احدى دَواهِيْهَا الكُبَرْ

انْ سنَحتْ هذي الغُمَرْ

One of the remedies of old age

If this gloom cleared up

بيداءُ تغتالُ البَصَرْ

دليلُها من الحَصَرْ

Is a desert that blinds the sight

Its guide is incarceration

يَشُمُّ حَوليَ الثَّغَرْ

وَوِرْدُها بلا صَدَرْ

It smells all around my lips

And its flowers have no chest

ملَّ بها النجمُ السَّهَرْ

يَسري الجديُّ والقَمَرْ

The sleepless star was filled with it

The new and the full moon flow in its languor

في نَبهِهَا على غَرَرْ

رُمَّتْ فَضَمَّنْتُ الخَطَرْ

In its drowsiness over deceit

I raced and took the risk

أهوجَ بَّراقَ النَّظَرْ

بَذَّ المَطَايا وَحَسَرْ

Crazy, bright-eyed

Kicked the horses and pulled the reins

ذرعنَ أَرضاً وَسِيرْ

فهنَّ يطلُبنَ الأَثَرْ

Galloped over land and marched

So they seek the trace

لَواحقاً منها شُرَرْ

أَبْوالهُنَّ في الجِرَرْ

As flames following it

Their fathers in embers

لو أنه داسَ النُغَرْ

من خفَّةٍ لما شَعَرْ

If he had trodden on the carpets

He wouldn't have felt it from his lightness

كأَنَّهُ حينَ زَفَرْ

وماجَ نَسْغٌ وظُفُرْ

As if when he sighed

A soft nose and claws stirred

وقُلِّصَ الظلُّ فَفَرْ

وَحِشيةٌ من البَقَرْ

And the shade shrank, so it escaped

A wild beast from the cows

تُزجى طُلاماً يَستَمِرْ

رِخْو العِظامِ والنَّظَرْ

Led into darkness that lasts

The limbs and sight weakened

فَاستودَعَتْهُ بالخَمَرْ

ولبِسَتْ ثَوبَ الذُعُرْ

So she entrusted herself with wine

And wore the clothes of fear

فصادفتْ فيما تَدُرْ

أَطْلَسَ طَباً بالغِرَرْ

She came across, while she turns around

An Atlas fox with fangs

عاقِدَ نابٍ أُقُرْ

أَسرعَ من لمحِ البَصَرْ

Swifter than the glimpse of sight

And left it in betrayal

وغادرتْه في الغَدَرْ

أو قارحٌ من الحُمُرْ

Or a reddish donkey

That drags a lion and bites

يَشُلُّ سَبعاً وَنَزَرْ

شَم الحَواني والقَصَرْ

It smelled the loves and palaces

It grazed the meadows and holes

رَعَتْ أَراطَى والحُفَرْ

وصَهوةَ العُودِ الذَّكرْ

And the call of the male oud

The nose of the blossoming spring

أَنفَ الربيعِ المُبتكَرْ

فأَجمَعَتْ ماءَ الغُدُرْ

So it gathered the water of betrayal

Until when the heat squeezed

حتى اذا القيظُ اعتَصَرْ

شوكَ النباتِ والمَدَرْ

The thorns of plants and spindles

And the dog ascended and escaped

وَطَلَع الكلبُ فَهَرْ

والصَّفوُ يتلوهُ الكَدَرْ

And purity succeeds cloudiness

An ashen one from Samur approached it

أَقبلَها من ذِي سَمُرْ

يَنويِ بِها ما يأتَمِرْ

Intending with it what he orders

The eye of the barking dog and estrangement

عَيْنُ النُّباحِ وَهَجَرْ

فوردت معَ السَّحَرْ

So it reached at dawn

Straight like combed hair

صفاً كما قص الشعرْ

وذو صِدَارِ مُصْطَمِرْ

And with a wrapped chest

If not for the family, it wouldn't have been destitute

لولا العيالُ ما افتقرْ

في قُترةٍ من القَتَرْ

In a shack made of reeds

It came across ashen, easing

عارضَ هِداءً يَسرْ

يأطِرُها فتنأَطِرْ

Enframing it so it becomes framed

Until when the struggle was difficult

حتى اذا النزعُ حَسَرْ

عن مِرفقيهِ والعِذَرْ

On his elbows and the excuse

He slept on the bowstring

نمَّ على السَّهْمِ الوَتَرْ

كأَنَّهُ بعضُ النُذُرْ

As if he was one of the votive offerings

So it cracked like sparks

فانصدعتْ مثلَ الشَّرَرْ

على الحِدَابِ والأَمَرْ

On the cheeks and hair

Taking a share and leaving some

يأْخذ نَقعاً ويَذَرْ

أَو قَرهَبٌ من الأشَرْ

Or a relative from the relatives

Strutting like the hem of a sleeve

تختال كالطِرفِ الطِّمِرْ

فتش جِسمي وسَبَرْ

It examined my body and probed

For every eye and trace

عن كلِّ عينٍ وأثَرْ

فاغتالهْ دونَ الحَذَرْ

So it took him suddenly without caution

I roared like a twisted rope

أَهَرْتُ كالحبلِ المُمَرْ

صِيغَ على صيدِ الفُقُرْ

Made for catching prey

Coinciding with fate

