بانَ الخَليطُ فَما لِلقَلبِ مَعقولُ
وَلا عَلى الجيزَةِ الغادينَ تَعويلُ
The mixture appeared, so the heart has no comprehension,
Nor on the purse are the departing ones relied upon.
أَمّا هُمُ فَعُداةٌ ما نُكَلِّمُهُم
وَهيَ الصَديقُ بِها وَجدٌ وَتَخبيلُ
As for them, they are enemies whom we do not speak to,
And it is the friend with whom there is love and flirtation.
كَأَنَّني يَومَ حَثَّ الحادِيانِ بِها
نَحوَ الإوانَةِ بِالطاعونِ مَتلولُ
It is as if, the day the two friends urged her
Towards the shelter with the plague, I was wavering,
يَومَ اِرتَحَلتُ بِرَحلي دونَ بِرذَعَتي
وَالقَلبُ مُستَوهِلٌ بِالبَينِ مَشغولُ
The day I packed my belongings without my armor
While my heart was busy with separation.
ثُمَّ اِغتَرَزتُ عَلى نِضوي لِأَبعَثَهُ
إِثرَ الحُمولِ الغَوادي وَهوَ مَعقولُ
Then I bid farewell to my companion to send him
After the caravans though he was comprehension.
فَاِستَعجَلَت عَبرَةٌ شَعواءُ قَحَّمَها
ماءٌ وَمالَ بِها في جَفنِها الجولُ
So a copious tear hastened which a
Water penetrated and rolled in its eyelid.
فَقُلتُ ما لِحُمولِ الحَيِّ قَد خَفِيَت
أَكَلَّ طَرفِيَ أَم غالَتهُمُ الغولُ
I said what happened to the caravans of the living that
My eyes missed them or did the ghoul make away with them.
يَحفَونَ طَوراً فَأَبكي ثُمَّ يَرفَعُها
آلُ الضُحى وَالهِبِلّاتُ المَراسيلُ
They camp for a while so I cry then the
Morning family raises it and the twilight messengers.
تَخدي بِهِم رُجُفُ الأَلحي مُلَيَّثَةٌ
أَظلالُهُنَ لِأَيديهِنَّ تَنعيلُ
They are escorted by the neighing of the slick horses
Whose shadows are for their hands golden anklets.
وَلِلحُداةِ عَلى آثارِهِم زَجَلٌ
وَلِلسَرابِ عَلى الحِزّانِ تَبغيلُ
And for the warriors in their tracks are stallions
And for the mirage over the gravels are delusions.
حَتّى إِذا حَلَّتِ الشَهلاءُ دونَهُمُ
وَاِستَوقَدَ الحَرُّ قالوا قَولَةً قيلوا
Until when the late mornings prevented them
And the heat kindled they said some words, they halted,
وَاِستَقبَلوا وادِياً جَرسُ الحَمامِ بِهِ
كَأَنَّهُ نَوحُ أَنباطٍ مَثاكيلُ
And faced a valley in which the turtledoves were cooing
As if they were the arks of Anbateel.
لَم يُبقِ مِن كَبِدي شَيئاً أَعيشُ بِهِ
طولُ الصَبابَةِ والبيضُ الهَراكيلُ
The prolonged separation and the white cranes
Did not leave anything in my liver by which I could live.
مِن كُلِّ بَدّاءَ في البُردَينِ يَشغَلُها
عَن حاجَةِ الحَيِّ عُلّامٌ وَتَحجيلُ
Of every malady in the two abbys occupying them
From the need of the living, ailments and scorching.
مِمّا يَجولُ وِشاحاها إِذا اِنصَرَفَت
وَلا تَجولُ بِساقَيها الخَلاخيلُ
Of that which makes its edges flutter when it departs
While no anklets clink around its legs.
يَزينُ أَعداءَ مَتنَيها وَلَبَّتَها
مُرَجَّلٌ مُنهَلٌ بِالمِسكِ مُعلولُ
It adorns the enemies of its stretch and its wrapping
A bejeweled and scented smooth wrapping.
تُمِرُّهُ عَطِفَ الأَطرافِ ذا غُدَرٍ
كَأَنَّهُنَّ عناقيدُ القُرى الميلُ
The glances pass by it slowly, with coyness,
As if they are bunches of dates bending over.
هيفُ المُرَدّى رَداحٌ في تَأَوُّدِها
مَحطوطَةُ المَتنِ وَالأَحشاءِ عُطبولُ
The swaying of its inclining is submission in its affection
While its body and innards are supple.
كَأَنَّ بَينَ تَراقيها وَلَبَّتِها
جَمراً بِهِ مِن نُجومِ اللَيلِ تَفصيلُ
As if between its neck and its wrapping
Is an ember with stars of the night lined up.
تَشفي مِنَ السَلِّ وَالبِرسامِ ريقَتُها
سُقمٌ لِمَن أَسقَمَت داءٌ عَقابيلُ
Its saliva heals the tetter and mange for whoever it sickens,
A malady with which the physicians are struggled.
تَشفي الصَدى أَينَما مالَ الضَجيعُ بِها
بَعدَ الكَرى ريقَةٌ مِنها وَتَقبيلُ
Its echo heals wherever the slumberer turns with it
After hardships, a saliva from it and a kissing.
يَصبو إِلَيها وَلَو كانوا عَلى عَجَلٍ
بِالشَعبِ مِن مَكَّةَ الشيبُ المَثاكيلُ
They pour to it even if they are in a hurry
With the road from Mecca, the white-bearded reverends.
تَسبي القُلوبَ فَمِن زُوّارِها دَنِفٌ
يَعتَدُّ آخِرَ دُنياهُ وَمَقتولُ
It captures hearts so among its visitors are soft ones
Who count its end of the world and being killed.
