قِفَا في دَارَ أَهْلِي فَاسْأَلاَهَا

وكَيْفَ سُؤَالُ أَخْلاَقِ الدِّيَارِ

Stop at the abode of my people and ask it

How does one ask after the manners of a land?

دَوَاثِرُ بَيْنَ أَرْمَامٍ وغُبْرٍ

كَبَاقِي الوَحْيِ في البَلَد ِالقِفَارِ

Ruins between sand dunes and dust

Like remnants of revelation in the barren land

تَرُودُ ظِبَاءُ آرَامٍ عَلَيْهَا

كَمَا كَرَّ الهِجَانُ عَلَى الدِّوَارِ

Wild cows wander upon it

As fate spun upon the wheel

تُرَاعِيهَا بَنَاتُ يأَصَكَّ صَعْلٍ

خَفِضٍ صَوْتهُ غَيْرَ العِرَارِ

Daughters of Yasak watch over it

Whose voice is subdued unlike the stallion

لوَى بَيْضَاتِهِ بِنَقَا رُمَاحٍ

إلَى حَرَّانَ بِالأَصْيَافِ هَارِ

They curved their white tent poles

Towards Harran in summer, hot

تَعَلمْ أَنَّ شَرَّ بَنَاتِ عَيْنٍ

لَشَوْقٌ عَادَنِي بِقَفَا السِّتَارِ

You know the most wicked of ain's daughters

Is a yearning that brought me behind the curtain

وأطْوَلُهَا إِذا الجَوْزَاءُ كَانَتْ

تَوَالِيهَا تَعرَّضُ لِلْغَيارِ

The tallest when canopus was

Its sequence exposed to envy

كَأَنَّ كَوَاكِبَ الجَوْزَاءِ عُوذٌ

مُعَطَّفَةٌ حَنَتْ عَلَى حُوَارِ

As if canopus' stars were coats

That bent over fences

كَسِير لاَ يُشَيِّعُهُنَّ حَتَّى

يَحِينَ لحَاقُهُ بَعْدَ انْتِظَارِ

A walk not seen off until

Its joining after waiting

ومَا لاَقَيْتُ مِنْ يَوْمَيْ جَدُودٍ

كَيَوْمِ أَجِدَّ حَيُّ بَنِي دِثَارِ

I haven’t met since the day of my ancestors

A day like when Hayy tribe of Dithar appeared

غَدَا العِزُّ العَزِيزُ غَدَاةَ بَانُوا

وأَبْقَى في المَقَامَةِ وافْتِخَارِي

Honor became great honor when they appeared

And I remained in the session proudly

وأَيْسَارِي إِذَا مَا الحَيُّ حَلَّتْ

بُيُوتُهُمُ بِكَادِي النَّبْتِ عَارِي

My ease when the tribe's

Tents were stripped by the sprouting thorn

غَدَتْ أَظْعَانُ طَيْبَةَ لَمْ تُوَدِّعْ

وخَيْرُ وَدَاعِهِنَّ عَلَى قَرَارِ

The young ladies of Taibah left

And best farewells upon settle

وأَدَّيْنَ العُهُودَ كَمَا تُؤَدَّى

أَدَاةُ المُسْتَعَارِ مِنَ المُعَارِ

They fulfilled pacts as repayed

Is a borrowed tool from the lender

ولاَحَ بِبُرْقَةِ الأَمْهَارِ مِنْهَا

بِعَيْنِكِ نَازِحٌ مِنْ ضَوْءِ نَارِ

There flashed with skillful pony from it

In your eye a glance from a fire's light

إِذَا مَا قُلْتُ زَهَّتْهَا عِصيُّ

عِصيُّ الرَّنْدِ والعُصُفُ السِّوَارِي

When I say it wags its wand

Wand of lute and chords of bracelet

لِمُشْتَاقٍ يُصَفِّقُهُ وَقُودٌ

كَنَارِ مَجُوسَ في الأَجَمِ المُطَارِ

For a longing one, firewood claps him

Like Magi's fire in sparked coal

رَكِبْنَ جَهَامَةً بِحَزِيزِ فَيْدٍ

يُضِئْنَ بِلَيْلِهِنَّ إِلى النَّهَارِ

They rode spirited, smooth-gaited horses

Lighting their night to daybreak

جَعَلْنَ جَمَاجِمَ الوَرْكاءِ خَلْفاً

بِغَرْبِيِّ القَعَاقِعِ فَالسِّتَارِ

They made skulls of warqa behind

With my occident, the curtain

وهُنَّ كَأَنَّهُنَّ ظِبَاءُ تَرْجٍ

تَكَشَّفُ مِنْ سَوَالِفَهَا الصَّوَارِي

As if they are wild cows of tarj

Baring from its wrap the tent

عَلَى جُرْدِ السَّوَالِفِ بَاقِيَاتٍ

كِرَامِ الوَشْمِ وَاضِحَةِ النِّجَارِ

Upon bare wrap remaining

Honor's mark clear carpentry

أَقُولُ وقَدْ سَنَدْنَ لِقَرْنِ ظَبْيٍ

بِأَيِّ مِرَاءِ مُنْحَدَرٍ تُمَارِي

I say and they supported a gazelle's horn

With what declining cliff do you compete?

فَلَسْتُ كَمَا يَقُولُ إِنَّ لَمْ

تُجَامِعْ دَارَكُمْ بِدِمَشْقَ دَارِي

I'm not as he says, if not

Your abode meets mine in Damascus