أَاَلْيَوْمَ بانَ الحَيُّ أَمْ وَاعَدُوا غَدَا

وَقَدْ كَانَ حَادِي البَيْنِ بِالْبَيِنْ أَوْعَدَا

Is the living one present today, or have they promised tomorrow?

The guide to separation has certainly promised separation.

تَيَمَّمَ خَبْتاً حَادِيا أُمِّ حَاجِزٍ

فَشَطَّا وجَارَا عَنْ هَوَاكَ فَأَبْعَدَا

The guide set out early, O mother of a barrier,

So they rode away from your love and went far.

إِذَا لَبَّثَا عَقْدَ القِبَالِ لِحَاجَةٍ

بِدَيْمُومَةٍ غَبْرَاءَ خَبّا وخَوَّدَا

When they tied the knot of kissing due to need

With a gloomy, dusty love and dug it.

لَعَمْرِي لَئِنْ أَمْسِى قَبِيصَةُ مُمْسِكاً

بِحَبْلِ وَفَاةٍ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْنِ مُسْنَدَا

By my life, if the short robe holds me

With the rope of loyalty between two palms propped.

لقَدْ قَطَعَ الإِجْذَامُ عَنهُ بِمَوْتِهِ

بَوَاكِيَ لاَ يَذْخَرْنَ دَمْعاً وعُوَّدَا

The pruning shears have cut him off in his death

From crying that no longer hoards tears and became accustomed.

فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُ الحَيَّ خَفَّ نَعَامُهُمْ

بِمُسْتَلْحَقٍ مِنْ آلِ قَيْسٍ وأَسْوَدَا

So when I saw the living, their ostriches became light

With a band from the family of Qais and Aswad.

تَلاَ فَيْتُ إِذْ فَاتُوا الحَاقِي بِدَعْوَةٍ

وَكَيْفَ دُعَائِي عَامِراً قَدْ تَجَرَّدَا

The elegy was recited when they missed the pursuit with a call

And how can my call avail when Aamir took off.

عَلَى أَمْرِهِ والحَزْمُ بَيْنِي وبَيْنهُ

يَرَى غَيْرَ مَا أَهْوَى مِنَ الأَمْرِ أَرْشَدَا

About his matter, and wisdom between me and him

Sees other than what I desire of the matter as more rightly guided.

ولكِنْ بِوَاهِي شَنَّتَيْ مُتَعَجِّلٍ

عَلَى ظَهْرِ عَجْعَاجٍ مِنَ الجُونِ أَجْرَدَا

But with the slander of two hastening lips

On the back of a bald eagle made bald.

أَرَذَّا وقَدْ كَانَ المَزَادُ سِوَاهُمَا

عَلَى دُبُرٍ مِنْ صَادِرٍ قَدْ تَبَدَّدَا

They slandered, and the bidding had been equal between them,

Upon the back of a breast that had scattered.

وكنْتُ كَذِي الآلاَفِ سُرِّبْنَ قَبْلَهُ

فَخَنَّ وقَدْ فُتْنَ البَعِيرَ المُقَيَّدَا

And I was like the owner of thousands, Surbin before him

So he betrayed when the tied camel was tried.

أَشَاقَكَ رَبْعٌ ذُو بَنَاتٍ ونِسْوَةٍ

بِكِرْمَانَ يُسْقَيْنَ السَّوِيقَ المُقَنَّدَا

You have pained a land of daughters and women

Who quench sikhaq al-sawiq, the strained.

لَكَ الخَيْرُ هَلْ كَانَتْ مَدِينَةُ فَارِسٍ

لأَهْلِكَ حَمّاً أَمْ لأَمِّكَ مَوْلِدا

Good for you! Was the city of Fars

A protector for your family or a birthplace for your mother?

وإِنَّا وإِيَّاكُمْ ومَوْعِدُ بَيْنَنَا

كَمِثْل لَبِيدٍ يَوْمَ زَايَلَ أَرْبَدَا

As for us and you, our promised meeting

Is like Labid, the day he bid farewell to Arbad.

وحَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ السَّبِيلع ثَنِيَّةٌ

صَعُودَاءُ تَدْعُو كُلَّ كَهْلٍ وأَمْرَدَا

And he told him the path is winding,

Ascending, calling every old and decrepit one.

صعُوداءُ مَنْ تُلْمِعْ بِهِ اليَوْمَ يَأْتِهَا

ومَنْ لاَ تَلَهَّ بِالضَّحَاءِ فَأَوْرَدَا

Ascending whom it takes in the day comes to it

And whoever the dawn does not inspire rushes.

فَأَمْسَيْتُ شَيْخاً لاَ جَميعاً صبَابَتِي

ولاَ نَازِعاً مِنْ كُلِّ مَا رَابَنِي يَدَا

So I have become an old man, no longer all my youth

Nor competing against all that troubled me, defended me.

تَزَوَّدَ رَيَّا أُمِّ سَهْمٍ مَحَلَّهَا

فُرُوعَ النِّسَارِ فَالبَدِيَّ فَثَهْمَدَا

Umm Sahm’s she-mount took provision,

Branches of nisar so the desert, so it became desolate.

