عَفا واسِطٌ مِن أَهلِهِ فَمَذانِبُه
فَرَوضُ القَطا صَحراؤُهُ وَنَصائِبُه
A protector from his people departed, so their pastures
Became desolate and their watering places empty.
وَلَكِنَّ هَذا الدَهرَ أَصبَحَ فانِياً
تَسَعسَعَ وَاِشتَدَّت عَلَيهِ تَجارِبُه
But time itself has become fleeting -
It galloped away while misfortunes pressed on it.
وَقَد كانَ مَحضوراً أَرى أَنَّ أَهلَهُ
بِهِ أَبَداً ما أَعجَمَ الخَطَّ كاتِبُه
I thought he would remain forever - his people
Would never erase what his scribe had inscribed.
عَفا ذو الصَفا مِنهُم فَأَمسى أَنيسُهُ
قَليلاً تَعاوى بِالضُباحِ ثَعالِبُه
He of pure counsel departed from them and became their companion
At night when only a few small stars shine.
وَحَلَّ بِصَحراءِ الإِهالَةِ حَذلَمٌ
وَما كانَ حَلّالاً بِها إِذ نُحارِبُه
He settled in the wilderness of oblivion, a forlorn place
Where he did not belong when we made war against him.
خَلا لِبَني البَرشاءِ بَكرِ بنِ وائِلٍ
مَجاري الحَصى مِن بَطنِ فَلجٍ فَجانِبُه
It was empty for the sons of the Bishr clan of Bakr ibn Wa'il -
The courses of pebbles from the gorge flowed on its side.
نَفى عَنهُمُ الأَعداءَ فُرسانُ غارَةٍ
وَدَهمٌ يَغُمُّ البُلقَ خُضرٌ كَتائِبُه
Their cavalrymen warded the enemies away from them
And a rushing squadron whose steeds are green.
فَنَحنُ أَخٌ لَم يُلقَ في الناسِ مِثلُنا
أَخاً حينَ شابَ الدَهرُ وَاِبيَضَّ حاجِبُه
We are a brother for whom none can match among men
When the days grew long and his eyebrows turned white.
وَإِنّا لَصُبرٌ في مَواطِنِ قَومِنا
إِذا ما القَنا الخَطِّيُّ عُلَّت مَخاضِبُه
We are steadfast among our people's battle sites
When the slender, fine-scripted letter roused its war.
وَإِنّا لَحَمّالو العَدُوِّ إِذا غَدا
عَلى مَركَبٍ لا تُستَلَذُّ مَراكِبُه
We bear the burden of the enemy when he attacks
Riding a ship whose planks are not joined smoothly.
وَغَيرانَ يَغلي بِالعَداوَةِ صَدرُهُ
تَذَبذَبَ عَنّي لَم تَنَلني مَخالِبُه
Another boiled with enmity - his chest
Thrashed about wildly but his claws did not reach me.
فَإِن كُنتَ قَد فُتَّ الكُلَيبِيَّ بِالعُلى
فَقَد أَهلَكَتهُ في الحِراءِ مَثالِبُه
If you have opened the Kulaibites with victory
Then their habits in the barren land destroyed them.
وَظَلَّ لَهُ بَينَ العُقابِ وَراهِطٍ
ضَبابَةُ يَومٍ لا تُوارى كَواكِبُه
A hazy day remained between Ukab and Rahit
Whose stars do not hide.
رَأَيتُكَ وَالتَكليفَ نَفسَكَ دارِماً
كَشَيءٍ مَضى لا يُدرِكُ الدَهرَ طالِبُه
I saw you burdening yourself beyond your capacity
Like something past, its seeker cannot reach.
فَإِن يَكُ قَد بانَ الشَبابُ فَرُبَّما
أُعَلِّلُ بِالعَذبِ اللَذيذِ مَشارِبُه
If youthfulness has gone, still I may excuse
My drinking the sweet, delicious beverage.
وَلَيلَةِ نَجوى يَعتَري أَهلَها الصِبا
سَلَبتُ بِها ريماً جَميلاً مَسالِبُه
On a night of intimacy that charmed its people,
I snatched away a lovely gazelle in the dark.
