لِمَنْ طَلَلٌ بَعثْمَةَ أَوْحُفارِ

عَفَتْهُ الرِّيحُ بَعْدَكَ والسَّواريِ

Who now stays in the abandoned abodes of Bu'athmah,

Their walls stripped bare by the winds when you departed?

عَفَتْهُ الرِّيحُ واعْتَلَجَتْ عَلَيْه

بِأكْدَر َمن تُرابِ القَاعِ جَارِ

The winds have bared them, and piled the dust upon them

With gravel more ashen than earth from a barren hollow.

فَلأْياً ما يَبِينُ رَثيدُ نُؤْيٍ

ومَرْسَى السُّفْلَيَيْنِ من الشِّجارِ

What use are the ragged tents of a ruined encampment,

The footholds of low shrubs amid the trees,

ومَبْركِ هَجْمَةٍ ومصَامِ خَيْلٍ

صَوافِنَ في الأَعِنَّةِ والأَواري

The camel-folds, the tethering ropes of steeds—

Their shelters amid the sandhills and small ravines?

أَلاهَلَ اَتاكَ والأَنْباُء تُنْميِ

طَوالِعَِ بَيْنَ مُبْتَكِرٍ وسَارِ

Do messages from me reach you there, as the planets rise

Between a starry night and one still dark—

بِمَحْبِسَنا الكَتائِبَ إنَّ قَوْمِي

لهُمْ زَنْدٌ غَداةَ النَّاسِ واري

Telling how we keep the clans confined, now my people

Have as many warriors as folk abroad at daybreak?

إِذا ذَادَوْا عَوادِ تَعُودُ مِنّا

عَبَاهِلَةٌ سُيوفُهُمُ عَوارِ

When they visit us again, our reckless warriors come

With gleaming swords, made keen like threshing sleds.

فَأَبْلِغْ قِسْعَةَ الجُشَمِيَّ عَنِّي

كَفِيلَ الَحيِّ أيَّامَ النِّفارِ

Convey to Jušamī my words, O you

Who frees the live coals on cold mornings:

بِآيَةَ ما أَجَزْتُهُمُ ثَلاثاً

بَقِينَ وَأَرْبعاً بَعْدَ السِّرارِ

"I smote three hosts and then a fourth as well,

After they had banded together secretly.

فجاءَتْ خَثْعَمٌ وبَنُوزَبِيدٍ

وَمَذْحِجُ كُلُّها وابْنا صُحارِ

Then Khath'am came, and B. Zabīd as one,

And Mudhij entire, plus both the sons of Şuĥạ̄r.

وَجَمْعٌ مِنْ صُداءٍ قَدْ أَتانا

وَدُعْمِيٌّ وجَمْعُ بَني شِعَار

A group of Şudạ̄' also joined us there,

And Dūmaiy, plus the entirety of B. Shi'ār.

فَلَمْ نَشْعُرْ بِهِم ْ حتىَّ أَتَوْنا

كَحِمْيَرَ إذ أَناخَتْ بالجِمارِ

We were not aware of them until they came

Like donkeys gathered round a wellhead's pulley wheel.

فَقامَ مُؤذِّنٌ مِنّاومِنْهُمْ

لَدى أبياتِنا سُورِي سَوارِ

Then a caller from their ranks and one from ours

Stood by our tents' doors, you strapping youth.

كَأَنَّا بالَمضِيقِ وقَدْ ثَرَوْنا

لَدى طَرَفِ الأُصَيْحِرِ ضَوْءُ نَارِ

It was as though we were at the mountain pass, having ignited

Fires whose glow extended to Ṣuḥayr's slopes.

فقَالوا يَا لَعَبْسٍ نازِعوهُمْ

سِجالَ الموْتِ بالأَسَلِ الحِرارِ

They said, 'O Li'b, go pull them into combat—

Let them taste the hot iron of the spear!'

فقُلْنا يَا لَيَرْفَى مَاصِعُوهُمْ

فِرارَ اليَوْمِ فَا ضحِةَ الذِّمارِ

We said, 'O Layrā, go herd them off—

Make them today's example of vile cowards!'

