سَقى مَحَلاً قَد دَثر

بَينَ زَرُودٍ وَهَجَر

He watered a place draped

Between palms and stones

أَو طَفُ وَسْمِيّ البُكر

كَأَنَّهُ إِذا اِنعَصَر

Or the folds of smooth dunes

As though when squeezed

مِنَ الحَبِيِّ أَو قَطَر

ما دَقَّ مِن روسِ الإِبَر

From seeds or dripping

What flows from needleheads

هَبَّت لَهُ مَعَ السَمَر

صِرُّ شِمالٌ فَاِنتَشَر

The breeze blows to it, with flutes

A northern wind spreads

ثُمَّ تَلالا وَهَدَر

هَدرَ خَطاطيفِ البكَر

Then hills and roars

Roaring rolls of maidens

بِكُلِّ مَشزُورٍ مُمَر

في كَفِّ أَلوى ذي أَشَر

With every fine-haired hyrax

In the palm of a bending, diseased one

حَزَوّرٍ حينَ جَفَر

يَنثِرُهُ إِذا اِنتَثَر

When he shakes, it scatters

So it sparks a fire with flint

فَيَقدَحُ القَفوُ الشَرَر

قَدحَكَ بِالمرخِ العُشُر

Your sparks with the striker, the dry

Near the heated oven

لَدى القَليبِ المُحتَفَر

نَوَّخَ حَولَيهِ العَكَر

He circled it, the barren

Spring and autumn vanished

غِبَّ رَبيعٍ وَصَفَر

يَنفِضُ أَهدابَ الوَبَر

Shaking the leaves of plants

From the valleys and beds

عَنِ الهَوادي وَالسُرُر

فَهُنَّ أَمثالُ الزُبُر

Thus they are like mourning men

Wandering, turning their sight

هِيمٌ يُقَلِّبنَ النَظَر

إِلى حِياضٍ وَجُرَر

To ponds and meadows

Sweet water flows to them

يَسنى لَها عَذبٌ خَصِر

حَتّى إِذا الماءُ اِحتُكِر

Until when water was hoarded

He led them, then turned away

أَورَدَها ثُمَّ صَدَر

يُرى عَلى وَجهِ العفَر

As if on the sky's face

From its downpour when it descends

مِن وَبلِهِ إِذا اِنحَدَر

إِمّا غَديرٌ أَو نَهَر

A pool or river

Or frost on the burrow

أَوِ الثَمادُ في النُقَر

أَمثالُ أَحداقِ البَقَر

Like the eyes of cows

As if that rain

كَأَنَّما ذاكَ المَطَر

لَمّا اِستَهَلَّ وَاِنهَمَر

When it began and poured

The renowned goat's hand

يَدُ المُعزِّ المُشتَهر

رَبيعِ قَيسٍ وَمُضَر

Of Qais and Mudar's spring

Rather, it is brighter and rounder

بَل هُوَ أَندى وَأَدَرّ

وَمَهمَهٍ جَمِّ الخَطَر

And vague, blocking harm

Nothing human inside

ما فيهِ لِلأَنسِ أَثَر

ظَليمُهُ تَحتَ الخَمَر

Its darkness, under wine

Hugging a cloak, like an old man

يَحضُنُ دُرماً كَالأُكَر

كَأَنَّهُ إِذا وَكَر

As if, when it curled up

An old man who craved old age

شَيخٌ حَبا مِنَ الكِبَر

أَو قَسُّ دَيرٍ قَد نَشَر

Or an old monastery that unfurled

Carpets made of hair

مَسابِجاً مِنَ الشَعر

حَتّى إِذا جاعَ اِبتَكَر

Until when hungry, it crept

To insects in a barren land

إِلى هَبيدٍ في عُجَر

مُفَوَّفاتِ كَالحَبَر

Butterflies scattered

It feeds on them, what was dispersed

يَقتاتُ مِنها ما اِنتَثَر

بَينَ السَفيرِ وَالشَجَر

Between the journey and trees

A desert I crossed the valleys

قَفرٌ تَعَدَّيتُ الغَرَر

فيهِ بِحُدبٍ كَالمِرَر

In it with a hump, like a shovel

Like what's above the palm trees

