هَل يَنطُقُ الرَبعُ بالعَلياءِ غَيرَهُ
سافي الرِياحَ وَمُستَنٌّ لَهُ طَنَبُ
Does the moon speak of the highlands other than it?
A traveler of the winds, erect for it the stalks.
جَرَت بِهِ ذاتُ أَذيالٍ مُزَعزَعَةٍ
لَها نَفيٌّ وَذَيلٌ عارِمٌ حَصِبُ
It flowed with a trailing dress, fluttering,
Rejecting and flowing, a surging flood.
تَكسو مَعارِفَهُ حِبراً تُجَدِّدُهُ
مِنَ التُرابِ وَأُخرى بَعدَ تَستَلِبُ
It covers its glories with ink, renewing
From dust, while others come to rob after.
دارٌ لِبَيضاءَ مُسوَدَّةٌ مَسائِحُها
كَأَنَّها ظَبيَّةٌ تَرعى وَتَنتَصِبُ
A house for the White-Blackened, its carpets
Like a gazelle grazing and standing tall.
تَحنو لِأَكحَلَ أَلقَتهُ بِمَضيعَةٍ
فَقَلبُها شَفَقاً مِن هَولِهِ يَجِبُ
It sings to kohl it shed in negligence
So its heart quaked from its horror.
جاوَرتُها رَجَباً أَيّام ذي سَلَمٍ
ثُمَّ إِستَمَرَّت وَلاقى دونَها رَجَبُ
It neighbored Rajab some days of peace,
Then continued as Rajab remained beneath it.
يا أَطيَبَ الناسِ ريقاً بَعدَ هَجعَتِها
وَأَملَحَ الناسِ عَيناً حينَ تَنتَقِبُ
O finest people by scent after its slumber
And saltiest people in eye when veiled!
لَيسَت تَجودُ بِنَيلٍ حينَ أَسأَلُها
وَلَستُ عِندَ خَلاءِ اللَهوِ أَغتَصِبُ
It does not give generously when asked
Nor do I take in the emptiness of vanity.
كَأَنَّ في ثَوبِها زِفزافَ حَرمَلَةٍ
مِن أَزمَلِ الحِليِ وَهناً حينَ تَنقَلِبُ
As if its cloak were the jingling of a necklace
From twisted chokers and rings when turned.
في مِرفَقَيها إِذا ماعونِقَت جَمَمٌ
عَلى الضَجيعِ وَفي أَنيابِها شَنَبُ
In its arms, when embraced, hot coals
On the sleeper, and in its fangs, sticks.
كَأَنَّ بَرديَّةً جاشَت بِها خُلُجٌ
خُضرُ الشَرائِعِ في حافاتِها العُبَبُ
As if a cloak surged in it in waves
Green are its edges with bands.
دَع ذا وَعُدِّ عَفَرناةً مُذَكَّرَةً
بِمِثلِها يَطلُبُ الحاجاتِ مُطَّلَبُ
Leave that and count a breakfast cooked
The likes of it the sleepless seek.
وَلَيلَةٍ ذاتِ أَهوالٍ كَواكِبُها
مِثلُ القَناديلِ فيها الزَيتُ وَالعُطُبُ
By a night of horrors, its stars
Like lanterns filled with oil and wicks.
قَد جُبتُها جَوبَ ذي المِقراضِ مُمطِرَةً
إِذا إِستَوى مُغفِلاتُ البيدِ وَالحَدَبُ
I collected it like the blinking of an eye, raining,
When the oblivious camels and valleys leveled.
بِعَنتَريسٍ كَأَنَّ الدَبرَ يَلسَعُها
إِذا تَرَنَّمَ حادٍ خَلفَها تَرِبُ
With a mare whose behind a snake seems to bite
When a singing camel driver follows her.
وَاِنسَبتُ بِالدَلوِ أَمشي نَحوَ آجِنَةٍ
مِن دونِ أَرجائِها العُلّامُ وَالقُطَبُ
I set out with a bucket walking toward a she-camel
Beyond its saddlebags the brand and celestial pole.
