قِف بِالطُلولِ الدارِساتِ عُلاثا
أَمسَت حِبالُ قَطينِهِنَّ رِثاثا
Stop at the ruins with trailing skirts
Their ropes have become ragged tatters
قَسَمَ الزَمانُ رُبوعَها بَينَ الصَبا
وَقَبولِها وَدَبورِها أَثلاثا
Time has divided its seasons among
Their prime, maturity, and decline
فَتَأَبَّدَت مِن كُلِّ مُخطَفَةِ الحَشا
غَيداءَ تُكسى يارَقاً وَرُعاثا
So every snatcher of embraces lingers
A singing bird wrapped in feathers
كَالظَبيَةِ الأَدماءِ صافَت فَاِرتَعَت
زَهرَ العَرارِ الغَضِّ وَالجَثجاثا
Like a roe deer it was unstained and grazed
On the blossoms of meadows and waste tracts
حَتّى إِذا ضَرَبَ الخَريفُ رِواقَهُ
سافَت بَريرَ أَراكَةٍ وَكَباثا
Until when autumn smote its lodging
It moaned with the moaning of palm-trees
سَيّافَةُ اللَحَظاتِ يَغدو طَرفُها
بِالسِحرِ في عُقَدِ النُهى نَفّاثا
The glancing of eyes comes at dawn
Blowing sharp breaths into the knots of necklaces
زالَت بِعَينَيكَ الحُمولُ كَأَنَّها
نَخلٌ مَواقِرُ مِن نَخيلِ جُواثا
The sand grouse have flown from your eyes as though they were
Palms of Juwatha tottering with clustered dates
يَومَ الثُلاثا لَن أَزالَ لِبَينِهِم
كَدِرَ الفُؤادِ لِكُلِّ يَومِ ثُلاثا
On the three days I will not cease to have
Sorrow of heart for every three days
إِنَّ الهُمومَ الطارِقاتِكَ مَوهِناً
مَنَعَت جُفونَكَ أَن تَذوقَ حَثاثا
My pressing anxieties that besieged you
Have prevented your eyes from closing in slumber
وَرَأَيتَ ضَيفَ الهَمِّ لا يَرضى قِرىً
إِلّا مُداخَلَةَ الفَقارِ دِلاثا
And you saw the guest of care does not accept any abode
Save the juxtaposition of ribs with ribs
شَجعاءَ جِرَّتُها الذَميلُ تَلوكُهُ
أُصُلاً إِذا راحَ المَطِيُّ غِراثا
Spirited horses whose halters the violent south wind has dragged
Tearing up roots if the rider travels after nightfall
أُجُداً إِذا وَنَتِ المَهارى أَرقَلَت
رَقَلاً كَتَحريقِ الغَضا حَثحاثا
Neighing if the skillful drivers depart at dawn
With the neighing of fracture on fracture
طَلَبَت فَتى جُشَمِ بنِ بَكرٍ مالِكاً
ضِرغامَها وَهِزَبرَها الدِلهاثا
They sought a chief for their tribe and clan
Their cry and their piercing voices at daybreak
مَلِكٌ إِذا اِستَسقَيتَ مُزنَ بَنانِهِ
قَتَلَ الصَدى وَإِذا اِستَغَثتَ أَغاثا
A king whom if you milk his spears’ points
He stills the echoes; and if you call for help, he brings help
قَد جَرَّبَتهُ تَغلِبُ اِبنَةُ وائِلٍ
لا خاتِراً غُدَراً وَلا نَكّاثا
Tabuk’s daughter has made trial of him
Neither dishonest nor hesitant nor false
مِثلُ السَبيكَةِ لَيسَ عَن أَعراضِها
بِالغَيبِ لا نَدُساً وَلا بَحّاثا
He is like an ingot no rumor circulates
About his honor, no sneak and no meddler
ضَرَحَ القَذى عَنها وَشَذَّبَ سَيفُهُ
عَن عيصِها الخُرّابَ وَالخُبّاثا
His sword cleared the mote from it and trimmed his sword
From its rust and cutting edges
ضاحي المُحَيّا لِلهَجيرِ وَلِلقَنا
تَحتَ العَجاجِ تَخالُهُ مِحراثا
Brightener of the etched blades for war and time of distress
Under arms his imagination forms a plowshare
هُم مَزَّقوا عَنهُ سَبائِبَ حِلمِهِ
وَإِذا أَبو الأَشبالِ أُحرِجَ عاثا
They tore from him the cords of his forbearance
