مَحَلَّ الحَيِّ مالك لا تَبِينُ

متى دُفع الظعائنُ والقَطِينُ

The abode of the living, my friend, is not apparent

When will calamities and sorrows be repelled?

شَجيتُ بغصَّةٍ كمنتْ زفيراً

وقد يَشجى بغصَّتهِ الحَزِينُ

I whimpered with a sigh that uttered a groan

And the grieving may whimper with their sigh

وما أبقى المنُازكُ من دموعي

سوى عَلَقٍ تُبرضُهُ الجفونُ

My tears left nothing on my cheeks

Except traces that eyelids blot out

ويوم الشرج غَنَّتني بفلجٍ

حماماتٌ ترنحها الغُصونُ

On the day of departure, ring-necked doves sang to me in a creek

With branches swaying under them

لهجن من اللحونِ بساقِ حُرٍ

وما أطيارُ فلجٍ واللحونُ

The cheeks of the doves gleam with the legs of the wild cows

And neither are the birds of the creek nor the wild cows

وفي الاحداجِ اذْ جرعت رسيساً

مهاً خذلت مآكمها المتونُ

And when in the thickets I took a deep draught

Of oblivion, the resolutions were abandoned by the drunk

لها من رقْمِ رُوْميةٍ خِلالٌ

ومن ذَرّ البحارِ لها عُهونُ

She has, from the Rqm (wine) of Rome, tattoos

And from the seeds of oceans she has kohl in her eyes

فما لبستْ ثيابَ الآلِ حتى

تشابهتْ الأزمةُ والبُرينُ

She did not wear fine clothes until

Crisis and injustice became indistinguishable

ومالَ بها الحداةُ الى أَتَانُ

فضاقتْ عن تناولِها العُيونُ

With her the jesters inclined towards certain camels

Too narrow were their eyes to behold her

سقى الرحلاءَ مضمَرةً حِداجاً

لها من غير لقحتِها جَنِينُ

She watered the travelers with a filled cistern

Though not pollinated, she had a fetus

يمانيةٌ كأن البرقَ فيها

سيوفُ الهندِ هَزَّتها القُيونُ

A right-handed one, as if lightning in her

Were Indian swords, stirred by the spears

عجبتُ لمن يضيعُ لصنع فيه

فلا غَثٌّ لديهِ ولا سَمينُ

I wondered at one who wastes his effort on her

With neither fat nor flesh within him

ومن يمشي العِرَضْنَةَ وهو كَلٌّ

على الفتيانِ يُكرمُ أَو يَهونُ

And one who walks with conceit while incapacitated

To honor or disdain the youth

اذا لم يَسْعَ في طَلَبِ المعالي

فما حركاتُه اِلاَّ سُكونُ

If he does not set out seeking glory

His movements are but stillness

وعِرضَكَ انْ أَذَلْتَ فلم تَصُنْهُ

فأَيُّ حِجَالِ غانيةٍ تَصُونُ

And your honor, if you degrade but do not protect it

Then which singing slavegirl will protect it?

