لَيسَ رَسمٌ عَلى الدَفينِ بِبالي

فَلِوى ذَروَةٍ فَجَنبَي أُثالِ

No drawing adorns the scroll, nor have I

Twisted a banner's peak aside for it to fly.

فَالمَرَوراةُ فَالصَحيفَةُ قَفرٌ

كُلُّ وادٍ وَرَوضَةٍ مِحلالِ

Empty are Torah and Bible; desolate

Every valley and meadow where once flocks used to lie.

دارُ حَيٍّ أَصابَهُم سالِفُ الدَه

رِ فَأَضحَت دِيارُهُم كَالخِلالِ

Home of a folk whom fate's keen blade did smite,

Their dwelling-places now like sieves appear thereby.

مُقفِراتٍ إِلّا رَماداً غَبِيّاً

وَبَقايا مِن دِمنَةِ الأَطلالِ

Ruinous all, saving some ash that mocks

And remnants of tent-pegs in each dwelling nigh.

وَأَوارِيَّ قَد عَفَونَ وَنُؤياً

وَرُسوماً عُرّينَ مُذ أَحوالِ

Decaying hearthstones, ruined encampment-floors,

And vestiges which, since the days of old passed by,

بُدِّلَت مِنهُمُ الدِيارُ نَعاماً

خاضِباتٍ يُزجينَ خَيطَ الرِئالِ

Have been effaced. Ostriches wander there,

Gray fowls that utter plaintive, long-drawn cry,

وَظِباءً كَأَنَّهُنَّ أَباري

قُ لُجَينٍ تَحنو عَلى الأَطفالِ

And antelopes, as though their does were scared

Mothers that whimper over young near by.

تِلكَ عِرسي تَرومُ قِدماً زِيالي

أَلِبَينٍ تُريدُ أَم لِدَلالِ

There my tribe's maidens came, their raiment trailing,

Intending should I greet them, or pass by?

إِن يَكُن طِبُّكِ الدَلالَ فَلَو في

سالِفِ الدَهرِ وَاللَيالي الخَوالي

If your wish be love, though time in its advance

May have decreed our doom, do not deny

أَنتِ بَيضاءُ كَالمَهاةِ وَإِذ آ

تِيكِ نَشوانَ مُرخِياً أَذيالي

Affection. You are white as lightning's flash;

If I approach, my garments brushing nigh,

فَاِترُكي مَطَّ حاجِبَيكِ وَعيشي

مَعَنا بِالرَجاءِ وَالتَأمالِ

Leave off from frowning and come live with us

In hope - perchance the future we may belie.

أَو يَكُن طِبُّكِ الزِيالَ فَإِنَّ ال

بَينَ أَن تَعطِفي صُدورَ الجِمالِ

If raiding be your wish, the tribe has many

A hero, lithe of form, the steed to ply.

زَعَمَت أَنَّني كَبِرتُ وَأَنّي

قَلَّ مالي وَضَنَّ عَنّي المَوالي

She said that I was aged and lacking wealth,

That kinsmen lavished nothing on me by

وَصَحا باطِلي وَأَصبَحتُ كَهلاً

لا يُؤاتي أَمثالَها أَمثالي

Way of allotted shares; my case was known;

An old man, not the like of them am I.

إِن رَأَتني تَغَيَّرَ اللَونُ مِنّي

وَعَلا الشَيبُ مَفرِقي وَقَذالي

If she but saw me, from my face the hue

Departed and gray hairs showed plain thereby.

فَبِما أَدخُلُ الخِباءَ عَلى مَه

ضومَةِ الكَشحِ طَفلَةٍ كَالغَزالِ

Yet to the maiden, cowering in her bower,

Like a gazelle, I turned me, drawing nigh,

فَتَعاطَيتُ جيدَها ثُمَّ مالَت

مَيَلانَ الكَثيبِ بَينَ الرِمالِ

Then stroked her throat-pearls, whereon she inclined

Like a sandhill in a gale of wind blown high.

