سَمَت لَكَ حاجَةٌ مِن حُبِّ سَلمى

وَصَحبُكَ بَينَ عَروى وَالطواحِ

A need of you arose in me from Salma's love

While your people were between valleys and sands

فَبِتُّ كَذي اللَذاذَةِ خالَسَتهُ

فُراتُ المَزجِ عاليَةُ الرِباحِ

So I remained in this sweetness, having tasted it

Euphrates of commixture, lofty winds

سَباها تاجرٌ مِن أَذرِعاتٍ

بِأَغلاءِ العَطِيَّةِ وَالسَماحِ

A merchant valued it with arms

With expensive gift and generosity

وَلَستَ بِعازِفٍ عَن ذِكرٍ سَلمى

وَقَلبُكَ عَن تُماضِرَ غَيرُ صاحِ

And you are not one who abstains from mention of Salma

And your heart is not deaf to commiseration

تَبَسَّمُ عَن حَصى بَرَدٍ عَذابٍ

أَغَرَّ كَأَنَّهُ نورُ الأَقاحي

You smile about stones of cold torture

As if it were the light of meadows

إِذا ما ذُقتَهُ عَسَلٌ مُصَفّى

جَنَتهُ النَحلُ في عَلَمٍ شَناحِ

When you taste it, filtered honey

Which bees stored in a waving banner

وَقَد قَطَعَت تُماضِرُ بَطنَ قَوٍّ

يَمانِيَةِ التَهَجُّرِ وَالرَواحِ

And the commiseration cut through the belly of the troop

Yemeni in estrangement and departure

كَأَنَّ حُمولَها لَمّا اِستَقَلَّت

بِذي الأَحزابِ أَسفَلَ مِن نَساحِ

As if when its burdens lightened

Below Dhi al-Ahzab, lower than a smooth rock

خَلايا ذَنبَريٍّ عابِراتٍ

عَدَو لَي عامِداتٍ لِلقِراحِ

Cells of fleeing gazelles

Enemies not ceasing, earnest in journey

كَأَنَّ مِنازِلاً بِالفَأوِ مِنها

مِدادُ مُعَلِّمٍ يَتلوهُ واحي

As if places therein by a burrow

Ink of a teacher reciting it by heart

وَما يَومٌ تُحييهِ سُلَيمى

بِخَبراءِ البِجادَةِ أَو صَباحِ

And not a day Salima revives

With news of swordsmanship or morning

بِمَشؤومٍ زِيارَتُهُ طَويلٍ

وَلا نَحسٍ مِنَ الأَيّامِ ضاحي

With ominous visit, lasting

Nor misfortune from the days appearing

وَما أَدماءُ مُؤَلِفَةٌ سَلاماً

وَسَدراً بَينَ تَنهِيَةٍ وَراحِ

And not bloodshed comprising peace

And lotuses between end and respite

تَضَمَّنَها مَسارِبُ ذي قِساءٍ

مَكانَ النَصلِ مِن بَدَنِ السِلاحِ

Containing it passages of harshness

Instead of blade from the sword's body

بِأَحسَنَ مِن تُماضِرَ يَومَ قامَت

تودِعُنا لِبَينٍ فَاِنسِراحِ

With better than commiseration the day it stood

To bid us farewell for separation and dispersal

أَلا أَبلِغ بَني قَطَنٍ رَسولاً

كَلامَ أَخٍ يُعاتِبُ غَيرَ لاحِ

Shall I convey to Bani Qatn a messenger

Words of a brother reproaching without subtlety?

