أَلا يا لَقَومٍ لِلجَديدِ المُصَرَّمِ
وَلِلحِلمِ بَعدَ الزلة المُتَوَهَّمِ
O people, be steadfast when misfortune strikes
And be forgiving after an error has been made
وَلَلمَرءِ يَعتادُ الصَبابَةَ بَعدَما
أَتى دونَها ما فَرطُ حَولٍ مُجَرَّمِ
And let a man get used to patience after
The passions of youth have passed their prime
فَيا دارَ سَلمى بِالصَريمَةِ فَاللِوى
إِلى مَدفَعِ القيقاءِ فَالمُتَثَلَّمِ
O house of Salma in the stony plain and twisted valleys
Near the thundering gorge and jagged ridges
ظَلِلتُ عَلى عِرفانِها ضَيفَ قَفرَةٍ
لِأَقضِيَ مِنها حاجَةَ المُتَلَوِّمِ
I took shade by your walls, a guest of the barren desert
To fulfill the need of the suffering soul
أَقامَت بِها بِالصَيفِ ثُمَّ تَذَكَّرَت
مَصايِرَها بَينَ الجَواءِ فَعَيهَمِ
You dwelled here in summer, then remembered
Your fate amid the wastes, lost and confused
تُعَوِّجُ رُهباً في الزِمامِ وَتَنثَني
إِلى مُهذِباتٍ في وَشيجٍ مُقَوِّمِ
Twisting the reins, frightened, and drawing in
Toward handlers in a narrow rugged land
أَنافَت وَزافَت في الزِمامِ كَأَنَّها
إِلى غَرضِها أَجلادُ هِرٍّ مُؤَوَّمِ
Raising their noses in the reins as if
Led to their goal, the hides of maimed beasts
إِذا زالَ رَعنٌ عَن يَدَيها وَنَحرِها
بَدا رَأسُ رَعنٍ وَارِدٍ مُتَقَدِّمِ
When the grunts cease from their hands and necks
The head of the next grunting train appears
وَصَدَّت عَنِ الماءِ الرَواءِ لِجَوفِها
دَوِيٌّ كَدُفِّ القَينَةِ المُتَهَزِّمِ
And turns away from the watering place though its belly rumbles
With a hollow sound like a bursting wineskin
تَصَعَّدُ في بَطحاءِ عِرقٍ كأَنَّها
تَرَقّى إِذا أَعلى أَبيكٍ بِسُلَّمِ
Rising above a plain of sweat as if ascending
A lofty peak by steps cut into the slope
لِتَغلِبَ أَبكي إِذ أَثارَت رِماحُها
غَوائِلَ شَرٍّ بَينَها مُتَثَلِّمِ
To overcome the peak when their spears were aroused
Stirring deadly strife between them
وَكانوا هُمُ البانينَ قَبلَ اِختِلافِهِم
وَمَن لا يَشِد بُنيانَهُ يَتَهَدَّمِ
Though once they were the builders before their discord
He who does not shore up his building will collapse
بِحَيٍّ كَكَوثَلِّ السَفينَةِ أَمرُهُم
إِلى سَلَفٍ عادٍ إِذا اِحتَلَّ مُرزِمِ
Their situation is like the rotten planks of a ship
Wrecked on a reef when the seams split
إِذا نَزَلوا الثَغرَ المَخوفَ تَواضَعَت
مَخارِمُهُ وَاِحتَلَّهُ ذو المُقَدَّمِ
When they descend on an oft-raided land
Its battlements are bowed down and taken
أَنِفتُ لَهُم مِن عَقلِ قَيسٍ وَمَرثَدٍ
إِذا وَرَدوا ماءً وَرَمحِ بنِ هَرثَمِ
I disdained the minds of Qais and Murthid
When they came to water and Rabi’s wells
وَيَوماً لَدى الحَشّارِ مَن يَلوِ حَقَّهُ
يُبَزبَز وَيُهزَع ثَوبُهُ وَيُلَطَّمِ
One day in Hashshâr when a man claims his right
He is shoved and stripped and his clothes torn
وَفي كُلِّ أَسواقِ العِراقِ إِتاوَةٌ
وَفي كُلِّ ما باعَ أَمرُؤٌ مَكسُ دِرهِمِ
In all the markets of Iraq there are kickbacks
On every deal the amirs take a few dirhams
وَقَيظُ العِراقِ مِن أَفاعٍ وَغُدَّةٍ
وَرِعيٍ إِذا ما أَكلَأوا مُتَوَخَّمِ
The Iraqi summer is hot with ‘afâ and duhad
And grazing cattle when glutted with sap
أَلا تَستَحي مِنّا مُلوكٌ وَتَتَّقي
مَحارِمَنا لا يَبْوُءُ الدَمُّ بِالدَمِ
O kings, are you not ashamed to fear violating
Our sanctities? Blood cannot wash away blood
نُعاطي المُلوكَ السَلمَ ما قَصَدوا بِنا
وَلَيسَ عَلَينا قَتلُهُم بِمُحَرَّمِ
We give the kings peace though they intended us harm
It is not permitted for us to kill them
وَكائِن أَزَرنا المَوتَ مِن ذي تَحِيَّةٍ
إِذا ما اِزدَرانا أَو أَسَفَّ لِمَأثَمِ
Death will come to us from civilized people
If we are slighted or they are saddened by sin
وَقَد زَعَمَت بِهراءُ أَنَّ رِماحَنا
رِماحُ نَصارى لا تَخوضُ إِلى الدَمِ
Bahira claimed our spears are the spears of Christians
That never plunge into blood
فَيَومَ الكُلابِ قَد أَزالَت رِماحُنا
شُرَحبيلَ إِذ آلى آلِيَّةَ مُقسِمِ
But the spears of our army on the day of dogs
Removed Shurahbil when he swore oaths
لَيَنتَزِعَن أَرماحَنا فَأَزالَهُ
أَبو حَنَشٍ عَن ظَهرِ شَقّاءَ صِلدِمِ
Abu Hanash tore it out from the back
Of wretched Shiqâ’ with thrust and twist
تَناوَلَهُ بِالرُمحِ ثُمَّ اِتَّنى لَهُ
فَخَرَّ صَريعاً لِليَدَينِ وَلِلفَمِ
He took him with the spear, then pulled him close
And he fell dead, mouth and hands filled
وَكانَ مُعادينا تَهِرُّ كِلابُهُ
مَخافَةَ جَيشٍ ذي زُهاءٍ عَرَمرَمِ
Their dogs used to snarl at our army, frightened
By the sight of a horde with thick neck armor
يَرى الناسُ مِنّا جِلدَ أَسوَدَ سالِخٍ
وَفَروَةَ ضِرغامٍ مِنَ الأُسدِ ضَيغَمِ
People see in us black tanned hides
And rough shaggy heads of lions, growling
وَعَمرَ بنَ هَمَّامٍ صَفَقنا جَبينَهُ
بِشَنعاءَ تَشفي صَورَةَ المُتَظَلِّمِ
As for ‘Amr ibn Hammam we cracked his skull
With an ugly tree that erased the wrongdoer
