شُبَّتْ لِعَيْنَيْ غَزِلٍ مَيّاطِ
سَعْدِيَّةٌ حَلَّتْ بِذِي أُراطِ
My eyes were captivated by the charms of a gazelle,
A joyful one who came to me, slender and bright
بِرَّاقَةٌ كَالبَرْقِ ذِي الكِشاطِ
كَأَنَّ بَيْنَ العِقْدِ وَالإِقْراطِ
As flashing lightning in the darkness of night,
As if a string of pearls twined round her white neck.
سالِفَةً مِنْ جِيدِ رِيمٍ عَاطِ
بَعْدَ المَنامِ طَيِّبُ السُعاطِ
Her saliva was sweet like the juice of ripe dates,
Her breath after sleep was a scent that captivates.
كَأَنَّ فَوْقَ الخَزِّ وَالأَنْماطِ
أَبْيَضَ مِنْهَا لا مِنَ الرَواطِي
She was whiter than silk or the softest sateen,
Not like the complexion of peasant girls, I mean.
فَأَيُّها الشَاحِجُ بِالغُطاطِ
لَمّا تَصَدَّى لِي ذَوُو الرِياطِ
So O desirer, craving to scoop and slip,
When the censors accosted me with their whip
قُلْتُ وَجَدَّ الوِرْدُ بِالفُرّاطِ
لا بُدَّ مِنْ جَبِيهَةِ الخِلاطِ
I said, passion has found in me its right tract
To face the blend of the sweet and the compact
إِنِّي لَوَرَّادٌ عَلَى الضِناطِ
ما كانَ يَرْجُو مائِحُ السِقاطِ
For I’m wont to return to the feast as a guide
With what the slovenly glutton had not espied
جَذْبِي دِلاءَ المَجْدِ وَانْتِشاطِي
مِثْلَيْنِ في كَرَّيْنِ مِنْ مِقاطِ
As the chipper clipping the wings with its beak
And the crawler dreaming of pits it could sneak,
مِنْ بَقَر أَو أَدَم أَطّاطِ
إِذَا تَلاَقَى الوَهْطُ بِالأَوْهاطِ
So enough of the writhing of one that’s a creep
And the raving of him who does nothing but weep.
أَوْرَى بِثَرْثارَيْنِ فِي الغِطْماطِ
إِفْراغَ نَجَّاخَيْنِ فِي الأَغْواطِ
My patience restrained people from my wrath’s sweep
My chewing the heads of villains with relish and heap.
وَمَيْطُ غَرْبِي أَنْكَرُ الأَمْياطِ
عَلَيَّ أَنْمارٌ مِن اعْتِباطِي
In a horse whose gums tightly clasp the bit’s keep
At the blacksmith’s, with tongs striking hammering beat
كالحَيَّةِ المُجْتابِ بِالأَرْقاطِ
يَكْفِيك أَثْرِي القَوْلَ وَانْتِباطِي
I doctor the farrier’s disgraceful defeat.
My venom I serve, fatal poisonous treatment
عَوَارِماً لَمْ تُرْمَ بِالإِسْقاطِ
فِيهِنَّ وَسْمٌ لازِم الأَلْباطِ
In it lies ruin and bile of bitter ferment
When the bat’s wing gets cracked, I pelt
سَفْعٌ وَتَخْطِيمٌ مِنَ العِلاطِ
فَقَد كَفى تَخَمُّطَ الخِماطِ
Stones like the swirling squall’s fierce onset
I’m a man whose glory is in engagement
وَالبَغيَ من تَعَيُّطِ العَيَّاطِ
حِلْمِي وَذَبَّ الناسَ عَنْ إِسْخاطِي
Routing the chieftains, them I subdue,
Ours are the pebbles and ample carpets,
مَضْغِي رَؤُوسَ البُزْلِ وَاسْتِراطِي
فِي شَدْقَمٍ أَشْداقُهُ خَبّاطِ
Noble birth multiplies in our palace halls,
Sovereignty is for us, the mighty warriors,
عِندَ العِضاضِ مِقْصَلٍ هَماطِ
وَقَدْ أُدَاوِي نَحْطَةَ النَحّاطِ
It bowed to us while rage boiled for the detractors
Our spear is disaster for nights of dearth
فَصْداً وَأَسْقِي السَمَّ ذا الحَمَاطِ
فِيهِ الكَدَا وَحَقْوَة الأَوْقاطِ
Though today’s struggle has pressed down hard
It has not impaired my glory and great worth
أَرْمِي إِذَا انْشَقَّتْ عَصَا الوَطْواطِ
بِرَجْم أَحْأَى مِقْذَف المِلاطِ
Lo, the envy of the disdained fault-picker
Has become like the scum on frothing liquor
إِنِّي امرُؤٌ بِمُضَرَ اعْتِباطِي
عُراعِر الأَقْوامِ وَاخْتِباطِي
