عَفَت ذاتُ السَّلاسِلِ بعدَ سَلمى
وحَومَلُ بعدَ عَهدِكَ والدَّخُولُ
The one with chains became chaste after Salma
And pregnancy after your time and entering
عَفَت وتَرَجَّزَ القَلَعُ السَواري
عَليها فالأنيسُ بها قليلُ
Became chaste and the fort dressed up
With few companions in it
سِوى سُفعٍ مَدامِعُها ورُمدٍ
تَظلُّ نَهارَها فِيهَا تَجُولُ
Except for the bleary-eyed whose tears
Roam her day in her
وقَد تَغنى بِها حِيناً سُلَيمَى
بِهَا النَّعَمُ المُرَوَّحُ والحُلُولُ
And Suleima had sung about her for a while
With her, comforts and entering
ألا أبلِغ بَني شَيبانَ عَنِّي
وَقد يَهدِيكَ ذُو الحِلمِ الأَصيلُ
Tell the people of Shayban about me
He who has dignity may guide you
بأنَّ الحينَ مَورِدُكُم مياهاً
مُخَالِطُ شُربِهَا كَلأٌ وَبيلُ
That now your watering place has water
Mixed, turbid and urine
أَلَم نُطلِقكُم فَكَفَرتُمُونَا
وَلَيسَ لِنِعمَةِ المَكفُورِ جُولُ
Did we not set you free yet you disbelieved us
Freed blessings have no circulation
فَإن يَنطِق عُبَيدُ اللَّهِ جَهلاً
فلَم يَعلم عُبيدٌ ما يَقولُ
If Obeidullah speaks ignorantly
The slaves do not know what they say
سَما مِن أهلِ ذي قارٍ إِلَينا
بِهَادٍ لا يُخالِطُهُ الضَّلُولُ
An envoy came to us from the people of Zi Qar
With guidance not mixed with misguidance
فلَما أن مَضى بالقَومِ شَهراً
وَبيَّنَ ما يَخبِّره الدَّليلُ
So when he stayed with the people for a month
And clarified what the guide told him
بجَيشٍ عِليَةُ الأَصواتِ فيهِ
إِذا نَزَلوا التَّحَمحُم والصَّهيلُ
With an army loud voices among them
When they camp humming and neighing
فَباتوا نازِلينَ بِنا وكُنا
أَبا الأَضيافِ إذ كُرِهَ النُّزولُ
They camped overnight with us while we were
Hospitable when camping was hated
فَلمَّا أن أضاءَ الصُّبحُ جاؤوا
رَعيلاً خَلفَهُ مِنهم رَعيلُ
When dawn broke they came
A group behind another group
فَما شَعرُوا بِنَا حتَّى رأَونا
وأكثِبَةُ الشَّقيقِ بنا تَسِيلُ
They did not notice us until they saw us
And the split veins were dripping in us
فَما نَظروا القِرى وَرأوا وجُوهاً
قليلاً في تأَمُّلِهَا الوَسِيلُ
They did not look at the villages and saw few faces
In their observation the mediator
رأَوا نعَمَ الشَّقِيقَةِ وَهوَ حَومٌ
وَدون لِقائِه شَرٌّ بَجِيلُ
They saw the blessings of the split vein and it was pregnancy
And meeting it had severe harm
أقرَّ العينَ إذ طَارَت عليهم
شَمِيطُ اللَّونِ لَيسَ لها حُجُولُ
It delighted the eye when the dappled
Of color with no stallion flew upon them
وَهُنَّ عَلَى الحِبَالِ مجَلِّحاتٌ
لَهُنَّ بِكُلِّ معتَرَكٍ قَتيلُ
And they were on the ropes fierce
For them in every battlefield there is a casualty
إذا كُرِهَ السِّلاحُ مَضَينَ فِيهِ
وَلَم يَكُ حَقُّ عادَتِها النُّكوُلُ
When the weapons were hated they proceeded in it
And it was not in their nature to retreat
فَظَلَّ لَهُم عَلَى الأَنقاءِ مِنَّا
إلَى أَن أَظلَمُوا يَومٌ طَوِيلُ
So upon the she-camels among us
A long day remained for them
وآبُوا مُطلَقِينَ وَلم يُثِيبُوا
وَغَالَ رَئيسَهم في الأرضِ غُولُ
And they left freely and did not reciprocate
While their leader roamed the land tyrannically
يَزِلُّ اللُؤمُ عَن قِدَمِ اللَّيَالي
ويَأبى لُؤمُ يَشكُرَ لا يَزُولُ
Cowardice declines with the footsteps of nights
But the cowardice of the ungrateful does not decline
وَلم يكفُر مَساعِينَا لَدَيكُم
لَعَمرُ أَبِيكُمُ إلا جَهُولُ
Only the ignorant among you disbelieved our efforts
By the life of your father