فَما فارَقتُهُم حَتّى اَظَنّوا

وَبَيَّنَ مِن شَواكِلِهِم نَواحي

So I did not part from them until they thought

And the keening of them became manifest

وَما تُخلى لَكُم إِبِلي إِذا ما رَعَت

قُطمانَ أَو كَنَفَي رِكاحِ

And I do not leave my camels for you when they pasture

Qutman or Kanafir meadow

وَلَم تَحموا عَلى نَعَمِ اِبنِ سُؤرٍ

صَوامَ إِلى اِذيَرعَ فَاللَياحِ

And they did not forbid the bounty of Ibn Su'ur

Fasting to Idhira'a so Al-Layah

فَما لَهُم بِمَرتَعِهِ مُنَدّى

وَلا بِحِياضِهِ أَدنى نِضاحِ

So for them in its pasture there is no refuge

Nor in its enclosure least drink

تَشَمَّسُ دونَها عَوفُ بنِ كَعبٍ

بِبَيضِ المَشرَفِيَّةِ وَالرِماحِ

Awf ibn Ka'b suns himself beneath it

With the whiteness of Al-Mashrafiyyah and spears

وَآلُ مُقاعِسٍ لَم يَخذُلوها

عَلى حَربٍ أُريدَ وَلا صَلاحِ

And the family of Muqais did not fail it

Regarding a war I desired, and no peace

وَيَنصُرُها مِن الأَبناءِ جَمعٌ

حُماةُ الحَربِ مَكَروهو النِطاحِ

And a group of sons aid it

Protectors of war, disliked for butting

وَباني المَجدِ حِمّانُ بنُ كَعبٍ

وَباني المَجدِ وُكِّلَ بِالنَجاحِ

And the builder of glory, Himman ibn Ka'b

And the builder of glory who was granted success

وَإِن أَدعُ الأَجارِبَ يُنجِدوني

بِجَمعٍ لا يُهَدُّ مِن الصِياحِ

And if I call on allies they will help me

With a group the shouts do not confuse

أُولَئِكَ وَالدِي وَعَرَفتُ مِنهُم

مَكاني غَيرَ مُؤتَشَبِ المُراحِ

They are my father, and I knew from them

My position, not doubting rest

تُقادُ وَراءَها بَينَ الشَماني

وَبِصوَةَ كُلُّ سَلهَبَةٍ وَقاحِ

Lead after them between esparto grass

And every insolent, offensive Salhabah

وَكُلُّ طِمِرَّةٍ شَنحٍ نَساها

وَعَجلى الشَدِّ صادِقَةِ المِراحِ

And every despicable, branching Timirah

Forgetting the vehemence of the truthful she-camels

إِذا اِضطَرَبَ الحِزامُ عَلى حَشاها

مِنَ الأَعمالِ مُضطَرَبَ الوِشاحِ

When the girth is disturbed on their saddle pads

From toil, the face veil is disturbed

وَخِنذيذٍ تَصيدُ الرَبدَ عَفواً

وَقُبَّ الأَخدَرِيَّةِ في الصَباحِ

And young camels hunting prey heedlessly

And Qub of Al-Khadiriyyah in the morning

كَأَنَّ مَجالَهُنَّ بِبَطنِ رَهبى

إِلى قُطمانَ آثارُ السِلاحِ

As if their range in Bani Rahbah

Were vestiges of weapons to Qutman

كَأّنَّ وَرايِدَ المُهراتِ فيهِم

جَواري السِندِ مُرسَلَةُ السِباحِ

As if the cultivated she-camels among them

Were loosened Sind slave girls

كَأَنَّ الشاحِجاتِ بِبَطنِ رَهبى

لَدى قُنّاصِها بُدنُ الأَضاحي

As if the milkers in Bani Rahbah

Were carcasses of victims near their hunter

فَمَن يَعمَل إَلَينا قَرضَ صِدقٍ

عَلى حينِ التَكُشُّفِ وَالشِياحِ

So whoever lends us sincere loan

When destitution and winds stripped bare

تَجِدهُ حينَ يَكشِفُ عَن ثَراهُ

كَذُخرِ السَمنِ في الأَدَمِ الصَحاحِ

Will find it when it uncovers its treasure

Like clarified butter in unadulterated skin

وَمَن يَعمَل بِغُشٍّ لا يَضِرنا

وَتَأخُذُهُ الدَوائِرُ بِالجُناحِ

And he who works with deception does not harm us

And cycles will take him in their grasp