فَأَمَّا تَعْقِروا فَرسِي فَإنَّى

أُقَدِّمُها إذا كَثُرَ التَّغارِي

But do not hamstring my steed—rather, I spur it on

When the thrusting and stabbing grows more fierce.

وأَحْمِلُها على الأبْطالِ إني

على يومِ الكَريهَةِ ذُو اصْطبارِ

I drive it at the champions; truly,

I have great patience on a day of woes.

صَلَيْتُ بِغَمْرِةٍ فَخَرَجْتُ مِنْها

كَنَصْلِ السَّيْفِ مُخْتَضِبَ الغِرارِ

I prayed the dawn prayer there, then sallied forth,

My sword gleaming bright like a polished spearhead.

كَأَنَّ الخَيْلَ إذْ عَرَفَتْ مَقامِي

تُفادي عن َشَتيِمِ الوَجْهِ صَارِ

It was as though when my steed sensed my resolve

It recoiled from whipping the cheek any more.

أُكَفِّئُهُمْ وأضْرِبهُمْ ومِنِّي

مُشَلْشَلَةٌ كحَاشِيَةِ الإزارِ

I parried their blows and struck back at them, sending off

Flurries like the hem of a loincloth.

وَأَعْرَضَ جَامِلٌ عَكْرُ وسَبْيٌ

كَغزْلانِ الصَّرائمِ منْ بَحارِ

Then their white-skinned captives from 'Akk turned in retreat,

Like the young of wild cows fleeing the seaside.

فَلَمْ أبْخَلْ غَداتَئِذٍ بِنَفْسي

ولا َفرسي على طَرفِ العِيارِ

I did not then stint that day with my own life

Or steed, when it came to the spearhead's blade.

نُضارِبُ بالصَّفائحِ مِنْ أتانا

وأُخْراهمْ تَمََّلأُ بالفِرارِ

We battled with swords—when we came at them,

They broke and ran, totally routed.

أَلا أَبْلِغْ غُزَيِّلَ حَيْثُ أَضْحى

أَحَقّاً ما أُنَبَّأُ بالفَخارِ

Mark you! Convey to Ghuzayl there that now

He may lay fullest claim to valiant fame.

فإنَّكَ والَفخارِ بآلِ كَعْبٍ

كَمَنْ باَهَى بثَوبٍْ مُسْتَعارِ

Yet you and fame gained through Kacb's line

Are like one who brags in borrowed robes.

وذاتِ الحِجْلِ تَبْهَجُ أنْ تَراهُ

وتَمْشي والمَسيرُ على حِمارِ

The lank she-camel rejoices to see him

Strutting along while she plods on a donkey.

أَرَيْنا يومَ ذلِكَ مَنْ أتانا

بِذِي الظُّبَةِ الكواكِبَ بالنَّهارِ

On that day we saw who it was that came at us

With the celestial orb amid the daytime sky.

فَلَوْ كُنَّا الُمغيِرةَ قد أَفَأْنَا

الُمؤَبَّل والعَقائِلَ كالعَرارِ

Had we been at Mughīrah, we'd have returned

Mu'abbal and the slave girls like hobbled she-camels.

أَباثَورٍ سَجاحِ فإنَّ دَعْوى

تُخالِفُ ما أبيْتَ عَصِيمَ عَارِ

This claim, Abū Thawr, does not accord with your deeds—

It contradicts what you did, you shameless coward!

فلولا أَنْ تدارَكَ جَرْيُ صَهْوَى

كُلُومٌ مِثْلُ غائِلةِ النِّفارِ

Had your headlong rushing not then resembled

A raid by Kulaym's sons amid the fray,

لَرَدَّ إِلَيْكَ شاكِلةً بتَيِراً

حُسامٌ غَيْرُ مُنْثَلِمٍ قَطَارِ

You'd have gotten back from me a similar blow

From a blade no less keen than tempered steel.