خليليَّ لا تستعجِلا وَدَعَاني

وحلاّ بدارِ الحزمِ وانتظِراني

My beloved, do not hurry me, let me be

And settle in the abode of wisdom and wait for me

لَم يكُ هَذا الدّينُ سنةَ واحدٍ

وأصبحَ منهُ اليومَ ما تريانِ

This religion has not been for one year

Yet today it is what you see

تُحرقُ دوحَ الواديينِ شرارةٌ

ويجمعُ جَدَّ المرءِ بعدَ حِرانِ

The flames burn the sand dunes of the two valleys

And a man's zeal is gathered after confusion

كأنّكما لم تعلَما حربَ وائلٍ

وما استلبتْ من صَعدَةٍ وحِصانِ

It is as if you both did not know the war of Wa'il

And what it seized from Sa'dah and horses

وقتلَ كليبٍ في جريرةِ ناقةٍ

وقد كانَ لا يَخشى جِنايةَ جانِ

And the killing of Kalib over the she-camel of Jirrirah

When he did not fear the crime of demons

وعبسٌ أذاعُوا في الرّهانِ سيوفَهُم

فافنوا بها الإعمارَ وهي فَوانِ

And 'Abs spread their swords in the wager

So they perished by them while they were transient

وأسندتِ الشَّعرَ الرقابُ نحورُها

إلى حَرِّ ضربٍ صادقٍ وطِعانِ

And the necks inclined poetry toward their throats

To the heat of a true and piercing strike

ألا رَجُلٌ يستلُّني من هَويّةٍ

تهدَّمَ بي في قعرِها الرَّجَوانِ

Oh a man who humbles me from passion

Which in its depths my glory is destroyed

ومولىً كمولى الذئبِ شمَ نجيعَهُ

رأى الدهرَ يَرمي صفحتي فرَماني

And a master like the master of a wolf who smelled his howl

He saw time throwing my cheeks spears

دعاني وعَرضُ الرملِ بين وبينَه

فألاّ دَعاني والرماحُ دوانِ

He called me while the sands were between us

So why did he call me while the spears were close?

فإنْ كانَ رمحي ليس يبلُغُ قلبَه

فإنّ سِناني في القُلوبِ لساني

If my spear does not reach his heart

Then my teeth in the hearts are my tongue

وحمّلَ ركبانَ الطريقِ وعيده

فعلم سنى الضّحكَ حين أتاني

And he carried the travelers of the road his threats

So he knew the far off laughter when I came to him

وقلتُ لمن أدى الرّسالةَ قل لهُ

ستُنكِرُ هَذا القولَ حين تَراني

And I said to the one who delivered the message, tell him

I will deny these words when I see him

فخرّ صَريعاً للوعيد كأنّني

ثَنيتُ له بالسّمهريِّ بَناني

So he fell slain to the threat as if I

Bent the slim-waisted spear for him

أأنْ غلبتْ سعدٌ على المجدِ كلِّه

غلبتَ على البغضاءِ والشنآنِ

What! Did Sa'd conquer all the glory?

You conquered hatred and malice

فقد بَليتْ تحت الترابِ عِظامُهُمْ

وغيظُك لا يَبلى على الحَدثانِ

Indeed, their bones have worn out under the dust

While your hatred does not wear out over time

تُلفَّتُ في أعطافِها وبُرودِها

بني وائلٍ تعساً لشرِّ زَمانِ

They toss and turn in its folds and coldness

The clan of Wa'il miserably in the evil of times

وهل ينفعُ الفتيانَ حسنُ جسومِهِمْ

إذا كانت الأعراضُ غيرَ حِسانِ

Does the beauty of their bodies benefit the youth

When morals are not good?

فلا تجعل الحسنَ الدليلَ على الفتى

فما كلُّ مصقولِ الحديدِ يمانِ

So do not take beauty as evidence of the young man

Not every polished iron is Yemani

لعَمري لقد قادَ الضلالُ ركابَنا

إلى شرِّ مخلوقٍ من الحَيوانِ

By my life, misguidance surely led our riding beasts

To the worst of creatures from animals

أبَوا أنْ يبلوا في الهَجيرِ حلوقنا

وأعينُها تَدمى من الهَمَلانِ

They refused to temper our necks with estrangement

While their eyes weep from affection

ولو جاورتْ وهباً لقصَّ حِبالَها

وأثقالَها عن منكبٍ وجِرانِ

Had they neighbored Wahb, he would have cut their ropes

And removed their burdens from the shoulder and cloak

لضمّ على أحشائِها رُكباتِها

وقال رِدي قبلَ الحياضِ جِناني

He would have pressed their knees to his bosom

And said, "Return before the courtyards, my heavens!"

