قِفا بي عَلى تِلكَ الطّلولِ الرّثائثِ
مُحِينَ بنَسْجِ المُعصِراتِ المواكثِ
Stand with me where the ruins lie,
Where the passing caravans mourn.
وَلا تَسأَلوا عَن اِصطِبارٍ عهِدتُما
فَقَد بانَ عنّي بِاِنتِهاكِ الحوادثِ
Ask me not for steadfastness now
When fate's onslaughts make me so forlorn.
كَأنَّ فُؤادي بِالنّوى لَعِبتْ بهِ
نُيوبُ أُسودٍ أو مخالبُ ضابثِ
My heart played with aspirations
To be mangled by the claws of wolves or lions.
أُجَوِّلُ في الأَطلالِ نَظرةَ عابثٍ
وَما أَنا حزناً واِشتِياقاً بِعابثِ
Like a wanton I roam 'mid the ruins
Yet am neither joyful nor sad in my sighing.
كَأنِّي وَقَد سارَتْ مطيُّ حُدوجِهِمْ
أُلاطِمُ موجَ اللُّجَّةِ المتلاطِثِ
As though I - when their camel litters departed -
Battled the waves of a surging, foam-flecked sea.
فَللّهِ حِلمي يومَ مرَّتْ رِكابُنا
على عَجَلٍ منها برِمْثِ العناكِثِ
My patience on the day our tribe migrated,
Riding their mares swift as leaping gazelles!
وَودّ فُؤادي أنَّهنُّ رَوائثٌ
وَهُنّ بما يُحفَزْنَ غيرُ روائثِ
My heart wished they were but passing mirages
Not urged on by reality's goading stick.
جَحدتُ الهَوى لَمّا سُئِلتُ عَنِ الهَوى
وَكَمْ غِرّةٍ مِن ذي شَجىً في المباعثِ
When asked of love, I denied my passion,
So many victims of love met disaster in following it.
وَآليتُ خَوفَ الشرِّ ألّا أُحبَّكمْ
وَتِلكَ لعَمْر اللَّهِ حِلفةُ حانثِ
Yet I swore to shun love and its evil -
A vain oath which brought me only shame!
بَني عَمّنا لا تَطمَعوا في لِحاقنا
فَكَمْ بَينَ أَسماكِ السُّهى والكثاكِثِ
O kinsmen, do not hope to catch up with us;
Too far between are the well-watered campsites and the parched.
سَبَقناكُمُ عَفواً وَلَم تَلحَقوا بنا
عَلى جُهْدِ مجهودٍ ولَهْثَةِ لاهِثِ
We left you though we were not pursued,
Spurring on our steeds with no rest or slackening of pace.
وَقِدْماً عَهِدتُمُ دَفْعَنا عنكُمُ وقدْ
عُضِضتُمْ بِأَنيابِ الخطوبِ الكوارثِ
You continue showering the clouds with your arrows
As we race across the burning sands.
وَنَحنُ عَلى إمّا جِيادٍ ضَوامرٍ
وَإِمّا عَلى أَقتادِ خوصٍ دلائثِ
Your lack of faith decided your defeat,
Your natures are malicious, evil and base.
وَما زِلتُمُ مُستَمطِرينَ سَحائباً
بِنَصرِكُمُ ما بَينَ تلكَ الهثاهثِ
Yours are the marks of abject humiliation
As though you are women wailing their dead.
فَخَرْتُمْ بغير الدّين فينا وإنّما
فَخَرتمْ بأنسابٍ لِئامٍ خبائِثِ
You claimed superiority over us,
Yet that was through weak, ineffective causes.
وإِنَّ لكم أطمارَ ذُلٍّ كأنّها
من الشّينِ أطمارُ النّساءِ الطّوامِثِ
We were not harmed by having no wealth,
While many a brimming crock is poured into the earth of a desolate grave!
وقلتُمْ بأنّا الآمرون عليكُمُ
وذاك بأسبابٍ ضعافٍ نكائثِ
You showed no kindness when you had the chance,
While we acted with grace when opportunity knocked.
وما ضرّنا أنّا خَلِيّون من غِنىً
وكم شِبَعٍ يهفو بهِ غَرْثُ غارثِ
Naught made you arrogant save heedlessness of us,
Though among you we found a wrong-doing tyrant.
