Thus is the house, it welcomes after estrangement

And after the dispersion of matters and confession

وَما صَهباءُ في حافاتِ جَونٍ

بِعانَةَ مِن خَراطيمِ السُلافِ

The gray-haired one in the sides of his beauty

Is not lacking in vitality from the runnels of youth

مَضَت حِجَجٌ لَها في الدَنِّ تِسعٌ

وَعامٌ بَعدَ مَرِّ التِسعِ وافي

Nine years have passed for him, his sins being nine

And a year after the nine going by

فَلَمّا فُتَّ عَنها الطينُ فَاحَت

وَصَرَّحَت أَجرَدُ الَجَراتِ صافي

So when the clay mask was removed from it

The purest of wines flowed freely, unveiled

بِأَطيَبَ نَكهَةً مِن أُمِّ سَلمى

إِذا مال الَيلُ آذَنَ بِاِنتِصافِ

With the sweetest flavor from Umm Salma

When night approaches, announcing the middle

أَنا اِبنُ المانِعينَ سَنامَ نَجدٍ

إِلى الجَبَلَينِ بِالبيضِ الخِفافِ

I am the son of those who prevented the peerless camels of Nejd

From traveling to both mountains with light luggage

إِلى وادي القُرى فَرِمالَ خَبتٍ

فَأَمواهِ الدَنا فَلِوى جُفافِ

To Wadi Qura, then to Buraydah and its ruined Khabt

And waters that have vanished in drought

فِدىً لَفَوارِسِ الحَيَّينِ غَوثٍ

فَرَومانَ التِلادُ مَعَ الطِرافِ

A redemption for the horsemen of the two tribes Ghauth

So the many horses bolted with the racers

هُمُ تَرَكوا القَبائِلَ مِن مَعَدٍّ

لَما شاءوا قَليلاتِ العِيافِ

They left the tribes of Ma’add

When they wished, few in number

وَهُم قادوا الجيادَ عَلَيَّ فَوجاً

إِلى الأَعداءِ كَالحِدَإِ الهَوافي

And they led the steeds in troops against the enemies

Like arrows flying straight in the air

يُنازِعنَ المَطِيَّ بَكُلِّ فَجٍّ

كَجيدِ الرَألِ مُنفَسِحِ المَسافِ

They compete with the riding camels on each stretch

Like an ostrich spreading wide on the plain

عَوارِفَ لِلسُرى مُتَحَنِّياتٍ

مَعَ الرُكبانِ أَعيُنُها طَوافي

She-camels turning aside for the travelers

Their eyes roaming ceaselessly

شَوازِبَ أُدمِجَت مِن غَيرِ ضُمرٍ

وَحُملِجَ مِن مَعاقِدِها اللِطافِ

With braids undone without weakness

And fine hair let down from its plaits

وَأُكبِبَتِ الحَوافِرُ وَاِحزَأَلَّت

دَوائِرُ قَلَّصَت بَعدَ الجَفافِ

The hooves gathered and the circles narrowed

After regions diminished in drought

تَجَنَّبَها الكُماةُ بِكُلِّ يَومٍ

مَريضِ الشَمسِ مُحمَرِّ الحَوافي

The guardians avoided them every day

Ailing from the orange sun of the horizon

إِذا نَصَبَت مَسامِعَها لِذُعرٍ

فَقالَ لَها الحُماةُ فَلا تَخافي

If they turned their ears to a alarm

The protectors told them “fear not”

ألا أَبلِغ دَعِيَّ بَني حَرامٍ

قَواضي مَنطِقٍ بَعدَ اِعتِسافِ

Shall I convey, O Da’i of the Bani Haram

The last of eloquent speeches after confusion

أَتَهجوا مَن رَوى جَزَعاً وَلُؤماً

كَساقي اللَيلِ مِن كَدَرٍ وَصافي

They blamed whoever conveyed panic and misfortune

Like the night’s draft with pure and murky water

فَلا تَجزَع مِنَ النَقَماتِ وَاِترُك

رُواةَ الشِعرِ تَطَّرِدُ القَوافي

So do not panic because of curses and leave

The transmitters of poetry composing rhymes

أَتَحسَبُ يا اِبنَ يَشكُرَ أَنَّ شِعري

كَلَفتِ المُرتَدي طَرَفَ العِطافِ

Do you think, O Ibn Yashkur, that my poetry

Is like the train of a cloak touching the hem?

رُوَيدَكَ تَستَغِبَّ فَإِنَّ فيها

دِماءَ ذُرارِحِ السُمِّ الذُعافِ

Calm yourself, it is painful, for in it

Is the blood of victims of lethal poison

تَنَحَّل ما اِستَطَعتَ فَإِنَّ شِعري

تَلَقَّحَ بِالقَصائِدِ عَن كِشافِ

Take what you can, for my poetry

Is cross-pollinated with odes from the revealer

وَفِيَّ إِذا تَرادَفَتِ المَوالي

عَلَيَّ بِمُنجِياتِ الشَتمِ كافي

And if sequels come attacking me

With rescuing answers to insult, I have enough

نَزَلنا في التَعزُّزِ مِن مَعَدَّ

مَكانَ القِدرِ مِن وَسَطِ الأَثافي

We descended to take precedence over Ma’add

In the position of the pot from the middle of the court

وَيَشكُرُ كانَ مَنزِلُها قَديماً

بِمَنزِلَةِ الأَذِلّاءِ الضِعافِ

While Yashkur, his dwelling was formerly

In the position of the most miserable of the weak

وَيَشكُرُ لا أَخو كَرَمٍ فَيُخثى

وَلا مُتَحَفِّلٌ بِالجارِ وافي

Yashkur has no noble brother so he sulks

Nor good neighbor he checks in on

قُبَيِّلَةٌ أَذَلُّ مِنَ السَواني

وَأَعرَفُ لِلهَوانِ مِنَ الخِصافِ

A tribe more disgraced than lizards

And more acquainted with dishonor than old slippers

خِصافِ النَعلِ إِذ يُمشى عَلَيها

مُوَطَّأَةً مَطِيَّةَ كُلِّ حافي

Old slippers, when walked upon

Trodden by all the barefooted

أَضافَتكَ الحَرامُ وَهُم عَبيدٌ

وَقَد يَأوي المُضافُ إِلى المُضافِ

They hosted you, and they are slaves

And the guest may resort to the host

أَتفخَرُ يَشكُرٌ بِبَني لُجَيمٍ

خِلافاً ما يَكونُ مِنَ الخِلافِ

Does Yashkur boast about the Bani Lujaym

Contrary to what would happen contrary

كَفاخِرَةٍ لِرَبَّتِها بِحِدجٍ

ضَعيفِ الأَسرِ مُنقَطِعِ السِنافِ

Boasting to their female rabbi with an idiot

Of weak lineage, broken teeth

أَبى لَكَ أَنَّ يَشكُرَ وَسطَ سَعدٍ

بِمَنزَلَةِ الزَميلِ مِنَ الرِدافِ

It was not fit for you that Yashkur be in the middle of Sa’d

In the position of colleagues in the rear seat

وَتَزعُمُ أَنَّهُم أَشرافُ بَكرٍ

وَمَن جَعَلَ القَوادِمَ كَالخَوافي

And you claim they are the nobles of Bakr

And who made newcomers like the foolish?

أولو بَصَرٍ بِأَبوابِ المَخازي

وَعُميُ الرَأيِ عَن سُبُلِ العفافِ

Endowed with insight into the doors of prosperities

And blind of perception from ways of chastity