And Arabs, unruly or Anbat who bicker
We visited with armies wielding slick swords
لَنَا الحَصَى وَأَوْسَعُ البَسَاطِ
وَالحَسَبُ المُثْرِي مِنَ البَلاطِ
Until they accepted disgrace and utter loss
And the striking of their haughty heads that toss
وَالمُلْكُ فِي عادِيِّنَا القَعّاطِ
دانَتْ لَهُ وَالسُخْطُ لِلسُّخَّاطِ
With whips below the smooth wrist that emboss
With it we walk atop the heads of toxic crowds
نِزارُها وَيَامِن الأَقْحاطِ
فَأَيُّها الجاذِي عَلَى القِطاطِ
Until we guide them onto the narrow ridge
So say to that foolish poet of little knowledge
مِنْ ذِي أَنىً أَوْ جاهِلٍ نَفّاطِ
نَحْنُ جَمَعْنَا الناس بِالمِلْطاطِ
Full of futilebabble, a real nuisance
You have cried to avoid criticism, that’s your defense
فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي وَرْطَة الأَوْراطِ
بِمَحْبِسِ الخِنْزِيرِ وَالبِطاطِ
And the garb of evil, ever shred and rents
Evil is the prattle of the muddle-headed
أَذَلَّ أَعْناقاً مِن الغَطاطِ
مِنْ حارِثٍ أَوْ ناعِقٍ قَوَّاطِ
And the fraud with gossip, less than well-bred
The likes of me, when I get going in rhyme
قَدْ ماتَ قَبْلَ الغَسْلِ وَالإِحْناطِ
غَيْظاً وَأَلْقَيْنَاهُ فِي الأَقْماطِ
Those decayed by me take up the crime
And they have seen me in many a clime
لَنَا سِرَاجَا كُلِّ لَيْلٍ غاطِ
وَرَاجِسَاتُ النَجْمِ وَالأَشْراطِ
My ascent in war and later decline
Beyond my pursuit fell the ones who lack spine
وَإِنْ عرَاكُ اليَوْمِ ذِي الضِغاطِ
مَاعَكَ عِزّاً دامِيَ الحِطاطِ
Sprawled on their backs on the ground supine
When a heel stamps their heads forming a line
وَسَارَ بَغْيُ الآنِفِ النَحّاطِ
وَقَدْ غَدَتْ شامطَة الأَوْساطِ
And a broth of many stocks in the slime
Almost burst from excess, like gas trapped inside
سَيْلاً كَسَيْلِ الزَبدِ الغِطْماطِ
وعرَبٍ عَاتِينَ أَوْ أَنْباطِ
Yet cool and not mixed up inside
If the milk bags of the domes its trick did hide
زُرْنَاهُمُ بِالجَيْشِ ذِي الأَلْغاطِ
حَتَّى رَضُوا بِالذُلِّ وَالإِيهاطِ
On it I’d dash them right on the ground outside
A guard yelling at them with swats on their hide
وَضَرْبِ أَعْناقِهِم القُسّاطِ
بِالبِيضِ تَحْت الأَسَلِ الوَخّاطِ
As water flows over thePrepared platforms wide
When we augment it with lashes, they chide
نَعْلُو بِهَا مَسَاحِج الأَمْشاطِ
حَتَّى أَقَمْنَاهُمْ عَلى الصِراطِ
In deafening echoes within, multiplying tide
How pleasing, as they screamed: More! Provide!
فَقُلْ لِذَاكَ الشاعِرِ الخَيّاطِ
وَذِي المِراءِ المِهْمَرِ الضَفّاطِ
My charger galloping ahead of the tribe
رُغْتَ اتِّقاءَ العَيْرِ بِالضُراطِ
وَانْشَقَّ ثَوْبُ الشَرِّ ذُو العِطاطِ
لَبِئسَ عَضُّ الخَرِفِ المِغْلاطِ
وَالوَغْلِ ذِي النَمِيمَةِ المِخْلاطِ
مِثْلِي إِذَا جَلَّحَ وَانْخِراطِي
وَالْتاثَ مِنِّي الوَبلُ بِالقِطاطِ
وَقَدْ رَأَى الرَاؤُونَ بِالمَحَاطِ
تَصَعُّدِي فِي الجَرْيِ وَانْحِطاطِي
فَطاحَ عَنْ جِدِّي ذَوُو الإِشْطاطِ
فِي مُصْمَعِدّاتٍ عَلَى السِماطِ
إِذَا تَمَطّاهُنَّ عَقْبٌ ماطِ
وَمَدُّ أَخْطاط إِلَى أَخْطاطِ
لَولا الشَبَا طارَ مِنَ الإِفْراطِ
وَهوَ مُرِيحٌ غَيْرُ ذِي اخْتِلاطِ
لَو أَحْلَبَتْ حَلائِب الفُسْطاطِ
عَلَيْه أَلْقاهُنَّ بِالبَلاطِ
ناجٍ يُعَنِّيهُنَّ بِالإِبْعاطِ
وَالماءُ نَضّاحٌ عَلَى الآباطِ
إِذَا اسْتَزَدْنَاهُنَّ بِالسِياط
في رَهَجٍ كَشُقَقِ الرِياطِ
أَربى وَقَد صاحوا بِها يَعاطِ
مَعْجِي أَمَامَ الخَيْلِ وَالْتِبَاطِي
