أَمِن رَسمِ أَطلالٍ بِتَوضِحَ كَالسَطرِ
فَما شِنَ مِن شَعرِ فَرابِيَةَ الجَفرِ
From the ruins' drawing as lines so clear
No poetry like Al-Farazdaq’s appears
إِلى النَخلِ فَالعَرجَينِ حَولَ سُوَيقَةٍ
تَأنَسُ في الأُدمِ الجَوازيءِ وَالعُفرِ
To the palm trees and then the bent ones around Sawayqah
That revels in the soft sand and spotted hide
قِفارٍ وَقَد تَرعى بِها أُمُّ رافِعٍ
مَذانِبَها بَينَ الأَسِلَّةِ وَالصَخرِ
Abarrens where Umm Rafi’ pastures
Her camels among the tussocks and rock
وَإِذ هِيَ خَودٌ كَالوَذيلَةِ بادِنٌ
أَسيلَةُ ما يَبدو مِنَ الجَيبِ وَالنَحرِ
When she’s a cheek like the trailing robe, close by
Baring what shows from mantle and chest
كَمُغزِلَةٍ تَغذو بِحَومَلَ شادِناً
ضَئيلَ البُغامِ غَيرَ طِفلٍ وَلا جَأرِ
Like a spinster feeding on truffles though having
No little camels, no lambs that bleat
طَباها مِنَ الناناتِ أَو صَهَواتِها
مَدافِعُ جوفا فَالنَواصِفِ فَالحَترِ
Pleasures for her are mint or its berries
Repulsing guts so statuesque and compact
إِذا الشَمسُ كانَت رَتوَةً مِن حِجابِها
تَقَتها بِأَطرافِ الأَراكِ وَبِالسَدرِ
When the sun was somewhat unveiled from its veil
She’d welcome it with litter’s edge and trunks of lote
فَيا راكِبا إِمّا عَرَضتَ فَبَلِّغَن
عَقيلا إِذا لاقَيتَها وَأَبا بَكرِ
Oh passerby, should you meet them, transmit
To ‘Uqail and Abu Bakr when you occur
بِأَنَّكُمُ مِن خَيرِ قَومٍ لِقَومِكُم
عَلى أَنَّ قَولاً في المَجالِسِ كَالهُجرِ
That you are best folk unto your folk
Though saying in assemblies like neighbor-shunning
دَعوا جانِباً إِنّا سَنَنزِلُ جانِباً
لَكُم واسِعاً بَينَ اليَمامَةِ وَالقَهرِ
Leave aside, we will leave you a side
Spacious between Yamamah and Al-Qahr
أَغَرَّكُمُ مِن قَومِكُم عَدَدُ الحَصى
وَأَنِ الفُضولَ في رُوَآسٍ وَفي وَبرِ
Did our number delude you, mere pebbles
As surplus on heads and in hair they occurred?
كَأَنَّكُم خُبِّرتُمُ أَو عَلِمتُمُ
مَوالِيَ مِمَّن لا يَنامُ وَلا يَسري
As though you were told or you knew
Those loyal to us - no sleep nor movement
كَذَبتُم وَبَيتِ اللَهِ حَتّى تُعالِجوا
قَوادِمَ حَربٍ لا تَلينُ وَلا تَمري
You lied, by God’s house, until you take on
Raids of war that relent not nor die
وَنَركَبُ خَيلاً لا هَوادَةَ بَينَها
وَنَعصي الرِماحَ بِالضَياطِرَةِ الحُمرِ
Horses we’ll ride, no affection among them
We’ll raise our spears with the ferrules red
فَلَسنا بِوَقّافينَ عُصلٍ رِماحُنا
وَلَسنا بِصَدّافينَ عَن غايَةِ التَجرِ
We’re no spear-planters, our lances
Nor deviators from the goal or limit
وَإِنّا لَمِن قَومٍ كِرامٍ أَعِزَّةٍ
إِذا لَحِقَت خَيلٌ بِفُرسانِها تَجري
We are of folk noble, proud
When horses catch up with their horsemen they run
وَنَحنُ إِذا ما الخَيلُ أَدرَكَ رَكضُها
لَبِسنا لَها جِلدَ الأَساوِدِ وَالنُمرِ
And we, when the racers catch up with their racing
We don them the hides of lions and leopards
لَعَمري لَقَد أُخبِثتُما حينَ قُلتُما
لَنا العِزُّ وَالمَولى فَأَسرَعتُما نَفري
By my life, evil you spoke when you told us
Ours are might and friendship - you spurred estranging
أَبي فارِسُ الضَحياءِ عَمروُ اِبنِ عامِرٍ
أَبى الذَمَّ وَاِختارَ الوَفاءَ عَلى الغَدرِ
My father, knight of munificence, ‘Amr
Ibn ‘Aamir who refused blame, chose loyalty over betrayal
وَإِنّي لَأَشقى الناسِ إِن كُنتَ غارِما
لِعاقِبَةٍ قَتلى خُزَيمَةَ وَالخُضرِ
Indeed I am most wretched of men, if you
Avenge those killed - Khuzaymah and Al-Khadhr
أُكَلِّفُ قَتلى مَعشَرٍ لَستُ مِنهُمُ
وَلا أَنا مَولاهُم وَلا نَصرُهُم نَصري
I am tasked with avenging a group I am not from
Neither their patron nor aiding their aid
يَقولونَ دَع مَولاكَ نَأكُلهُ باطِلاً
وَدَع عَنكَ ما جَرَّت بُجَيلَةُ مِن عُسرِ
They say: “Abandon your Master, unjustly we’ll kill Him
And leave behind you what Bujaylah brought of hardship”
أُكَلِّفُ قَتلى العيصِ عيصِ شَواحِطٍ
وَذَلِكَ أَمرٌ لا يُثَفّى لَكُم قِدري
I am tasked with the Banu ‘Eys’s slain, the ‘Eys
Of Shawahit - that’s something clear, my appraisal
وَقَتلى أَجَرَّتها فَوارِسُ ناشِبٍ
بِأَزنَمَ خُرصانِ الرُدَينِيَّةِ السُمرِ
And the slain Bajirra’s horsemen caused
With the ferrules of Al-Radini’s black lance
فَيا أَخَوَينا مِن أَبينا وَأُمِّنا
إِلَيكُم إِلَيكُم لا سَبيلَ إِلى جَسرِ
Oh two brothers of one father and mother
Towards you, towards you - no way to bridge building
