أَبِالصُرمِ مِن أَسماءَ حَدَّثَكَ الَّذي
جَرى بَينَنا يَومَ اِستَقَلَّت رِكابُها
The one who told you about Asma's meadows
Of what happened between us the day her camel-litter departed
زَجَرتَ لَها طَيرَ السَنيحِ فَإِن تُصِب
هَواكَ الَّذي تَهوى يُصِبكَ اِجتِنابُها
You scolded her for the birds of Saneh though if
Your passion which you love strikes you, avoiding it profits you naught
وَقَد طُفتُ مِن أَحوالِها وَأَرَدتُها
سِنينَ فَأَخشى بَعلَها أَو أَهابُها
I have considered her circumstances and wanted her
For years but I fear her husband or her shyness
ثَلاثَةَ أَعوامٍ فَلَمّا تَجَرَّمَت
عَلَينا بِهونٍ وَاِستَحارَ شَبابُها
For three years but when she trespassed against us
With disdain and her youth turned grey
عَصاني إِلَيها القَلبُ إِنّي لِأَمرِهِ
سَميعٌ فَما أَدري أَرُشدٌ طِلابُها
My heart disobeyed me regarding her, truly I am
Attentive to its command though I know not if its seeking profits it
فَقُلتُ لِقَلبي يا لَكَ الخَيرُ إِنَّما
يُدَلّيكَ لِلمَوتِ الجَديدِ حِبابُها
So I said to my heart: good for you, it only
Leads you to the new death, her love
فَما الراحُ راحُ الشامِ جاءَت سَبِيَّةً
لَها غايَةٌ تَهدي الكِرامَ عُقابُها
So the scent of Damascus did not come as a prisoner
It has a goal that guides the generous to reward
عُقارُ كَماءِ النِىءِ لَيسَت بِخَمطَةٍ
وَلا خَلَّةٍ يَكوي الشُروبَ شِهابُها
The juice of the twigs is no deception
Nor vain talk that scalds the drinkers, its flames
تَوَصَّلُ بِالرُكبانِ حيناً وَتُؤلِفُ ال
جِوارَ وَيُغشيها الأَمانَ رِبابُها
It befriends travelers at times and brings together
Neighbors and covers them with the security of its calm
فَما بَرِحَت في الناسِ حَتّى تَبَيَّنَت
ثَقيفاً بِزَيزاءِ الأَشاةِ قِبابُها
So it remained among the people until it was distinguished
As Thaqif with the bleating of goats, its tents
فَطافَ بِها أَبناءُ آلِ مُعَتِّبٍ
وَعَزَّ عَلَيهِم بَيعُها وَاِغتِصابُها
The sons of the house of Mu'tib circled it
And preventing its sale and seizing it was difficult for them
فَلَمّا رَأَوا أَن أَحكَمَتهُم وَلَم يَكُن
يَحِلُّ لَهُم إِكراهُها وَغِلابُها
When they saw that she had outwitted them and it was not
Permissible for them to coerce her and overpower her
أَتَوها بِرِبحٍ حاوَلَتهُ فَأًصبَحَت
تُكَفَّتُ قَد حَلَّت وَساغَ شَرابُها
They came to her with a profitable offer which she attempted so she became
On sale having been untied and her drink accessible
بِأَريِ الَّتي تَهوي إِلى كُلِّ مُغرِبٍ
إِذا اِصفَرَّ ليطُ الشَمسِ حانَ اِنقِلابُها
To the one who inclines to every setting
When the folds of the sun turn yellow, the time of its departure
بِأَريِ الِّتي تَأرِيِ اليَعاسيبُ أَصبَحَت
إِلى شاهِقٍ دونَ السَماءِ ذُؤابُها
To the one whose hand the buzzards desire, she became
Lofty, beneath the sky her peak
جَوارِسُها تَأرِيِ الشُعوفَ دَوائِباً
وَتَنقَضُّ أَلهاباً مَصيفاً شِعابُها
Its sentries desire the heights persistently
And swoop down as burning flames on its cliffs
إِذا نَهَضَت فيهِ تَصَعَّدَ نَفرَها
كَقِترِ الغِلاءِ مُستَدِرّاً صِيابُها
When she rises in it, the amount of her departure increases
Like the flow of torrents, the sound of its pouring swelling
تَظَلُّ عَلى الثَمراءِ مِنها جَوارِسٌ
مَراضيعُ صُهبُ الريشِ زُغبٌ رِقابُها
Some of its sentries shade the fertile land
Nursing the plump-feathered young, necks bent, their collars
فَلَمّا رَآها الخالِدِيُّ كَأَنَّها
حَصى الخَذفِ تَكبو مُستَقِلّاً إِيابُها
So when Al-Khalidi saw her like
Pebbles thrown forcefully, dodging on its own, its return
أَجَدَّ بِها أَمراً وَأَيقَنَ أَنَّهُ
لَها أَو لِأُخرى كَالطَحينِ تُرابُها
He was adamant about her and knew that
Either she or another, the dust is her soil
فَقيلَ تَجَنَّبها حَرامُ وَراقَهُ
ذُراها مُبيناً عَرضُها وَاِنتِصابُها
So it was said: "Avoid her, unlawful is the sight of her
Revealing her is manifest, her display and standing tall"
فَأَعلَقَ أَسبابَ المَنِيَّةِ وَاِرتَضى
ثُقوفَتَهُ إِن لَم يَخُنهُ اِنقِضابُها
But he hung the causes of death and was content
With his ruin if the pulling away of her robes did not fail him
تَدَلّى عَلَيها بَينَ سِبٍّ وَخَيطَةٍ
بِجَرداءَ مِثلِ الوَكفِ يَكبو غُرابُها
He crept up on her between censure and sin
In tattered clothes like the falcon swooping down
فَلَمّا اِجتَلاها بِالإِيامِ تَحَيَّزَت
ثُباتٍ عَلَيها ذُلُّها وَاِكتِئابُها
So when he confronted her with solicitation she withdrew
In stillness, her humiliation and gloom upon her
فَأَطيِب بِراحِ الشَأمِ صِرفاً وَهذِهِ
مُعَتَّقَةً صَهباءَ وَهِيَ شِيابُها
So perfume the morning breeze with parting, and here is
A gray-feathered thing, and it is her gray hair
فَما إِن هُما في صَحيفَةٍ بارِقِيَّةٍ
جَديدٍ حَديثٍ نَحتُها وَاِقتِضابُها
They were not together in a glistening parchment
New, recent, carved by him and shortened
بِأَطيَبَ مِن فيها إِذا جِئتَ طارِقاً
مِنَ اللَيلِ وَالتَفَّت عَلَيكَ ثِيابُها
With something better than it, if you come by night
And her clothes turn to you
رَأَتني صَريعَ الخَمرِ يَوماً فَسُؤتُها
بِقُرّانَ إِنَّ الخَمرَ شُعثٌ صِحابُها
She saw me once prostrate from wine so she reproached me
With "Wine is disheveled, unpleasant are its companions"
وَلَو عَثَرَت عِندي إِذاً ما لَحَيتُها
بِعَثرَتِها وَلا اُسيءَ جَوابُها
And had she stumbled over me then, I would not have greeted her
With her stumbling nor responded poorly
وَلا هَرَّها كَلبي لِيُبعِدَ نَفرَها
وَلَو نَبَحَتني بِالشَكاةِ كِلابُها
Nor would my dog have startled her to distance her alarm
Even if her dogs had barked me away
