عَفا واسِطٌ أَكلاؤُهُ فَمُحاضِرُه
إِلى جَنبِ نَهيٍ سَيلُهُ فَصَدائِرُه
A middleman whose dogs have eaten, yet his guest chambers
Next to a stream whose flowing waters have worn away its banks,
فَشَركٌ فَأَمواهُ اللَديدِ فَمَنعِجٌ
فَوادي البَدِيِّ غَمرُهُ فَظَواهِرُه
An associate so the cunning of foxes have deceived him,
And a valley’s flood has overwhelmed exposing its peaks.
مَنازِلُ مِن هِندٍ وَكانَ أَميرُها
إِذا ما أَحَسَّ القَيظَ تِلكَ مَصايِرُه
Abodes from India and he who was its emir
When he felt the heat, those were his retreats.
صِلي مِثلَ وَصِلي أُمَّ عَمروٍ فَإِنَّني
إِذا خِفتُ أَخلاقَ النَزيعِ أُدابِرُه
Pray like the prayers of Um ‘Amr, for I
Flee the ethics of the wicked once aware.
وَأَبيَضَ خَيرٍ مِنكِ وَصلاً كَسَوتُهُ
رِدائِيَ فيما نَلتَقي وَأَسايُرُه
And the whiteness of pure kinship with you is a mantle I clothed
Meeting you, though his aides have been lost.
وَإِنّي لَتَغشى حُجرَةَ الدارِ ذِمَّتي
وَيُدرِكُ نَصري المَرءَ أَبطَأَ ناصِرُه
My integrity veils the home’s interior,
And my triumph reaches the man, though late his supporter.
وَإِنّي إِذا اِبنُ العَمِّ أَصبَحَ غارِماً
وَلَو نالَ مِنّي ظِنَّةً لا أُهاجِرُه
When the cousin behaves with enmity at daybreak
Even if he holds suspicion of me, I will not desert him.
يَكونُ مَكانَ البِرِّ مِنّي وَدونَهُ
وَأَجعَلُ مالي مالَهُ وَأُؤامِرُه
In place of good from me, and without him
I make my wealth his, and fully support him.
فَإِنَّ أَلوكَ اللَيلِ مُعطى نَصيبَهُ
لَدَيَّ إِذا لاقى البَخيلَ مَعاذِرُه
The night visitor gets his share with me
When the stingy man meets his excuses.
وَإِنّي لَيَنهاني الأَميرُ عَنِ الهَوى
وَأَصرِمُ أَمري واحِداً فَأُهاجِرُه
The emir prohibits me from desire
Yet I conceal my matter, and quietly desert him,
بِأَدماءَ مِن سِرِّ المَهارى كَأَنَّها
أَقَبُّ شَنونٌ لَم تَخُنهُ دَوابِرُه
With blood of those skilled in secret passion as if it were
Old wine whose vintage did not disappoint.
تَصَيَّفَ أَطرافَ الصُوى كُلَّ صَيفَةٍ
وَوارَدَ حَتّى ما يُلَثِّمُ حافِرُه
He summered on hilltops every summer
Until it arrived melting away all its hoarfrost,
وَلاحَتهُ هَيفُ الصَيفِ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ
صَليفُ غَبيطٍ لاءَمَتهُ أَواسِرُه
Its summer heat appeared until it was as if
The heat of muggy Ghabeet whose bonds enflamed it.
تَلا سَقبَةً قَوداءَ أَفرَدَ جَحشَها
فَقَد جَعَلَت تَأذي بِهِ وَتُناكِرُه
It followed a slender legged black gazelle alone,
But it began to bother and evade it,
رَباعِيَّةً أَو قارِحَ العامِ ضامِرا
يُمايِرُها في جَريِهِ وَتُمايِرُه
A four year old, or a fleet onager of the year
Racing it in its run, and it racing back.
إِذا هَبَطا أَرضاً حَزوناً رَأَيتَها
بِجانِبِهِ إِلّا قَليلاً تُواتِرُه
When they descended to gloomy land you would see it
Beside it, though infrequent its return.