And if the father of cubs is aggravated, he becomes confined
لَولا القَرابَةُ جاسَهُم بِوَقائِعٍ
تُنسي الكُلابَ وَمَلهَماً وَبُعاثا
Were it not for kinship, he would drive them back with events
That make dogs forget a once-loved spot and previous halt
بِالخَيلِ فَوقَ مُتونِهِنَّ فَوارِسٌ
مِثلُ الصُقورِ إِذا لَقينَ بُغاثا
With the horses above their backs are horsemen
Like hawks when they meet scatterers of calls
لَكِن قَراكُم صَفحَهُ مَن لَم يَزَل
وَأَبوهُ فيكُم رَحمَةً وَغِياثا
But your nearness pardoned him who has never ceased
And his father to be mercy and succor unto you
عَفُّ الإِزارِ تَنالُ جارَةُ بَيتِهِ
أَرفادَهُ وَتُجَنَّبُ الأَرفاثا
The hems of his ample gown are attained by the neighbor
Of his house, who avoids ordure and cobwebs
عَمرُو بنُ كُلثومِ بنِ مالِكٍ الَّذي
تَرَكَ العُلى لِبَني أَبيهِ تُراثا
Amr son of Kulthum son of Malik who
Left the high part to his father’s sons as legacy
وَزَعوا الزَمانَ وَهُم كُهولٌ جِلَّةٌ
وَسَطَوا عَلى أَحداثِهِ أَحداثا
They dominated time when they were mature men, old
And they mounted over its events with their events
أَلقى عَلَيهِ نِجارَهُ فَأَتى بِهِ
يَقظانَ لا وَرِعاً وَلا مُلتاثا
His baker flung it at him, so he brought it
Watchful, neither shy nor wearing a veil
تَزكو مَواعِدُهُ إِذا وَعدُ اِمرِئٍ
أَنساكَ أَحلامَ الكَرى الأَضغاثا
His halting-places are frank when he promises a man
Who forgets the delusions of miry dreams
وَتَرى تَسَحُّبَنا عَلَيهِ كَأَنَّما
جِئناهُ نَطلُبُ عِندَهُ ميراثا
And you see our trailing ourselves upon him as though
We had come to him seeking inheritance from him
كَم مُسهِلٍ بِكَ لَو عَدَتكَ قِلاصُهُ
تَبغي سِواكَ لَأَوعَثَت إيعاثا
How many bowels would tear apart because of you
If he counted you as a familiar friend, they would seek other than you and rupture violently
خَوَّلتَهُ عَيشاً أَغَنَّ وَجامِلاً
دَثراً وَمالاً صامِتاً وَأَثاثا
You made independent life that enriched him
Handsome, well-clad, quiet, and furnished
يا مالِكَ اِبنَ المالِكينَ أَرى الَّذي
كُنّا نُؤَمِّلُ مِن إِيابِكَ راثا
O Malik son of kings – I see what
We were hoping would return to us is gone
لَولا اِعتِمادُكَ كُنتُ ذا مَندوحَةٍ
عَن بَرقَعيدَ وَأَرضِ باعيناثا
Were it not for relying on you I would be one having no way back
To Barqaid and the land of the Bani `Unayth
وَالكامِخِيَّةُ لَم تَكُن لي مَنزِلاً
فَمَقابِرُ اللَذّاتِ مِن قَبراثا
The Kamilia were no dwelling for me
So the tombs of pleasures became my tombs
لَم آتِها مِن أَيِّ وَجهٍ جِئتُها
إِلّا حَسِبتُ بُيوتَها أَجداثا
I never approached them from any direction without supposing
Their houses’ doorsill stakes to be my door
بَلَدُ الفِلاحَةِ لَو أَتاها جَروَلٌ
أَعني الحُطَيئَةَ لَاِغتَدى حَرّاثا
The land of happiness, if a lackey visited it
I mean al-Hutaytha – he would become a plowman
تَصدا بِها الأَفهامُ بَعدَ صِقالِها
وَتَرُدُّ ذُكرانَ العُقولِ إِناثا
The intelligences retreat after its burnishing
And memory’s steeds return led like mares
أَرضٌ خَلَعتُ اللَهوَ خَلعي خاتَمي
فيها وَطَلَّقتُ السُرورَ ثَلاثا
Land where I stripped my ring from my fingers
And divorced joy thrice
