يُخالِجنَ أَشطانَ الهَوى كُلَّ وِجهَةٍ

بِذي السِدرِ حَتّى خِفتُ أَن لَن تَرَيَّما

The passions of love assail me from every quarter

By the one with the myrtle, so I feared they would never heal

غَرائِزُ لَم يَترُكنَ لِلنَفسِ إِذ عَلَوا

عَلى الصُهبِ تَحدي السيرَ روحاً وَأَعظُما

Instincts that left no rest for the soul once they rose

Above reason, challenging the spirit's journey; how grave and momentous!

سَراةَ الضُحى ثُمَّ اِستَمَرَّ حُداتُهُم

عَلى كُلِّ مَوّارِ المِلاطَينِ أَخزَما

The companions of daybreak, then their company persisted

On every gentle, compliant creature fully matured

عَلى كُلِّ حُرِّ اللَونِ صافٍ نِجادُهُ

يُواهِقُ جَوناً ذا عَثانينِ مُكرَما

On every free steed, purebred and highborn

Rivaling, in their vigor, honored ancestors

إِذا اِجتَهَدَ الرُكبانُ ذَمَّت وَسامَحَت

وَإِن قَصَّروا عاجوا سَماماً مُخَزَّما

When riders strive their utmost, they excuse and forgive

But if they fall short, they suffer terrible upbraidings

كَأَنَّ ظِباءَ السِيِّ أَو عينَ عالِجٍ

عَلى العيرِ أَو أَبهى بَهاءً وَأَفخَما

As though the hunting dogs or the doctor's eye

Were upon the caravan, the finest and noblest of them

كَأَنَّ غَمامَ الصَيفِ تَحتَ خُدورِها

جَلا البَرقَ عَن أَعطافِهِ فَتَبَسَّما

As though the summer clouds beneath their veils

Flashed lightning from their edges, and smiled

تَهادَينَ يَومَ البَينِ كُلَّ تَحِيَّةٍ

وَكَيفَ التَهادي بِالوِدادَةِ بَعدَما

The day we parted, all greetings of friendship ceased

How can there be greetings of affection after what transpired?

