أَبائِنَةٌ سُعدى نَعَم سَتَبينُ
كَما اِنبَتَّ مِن حَبلِ القَرينِ قَرينُ
A sweetheart, whose love makes life happy
As love grows from the bonds of affection between the couple
أَإِن زُمَّ أَجمالٌ وَفارَقَ جيرَةٌ
وَصاحَ غُرابُ البَينِ أَنتَ حَزينُ
My friends have departed and the neighbours scattered away
While the raven of separation cried “you seem sad!”
كَأَنَّكَ لَم تَسمَع وَلَم تَرَ قَبلَها
تَفَرُّقَ أُلّافٍ لَهُنَّ حَنينُ
It's as if you never saw or heard them before
When thousands bid farewell in yearning
حَنينٌ إِلى أُلّافِهِنَّ وَقَد بَدا
لَهُنَّ مِن الشَكِّ الغَداةَ يَقينُ
Yearning for those thousands when morning erased
Any doubts and brought certainty
وَهاجَ الهَوى أَظعانُ عَزَّةَ غُدوَةً
وَقَد جَعَلَت أَقرانُهُنَّ تَبينُ
Passion was aroused at dawn by the departure of Aziza’s caravan
As their peers bid them farewell
فَلَمّا اِستَقَلَّت عَن مَناخٍ جِمالُها
وَأَسفَرنَ بِالأَحمالِ قُلتُ سَفينُ
When their camels were relieved of burdens
And the ships appeared full in the harbor
تَأَطَّرنَ في الميناءِ ثُمَّ تَرَكنَهُ
وَقَد لاحَ مِن أَثقالِهِنَّ شحونُ
They were framed in the harbor then left it behind
With their heavy cargo sounding portentous
كَأَنّي وَقَد نُكِّبنَ بَرقَةَ واسِطٍ
وَخَلَّفنَ أَحواضَ النُجَيلِ طَعينُ
As if the ships of Wasit were capsized
And left behind the docks of An-Nujail
فَأَتبَعتُهُم عَينَيَّ حَتّى تَلاحَمَت
عَلَيها قِنانٌ مِن خَفَينَنَ جونُ
I followed them with my eyes until they disappeared
Behind the dunes surrounding Khaif Nan
فَقَد حالَ مِن حَزمِ الحَماتَينِ دونَهُم
وَأَعرَضَ مِن وادي البُليدِ شُجونُ
They were barred by the determination of the protectors
And the valleys of Bulayd roared with agony
وَفاتَتكَ عيرُ الحَيِّ لَمّا تَقَلَّبَت
ظُهورٌ بِهِم مِن يَنبُعٍ وَبُطونُ
You missed the caravan of the living when they turned
Their backs on Yanbu’a and Butun
وَقَد حالَ مِن رَضوى وَضَيبَرَ دونَهُم
شَماريخُ لِلأَروى بِهِنَّ حُصونُ
The castles of Arwa obstructed them
With their red battlements and solid walls
عَلى الكُمتِ أَو أَشباهِها غَيرَ أَنَّها
صُهابِيَّةٌ حُمرُ الدُفوفِ وَجونُ
A cavalry from Abathir veered past them
And the lofty cliffs of Radwa frowned
وَأَعرَضَ رَكبٌ مِن عَباثِرَ دونَهُم
وَمِن حَدِّ رَضوى المُكفَهِرِّ جَبينُ
They broke their promise and betrayed my trust
For one who betrays has no faith
فَأَخلَفنَ ميعادي وَخُنَّ أَمانَتي
وَلَيسَ لِمَن خانَ الأَمانَةَ دينُ
And so we grew estranged, until they seemed
Like madmen on the day of farewell
وَأَروَثنَهُ نَأياً فَأَضحى كَأَنَّهُ
مُخالِطُهُ يَومَ السُرَيرِ جُنونُ
They lied about true affection on the day of bitterness
And affliction reached me because of them
كَذَبنَ صَفاءَ الوُدِّ يَومَ شَنوكَةٍ
وَأَدرَكَني مِن عَهدِهِنَّ وُهونُ
A friend continues conversing with ghosts
Whenever you are distant and doubts haunt his abode
وَإِنَّ خَليلاً يُحدِثُ الصَرمَ كُلَّما
نَأَيتَ وَشَطَّت دارُهُ لَظَنونُ
The specter of Hajibiyya circled around submissively
While a wild ostrich passed with clamor
وَطافَ خَيالُ الحاجِبِيَّةِ موهِناً
وَمَرَّ وَقَرنٌ دونَها وَرَنينُ
An adulteress seeks my mercy in her salvation
For I have no tenderness towards adulteresses
وَعاذِلَةٍ تَرجو لِياني نَجَهتُها
بِأَن لَيسَ عِندي لِلعواذِلِ لينُ
You blame a man in the prime of his youth
For leaving behind the supporters of youth
تَلومُ اِمرِءاً في عُنفُوانِ شَبابِهِ
وَلِلْتَّركِ أَشياعَ الصَبابَةِ حينُ
You did not realize that my criticism of youth
Is the custom of the old since ancient times
وَما شَعَرَت أَنَّ الصِبا إِذ تَلومُني
عَلى عَهدِ عادٍ لِلشَبابِ خَدينُ
And if my youth persisted I would know
That I will be buried in a grave one day
وَإِنِّي وَلَو داما لأَعلَمُ أَنَّني
لِحُفرَةِ مَوتٍ مَرَّةً لَدَفينُ
I did not know, nor did I find that youth
Pairs well with anything but youth itself
وَأَنِّيَ لَم أَعلَم وَلَم أَجِدِ الصِبا
يُلائِمُهُ إِلّا الشَبابَ قَرينُ
While white hair brings prohibitions
The ruins of youth are adornment
وَأَنَّ بَياضَ الرَأسِ يُعقِبُ بِالنُهى
وَلَكِنَّ أَطلالَ الشَبابِ تَزينُ
By my life, bitterness has been hard on me
In a house where termites have made you dwell
لَعَمري لَقَد شَقَّت عَلَيَّ مَريرَةٌ
وَدارٌ أَحَلَّتكِ البُوَيبَ شَطونُ
