لِلْمَازِنِيَّةِ مُصْطَافٌ ومُرْتَبَعُ

مِمَّا رَأَتْ أُودُ فَالمِقْرَاةُ فَالجَرَعُ

For the woman of the tribe of Mazin, Mustafa and Murtaba'

Of what Oda saw, so for the bowl and then the draft

مِنْهَا بنَعْفِ جُرَادٍ فَالقَبَائِضِ مِنْ

ضَاحِي جُفَافٍ مَرىً دُنْيَا ومُسْتَمَعُ

From it with the odor of dried locusts, so for the fists of

A blazing drought, life is a transient world and a listening ear

نَاطَ الفُؤَادَ مَنَاطاً لاَ يُلاَئِمُهُ

حَيَّانِ دَاعٍ لإِصْعَادٍ ومُنْدَفِعُ

My heart inclines in a way that does not suit it

Of an impassioned caller to ascend and descend

حَىُّ مَحَاضِرُهُمْ شَتَّى ويَجْمَعُهُمْ

دَوْمُ الإِيَادِ وفَاثورٌ إِذَا انْتَجَعُوا

Their gatherings scattered, and gathered by

The permanence of blame and overflowing when they recover

لا يُبْعِدِ اللهُ أَصْحَاباً تَرَكْتُهُمُ

لَمْ أَدْرِ بَعْدَ غَدَاةِ البَيْنِ مَا صَنَعُوا

May God not distance companions I left

I did not know after the morning of separation what they did

هَاجُوا الرَّحيلَ وقالوا إِنَّ مَشْرَبَكُمْ

مَاءُ الذِّنَابَيْن مِنْ مَاوِيَّةَ النُّزُعُ

They stirred to depart and said, “Indeed your drinking place

Is the water of snakes from a crumbling spring”