تَفَرَّقنَ عَن أَهوالِ أَرضٍ مَريضَةٍ

تَرى لَونَها مِنَ المَخافَةِ أَقتَما

We fled in horror from a stricken land

Whose color, in its terror, was blackest of all

فَأَصبَحَ جَمعُ القَومِ شَتّى وَلَم يَكُن

يُفَرِّقُ إِلّا ذا زُهاءٍ عَرَمرَما

The tribe was divided, though they had been one

None but a vile, deceitful one could have sundered their bond

كَأَنَّ بِواديهِم هِلالَ بنَ عامِرٍ

وَإِن لَم يَكُن إِلّا حَميماً أَو اِبنَ ما

As though, in their valley, was the crescent moon of Banu 'Amir

When in truth naught was there but hot sands and desolation

كَما اِنشَقَّ وادٍ شُعبَتَينِ كِلاهُما

يُعارِضُ عَرنيناً مِنَ الرَملِ أَحزَما

It split, like a valley into two ravines

Both defiled by sand and decorated with pebbles

تَبيتُ بِها الوَجناءُ مِن رَهبَةِ الرَدى

بِأَقتابِها وَالسابِحُ الطِرفُ مُلجَما

Where the shy creatures shelter in dread of harm

Huddled in their burrows while the lone swimmer is still

رَذايا بَغايا مُقشَعِرّاً جُنوبُها

يَغُضّونَ مِن أَجراسِها أَن تَزَغَّما

Evil intruders, their flanks shuddering

Muffling the bells on their camels, that they not chime

يَغُضّونَ صَوتَ العيسِ إِلّا صَريفَها

وَصَوتَ الصَريحِيّاتِ إِلّا تَحَمحُما

Muffling the camel drivers' calls, but for their whistling

And the women's babble, but for their lisping

بَني قَطَنٍ إِنّي عَبَدتُ بُيوتَكُم

بِرَهوَةَ داراً أَو أَعزَّ وأَكرَما

O people of Qatan, I worshipped your abodes

In awe of a house, or one greater and nobler

فَلا تَنزِلوا مِن رَأسِ رَهوةَ دارِكُم

إِلى خِرَبٍ لا تُمسِكُ السَيلَ أَثلَما

So descend not from the noble height of your homes

To a ruin that cannot resist the torrents' violence

أُناسٌ إِذا حَلَّت بِوادٍ بُيوتُهُم

نَفى الطَيرَ حَتّى لا تَرى الطَيرُ مَجثَما

A people, when they encamp in a valley

Drive away the birds, so the birds see no bloodshed

تُظَلِّلُ مِن شَمسٍ النَهارِ رِماحُهُم

إِذا رَكَزَ القَومُ الوَشيحَ المُقَوَّما

Their lances shade the sun at noon

When the warriors fix them, straight and true

تَرى كُلَّ لَونِ الخَيلِ وَسطَ بُيوتِهِم

أَبابيلَ تَعدو بِالمِتانِ وَهُيَّما

You see horses of every color galloping through their homes

Running to and fro, whinnying

وَذي عِزَّةٍ أَنذَرنَهُ مِن أَمامِهِ

فَلَمّا عَصاني في المَضاءِ تَنَدَّما

A highborn one, I warned him to his face

But when he disobeyed me, in the contest, he regretted

فَوَدَّ بِضاحي جِلدِهِ لَو أَطاعَني

إِذا زَلَّ وَاِعرَورى بِهِ الأَمرُ مُعظَما

He wished, by his tanned hide, he had obeyed me

When matters went awry and he was utterly routed

وَفَرَّقَ بَينَ الحَيِّ بَعدَ اِجتِماعِهِم

مَشائيمُ دَقُّوا بَينَهُم عِطرَ مَنشِما

Schemers who came between them after their reunion

And, with their plots, scattered the sweet herb's fragrance

غُواةٌ كَنيرانِ الحَريقِ تَسوقُهُ

شآمِيَّةٌ في حائِلِ العِربِ أَصحَما

Rebels like flames of wildfire, driven

By a Syrian mischief-maker, most sinister of all

إِذا لَهَبٌ مِن جانِبٍ باخَ شَرُّهُ

ذَكا لَهَبٌ مِن جانِبٍ فَتَضَرَّما

When a blaze flares up on one side, its evil

Kindles another blaze, and they merge

وَفي الناسِ أَذرابٌ إِذا ما نَهَيتَهُم

عَن الشَرِّ كَالنُشّابِ يُنزَعُ مُقدِما

Among the people are impudent ones - if you forbid them

From evil, they persist as gum persists when scraped

جَزى اللَهُ قَومي مِن شَفيعٍ وَطالبٍ

عَنِ الأَصلِ وَالجاني رَبيعاً وَأَنعُما

May God reward my people with an intercessor, a seeker

Of justice for the oppressed and the oppressor alike

وَلَو أَنَّ قَومي يُقبَلُ المالُ مِنهُمُ

لَمَدّوا النَدى سَيلاً إِلى المَجدِ مُفعَما

If only my people welcomed money from me

I would send flows of bounty to the heights of glory

لَما عَدِموا مِن نَهشَلٍ ذا حَفيظَةٍ

بَصيراً بِأَخلاقِ اِمرِىءِ الصِدقِ خِضرِما

They would lack no Nahshal - mature and wise -

Who knows honest men's ways, long experienced

حَمولاً لأَثقالِ العَشيرَةِ بَينَها

إِذا أَجشَموهُ باعَ مَجدٍ تَجَشَّما

Bearing the tribe's burdens among them

When called to glory's market, he shoulders responsibility

وَلَكِن أَبى قَومٌ أُصيبَ أَخوهُمُ

رُقى الناسِ وَاِختاروا عَلى اللَبَنِ الدَما

But a people refused - though their brother attained

Mankind's ascent - and chose blood over milk

أَرى قَومَنا يَبكونَ شَجوَ نُفوسِهِم

وَقَد بَعَثوا مِنّا كَذلِكَ مَأتَما

I see our people weeping, hearts filled with sorrow

Though we have often given them cause for lament

عَلى فاجِعٍ هَدَّ العَشيرَةَ فَقدُهُ

كَرورٍ إِذا ما فارِسُ الشَدِّ أَحجَما

Over a tragedy that devastated the tribe, for the absence

Of one like lightning, when a knight of firm resolve falters

فَإِذا جَلَّتِ الأَحداثُ وَاِنشَقَّتِ العَصا

فَوَلّى الإِلَهُ اللَومَ مَن كانَ أَلوَما

But when calamities abound, and authority cracks

God blames whoever was most blameworthy