أَقفَرَ مِن أَهلِهِ مَلحوبُ

فَالقُطَبِيّاتُ فَالذَنوبُ

Abandoned by its people, Malhoub lies desolate

The wintry stars above it, the sins below

فَراكِسٌ فَثُعَيلِباتٌ

فَذاتُ فِرقَينِ فَالقَليبُ

With camels kneeling, gazelles resting

Groups of does, and fawns leaping to and fro

فَعَردَةٌ فَقَفا حِبِرٍّ

لَيسَ بِها مِنهُمُ عَريبُ

A barren desert, rough terrain left behind

Not one Arab remains, they have all had to go

إِن بُدِّلَت أَهلُها وُحوشاً

وَغَيَّرَت حالَها الخُطوبُ

If its people are replaced with beasts

And disaster has changed its fortunes and woe

أَرضٌ تَوارَثُها شُعوبُ

وَكُلُّ مَن حَلَّها مَحروبُ

A land successive nations have inherited

Each one who enters is opposed by a foe

إِمّا قَتيلاً وَإِمّا هالِكاً

وَالشَيبُ شَينٌ لِمَن يَشيبُ

Either killed or destroyed

And gray hair is disgrace for him with locks snow

عَيناكَ دَمعُهُما سَروبُ

كَأَنَّ شَأنَيهِما شَعيبُ

Your eyes, their tears like a flood

As if their condition causes you grief and foreboding

واهِيَةٌ أَو مَعينٌ مُمعِنٌ

أَو هَضبَةٌ دونَها لُهوبُ

A desert plain or a surging spring

A hill beyond it with flashes of lightning aglow

أَو فَلَجٌ ما بِبَطنِ وادٍ

لِلماءِ مِن بَينِهِ سُكوبُ

Or a hollow between valleys holding water

With streams flowing beneath as it ebbs to and fro

أَو جَدوَلٌ في ظِلالِ نَخلٍ

لِلماءِ مِن تَحتِهِ قَسيبُ

Or a brook amid palm tree shade

With water trickling below it soft and slow

تَصبو فَأَنّى لَكَ التَصابي

أَنّى وَقَد راعَكَ المَشيبُ

You cry out, but how can there be a response?

When old age has overtaken you, stifled and low

إِن تَكُ حالَت وَحُوِّلَ أَهلُها

فَلا بَديءٌ وَلا عَجيبُ

If its state is transformed and its people changed

There is nothing novel or strange in this ebb and flow

أَو يَكُ أَقفَرَ مِنها جَوُّها

وَعادَها المَحلُ وَالجُدوبُ

Or if its air is left vacant

As desolation and decay return anew

فَكُلُّ ذي نِعمَةٍ مَخلوسٌ

وَكُلُّ ذي أَمَلٍ مَكذوبُ

Then all who enjoyed bounty are now destitute

And every hopeful one is denied and laid low

وَكُلُّ ذي إِبِلٍ مَوروثٌ

وَكُلُّ ذي سَلَبٍ مَسلوبُ

All owners of camels inherit but beasts

And every looted one is plundered of what they owe

وَكُلُّ ذي غَيبَةٍ يَؤوبُ

وَغائِبُ المَوتِ لا يَؤوبُ

All who are absent will eventually return

Except those dead who will never come back from below

أَعاقِرٌ مِثلُ ذاتِ رِحمٍ

أَم غَنِمٌ مِثلُ مَن يَخيبُ

Is it like a barren woman or a fertile womb?

Or sheep gone astray, unlike one with a shepherd close?

أَفلِح بِما شِئتَ فَقَد يُبلَغُ بِال

ضَعفِ وَقَد يُخدَعُ الأَريبُ

You may succeed as you wish, but weakness can frustrate

And the wary one is sometimes duped by the clever foe

لا يَعِظُ الناسُ مَن لَم يَعِظِ ال

دَهرُ وَلا يَنفَعُ التَلبيبُ

People are not admonished unless fate admonishes them

And blaming brings no benefit or balm for their woes

إِلّا سَجِيّاتِ ما القُلوبِ

وَكَم يَصيرَنَّ شانِئاً حَبيبُ

Except for resolute hearts unwilling to bend or change

And how many a loved one later becomes a bitter foe?

ساعِد بِأَرضٍ إِذا كُنتَ بِها

وَلا تَقُل إِنَّني غَريبُ

Help those in a land where you reside

And say not: “I am a stranger kept far from those I know.”