أَشباهُ ما فَوقَ النُخُر

قَد ذُبنَ مِن فَرطِ السَفَر

Melted from the journey's length

To a man who led mankind

إِلى فَتىً سادَ البَشَر

وَساءَ مُذ شَبَّ وَسَرّ

And was evil since he grew up and attained puberty

Either with benefit or harm

إِمّا بِنَفعٍ أَو بِضُرّ

كَالسَيفِ لانَ وَبَتَر

Like an undrawn, blunt sword

Superior being of creation

أَفَخرِ مَخلوقٍ فَخَر

مِن نَفَرٍ خَيرِ نَفَر

From a better group of people

Beauty of nomads and settled

جَمالِ بَدوٍ وَحَضَر

أَهلِ عُمودٍ وَمَدَر

People of pillar and house

Visit him, excellent visitation

زُرهُ تَزُر نِعمَ الوَزَر

وَعُذ بِهِ مِنَ الغِيَر

And seek refuge in him from others

Seek refuge in a hole, if it saw

تَعُذ بِخَرقٍ لَو نَظَر

إِلى فَقيرٍ ما اِفتَقَر

A poor man, it would not covet

Given joys without reluctance

يُعطى اللُهى بِلا ضَجَر

كَأَنَّما عادى البِدَر

As if opposing the full moon

It left nothing, neither halted nor stopped

فَلَم يَدَع وَلَم يَذَر

وَلا اِقتَنى وَلا ادَّخَر

And never hoarded or stored

Anything but goodness of news

شَيئاً سِوى حُسنِ الخَبَر

ذاكَ وَشُكرِ مَن شَكَر

That, and gratitude of one thankful

O son of racing steeds

يا اِبنَ الطَراخينِ الغُرَر

وَالطاعِنينَ لِلثُغُر

And criticizers of frontiers

And leavers in graves

وَالتارِكينَ في الحُفَر

مَنافِباً مِلءَ السِيَر

Full of travels

My connection to you is overflowing favor

وَصلُكَ فَضلٌ قَد بَهَر

شِعري وَشِعرَ مَن شَعَر

My poetry and others' poems

If we were silent, no loss caused

فَلَو سَكَتنا لَم تُضَر

وَالصُبحَ يُغنيهِ النَظَر

Dawn makes the observer needless

Of a witness, when it bursts forth

عَن شاهِدٍ إِذا اِنفَجَر

يا مَن بِهِ شِعري اِفتَخَر

O you, my poetry boasts of

Live forever, years of triumph

عِش أَبَدَاً حِلفَ الظَفَر

وَاسعَد بِأَعيادٍ أُخَر

Happiest in other holidays

Excuse a loyal one, if he could not attend

وَاعذُر وَلِيّاً ما حَضَر

فَلَو مَشى عَلى البَصَر

If he walked on sight itself

Towards you, would not risk harm

نَحوَكَ لَم يَشكُ الضَرَر

وَأَنتَ أَولى مَن عَذَر

You are most deserving of excuse

And dye for them white pearls

وَاصبِغ لَها بِيضاً غُرَر

مَنحوتَةً تَحتَ الحَجَر

Carved under rock

Daughters of night and wakefulness

بِناتِ لَيلٍ وَسَهَر

قَوَّمتُهُنَّ مِن صَعَر

I fixed them from jaggedness

And from a chain of significance

وَمِن سِنادٍ يُعتَبَر

فَهُنَّ أَمثالُ الدُرَر

Thus they are like precious pearls

Thoughts plunged into them

غاصَت عَلَيهِنَّ الفِكَر

في لُجِّ بَحرٍ قَد زَخَر

In a sea's abyss that roared

Praises never borrowed

مَدائِحاً لَم تُستَعَر

وَلَم يَقَع فيها الحَصَر

And never enumerated

Pure from turbidity

صافِيَةً مِن الكَدَر

تُنسيكَ في دَهرٍ غَبَر

Reminding you in a dusty era

Al-Qutami's praise overflows

مَدحَ القُطاميّ زُفَر

وَبَلدَةً فيها زَوَر

And a land in which he visited