إِذَا أَتَيْنَ عَلَى وَادِي النِّبَاجِ بِنَا

خُوصاً فَلَيْسَ عَلَى مَا فَاتَ مُرْتَجَعُ

When we come upon the valley of Nibaj with us

Timidly, there is no going back to what is past

شَافَتْكَ أُخْتُ بَني دَأْلاَنَ في ظُعُنٍ

مِنْ هؤُلاءه إِلَى أَنْسَابِهَا شِيَعُ

The sister of the tribe of Danlan eyed you with a glance

Of longing from them to her lineage throng

يَخْدِي بِهَا بَازْلٌ فُتْلٌ مَرَافِقُهُ

يَجْرِي بِدِيبَاجَتَيْهِ الرَّشْحُ مُرْتَدِعُ

Bazil, a stallion, went with him

As the skirts of his robe flow, swaggering

طَافَتْ بِأَعْلاِقِهِ حُورٌ مُنَعَّمَةٌ

تَدْعُو العَرانِينَ مِنْ بَكْرٍ ومَا جَمَعُوا

Houries with shapely limbs circled him

Calling the young men of Bakr and those they gathered

وُعْثُ الرَّوَادِف مَا تَعْيَا بِلِبْسَتِهَا

هَيْلَ الدَّهَاسِ وفي أَوْرَاكِهَا ظَلَعُ

The thickets where the caravan stopped did not tire in their dress

Of the chaos of Dahas and in their dens are shadows

بِيضٌ مَلاَوِيحُ يَوْمَ الصَّيْفِ لاَ صُبُرٌ

عَلَى الهَوَانِ ولاَ سُودٌ ولاَ نُكُعُ

Whites flawless on a summer’s day, no patience

For abasement, nor raven hair, nor bending

بَلْ مَا تَذَكَّرخ مِنْ كَأْسٍ شَرِبْتَ بِهَا

وقَدْ عَلاَ الرَّأْسَ مِنْكَ الشَّيْبُ والصَّلَعُ

Rather what you remember of a cup you drank with her

While the grey hair and baldness rise up your head

مِنْ أُمِّ مَثْوىً كَرِيمٍ هَابَ ذْمَّتَهَا

إِنَّ الكَرِيمَ عَلَى عِلاَّتِهِ وَرِعُ

From the mother of an honorable abode, her covenant is inviolable

Indeed the honorable in his weakness is devout

حَوْرَاءُ بَيْضَاءُ مَا نَدْرِي أَتُمِكِنُنَا

بَعْدَ الفُكَاهَةِ أَمْ تَأْبَى فَتَمْتَنِعُ

A fair-skinned Houri, we know not will she allow us

After fun or refuse and abstain

لَوْ سَاوَفَتْنَا بِسَوْفٍٍ مِنْ تَحِيَّتَها

سَوْفَ العَيُوفِ لرَاحَ الرَّكْبُ قَدْ قنِعُوا

Had we tempted her with the temptation of the licentious

The caravan would have left content

مِنْ مُضْمِرٍ حَاجَةً في الصَّدْرِ عَيَّ بِهَا

فلا يُكَلَّمُ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ مُخْتَشِعُ

With a secret desire in the breast, bewildered by it

So he is not spoken to unless perplexed

تَرْنُو بِعَينَيْ مَهَاةِ الرَّمْل أَفْرَدَهَا

رَخْصٌ ظُلُوفَتُهُ إِلاَّ القَنَا ضَرَعُ

She gazes with the eyes of Maha, the sands'retreat

Except for the melodious calling of the milch camels grazing

ابْنُ غَدَاتَيِنِ مَوْشيُّ أَكَارِعُهُ

لَمَّا تُشَدَّدْ لَهُ الأَرْسَاغُ والزَّمَعُ

The son of two mornings, walking proudly, his legs

Stiffen as the shackles and reins are pulled

صَافي الأَدِيمِ رَقِيقُ المِنْخَرَيْنِ إِذَا

سَافَ المَرَابِضَ في أَرْسَاغِهِ كَرَعُ

Pure white leather, slender nostrils, when

He raced the meadows in his shackles swift

رُبَيِّبٌ لَمْ يُفَلِّكْهُ الرِّعَاءُ ولَمْ

يُقْصَرْ بِحَوْمَلَ أَقْصَى سِرْبِهِ وَرَعُ

A sturdy colt the shepherds did not spoil nor

Was he worn down hauling the rear of the flock and grazing

إِلاَّ مَهَاةٌ إِذَا مَا ضَاعَهَا عَطَفَتْ

كَمَا حَنَى الوَقْفَ لِلْمَوْشِيَّةِ الصَّنَعُ

Only Maha, when she loses him, circles back

As the waterspout curves for the she-camel's craft

يَمْشِي إِلَى جَنْبِهَا حَالاً وتَزْجُلُهُ

ثُمَّتْ يُخَالِفُهَا طَوْراً فَيَضْطَجِعُ

He walks beside her at times and she sings to him

Then leaves her for a while and lies down

ظلَّت بِأَكْثِبَةِ الحُرَّيْنِ تَرْقُبُهُ

تَخْشَى عَلَيْه إِذَا ما اسْتَأخَرَ السَّبُعُ

She stayed watchful in the thickets of the Hurrein

Fearing for him if the predators came late

يَا بِنْتِ آلِ شِهَابٍ هَلْ عَلِمْتِ إِذَا

أَمْسَى المَرَاغِثُ في أَعْنَاقِهَا خَضَعُ

O daughter of the family of Shihab, do you know when

The turtle-doves bow their necks at dusk

أَنِّي أُتَمِّمُ أَيْسَارِي بِذِي أَوَدٍ

مِنْ فَرْعِ شَيْحَاطَ صَافٍ لِيطُهُ قَرِعُ

That I ready my arrows with one of flawless

Sycamore to straighten and pierce it

يَحْدُو قَنَابِلَهُمْ شُعْثٌ مَقَادِمُهُمْ

بِيضُ الوُجُوهِ مَغَالِيقُ الضُّحَى خُلُعُ

Their quivers resound, disheveled are their forelocks

White of face, intense at dawn, stripped

إِلَى الوَفَاءِ فَأَدَّتْهُمْ قِدَاحُهُمُ

فَلاَ يَزَالُ لَهُمْ مِنْ لَحْمَةٍ قَرَعُ

Loyal, their cups made them so

They will always have a slice of meat to slice

ولاَ تَزَالُ لَهُمْ قِدْرٌ مُغَطْغِطَةٌ

كَالرَّأْلِ تَعْجِيلُهَا الأَعْجَازُ والقَمَعُ

And they will always have a pot boiling

Like boiling froth, hurried by the palms and ladle

يَا بِنْتَ آلِ شِهَابٍ هَلْ عَلِمْتِ إذَا

هَابَ الحَمَالَةَ بَكْرُ الثَّلَّةِ الجَذَعُ

O daughter of the family of Shihab, do you know when

The young she-camel fled, terrified by the leather skirt

أَنَّا نَقُومُ بِجُلاَّنَا ويَحْمِلُهَا

مِنَّا طَوِيلُ نِجَادِ السَّيْفِ مُطَّلِعُ

That we stand with our weapons and they are borne for us

By the tall knight, sword bare and piercing

رَحْبُ المَجَمِّ إِذَا مَا الأَمْرُ بَيَّتَه

كَالسَّيْفِ ليْسَ بِهِ فَلٌّ ولاَ طَبَعُ

Broad is his headband, when the matter showed its truth

Like a sword without flaws or markings

نَحْبِسُ أَذْوَادَنَا حَتَّى نُمِيطَ بِهَا

عَنَّا الغَرَامَةَ لاَ سُودٌ ولا خُرُعُ

We withhold our grazing livestock until we clear

The fines from us, neither black nor bleating

يَا أُخْتَ آلِ شِهَابٍ هَلْ عَلِمْتِ إِذَا

أَنْسَى الحَرِائِرَ اللَّبْسَةِ الفَزَعُ

O sister of the family of Shihab, do you know when

The noblewomen forgot in their fright the skirt

أَنَّا نَشُدُّ عَلَى المِرِّيخِ نَثْرَتَهُ

والخَيْلُ شَاخِصَةُ الأبْصَارِ تَتَّزْعُ

That we brandish on the battlefield its ornaments

While the horses have piercing sights and tremble

وهَلْ عَلِمْتِ إِذَا لاَذَ الظِّبَاء وقَدْ

ظَلَّ السَّرَابُ عَلَى جِزَّانِهِ يَضَعُ

And do you know when the gazelles, once

The mirage covered their bodies, crouched down

أَنِّي أُنَفِّر قَامُوصَ الظَّهِيرَةِ والحِرْبَاءُ

فَوْقَ فُرُوعِ السَّاقِ يَمْتَصِعُ

That I ready the reddish she-camels of midday while the warblers

Above the camel’s leg joints are silent

بِالعَنْدَلِ البَازِلِ المِقْلاَتِ عُرْضَتُهَا

بُزْلُ المَطِيِّ إِذَمَا ضَمَّهَا النِّسَعُ

With the extended pole the camel strides, its side

The camel driver’s sway when he brought it together

مِنْ كُلِّ عِتْرِيفَةٍ لَمْ تَعْدُ أَنْ بَزَلتْ

لَمْ يَبْغِ دِرَّتَهَا رَاعٍ ولاَ رُبَعُ

From every smooth hill that did not again slide

Its pearls were not desired by a watcher or company