تَرَاءَت لَنَا يَوْمَ النِّسَارِ بِفَاحِمٍ

وسُنَّةِ رِيمٍ خَافَ سَمْعاً فَأوْفَدَا

It appeared to us on the day of Nisar with streaming dust

And the tradition of fleeing Rim, fearing to listen, so it hastened.

قَطُوفُ الخُطَى لاَ يَبْلُغُ الشِّبْرَ مَشْيُهَا

ولاَ مَا وَرَاءَ الشِّبْرِ إِلاَّ تَأَوُّدَا

Steps whose walking does not reach a span

Nor what is beyond the span except slowly.

تَأَوُّدَ مَظْلُومِ النَّقَا خَضِلَتْ بِهِ

أَهَالِيلُ يَوْمٍ مَاطِرٍ فَتَلَبَّدَا

It went slowly with the wronged companion, its forelock was disheveled by it.

Hilal on a rainy day so it was covered in clouds.

فَلَبَّدَهُ مَسُّ القِطَارِ ورَخَّهُ

نِعَاجُ رُؤَافٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَشَدَّدَا

So the rain wet it and its softness relaxed it

Like the relaxation of Ra'uf’s sheep before it became firm.

فَخَبَّرَ عَنْهُمْ رَاكِبٌ قَذَفَتْ بِهِ

مَطِيَّةُ مِصْرٍ لَحمُهَا قدْ تَخَدَّدَا

So a rider informed about them, whom an Egyptian mare threw off

Whose flesh had become emaciated.

مُسَامِيَةٌ خَوْصَاءُ ذَاتُ مَخِيلَةٍ

إِذَا كَانَ قَيْدُومُ المَجَرَّةِ أَقْوَدَا

Smooth-stepping, spoilt, having imagination,

When the leather strap of Al-Mujarrat pulled her along.

دَلُوقُ السُّرَى يَنْضُو الهَمَالِيجَ مَشْيُهَا

كَمَا دَلَقَ الغِمْدُ الحُسَامَ المُهَنَّدَا

Sliding, her walking folds the skirts,

As the scabbard slides off the polished sword.

غَدَتْ عَنْ جَبِينٍ تَمْزُقُ الطيْر مَسْكَهُ

كَمَزْقِ اليَمَانِي السَّابِرِيَّ المُقَدَّدَا

It travelled from a forehead whose musk the birds tear

Like the tearing of the Yamanite wrapper, the embroidered.

ولَمْ تَرَ حَيّاً كَانَ أَكْثَرَ قُوَّةً

وأطْعَنَ في دِينِ المُلُوكِ وأَفْسَدَا

You have not seen anyone alive who had more power

Or more piercing in the religion of kings and more corrupting.

نُصَبْنَا رِمَاحَاً فَوْقَهَا جَدُّ عَامِرٍ

كَظِلِّ السَّمَاءِ كُلَّ أَرْضٍ تَعَمَّدَا

We were erected as spears above which the ancestry of ‘Amir

Like the shade of the sky over every land he supported.

جُلُوساً بِهَا الشُّمُّ العِجَافُ كأَنَّهُمْ

أُسُودٌ بِتَرْجٍ أَوْ أُسُودٌ بِعِتْوَدَا

Sitting around it the brave bats as if they

Were lions in Taraj or lions in ‘itwad.

وكُلَّ عَلَنْدَاةٍ جَعَلْنَا دَوَاءَهَا

عَلَى عهدِ عادٍ أَنْ تُقَاتَ وتُرْبَدَا

And we made the cure for every boast

In the time of ‘Ad to be killed and made humble.

ومُخْلَصَةً بِيضاً كَأَنَّ مُتُونَهَا

مَدَبُّ دَباً طِفْلٍ تَبَطَّنَ جَدْجَدَا

And pure white camels as if their bodies

Were a young hyena turning over out of hunger.

وأَجْدَرَ مِنَّا أَن تَبِيتَ نِسَاؤُهُمْ

نِيَاماً إِذَا داعي المَخَافَةِ نَدَّدَا

And it is more fitting for their women to spend the night

Sleeping when the caller to fear yells.

وأَكْثَرَ مِنَّا ذَا مَخَاضٍ يَسُوقُهَا

لِيَنْتِجَهَا قَوْمٌ سِوَانَا ونُحْمَدَا

And more of us who owns the one giving birth he drives

So some people can take her and we are praised.

وأَخْلَجَ نَهَّاماً إِذَا الخَيْلُ أَوْعَثَتْ

جَرَى بِسِلاَحِ الكَهْلِ والكَهْلِ أَحْرَدَا

And most snarling when war makes the horses unkempt,

He runs with the weapon of an old man, and the old man is red.

وأعْظَمَ جُمْهُوراً مِنَ الخَيْلِ خَلْفَهُ

جَمَاهِيرُ يَحْمِلْنَ الوَشيجَ المُقَصَّدَا

And greatest in numbers of horses behind him

Crowds carrying wisuj, the intended.

تَخَرَّمَ خَفَّانَيْنَ والَّليْلُ كَانِعٌ

وكَشْحاً وآلاتٍ تُغَاوِلُ مِعْضَدا

It probed two sandals and the night was pitch black

And rags and belongings struggling to help each other.