تَأَوَّبَني فَبِتُّ لَها كَنيعاً

هَمومٌ لا تُفارِقُني حَواني

Loneliness beckoned me, so I spent the night longing

Worries that won’t leave me be, wherever I turn

هِيَ العُوّادُ لا عُوّادُ قَومي

أَطَلنَ عيادَتي في ذا المَكانِ

It comes visiting me, not visiting my people

It made this place its destination for visiting me

إِذا ما قُلتُ قد أَجلَينَ عَنّي

ثَنى ريعانَهُنَّ عَلَيَّ ثانِ

When I say it has kept away from me for a while

It renews its youth and doubles back to me

فَإِنَّ مَقَرَّ مِنزِلِهِنَّ قَلبي

فَقَد أَنفَهنَهُ فَالقَلبُ آنِ

For my heart is the home it settles in

So my heart welcomes it and makes it feel at home

أَلَيسَ اللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنَّ قَلبي

يُحِبُّكَ أَيَّها البَرقُ اليَماني

Doesn’t Allah know that my heart loves you

O lightning flash of Yemen, shining bright?

وَأَهوى أَن أُعيدَ إِلَيكَ طَرفي

عَلى عُدَواءَ مِن شُغلي وَشاني

And I long to turn my eyes back towards you

Despite the preoccupations and worries that distract me

نَظَرتُ وَناقَتايَ عَلى تَعادٍ

مُطاوِعَتا الأَزِمَّةَ تُرحِلانِ

I looked and saw my two she-camels

Marching in line, journeying on through hardship

إِلى ناريهِما وَهُما قَريبٌ

تَشوقانِ المُحِبَّ وَتوقَدانِ

Heading to their resting place, and they are so close

Yearning for their loving owner, their reins igniting

رَأَيتُ بِذي المُجازَةِ ضَوءَ نارٍ

تَلَألَأُ وَهيَ نازِحِةُ المَكانِ

I saw in the distant mirage, the light of a fire

Gleaming and rising up from its place

فَشَبَّهَ صاحِبايَ بِها سُهَيلاً

فَقُلتُ تَبَيَّنا ما تَنظُرانِ

So my two friends likened it to the star Suhail

I said to them, look closely at what you see!

أَنارٌ أَوقِدَت لِتَنَوّارِها

بِدَت لَكُما أَمِ البَرقُ اليَماني

A fire someone lit up to misguide you

It only appears to you as lightning in Yemen

وَكَيفَ وَدوَنَها هَضَباتُ سَلعٍ

وَأَعلامُ الأَبارِقِ تَعلَمانِ

How could it be, when below it are the hills of Sala’

And the lightning rods point the way to its place?

كَأَنَّ الريحَ تَرفَعُ مِن سَناها

بَنائِقَ حُلَّةٍ مِن أُرجُوانِ

It seems the wind lifts from its peak

Cloaks of purple brocade

وَمِمّا هاجَني فَاِزدَدتُ شَوقاً

بُكاءُ حَمامَتَينِ تَجاوَبانِ

And something that stirred me up, making me long even more

Was the cooing of two doves calling to each other

تَجاوَبَتا بِلَحنٍ أَعجَمِيٍّ

عَلى غُصُنَينِ مِن غَرَبٍ وَبانِ

They called to each other in an incomprehensible melody

On two branches, one eastern and one western

فَأَسبَلتُ الدُموعَ بِلا اِحتِشامٍ

وَلَم أَكُ بِاللِئيمِ وَلا الجَبانِ

So I shed tears without shame

And I was neither mean nor cowardly

فَقُلتُ لِصاحِبَيَّ وَكُنتُ أَحزو

بِبَعضِ الطَيرِ ماذا تَحزُوانِ

I said to my friend, and I was saddened

By some of the birds, what saddens you?

فَقالا الدارُ جامِعَةٌ قَريبٌ

فَقُلتُ بَل أَنتُنما مُتَمَنِّيانِ

They said: The homecoming is near at hand

I said: No, you are only wishing

وَقُلتُ لِصاحِبَيَّ دَعا مَلامي

وَكُفّا اللَومَ عَنّي وَاِعذُراني

And I said to my friend: Leave off blaming me

And stop criticizing me, make excuses for me

فَكانَ البانُ أَن بانَت سُلَيمى

وَفي الغَرَبِ اِغتِرابُ غَيرُ داني

For it was clear that Sulaymah appeared in the East

While in the West, my strangeness admits no compromise

أَلَيسَ اللَيلُ يَجمَعُ أُمَّ عَمرُو

وَإِيّانا فَذاكَ لَنا تَدانى

Doesn’t the night bring together Umm ‘Amr

And me, so that is an intimacy for us

بَلى وَتَرى الهِلالَ كَما أَراهُ

وَيَعلوها النَهارُ كَما عَلاني

Yes, and you see the crescent as I see it

And the day overwhelms her as it overwhelms me

فَما بَينَ التَفَرُّقِ غَيرُ سَبعٍ

بَقينَ مِنَ المُحَرَّمِ أَو ثَمانِ

So between our parting, nothing remains

But seven days left of Muharram, or maybe eight

فَيا أَخَوَيَّ مِن جُشَمِ بنِ سَعدٍ

أَقِلاَّ اللَومَ إِن لَم تَنفَعاني

O brothers of Jusham ibn Sa’d

Lessen your blame, if it will not benefit me

إِذا جاوَزتُما سَعَفاتِ حَجرٍ

وَأَودِيَةَ اليَمامَةِ فَاِنعِياني

When you pass by the fronds of Hajar

And the valleys of Yamamah, cry out for me

إِلى قَومٍ إِذا سَمِعوا بِنَعيي

بَكى شُبّانُهُم وَبَكى الغَواني

To a people, if they hear of my death

Their youth and their elders will cry

وَقولا جُحدُرٌ أَمسى رَهيناً

يُحاذِرُ وَقعَ مَصقولٍ يِماني

And say: Juhdur has passed away a captive

Fearing the smooth Yemeni blade that would strike him

يُحاذِرُ صَولَةَ الحَجّاجِ ظُلماً

وَما الحَجّاج ظَلّاماً لِجانِ

Fearing the injustice of al-Hajjaj without cause

For al-Hajjaj is not unjust to the righteous

أَلَم تَرَني غُذيتُ أَخا حُروبٍ

إِذا لَم أَجنِ كُنتُ مِجَنَّ جانِ

Didn’t you see me, brother of wars

If I don’t commit sins, I’m accused of sin

فَإِن أَهلِك فَرُبَّ فَتى سَيَبكي

عَلَيَّ مُهَذَّبٍ رَخصِ البَنانِ

So if I die, how many noble youths will weep

For me, well-mannered, cheap to please?

وَكُلَّ فَتىً لَهُ أَدَبٌ وَحِلمٌ

مَعدِيٍّ كَريمٍ غَيرِ وانِ

And every well-mannered and wise youth

Generous, noble, flawless

وَلَم أَكُ قَد قَضَيتُ دُيونَ نَفسي

وَلا حَقَّ المُهَنَّدِ وَالسِنانِ

I have not yet paid off the debts I owe myself

Or the rights of the refined and sharp blades

كَذا المَغرورُ في الدُنيا سَيَردى

وَتُهلِكُهُ المَطامِعُ وَالأَماني

Thus the arrogant in this life will be abased

Consumed by greed and hopes