قَعَدتُمْ عنِ الإجمالِ فينا بباعثٍ
وَقُمنا بهِ فيكمْ بلا بعثِ باعثِ
I swear by the House around which
Walked the pure-blooded, noble ancients!
وَما غَرّكمْ إلّا التغافلُ عنكُمُ
عَلى ظالمٍ مِنكمْ لَدينا وعائثِ
And the camel slain at Mina the day they slew it,
Led to the hands of wrong-doers lying in wait there!
فَأُقسِمُ بِالبيتِ الّذي جوّلتْ بهِ
أَخامص أقوامٍ كرامٍ مَلاوِثِ
Their covenant's knights imagined they had
Dyed their blades crimson with its blood.
وَبالبُدْنِ في وادِي مِنى يومَ عَقْرِهمْ
يُقَدْنَ إلى أيدٍ هناك فوارثِ
Many who rested amongst us lightly clad
Slept all night curled in the robes the valiant left behind.
تَخالُ رِباطَ الفاتقين نحورَها
برشِّ دمٍ منها غُلالَةَ طامثِ
We surpass you in spreading glory's fragrance,
And towering high above you on the lofty peaks.
ومَنْ بات في جَمْعٍ كليلاً من الوَجا
إلى شُعُثٍ من السُّرى وأشاعثِ
We are the noble ancestors whose worth you recognize,
And with whom glory resides, passed from heir to heir.
لَنحنُ بِنشر الفخرِ أعبقُ منكُمُ
وَأَسمق مِنكمْ في الجبالِ اللّوابِثِ
Their open-handedness encompassed all mankind,
While hunger's pangs they suffered with resolve and care.
لنحنُ السَّلَفُ الأعلى الّذي تعهدونَهُ
علقنا بهِ من وارثٍ بعد وارثِ
They bequeathed their great deeds to their descendants,
While from your forebears, naught have you to inherit.
هُمُ أوسعوا في النّاسِ ضمنَ أكفّهمْ
وَهمْ أَوسعوا في الأزْمِ جوعَ المغارثِ
They kept their children's honor free of shame,
While your past is one of infamous, sordid tales.
وهُمْ ورّثوا آباءهمْ مأثرَاتِهمْ
وأنتمْ من العلياء غيرُ مَوارِثِ
After drought, we are the best who can provide relief,
After calamities, we are the best who can give aid.
وهمْ نزّهوا أولادَهمْ بأواخِرٍ
وشِنْتُمْ قديماً كان منكمْ بحادِثِ
Our blades strike truer into kidneys than yours,
As we thrust with sharp swords wielded by warriors brave.
وَنَحنُ غَداة الجَدْبِ خيرُ مَخاصبٍ
وَنَحن غداةَ الرَّوعِ خيرُ مَغاوثِ
Our swords shower heads with blows in the fray
And hurl at the rabble insults strong and grave.
وَأَطعنُ مِنكمْ لِلكلى بمثقّفٍ
نَضمّ عليهِ بالطّوالِ الشّوابثِ
Ours are the heavens' downpour, hailstones and rain,
While only a drizzle falls upon you from the passing clouds.
وَأَضربُ مِنكمْ للرؤوس لدى وغىً
وأوْهبُ منكمْ للهِجانِ الرواغثِ
No heads amongst us bow in shame or disgrace,
Which vile rumors circulating might expose.
لنا في النّدى سَحٌّ وهَطْلٌ ووابِلٌ
وكيف لكمْ فيه بقَطْرِ الدثائثِ
How can you break faith while ours remains unwavering?
Never have you known us to go back on our word!
وما خَزِيَتْ منّا رؤوسٌ بريبةٍ
تُكشّفها في النّاسِ نبثةُ نابِثِ
Do not dim our brilliance with your darkness,
Or equate our eagles with your crows!
فكيف لكمْ نَكثٌ ومِنَ أجلِنا
ولم تُبْتَلوْا منّا بنَكْثةِ ناكثِ
Take my words today as the roar of a raging lion,
The groan of an aggrieved soul, a camel's rasping breath.
فَلا تَكسِفوا أَنوارَنا بظلامكمْ
ولا تعدِلوا أصقارَنا بالأباغِثِ
خُذوا كلامي اليومَ زفرةَ زافرٍ
وأنّةَ مَكروبٍ ونفثَةَ نافثِ
