قَدْ عَجِبْتْ نَضْرَةُ مِنْ تَهْداجِي
مُخْتَضِعا أَهُمُّ بِالهِمْلاجِ
I am amazed at the radiance of your face, bowing humbly,
As if you were preoccupied with grief after being joined together.
إِذْ رَقَّ بَعْدَ مُدْمَجِ الإِدْماجِ
وَدُمْلُجِيٍّ حَسَنِ الدِمْلاجِ
With a soft necklace and prominent breasts,
My neck was bent and my limbs emaciated,
مَجْدُولُ عُنْقِي وَبَدَت أَوْداجِي
بَعْدَ مِعَنٍّ في الصِبا مَعَّاجِ
After being inclined to pleasure and amusement in my youth.
I do not find rest from the insistence of the obstinate,
لا يَرْعَوِي تَعَمُّجَ العَمَّاجِ
عَنْ وَصْلِ كُلِّ آنِسٍ مِبْهاجِ
Or union with every intimate, delightful companion.
Leaning on her elbow fluttering coquettishly,
مَيالَةٍ بِالكَفَلِ الرَجْراجِ
فِي خَدَلٍ مِنْهَا وَفي ارْتِجَاجِ
Swaying with a gait that stirs passion,
As if she were a leaf shaking on a branch.
كَأَنَّهَا فِي الرَيْطِ ذِي الأَراجِ
بَرْدِيَّةٌ رَيَّا مِنَ العِذْلاجِ
A coolness radiating from a clear complexion,
White, yellow, with the yellowness of ivory.
بَيْضاءُ صَفْراءُ اصْفِرَارَ العاجِ
فِي نَعَجٍ مِنْها وَفِي انْبِلاجِ
Bleating among them and mingling together,
Like palm trees afflicted with a disease.
سَدْرَى بِهَا داءٌ مِنَ الغُناجِ
فِي مُرْشِقاتٍ لَسْنَ بِالأَهْماجِ
With bright faces but not cheeky,
Nor impudent, joking and laughing,
وَلَسْنَ باِلخَرامِلِ الأهْواج
يَضحَكن عن مَثلوجَةِ الأَثلاجِ
Exposing their teeth like hailstones.
As if lightning flashed during a commotion,
لَها اللَمى من لُعسَةِ الإِدعاجِ
كَأَنَّ بَرْقاً طارَ فِي إِرْعاجِ
Their laughter with its radiance.
They teased me with their swaying hips,
إِبْراقُهُنَّ الضَحْكَ ذا الإِبْلاجِ
غَيَّقْنَ بِالمَكْحُولَةِ السَواجِي
The devil of every arrogant, audacious one,
With eloquent, lucid speech without stuttering,
شَيْطانَ كُلِّ مُتْرَفٍ سَدّاجِ
بِالمَنْطِقِ المَعْلُومِ بِالإِحْناجِ
And correct, understood language, not babbling,
And eyebrows frowning and scowling.
وَالمُعْرَبِ المعَرُوفِ لا اللجْلاجِ
وَكَسراتِ الحاجِبِ الخَلّاجِ
O Nadra, you have been inclined to impudence
And saying worthless, suspicious things,
يا نَضْرَ قَد أُولِعْتِ بِاللَجاجِ
وَالقَوْلِ مِنْ بَواطِلِ السِمْهاجِ
That vanquish the soul I confide in
And forget the advice of the hot-tempered one,
أَنْ يَغْلِبَ النَفْسَ الَّتِي أُنَاجِي
وَالحِفْظَ مِنْ وَصِيَّةِ العَجّاجِ
Spurning the traits of ardency,
And the length of my intimacy with the quarrelsome,
تَكَرُّماً عَنْ سِيمَةِ الهُمّاجِ
وَطُولَ إِنْسَائِي ذَوِي الضَجاجِ
Who have not mixed any lies or falsehood,
While I desire excuses and argumentation,
ما خَلَطُوا مِنْ كَذِبٍ شِمْراجِ
ورَغبَتي في العُذرِ واحتِجاجِ
Fearing the jealousy of wives,
Which leads to the bed of the spurned,
خَوْقَاءَ مِنْ تَرَاغُب الأَضْواجِ
تُفْضِي إِلَى مُنْضَرِجِ الأَضْراجِ
Who spend the night lying awake in distress,
And select in intense darkness a gloomy, hidden corner,
تَغْتالُ مَرَّ النُجُبِ النَواجِي
وَإِنْ سَبَرْنَ اللَّيْلَ بِالإِدْلاجِ
Green, becoming green like withered grass,
Until it fades away from a bursting pillow,
وَاجْتَبْنَ فِي ذِي لُجَجٍ دَجدَاجِ
أَخْضَرَ يَخْضَرُّ اخْتِضَارَ الساجِ
Wiping tears from the dusty, travel-worn eye,
As if, from being held tightly, clutched,
فِي هَدَبٍ مِنْهُ وَفِي التْجِاجِ
حَتَّى انْجَلَى عَنْ مِعْسَفٍ شَجّاجِ
And the afternoon, after ample bodies, fully matured,
And insistence with sighing and moaning,
يَمْطُو قِلاصَ السَفَرِ المَجّاجِ
كَأَنَّهَا مِنْ شِدَّةِ الإِدْراجِ
Hollowed out like a water trough,
They cast toward me the echoes' reverberating sound,
إِذْ ضَمَّها نَجانِجُ النَجْناجِ
وَالعَصْرُ بَعْدَ البُدُنِ البَجْبَاجِ
With every burning thirst of firm argument,
As if they came from the heel of someone turned away.