كَأَنَّ ضَحكَتَها يَوماً إِذا اِبتَسَمَت
بَرقٌ سَحائِبُهُ غُرٌّ زَهاليلُ
It is as if its smile one day when it beams
Is lightning whose clouds are delicate pearls.
كَأَنَّهُ زَهَرٌ جاءَ الجُناةُ بِهِ
مُستَطرَفٌ طَيِّبُ الأَرواحِ مَطلولُ
It is as if it is a flower which the spring brought
A fragrant soul, a smooth wrapping.
كَأَنَّها حينَ يَنضو الدِرعَ مَفصِلُها
سَبيكَةٌ لَم تُنَقِّصها المَثاقيلُ
It is as if when the coat's buttons are undone
A necklace which the weights did not diminish.
أَو مُزنَةٌ كَشَّفَت عَنها الصَبا رَهَجاً
حَتّى بَدا رَيِّقٌ مِنها وَتَكليلُ
Or a balance which the youth uncovered from it fatigue
Until a saliva from it and a crowning appeared.
أَو بَيضَةٌ بَينَ أَجمادٍ يُقَلِّبُها
بِالمَنكِبَينِ سُخامُ الزِفِّ إِجفيلُ
Or an egg between solid rocks turned over by
The shoulders of the burly litter-men.
يَخشى النَدى فَيُوَلّيها مُقاتِلَهُ
حَتّى يُوافى قَرنَ الشَمسِ تَرجيلُ
Dew fears so it flees its combatant
Until it meets the sun's rays equating.
أَو نَعجَةٌ مِن إِراخِ الرَملِ أَخذَلَها
عَن إِلفِها واضِحُ الخَدَّينِ مَكحولُ
Or a ewe which negligence took from its tribe
And the clearly rosy cheeked coddler.
بِشُقَّةٍ مِن نَقا العَزّافِ يَسكُنُها
جِنُّ الصَريمَةِ وَالعَينُ المَطافيلُ
In a room of soft furs it resides
Where the jinn of whistling and the evil eye dwell.
قالَت لَهُ النَفسُ كوني عِندَ مَولِدِهِ
إِنَّ المُسَيكينَ إِن جاوَزتِ مَأكولُ
The soul said to it, be by his birth
For if the feeding time passes, the starved dies.
فَالقَلبُ يُعنى بِرَوعاتٍ تُفَزِّعَهُ
وَاللَحمُ مِن شِدَّةِ الإِشفاقِ مَخلولُ
So the heart is busy with terrors that frighten it
While the flesh from the extreme dread is clenched.
تَعتادُهُ بِفُؤادٍ غَيرِ مُقتَسِمٍ
وَدِرَّةٍ لَم تَخَوَّنَها الأَحاليلُ
It befriends it with an undivided heart
And a pearl which no dreams revealed.
حَتّى اِحتَوى بِكرَها بِالجَوِّ مُطَّرِدٌ
سَمَعمَعٌ أَهرتُ الشِدقَينِ زُهلولُ
Until it contained its abhorrence loudly ongoing
Deafening the two cheeks, confused babble.
شَدَّ المَماضِغَ مِنهُ كُلَّ مُنصَرَفٍ
مِن جانِبَيهِ وَفي الخُرطومِ تَسهيلُ
It tightened its chews from it every withdrawer
From its two sides and in the trunk wheezing.
لَم يَبقَ مِن زَغَبٍ طارَ النَسيلُ بِهِ
عَلى قَرا مَتنِهِ إِلّا شَماليلُ
There did not remain any slobber which the breeze took
On the saddle's seat except two side straps.
كَأَنَّما بَينَ عَينَيهِ وَزُبرَتِهِ
مِن صَبغِهِ في دِماءِ القَومِ مِنديلُ
As if between its two eyes and its forehead
From its dye in the blood of the people, a handkerchief.
كَالرُمحِ أَرقَلَ في الكَفَّينِ وَاِطَّرَدَت
مِنهُ القَناةُ وَفيها لَهذَمٌ غولُ
Like a spear it curved in the two palms and from it
The spearhead leaked in which was thick blood.
يَطوي المَفاوِزَ غيطاناً وَمَنهَلُهُ
مِن قُلَّةِ الحَزنِ أَحواضٌ عَداميلُ
It crosses the deserts folding them and its watering place is
From scarcity of sadness basins of worms.
لَمّا دَعا الدَعوَةَ الأولى فَأَسمَعَها
وَدونَهُ شُقَّةٌ ميلانِ أَو ميلُ
When it called the first call so it heard it
While below it was a slight inclination or a mile.
كادَ اللُعاعُ مِنَ الحَوذانِ يَسحَطُها
وَرِجرِجٌ بَينَ لَحيَيها خَناطيلُ
The spittle from the gullet almost destroyed it
And a gurgling between its two cheeks, little bells.
تُذري الخُزامى بِأَظلافٍ مُخَذرَفَةٍ
وَوَقعُهُنَّ إِذا وَقَّعنَ تَحليلُ
It shakes off the flies with decorated eyelids
And their striking when they strike, a tinkling.
حَتّى أَتَت مَربِضَ المِسكينِ تَبحَثُهُ
وَحَولَها قِطَعٌ مِنها رَعابيلُ
Until it came to the cubicle of the miserable one searching him
And around it pieces from it, multicolored patches.
بَحثَ الكَعابِ لِقُلبٍ في مَلاعِبِها
وَفي اليَدَينِ مِنَ الحِنّاءِ تَفصيلُ
It examined the rubbish for a heart in its playgrounds
And henna on the hands lined up.