لكل فَتى قرينٌ حينَ يَسْمُو

وفخرُ الملكِ ليسَ له قَرِينُ

For every young man there is a match when he excels

And the pride of a king has no match

أَنخْ بفنائِه وانزلْ حميداً

على حكم المُنى وأنا الضَّمِينُ

Descend into his courtyard nobly

Regarding the edict of fate, and I am the sympathizer

ولا تعرض لِلُجَّتِهِ اذا ما

تحامتْها المعابرُ والسَّفِينُ

And do not expose yourself to her intoxication if

The routes and ships have brought her together

فانَّكَ راكبٌ من شيمتيهِ

سُهولاً في مسالِكها حُزُونُ

You ride the easy paths of his disposition

Downcast within its roadways

تَزيدُ حَصَاتُه في المس ليناً

وتغمزُ بالضروسِ فَلا تَلِينُ

Its pebbles increase suppleness with touch

And it bites with its molars yet does not stiffen

سَرى من دارِه البيضاءِ سارٍ

تُناخُ له المَعَاقِلُ والحُصُونُ

He rode from his white abode freely

The fortresses and citadels bow to him

يقودُ الى الطعانِ مسوماتٍ

ضوامرَ ما لأَظْهُرِهَا بطونُ

He leads deadly white swords to the thrust

Whose sheaths have no bellies

نضت ثوبَ النضارة واسلهمتْ

وكان يزينها الشعرُ الدَّهِينُ

She took off the dress of finery and donned weapons

While the soft hair adorned her

معقدة السبيبِ على قطاها

دِلاصٌ في مطاويها غُصونُ

With plaited braids upon her veil

Branches are woven into her tresses

يَفُلُّ أسنةَ المُران عنها

خفِي السَّكِ والسردِ الأَمينُ

The tongues of spears evade her

Concealed are the lithe and trusted blades

الى الماهينَ يَحْفِدُ من حُويمٍ

مزارٌ نازحٌ ونوى شَطُونُ

To the swift she-camels flowed a tribe

Moving camps and the An-Nawā’s fires

تداركَ ركضهَا الأدنى هِلالا

على الروعاءِ وهو بها ضَنينُ

The crescent accompanied her run at dusk

Yearning over the pastures and bleating for her

وقد أخذتْ رماحُ الخطّ منه

فطاعن دونه الأجلُ الحصينُ

And the lines of poetry took from him

Spear thrusts, while the eternal death was his shield

وباتَ يكفُّ بسْطَتَهْ اِليه

مِراسُ القِدِّ والخُلقُ الرَّزِينُ

And he began restraining the palm of his generosity

The spears of manners and sound nature subdued him

يئنُ اذا الحدائدُ أَوجعتْهُ

ولا يَشفي من الوجعِ الأنينُ

He groans when the iron weapons hurt him

And no moaning relieves the pain

وقال الى العراق خذي وحُنِّي

فانَّ علامةَ الشَّوقِ الحَنينُ

And he said to Iraq, “Take me and yearn for me”

For yearning is the mark of ardent love

يُريدُ طِلاَبَ كعبٍ حيث كانت

وكعب دونها البلد البطينُ

He seeks the abode of Kaʿb wherever it was

While the land of Būtīn was beneath it

وما أَنا مولعٌ بملام كعبٍ

ولكن الحديثَ له شُجونُ

And I do not indulge in blaming Kaʿb

But talk of it has passions

رعت من غَيضهِ الطَّرفاءَ مَرعى

تَشعُ له الممالحةُ اللبونُ

She pastured the breast-spots from his wrath

To which the saltlands were illuminated

اذا رأيٌّ أَضاءَ لها صريحٌ

تَعقبَ جُرمَهُ شكٌّ هَجينُ

When a viewpoint shone brilliantly for her

Suspicion, gloomy and dark, followed its crime

فهم مثل القماحِ على صداها

تعافُ الماءَ وهو بها جُنُونُ

Thus they are like the delirious toward her coolness

Shunning the water while crazed with it

قَلاكم عن ضَمائركم لبيبٌ

على ذاتِ الصُّدورِ له كمينُ

You have a shrewd guardian over your conscience

Lying in wait within the breast

فنمَّ على عيونكم قذاها

وقد يتطلعُ الداءُ الدَّفِينُ

Who masked their eyes with its eyeliner

And hidden disease may look

له من سِرِّ ما طبعت عريبٌ

رفيقٌ لا يُخانُ ولا يَخُونُ

He has, from the secret you were created with

A companion, neither betraying nor betraying

وعَسَّالُ المذاقَةِ حينَ سَلّى

بسِرِّكَ قسوةٌ فيه وَلِينُ

And the taster, when he sweetened

Your secret, was harsh yet gentle to it

الى سامٍ على ألأطوادِ طامٍ

تذل له الهضابُ وتَستكِينُ

To a lofty one, above the hillocks of a protector

Hills and dunes submit and yield to him

كأنَّ خوافقَ الراياتِ فيه

عتاقُ الطيرِ ليس لها وُكونُ

As if the feathers of standards in him

Were hawks of the desert, having no necks

عسى قطعُ الرياضِ اذا تناهتْ

وَربَّتْها السحائبُ والدُّجُونُ

May the cutting through of meadows, when distant,

And the hills’ racing clouds and darkness

تصب على رؤوسكمُ سُيوفاً

بها تُفلي المَفَارقُ والشُّؤونُ

Rain down swords upon your heads

With which separation and misfortune are routed

فان قَعَدَ اليقينُ بكم فظنوا

ألا بالظنِّ يفتتحُ اليَقينُ

And if conviction resides with you, then think

Beware, certainty begins with assumption

فانَّ قفا الكَحِيلِ الى دُجَيلٍ

أحَلَّ حريمهُ الأسدُ الحَرُونُ

For the walking of Kahīl to Dijāl

Allowed the lion passage in its sanctuary

له نابٌ بوحدتِهِ غنى

وظفرٌ ما يُفَلُ فيستعِينُ

His fangs are sufficient in their solitude

And a grip never enfeebled so as to seek aid

أَطافوا بالعرينِ ليظهروه

وما يَدرونَ ما كَتَمَ العَرينُ

They circled around the lair to expose him

Not knowing what the lair concealed

وكيف تطاقُ رؤيته اذا ما

تراءتْ في لواحظهِ المُنونُ

And how can beholding him be endured if

Death peered through his terrifying eyes?

أمامكمُ الأَسنةُ والمواضي

وخلفكُم المَهَامِهُ والصُّحُونُ

Before you are the plains and resting places

And behind you are the skulls and cairns

كِلابٌ بالعَواصمِ عاويات

وبالخابورِ رامحةٌ زَبُونُ

Dogs, howling in the strongholds

And in the wasteland, a roaming wolf

ورِيثٌ كلها وبنو كلابٍ

شِمالٌ ما تساندُها يَمينُ

An heir, yet all of them the sons of dogs

The left unsupported by the right

أَعِدها كالقِداحِ مُقَلْقَلاتٍ

أَعان على اعاذَتِكَ المُعينُ

Ready them like the striking of flints

The helper aided you in their prevention