وَالنَهْمُ بِالْيَايَاءِ وَالهَجْهاجِ
مُخْرَوَّطاتٌ كَقَنَا الحَلّاجِ
Remains of sperm still sticky from discharge
The evil of grazing and confiding has not ceased,
يَرْمِين أَصْوَات الصَدَى البَوَّاجِ
بِكُلِّ ظَمْأى صُلْبَةِ الحِجاجِ
With warning without gentle moderation,
And our constantly moving guide without rest,
كَأَنَّهَا مِنْ عُقَبِ الإِيسَاجِ
باقِي نِطافٍ غُرْنَ في الأَلْحاجِ
Until we drove them along by force,
They threw off every hasty one, scared and alarmed,
ما زالَ سُوءُ الرَعيِ وَالتَناجِي
بِمُهْوَأَنٍّ غَيْرِ ذِي لَمَاحِ
No skin was retained in the blood of the slain.
It overlooked the wailing of the crying women,
وَطُولِ زَجْرٍ بِحَلٍ وَعَاجِ
وَمَرُّ هادِينَا بِلا مُنْعاجِ
The moaning of those journeying along the dusty road,
Who left him to the one-eyed cheat
حَتَّى مَسَيْنَاهُنَّ بِالإِخْداجِ
يَقْذِفْنَ كُلَّ مُعْجَلٍ نَشَّاجِ
And the wolf and the cunning decorated with stripes,
And an arrogant fool like a grape picker,
لَمْ يُكْسَ جِلْداً في دَم أَمْشاجِ
فَرَّجَ عَنْهُ حَلَقَ الرَتَاجِ
Who comes and goes bending over like an arched reed,
Frequenting every firm, steady footstep,
تَنْحِيبُ نَحْبِ السَفَرِ السَحّاجِ
غَادَرْنَهُ لِلأَعْوَرِ الشَحّاجِ
Alone with jumping or with the sheep,
As if they were clothed with loose robes,
وَالذِئْبِ وَالمُخَطَّطِ العَرَّاجِ
وَحُجَّلٍ كَدَرْدَق الأَزْناجِ
And gained more hybrids from the sheep traders,
Fabric like Indian linen cloth in wrappings,
تَغْدُو فَتَطْوِي كَالقَنَا الزَلَّاجِ
بِالبَشْك أَوْ بِالعَنْق النَّآجِ
And headdresses in the gowns of young brides,
When we drive them with rebuke,
مُرْتَادَ كُلِّ رَاجِلٍ رَجَّاجِ
فَرْدٍ بِقَفْز أَوْ مَع النِعاجِ
And resolute sand hills, stocked with supplies, stir up
A commotion with harshness and force,
كَأَنَّمَا سُرْوِلْن في أَرْداجِ
وَازْدَدْن أَخْلاطاً مِن العُسَّاجِ
Frightening the inhabitants with eviction.
As if it were the music of jinn causing confusion,
وُرْقاً كَسَبْيِ السِنْدِ في الأَسْباجِ
وَالعُفْرَ فِي مَعَاطِف الأَوْلاجِ
Accompanying it the twittering of the carpenter bird,
I surpassed it in a flaring, blazing star
إذَا اسْتَزَدْنَاهُنَّ بالإِهْداجِ
وَاعْتَنَّ رَمْلٌ مُحْبِجُ الإِحْباجِ
That preserves the burning coals of last night
To the abode receiving various groups
تَنَشَّطَتْ بِالعَسْفِ وَالإِمْجاجِ
شَأْسَ الصُوَى مَحْدَوْدِب الأَخْراجِ
Upon it are the feathers of wild ducks and the fur of rabbits
From the webs of spiders, the web makers
كَأَنَّ عَزْفَ الجِنِّ ذِي الأَهْزاجِ
بِهِ حَنِينُ الزَجِلِ الصَنَّاجِ
And if they adopt the method of one who sets forth early,
Emptying the sorrow that rends with no letup,
جاوَزْتُهُ في كَوْكَبٍ وَهّاجِ
يُحْمِيهِ سَجْرُ البارِح الأَجَّاجِ
Carrying their containers with imposition,
Rather, I said, words certainly have pairs.