فَحَلَّأَها حَتّى إِذا ما تَوَقَّدَت
عَلَيهِ مِنَ الصَمّانَتَينِ ظَواهِرُه
He teased it until when it flared up against him
Its forehead blaze and inner blaze burned,
وَخالَطَ بِالأَرساغِ مِن ناصِلِ السَفا
أَنابيشَ مَرمِيّاً بِهِنَّ أَشاعِرُه
He mixed using the pommel strap made of damaged quiver,
Tossing it while the arrowheads grazed its hair,
أَرَنَّ عَلَيها قارِباً وَاِنتَحَت لَهُ
خَنوفٌ إِذا تَلقى مَصيفاً تُبادِرُه
He closed in on it while a slow rising star looked on
Hopeful of watering place that doesn’t deprive the lost of drink.
فَأَورَدَها وَالنَجمُ قَد شالَ طالِعاً
رَجا مَنهَلٍ لا يُخلِفُ الماءَ حائِرُه
It came but couldn’t control itself from the water
As its muzzle flowed over the edge and its lips.
فَجاءَت وَلَم تَملِك مِنَ الماءِ نَفسَها
وَسافَ الشَريعَ أَنفُهُ وَمَشافِرُه
He backed off a little then lowered his bow
Upon a dune from the side, cautious of it,
فَرادَ قَليلا ثُمَّ خَفَّضَ جَأشَهُ
عَلى وَجَلٍ مِن جانِبٍ وَهوَ حاذِرُه
He wet his hands between shallow and deep
Stirred between the horror of ghosts and forewarnings.
فَدَلّى يَدَيهِ بَينَ ضَحلٍ وَغَمرَةٍ
تُخالِجُ مِن هَولِ الجِنانِ بَوادِرُه
An Aus with his bow on the north side, his arrows
Were unerring, intense, and sharp tipped.
وَأَوسٌ لَدى رُكنِ الشَمالِ بِأَسهُمٍ
خِفافٍ وَناموسٍ شَديدٍ حَمائِرُه
If an arrow’s path strayed,
He’d seek refuge in a tested charm, removing it.
إِذا رابَهُ مِن سَهمِهِ زَيغُ قُذَّةٍ
يَعوذُ بِمَبراةٍ لَهُ فَهوَ حاشِرُه
He watered it until when its joints went slack
And the chill of water touched its nostrils,
فَأَورَدَهُ حَتّى إِذا مَدَّ صُلبَهُ
وَباشَرَ بَردَ الماءِ مِنهُ مَناخِرُه
It recoiled unexpectedly, disappointing his guess
Howling bitterly, its omen failed.
تَنَحّى بِمَذروبٍ فَأَخلَفَ ظَنَّهُ
وَوَيَّلَ مَلهوفاً وَخُيِّبَ طائِرُه
He drove it on, rising up the sand dunes
While every frightened herd avoided its path.
فَأَصدَرَها تَعلو النِجادَ وَيَنتَحي
بِها كُلَّ رَيعٍ مُتلَئِبٍ مَصادِرُه
He shoved its legs, hands, and head away
His weight and mass were harsh upon it.
يُجَنَّبُ رِجلَيها يَدَيهِ وَرَأسَهُ
شَديدٌ عَلَيها وَقعُهُ وَغَشامِرُه
By morning he was decisive, with leadership his
And the pacing of steeds his, and their reining.
فَأَصبَحَ ذو حِسمٍ وَدَورانُ دونَهُ
وَحِسيُ القِرانِ دونَهُ وَحَزاوِرُه
Far off the sounding, echoing back
Deep in its breast, its sharp sight and gaze.
بَعيدُ مَدى صَوتِ النُهاقِ يَرُدُّهُ
إِلى جَوفِهِ مِنهُ صَحيحاً نَواظِرُه
Mild discontent took little, his nature conformed,
His guide emptied out, and his course made smooth.
أَقَبَّ قَليلُ العَتبِ توبِعَ خَلقُهُ
فَأُفرِغَ هاديهِ وَأُرمِحَ سائِرُه
As if the hair of its head were Waseet’s trees
Whose stakes were driven in, nailing it down.
كَأَنَّ ضَئِيَّي رَأسِهِ شَجرُ واسِطٍ
تَفاقَمَ حَتّى لاحَكَتهُ مَسامِرُه
Through this I relieve my concerns and needs
When they converge, and worries crowd my thoughts.
فَتِلكَ بِها أَقضي هُمومي وَحاجَتي
إِذا ما اِلتَوَت وَالهَمُّ جَمٌّ خَواطِرُه