إِلى الوَليدِ أَبي العَبّاسِ ماعَجِلَت
وَدونَهُ المُعطُ مِن نِيَّانَ وَالكُثُبُ
To Al-Walid son of Al-‘Abbas I rushed
While below him were gifts of wares and food.
لَمّا أتيتُكَ مِن نَجُدٍ وَساكِنِهِ
نَفَحتَ لِيَ نَفحَةً طارَت بِها العَرَبُ
When I came to you from Najd and its people,
You gave off a scent from which the Arabs flew.
أَعطَيتَني مائة صُفراً مَدامِعُها
كَالنَّخلِ زَيَّنَ أَعلى نَبتِهِ الشَّرَبُ
You gave me one hundred yellow coins
Like palm trees adorned atop by fruit bunches.
يَسوقُها يافِعٌ جَعدٌ مَفارِقُهُ
مِثلُ الغُرابِ غَذاهُ الصَّرُ وَالحَلَبُ
A young camel herder drives them, whose departure
Was like the crow whose food is pebbles and milk.
وَإِذا سَبيبٍ صُهَيبيّاً لَهُ عُرُفٌ
وَهامَةٌ ذاتُ فَرقٍ ما بِها صَخَبُ
If a Sabaian well-bred and distinguished
With a high intellect lacking any confusion—
إِن أَخصَبَت تَرَكَت ما حَولَ مَبرِكِها
زَيناً وَتُجدِبُ أَحياناً فَتَحتَطِبُ
If she became fertile she would leave what was around her stall
Adorned, though sometimes infertile so she gathered wood—
إِنّي إِمرُؤٌ أعتَفي الحاجِاتِ أَطلُبُها
كَما إِعتَفى سَنِقٌ يُلقى لَهُ العُشبُ
I am Imru’ who admits his needs and seeks them
Just as a blade admits given to it the fodder—
وَلا أُلِحُّ عَلى الخُلّانِ أَسأَلُهُم
كَما يُلِحُّ بِعَظمِ الغارِبِ القَتَبُ
And I do not nag the boon-companions asking them,
As the evening star nags with the bone of the drowned—
وَلا أُخادِعُ نَدماني لِأَخدَعَهُم
عَن مالِهِم حينَ يَستَرخي بِهِم لَبَبُ
Nor do I deceive the regretful ones to trick them
Out of their money when the teat is relaxed for them—
وَأَنتَ وَإِبناكَ لَم يوجَدُلَكُم مَثَلٌ
ثَلاثَةٌ كُلُّهُم بِالتاجِ مُعتَصِبُ
While you and your sons, no likeness was found for you,
Three, all wearing the crown, prevailing—
الطَيِّبونَ إِذا طابَت نُفوسُهُمُ
شَوسُ الحَواجِبِ وَالأَبصارِ إِن غَضِبوا
Good people, when their souls are good,
Smooth of eyebrow and eye even if angry.
قِسني إِلى شُعَراءِ الناسِ كُلِّهِم
وَإِدعُ الرواةَ إِذا ماغَبَّ ما إِجتَلَبوا
Compare me to all the people’s poets
And summon the narrators if they forget what they collected—
إِنّي وَإِن قالَ أَقوامٌ مَديحهُمُ
فَأَحسَنوهُ وَما حابوا وَما كَذَبوا
Verily, even if some tribes say their praises
Excellently, without loving or lying,
أَجري أَمامَهُمُ جَريَ إِمرِئٍ فَلَجٍ
عِنانُهُ حينَ يَجري لَيسَ يَضطَرِبُ
I surpass them with the running of a stalwart, unleashed horse
Whose bridle, when it runs, does not jerk—
يا أََيُّها الناسُ خافوا اللَهَ وَإِحتَرِسوا
مِنَ الوَليدِ وَلا يَغروَركُم الأَرَبُ
O people! Fear God and be cautious
Of Al-Walid, and let not the earth deceive you!
