هَلِ الدَهرُ إِلّا لَيلَةٌ وَنَهارُها
وَإِلّا طُلوعُ الشَمسِ ثُمَّ غِيارُها
Is fate but a night and a day
And the rising and setting of the sun?
أَبى القَلبُ إِلّا أُمَّ عَمروٍ وَأَصبَحَت
تُحَرَّقُ ناري بِالشَكاةِ وَنارُها
My heart is set on Umm 'Amr alone
And my passion for her burns like fire
وَعَيَّرَها الواشونَ أَنّي أُحِبُّها
وَتِلكَ شَكاةُ ظاهِرٌ عَنكَ عارُها
The slanderers chide me for loving her
Though her virtues outweigh their calumny
فَلا يَهنَأ الواشينَ أَنّي هَجَرتُها
وَأَظلَمَ دوني لَيلُها وَنَهارُها
Let not the slanderers rejoice that I've shunned her
While my night and day are darkened without her
فَإِن أَعتَذِر مِنها فَإِنّي مُكَذَّبٌ
وَإِن تَعتَذِر يُردَد عَلَيها اِعتِذارُها
If I offer her excuses, I'll be called a liar
And if she offers excuses, they'll be thrown back at her
فَما أُمُّ خِشفٍ بِالعَلايَةِ شادِنٍ
تَنوشُ البَريرَ حَيثُ نالَ اِهتِصارُها
Mother of Khishf is no 'Alaiya or Shadin
Sipping pure wine where vines flourish
مُوَلَّعَةٌ بِالطُرَّتَينِ دَنا لَها
جَنى أَيكَةٍ يَضفو عَلَيها قِصارُها
Fond of partridge stew, pigeon roast
A fruitful oasis shadows her abode
بِهِ أَبَلَت شَهرَي رَبيعٍ كِلَيهِما
فَقَد مارَ فيها نَسؤُها وَاِقتِرارُها
She revels through the blooming months of Rabee'
As prosperity and comfort have passed her by
وَسَوَّدَ ماءُ المَردِ فاها فَلَونُهُ
كَلَونِ النَوورِ فَهيَ أَدماءُ سارُها
And the berries have darkened her mouth
The hue of light, yet her face is rosy
بِأَحسَنَ مِنها يَومَ قامَت فَأَعرَضَت
تُواري الدُموعَ حينَ جَدّا اِنحِدارُها
More beautiful than this was the day she rose and turned away
Hiding her tears when fate turned against her
كَأَنَّ عَلى فيها عُقاراً مُدامَةً
سُلافَةَ راحٍ عَتَّقَتها تِجارُها
As if she bore brow stained with pure wine
A freed aroma her perfumes once traded
مُعَتَّقَةً مِن أَذرِعاتٍ هَوَت بِها الر
رِكابُ وَعَنَّتها الزِقاقُ وَقارُها
Freed from shackles, how coachmen admired her gait
And alleys exalted her glory and honor
فَلا تُشتَرى إِلّا بِرِنجٍ سِباؤُها
بَناتُ المَخاضِ شومُها وَحِضارُها
None may have her, not even in dire destitution
Daughters of labor, bleak and meager their lives
تَرى شَربَها حُمرَ الحِداقِ كَأَنَّهُم
أَساوى إِذا ما سارَ فيهِم سُوارُها
They sip the wine till their cheeks blush red
As if it were the gleam of her bracelets
فَإِنَّكَ مِنها وَالتَعَذُّرَ بَعدَما
لَجِجَت وَشَطَّت مِن فُطَيمَةَ دارُها
Rouse them after rest, they shudder and stir
Like startled partridges, shy and timid
كَنَعتِ الَّتي ظَلَّت تُسَبِّعُ سُؤرَها
وَقالَت حَرامٌ أَن يُرَجَّلَ جارُها
When the cooking pots are hot, we fan their flames
Ventilating gently, slowly turning their spits
تَبَرَّأُ مِن دَمِّ القَتيلِ وَبَزِّهِ
وَقَد عَلِقَت دَمَّ القَتيلِ إِزارُها
If you sever my rope, or change lovers, among you
Are those of poor repute and base character
فَإِنَّكِ لَو ساءَلتِ عَنّا فَتُخبَري
إِذا البُزلُ راحَت لا تُدِرُّ عِشارُها
When a she-camel's milk dries up, udder grows slack
My whip will ready her, though her excuses continue
لَأُنبِئتِ أَنّا نَجتَدي الفَضلَ إِنَّما
نُكَلَّفُهُ مِنَ النُفوسِ خَيارُها