قَد يوصَلُ النازِحُ النائي وَقَد

يُقطَعُ ذو السُهمَةِ القَريبُ

An outcast far away may be reunited, while

One near is severed, though his hopes were high before

مَن يَسَلِ الناسَ يَحرِموهُ

وَسائِلُ اللَهِ لا يَخيبُ

If you ask people, they may forbid you,

But asking God, you will never be denied or left empty-handed, no

وَالمَرءُ ما عاشَ في تَكذيبٍ

طولُ الحَياةِ لَهُ تَعذيبُ

As long as one lives embroiled in lies

Life for him is torture, anguish and heavy woe

بَل رُبَّ ماءٍ وَرَدتُ آجِنٍ

سَبيلُهُ خائِفٌ جَديبُ

Nay, but I have oft reached meadows, traveling

While my camel, fearing highway thieves, plodded careful and slow

ريشُ الحَمامِ عَلى أَرجائِهِ

لِلقَلبِ مِن خَوفِهِ وَجيبُ

Its feathers trembling and fluttering all over

From a heart afraid and filled with dread of the foe

قَطَعتُهُ غُدوَةً مُشيحاً

وَصاحِبي بادِنٌ خَبوبُ

One dawn, traveling briskly, my companion wise

My camel delicate, gentle and following close

عَيرانَةٌ مُؤجَدٌ فَقارُها

كَأَنَّ حارِكَها كَثيبُ

An ugly train, its saddlebags sagging

As if its driver were an unsteady, drunk dromedary unforeknowing

أَخلَفَ ما بازِلاً سَديسُها

لا حِقَّةٌ هِي وَلا نَيوبُ

Its litter tossed aside, neither stately nor elegant

No embellishment there, nor adornment for a show

كَأَنَّها مِن حَميرِ غابٍ

جَونٌ بِصَفحَتِهِ نُدوبُ

As if it were wild donkeys’ foals

Faces scarred, bearing the marks of brands to and fro

أَو شَبَبٌ يَحفِرُ الرُخامى

تَلُفُّهُ شَمأَلٌ هُبوبُ

Or youths digging into marble

Blown about by gusts of wind that wildly blow

فَذاكَ عَصرٌ وَقَد أَراني

تَحمِلُني نَهدَةٌ سُرحوبُ

That was an era that saw me carried

By a she-camel, striding surefooted and strong in her prime, aglow

مُضَبَّرٌ خَلقُها تَضبيراً

يَنشَقُّ عَن وَجهِها السَبيبُ

Her face veiled, shrouded completely

Her plaits parted, the locks falling to and fro

زَيتِيَّةٌ ناعِمٌ عُروقُها

وَلَيِّنٌ أَسرُها رَطيبُ

Smooth, supple were her limbs

Gentle her gait, graceful and pleasing to behold

كَأَنَّها لِقوَةٌ طَلوبُ

تُخزَنُ في وَكرِها القُلوبُ

As if she were a fortress, her heart a den

Where hearts are kept safe from every foe

باتَت عَلى إِرَمٍ عَذوباً

كَأَنَّها شَيخَةٌ رَقوبُ

She rested on soft, fragrant sand

As if she were an old, revered sheikh resting close

فَأَصبَحَت في غَداةِ قِرَّةٍ

يَسقُطُ عَن ريشِها الضَريبُ

In the morning after a night of tranquility

Molting feathers dropped away with her shake and throw

فَأَبصَرَت ثَعلَباً مِن ساعَةٍ

وَدونَهُ سَبسَبٌ جَديبُ

She spied a fox from afar

With fluffy cubs playing to and fro close by

فَنَفَضَت ريشَها وَاِنتَفَضَت

وَهيَ مِن نَهضَةٍ قَريبُ

She shook her feathers and shuddered in agitation

Preparing to rise, the threat near and danger drawing nigh

يَدِبُّ مِن حِسِّها دَبيباً

وَالعَينُ حِملاقُها مَقلوبُ

She crept toward it with bubbly intensity

Charging and flapping vigorously to the foe

فَنَهَضَت نَحوَهُ حَثيثَةً

وَحَرَدَت حَردَةً تَسيبُ

It was startled and terrified by her approach

And reacted like one severity has melted and laid low

فَاِشتالَ وَاِرتاعَ مِن حَسيسِها

وَفِعلَهُ يَفعَلُ المَذؤوبُ

She overtook and pinned it down

The prey captured and suffering blows

فَأَدرَكَتهُ فَطَرَّحَتهُ

وَالصَيدُ مِن تَحتِها مَكروبُ

She pummeled and thrashed it about

Its cheeks thumped by her fierce, unbridled blows

فَجَدَّلَتهُ فَطَرَّحَتهُ

فَكَدَّحَت وَجهَهُ الجَبوبُ

It struggled helplessly as her claws gashed its flesh

No respite, its throat slashed and torn open by the deadly foe

يَضغو وَمِخلَبُها في دَفِّهِ

لا بُدَّ حَيزومُهُ مَنقوبُ