وإنّ فتىً بعدَ القطيعةِ زرتُه

لأكرمُ من تمشي بهِ قدمانِ

Yet after estrangement, I visited a young man

Who is more generous than one whose feet lead him

سَقانيَ في كأسِ البشاشةِ مرحباً

ألا مرحبا أكرمتَ غيرَ مُهانِ

He welcomed me in a cup of joy, saying

"Welcome!" He honored without humiliation

فقلْ للطّوالِ الشُّمِّ كعبِ بنِ عامرٍ

وخُصَّ سَراةَ الحيِّ من غَطَفانِ

So say to the Tall Ones, Ka'b bin 'Aamir

And especially the horsemen of Hayy from Ghatafan,

وبكراً ومن حلّ القَنانَ وطيئاً

ومن ضَمَّ من أشياعِها الجَبَلانِ

And Bakr and those who carried spears from Tayy'

And those who gathered its branches, the two mountains

رِدوا وانزلوا عَرضَ البلادِ فأنّى

نزلتْ من الدُنْيا أعزَّ مكانِ

Return and descend to the expanse of the country, for I

Have descended to the most honorable place in the world

علِقتُ على ضعفِ الحِبالِ وذلِّها

بأمنعِ حبلٍ علقته يدانِ

I hung on the weakness of ropes and their disgrace

With the strongest rope my hands tied

فأصبحتِ الأقدارُ ترهبُ أسهمي

وتأخذُ أحداثُ الزّمانِ أماني

So fate became afraid of my arrows

And the events of time took my wishes

وإنّ الخَنا والغدرَ في الناسِ شيمةٌ

كَفى اللهُ وهبا شرَّها وكفاني

Verily, betrayal and treachery are traits in people

May God protect me from their evil and suffice me

حماني من الظّنِّ الكذوبِ وقال لي

همومُك من همي وشانُك شاني

He protected me from false suspicions and said

"Your worries are my worries and your affair is my affair"

وكانتْ ضُلوعي لا يقرُّ قرارُها

وقلبي لا يهدأ من الخَفَقانِ

My ribs did not settle from pounding

Nor did my heart calm from palpitations

دعوتُ سواهُ للعُلا فأجابَني

وأجللتُه عن مَطلَبي فَبداني

I called upon Him for elevation, so He answered me

And I avoided asking Him, yet He initiated with me

وجاءَ بها كعبيةً حاتِميّةً

سجيّةَ ماضي الشفرتين هِجانِ

And brought it as a generous Hatemian gift

Austere, with the two sharpened blades roaring

ومكرمةً في ذا الزمانِ غريبةً

تَدارَكها تجري بغيرِ عِنانِ

An honored gift in this time, strange

Taken care of, running without restraint

ولي حاجةٌ لولاكَ عزَّ طِلابُها

على كلِّ قاصٍ في البِلادِ ودانِ

And I have a need that, were it not for you, its seeker

Would be difficult for every settler in the lands

سعى نحوَها الساعونَ يبتدرونَها

ولكنّه سَعيٌ لعمرُكَ وانِ

Those seeking it hastened to obtain it

But by your life, it is an effort in vain

هم كرِهوا الأقرانَ حينَ تزعزعَتْ

صدورُ القَنا والتفتِ الفئتانِ

They disliked equals when the hearts of the Qan split

And the two parties inclined

إلى أينَ وليتُم وجارُ بيوتكُم

يجاذبُ حبلي ذِمّةً وضَمانِ

To where are you heading while the neighbor of your homes

Pulls my pact of protection and guarantee?

وباتَ على الجُدرانِ يَرمُقُ قوتَها

جناحا غرابٍ هَمَّ بالطّيرانِ

And stays up on the walls eyeing their food

Like the wing of a crow that intended to fly

إذا اللهُ لم يأذنْ لِما أنتَ طالبٌ

أعانكَ في الحاجاتِ غيرُ معانِ

If God does not permit what you seek

No helper aids you in needs other than Him

تلافَ بها حقَّ المروءةِ وارعَها

فَما يُمكن الأحصانُ كلَّ أوانِ

It missed the right of manliness and watched over it

For the steeds cannot do everything at all times

وكم من عزيزٍ قد تخطيتُ نصرَهُ

إليكَ وباقي الريقِ غيرُ جَنانِ

And how many honored ones have I passed over their support

To you, while the rest are not paradises

تُجيرُ على الأعداءِ والطعنُ فائرُ

وبيضُ الظُّبا والهامُ يَعْتَلِجانِ

You give refuge against enemies while the piercing spears are raging

And the hyenas and wild cows are thrashing about

وكنتُ إذا ما حاجةٌ حالَ دونَها

نهارٌ وليلٌ ليسَ يَعتذرانِ

I used to, if an obstacle hindered a need

For a day and night that do not apologize

حَملتُ على سوءِ القضاءِ ملامَها

ولم أُلزمِ الإخوانَ ذنبَ زَماني

I blamed its bad fate

And did not obligate the brothers for the sin of my time

عجِبتُ لِهذا الدهرِ كيفَ يَضيمُنا

على ما بهِ من ذِلّةٍ وهَوانِ

I wonder at this life, how it wrongs us

For the humiliation and lowliness in it

وتَطرُقُنا فيه المناحِسُ بعدَما

رأتكَ نجومُ الليلِ والقمرانِ

And misfortunes strike us in it after

The stars of night and the two moons saw you

ولو كان خَلقٌ فوقَها كنتَ فوقَه

فما هذه الدنيا وما الثَّقلانِ

Had there been a creation above it, you would be above it

For this world is nothing, nor are the two burdens

رأيتُ لساني فيكَ يحسِدُ خاطري

وتحسُدُه في مدحِكَ الشّفتانِ

I saw my tongue envying my conscience about you

And my lips envying it in praising you

فيا ربِّ هَبْ لي وصلَ وهبٍ وقربَهُ

وصدعْ هَوى من شئتَ بعد تَدانِ

So oh God, grant me the companionship of Wahb and his nearness

And rupture after bringing close whom You will

فأقْسِمُ لوْلا بذلُه ووفاؤهُ

لصافحتُ سيفي واعتنقتُ سِناني

For I swear had it not been for his generosity and loyalty

I would have greeted my sword and embraced my spear