توافياً على قَدَرْ

فابتدرْ الشاةَ الخُضُرْ

So it started with the sheep first

The action preceded the news

تَقَدَّمَ الفِعُل الخَبَرْ

حتى اذا ما قيلَ فَرْ

Until when it was said, flee

It straightened its neck and turned away

سَدَّدَ روقيهِ وكَرْ

فاليومَ يلتفُ العُذُرْ

So today the excuse turns

To whoever had resolve and won

من كان ذا جَدٍ ظَفِرْ

اقدَامُهُ بعدَ الخَوَرْ

His steps after decline

Taught him to stab the throats

علَّمه طعنَ الثُّغَرْ

وربَّ نَفْفٍ في ضَرَرْ

And many a breath in harm

If they reckoned what was in the graves

لو حَسَبَا ما في الغَرَرْ

تسالما على غِمَرْ

They would make peace over embers

The peace of the sword for the tiger

سِلْمَ الهِزَبْرِ للنمرْ

والدهرُ قَطَّاعُ المِرَرْ

And time splits bitterness

It turns the conditions of people

يَصرِفُ أَحوالَ البَشَرْ

مثلَ تَغايير القَمَرْ

Like the changes of the moon

It destroyed the civilization of Sumer and Oman

أَودى بِشِمْرِ وَحُجُرْ

وأُمَمٍ قَبلُ أُخَرْ

And nations before others

So they are nothing but embers

فما هُمُ الاَّ شَمِرْ

تَمَّت تنسَّى وتُزَرْ

Forgotten and buried

They are ancestors taken abruptly

هي الجدودُ تُبَدرْ

فعاجزٌ ومقتدِرْ

So the incapable and the capable

How many stars in smallness

كم من نجومٍ في الصغرْ

مثل السها لم يَشتَهرْ

Like arrows were not famous

Beware of the mother of separation

حَذَارِ من أم دَفَرْ

ما خَدَعَتْ اِلاَّ غُمُرْ

She didn't deceive except for darkness

Her beautiful image entices him

تَروقُهُ حُسْنُ الصُوَرْ

وهي البَجَاريُّ البُجُرْ

And she is the stupid, stupid girl

Tell Abu Nasr, may he triumph

قل لأَبي نَصْرٍ نُصِرْ

على الأَعادي واقتَدَرْ

Over enemies and be capable

O you who if he meets patience

يا من اذا لاقى صَبَرْ

أَو ضامه الدهرُ انتصَرْ

Or time oppresses him, he triumphs

Or the big sin is forgiven

أَو عظُم الذنبُ غَفَرْ

ويا ابنَ من سادَ البَشَرْ

And son of one who surpassed mankind

When fate examines you

اذا تحاماكَ القَدَرْ

فالناسُ اِلاكَ هَدَرْ

So people wrong you

The living tribes of Mudar betrayed you

خانَتكَ أَحياءُ مُضَرْ

والبدوُ جمعاً والحضَرْ

And the Bedouins altogether and the civilized

Even the stored sincere advice

حتى النصيحُ المُدَّخَرْ

لريبِ دَهْرٍ انْ عَثَرْ

Suspected, if it stumbled

And the resolute among the treacherous

وباسلٌ فيمنَ غَدَرْ

وكل من فوقَ العَفَرْ

And all above the dust

You gave him but he was not thankful

أَعْطَيْتَهُ فما شَكَرْ

عسَى الذي سَاءَ وسَرْ

Perhaps He who was evil and delighted

Will make those who schemed have an outcome

يجعل عُقْبَى مَن مكَرْ

ومَن بنُعماكَ كَفَرْ

And those who disbelieved Your blessings

A lesson for all people

للعالَمين معتَبرْ

كانتْ خطوبٌ وسِيَرْ

There were events and journeys

He neglected to look at them

أَهملَ فيهنَّ النَّظَرْ

يا موردَ الرأي الصَدَرْ

O source of vast opinion

Do not think lightly of the despised

لا تَحِقرَنَّ مُحْتَقَرُ

انْ فُلَّتِ اللُدن السُمُرْ

If the cycles of good fortune wavered

And the clouds of hail passed

وَنَفَذَتْ زغبُ الابَرْ

فانَّ في الأَفعى قِصَرْ

So in the viper is shortness

The signs of victory appeared

لاحتْ تَباشيرُ الظَفَرْ

وطردَ المَحْلَ المَطَرْ

And rain dismissed the estate

And the buds of flowers bloomed

وفُضَّ اكمامُ الزَّهَرْ

وكانَ سِراً فَظَهَرْ

And what was secret became apparent

In a little while it will deter

عما قليلٍ يَزدَجِرْ

عن بَغيهِ كلُّ مُضِرْ

Every harmful one from his tyranny

And the excuse cannot be said

ولا يقالُ المُعْتَذِرْ

نَبِّهْ عيوناً وفكَرْ

Awaken the eyes and the thoughts

For a commotion that waits

لخنْفَقِيقٍ تَنْتَظِرْ

لو كانَ نوماً لَنَفَرْ

If it were sleep, it would shake off

And there is nothing in it but drunkenness

وما بها الاَّ سُكُرْ