Bows strung taut then left loose, neglected
Their cords snapped, frames cracked and spine disjointed
لَنا صِرَمٌ يُنحَرنَ في كُلِّ شَتوَةٍ
إِذا ما سَماءُ الناسِ قَلَّ قِطارُها
Then I'm right to end her time with praise
Without dishonor as we part our ways
وَسودٌ مِنَ الصيدانِ فيها مَذانِبٌ
نُضارٌ إِذا لَم نَستَفِدها نُعارُها
With Ibn 'Anbas gone, I've learned patience
While fate stokes the flames of grief and sorrow
لَهُنَّ نَشيجٌ بِالنَشيلِ كَأَنَّها
ضَرائِرُ حِرمِيٍّ تَفاحَشَ غارُها
A shaggy-armed Khiljam, fierce when wars rage on
And their bitterness sears, cruelty prolongs
إِذا اِستُعجِلَت بَعدَ الخُبُوِّ تَرازَمَت
كَهَزمِ الظُؤارِ جُرَّ عَنها حُوارُها
His sword strikes down the bravest heroes
When the fray embroils, blades shredded and severed
إِذا حُبَّ تَرويجُ القُدورِ فَإِنَّنا
نُرَوِّحُها سُفعاً حَميداً قُتارُها
With blows that smash bones, such is their power
And stabs like stampeding horses, spears straight and centered
فَإِن تَصرِمي حَبلي وَإِن تَتَبَدَّلي
خَليلاً وَإِحداكُنَّ سوءٌ قُصارُها
The stealthy stab that pierced Murishsha
Neat as rending a cloak, precise and measured
فَإِنّي إِذا ما خُلَّةٌ رَثَّ وَصلُها
وَجَدَّت بِصُرمٍ وَاِستَمَرَّ عِذارُها
Smooth strokes paving their path
Entrails of the craven strewed in bloody swathes
وَحالَت كَحَولِ القَوسِ طُلَّت وَعُطِّلَت
ثَلاثاً فَزاغَ عَجسُها وَظُهارُها
With the fine steed Al-'Anid concealed
By the bare plain, landmark blurred and faded
فَإِنّي جَديرٌ أضن أُوَدِّعَ عَهدَها
بِحَمدٍ وَلَم يُرفَع لَدَينا شَنارُها
Galloping strides casting off garments
As if a herd of ibex bolting, startled and racing
وَإِنّي صَبَرتُ النَفسَ بَعدَ اِبنِ عَنبَسٍ
نُشَيبَةٌ وَالهَلكى يَهيجُ اِدِّكارُها
Foremost when the sun rose red as perfume
And the warriors' surging like camels, marching in train
وَذلِكَ مَشبوحُ الذِراعَينِ خَلجَمٌ
خَشوفٌ إِذا ما الحَربُ طالَ مِرارُها
When the army recoiled and retreated in haste
As their zeal expired and fires raged within
ضَروبٌ لِهاماتِ الرِجالِ بِسَيفِهِ
إِذا عُجِمَت وَسطَ الشُؤونِ شِفارُها
You are as Nu't the hypocrite, decrying the crime
While the victim's blood stained her robes
بِضَربٍ يَقُضُّ البَيضَ شِدَّةُ وَقعِهِ
وَطَعنٍ كَرَكضِ الخَيلِ تُفلى مِهارُها
Ask about me, and you'll hear when wanton women drink
The best we can do, though many fall from grace
وَطَعنَةِ خَلسٍ قَد طَعَنتَ مُرِشَّةٍ
كَعَطِّ الرِداءِ لا يُشَكُّ طَوارُها
For feasts we slaughter fat rams
When people's provisions are lean, and cattle thin
مُسَحسِحَةٍ تَنفي الحَصى عَن طَريقِها
يُطَيِّرُ أَحشاءَ الرَعيبِ اِنثِرارُها
Stallions dark from the meadows amid us
If we cannot ride them, we fatten them up
وَمُدَّعَسٍ فيهِ الأَنيضُ اِختَفَيتَهُ
بِجَرداءَ يَنتابُ الثَميلَ حِمارُها
They have lyres with dangling plectra
Like the anklets of wayward slave girls disgraced
وَعادِيَةٍ تُلقي الثِيابَ كَأَنَّها
تُيوسُ ظِباءٍ مَحصُها وَاِنبِتارُها
سَبَقتَ إِذا ما الشَمسُ كانَت كَأَنَّها
صَلاءَةُ طيبٍ لِيطُها وَاِصفِرارُها
إِذا ما سِراعُ القَومِ كانوا كَأَنَّهُم
قَوافِلُ خَيلٍ جَريُها وَاِقوِرارُها
إِذا ما الخَلاجيمُ العَلاجيمُ نَكَّلوا
وَطالَ عَلَيهِم حَميُها وَسُعارُها