ثُمَّ قالَت فِدىً لِنَفسِكَ نَفسي

وَفِداءٌ لِمالِ أَهلِكَ مالي

Then she cried, "Save yourself and me! Your wealth

Redeem with mine, and turn you from them. Fly!"

فَاِرفُضي العاذِلينَ وَاِقنَي حَياءً

لا يَكونوا عَلَيكِ حَظَّ مِثالي

So leave the censurers; of me have shame,

Lest portion equal with the rest have I.

وَبِحَظٍّ مِمّا نَعيشُ فَلا تَذ

هَب بِكِ التُرَّهاتُ في الأَهوالِ

Some provide nothing, others are unkind,

Miserly souls who hoard for those nearby.

مِنهُمُ مُمسِكٌ وَمِنهُم عَديمٌ

وَبَخيلٌ عَلَيكِ في بُخّالِ

Leave Sa'd's tribe scornful, dwelling in Quṭaibah,

The glens of Wabar or in Rayy thereby.

وَاِترُكي صِرمَةً عَلى آلِ زَيدٍ

بِالقُطَيباتِ كُنَّ أَو أَورالِ

They have seen no raid of steeds nor did their hooves

Pound in the plain, when the war-cry rang on high.

لَم تَكُن غَزوَةَ الجِيادِ وَلَم يُن

قَب بِآثارِها صُدورُ النِعالِ

Youth's glory and tumultuous throng are gone,

The brown lances borne on camel-back thereby,

دَرَّ دَرُّ الشَبابِ وَالشَعَرِ الأَس

وَدِ وَالراتِكاتِ تَحتَ الرِحالِ

The battle charges, and the edged weapons, honed,

Borne slung from saddles of the cavalry;

وَالعَناجيجِ كَالقِداحِ مِنَ الشَو

حَطِ يَحمِلنَ شِكَّةَ الأَبطالِ

I made the morn recoil like the shyest

Steed, nor weakened, nor my nerve and sinew ply

وَلَقَد أَذعَرُ السُروبَ بِطِرفٍ

مِثلِ شاةِ الإِرانِ غَيرِ مُذالِ

A bow, but a well-feathered reed so cast

That it outstripped the thousand, speeding by.

غَيرِ أَقنى وَلا أَصَكَّ وَلَكِن

مِرجَمٌ ذو كَريهَةٍ وَنِقالِ

It stripped the Uzayyid leaders of their mail

As the stroke of peel strips date-palm branches nigh.

يَسبِقُ الأَلفَ بِالمُدَجَّجِ ذي القَو

نَسِ حَتّى يَؤوبَ كَالتِمثالِ

Full often have I charged on Thursday raids, spotted she-asses,

Scared mothers seeking their young, hurrying by.

فَهوَ كَالمِنزَعِ المَريشِ مِنَ الشَو

حَطِ مالَت بِهِ شِمالُ المَغالي

I stabbed her with its point - no care had I -

And struck her down with cane thick-jointed, dry.

يَعقِرُ الظَبيَ وَالظَليمَ وَيَلوي

بِلَبونِ المِعزابَةِ المِعزالِ

The war-mares, fettered in camp, I loosed at dawn

And drove them off full gallop, sweeping by.

وَلَقَد أَقدُمُ الخَميسَ عَلى الجَر

داءِ ذاتِ الجِراءِ وَالتَنقالِ

Then one I hobbled and strapped its saddle on,

Like a new moon its figure showed thereby.

فَتَقيني بِنَحرِها وَأَقيها

بِقَضيبٍ مِنَ القَنا غَيرِ بالي

An 'Antar am I, marked with beauty-spots!

By night a lass confounded me, passing nigh.

وَلَقَد أَقطَعُ السَباسِبَ وَالشُه

بَ عَلى الصَيعَرِيَّةِ الشِملالِ

ثُمَّ أَبري نِحاضَها فَتَراها

ضامِراً بَعدَ بُدنِها كَالهِلالِ

عَنتَريسٍ كَأَنَّها ذو وُشومٍ

أَحرَجَتهُ بِالجَوِّ إِحدى اللَيالي