إِلَى سُدَى مُسْتَوْرِدِ العَجَاجِ
عَلَيْهِ مِنْ مُخْتَلِف الأَفواجِ
O Excellence, what will make you cry in distress?
Are you turning away from a brother in need,
رِيشُ القَطَا وَمُرْمَل الأَوْشاجِ
مِنْ شِبْرَقِ العَنَاكِبِ النُسّاجِ
Owing a pressing, burdensome debt that exhausts resources?
He has sought refuge with you from a perilous year
وَإِن أَخَذْنَ عَافِيَ المِنْهاجِ
خَلّاً يَقُدُّ الحَزْنَ ذا الشَراجِ
That casts down the leaves of trees.
He treated it while life has remedies,
بَلَّغْنَ أُولاَهُنَّ بِالإِلْهاجِ
بَلْ قُلْتُ إِنَّ القَوْلَ ذُو أَزْواجِ
Concerning a girl like chicks of chickens.
O Excellence, O son of the radiant, shining stars,
يا فَضْلُ ما سَيْبُكَ بِالإِزْعاجِ
هَل أَنْتَ مُلْقٍ عَن أَخٍ مُحْتاجِ
O Excellence, O son of the eminent nobles,
The Hashimites, pilgrims to the Sacred House,
دَيْناً مِلَحّاً قَتَب الأَحْداجِ
عاذَ بِكُمْ مِنْ سَنَةٍ مِسْحاجِ
You are the son of every Mustafa, a guiding lamp,
Easy to praise, of pure silk brocade,
شَهْبَاءَ تُلْقِي وَرَقَ الحرَاجِ
عالَجَها والَعَيْشُ ذُو عِلاجِ
Prayed for at the retreat of pilgrims,
Who plunges into every deep, tumultuous water,
عَنْ صِبْيَةٍ كَأَفْرُخِ الدَجَاجِ
يا فَضْلُ يا ابْن الأَنْجُم الأَبْراجِ
For anguish on the day of raging conflict.
Your accounts are in ease and comfort.
يا فَضْلُ يا ابْن السادَة الأَفْلاجِ
الهاشِمِيِّينَ بِمَحْجَى الْحاجِ
No one who sought the shade of your shelter
Failed to escape by your saving rope,
أَنْتَ ابْنُ كَلِّ مُصْطَفىً سراجِ
سَهْلِ المُحَيَّا خالِصِ الدِيباجِ
In the joy of a consolation from misfortune.
Though people of high rank or without high rank
يُدْعَى لَهُ بِمُعْكِفِ الحُجّاجِ
خَوّاضِ كُلِّ غَمْرَةٍ فَرّاجِ
Shared virtue with an allotted portion,
You surpassed them with an overflowing bucket,
لِلْكَرْبِ فِي يَوْمِ الوَغَى المَوَّاجِ
أَحْسَابُكُمْ فِي اليُسْرِ وَالإِلْفاجِ
Large Iraqi vessel, collar adorned with pearls,
Of expansive branches, laden, bending under the weight,
شِيبَتْ بِعَذبٍ طَيِّبِ المِزَاجِ
ما احْتَلَّ فِي أَظْلالِكُمْ مِنْ راجِ
Extending into the saturated, abundant meadows,
When the spate of floods converges,
إِلّا نَجَا مِنْكُمْ بِحَبْلِ الناجِي
فِي رَهْوَةٍ عَزَّاءَ مِنْ سُوَاجِ
Relieving the blossoms of the running stream
In a place abundant, filled with meadows,
وَإِنْ ذَوُو التاجِ وَغَيْرِ التَاجِ
تَنَاهَبُوا الفَضْلَ بِحَظٍّ زاجِ
Rearing upon successive commotion,
A sea extending the torrent in gushing forth,
ناهَبْتَهُمْ بِمَغْرِفٍ عَجّاج
ضَخمِ العَراقي مُكرَبِ العِناجِ
Its tributaries repelling in its tributaries.
رَحبِ الفُروعِ مُتأَقٍ مَجّاجِ
يَمُدُّ فِي مُسْتَوْثِج الأَسْباجِ
إِذَا تَلاقَى رَهَجُ الأَرْهاجِ
فَرَّجَ وِرْدَ اللَّائِبِ الرَوَّاجِ
فِي ذِي عُبابٍ مالِىءِ الأَحْضاجِ
يُرْبِي عَلَى تَعاقُبِ الهَجْهاجِ
بَحراً يَمُدُّ السَيلَ في انبعاجِ
أَفلاجُهُ يَدفعنَ في أَفلاجِ