فَأَصبَحَ مَحجوباً عَلَيَّ وَأَصبَحَت
بِظاهِرَةٍ آثارُهُ وَمَلاعِبُه
So it was veiled from me, though its traces
And playground remained visible.
وَبِتنا كَأَنّا ضَيفُ جِنٍّ بِليلَةٍ
يَعودُ بِها القَلبَ السَقيمَ طَبائِبُه
We remained like the guest of a jinn in the night
Who returns to heal his sick heart.
فَيالَكِ مِنّي هَفوَةً لَم أَعُد لَها
وَيالَكَ قَلباً أَهلَكَتهُ مَذاهِبُه
Oh me! My inattention that I did not guard against,
Oh heart! Its ways destroyed you.
دَعاني إِلى خَيرِ المُلوكِ فُضولُهُ
وَإِنّي اِمرُؤٌ مُثنٍ عَلَيهِ وَنادِبُه
His generosity invited me to the best of kings
And I am one who praises and eulogizes him.
وَعالِقُ أَسبابِ اِمرِئٍ إِن أَقَع بِهِ
أَقَع بِكَريمٍ لا تُغِبُّ مَواهِبُه
I cling to the means of a man - if it falls
It falls on a generous one whose gifts do not fail.
إِلى فاعِلٍ لَو خايَلَ النيلَ أَزحَفَت
مِنَ النيلِ فَوّاراتُهُ وَمَثاعِبُه
To a doer - if the Nile betrayed him, its flooding
And foam would crawl from the Nile.
وَإِن أَتَعَرَّض لِلوَليدِ فَإِنَّهُ
نَمَتهُ إِلى خَيرِ الفُروعِ مَضارِبُه
If I devote myself to Al-Walid, his origins
Lead back to the best branches that spread.
نِساءُ بَني كَعبٍ وَعَبسٍ وَلَدنَهُ
فَنِعمَ لَعَمري الجالِباتُ جَوالِبُه
The women of Bani Ka'b, 'Abs and others bore him -
Blessed for my life are those who pulled him in the cradle.
رَفيعُ المُنى لا يَستَقِلُّ بِحِملِهِ
سَؤومٌ وَلا مُستَنكَشُ البَحرِ ناضِبُه
Of lofty purpose, no ill-omened one can carry it
Nor one with a grim face whose eyebrows are knit.
تَجيشُ بِأَوصالِ الجُزورِ قُدورُهُ
إِذا المَحلُ لَم يَرجِع بِعودَينَ حاطِبُه
His cauldrons bubble with the flesh of buffaloes
When the abode does not provide two armfuls of firewood.
مَطاعيمُ تَغدو بِالعَبيطِ جِفانُهُم
إِذا القُرُّ أَلوَت بِالعِضاهِ عَصائِبُه
Their brows shine at dawn when the darkest
Of frowning ones crease their eyebrows.
تُضيءُ لَنا الظَلماءَ غُرَّةُ وَجهِهِ
إِذا الأَقعَسُ المِبطانُ أَرتَجَ حاجِبُه
No horsemen of a leader before him reached
Where his raiders and battles arrived.
وَما بَلَغَت خَيلُ اِمرِئٍ كانَ قَبلَهُ
بِحَيثُ اِنتَهَت آثارُهُ وَمَحارِبُه
The mountains of Rome became dust from his raiding -
What his attacks and onslaughts ignited.
وَتُضحي جِبالُ الرومِ غُبراً فِجاجُها
بِما أَشعَلَت غاراتُهُ وَمَقانِبُه
From invading until every sand dune merged
And lengthened from the quantity of spears.
مِنَ الغَزوِ حَتّى اِنضَمَّ كُلُّ ثَميلَةٍ
وَحَتّى اِنطَوَت مِن طولِ قَودٍ جَنائِبُه
He extends his reach to the people until
The ropes of strength were cut and its twisted strands unraveled.
يَمُدُّ المَدى لِلقَومِ حَتّى تَقَطَّعَت
حِبالُ القُوى وَاِنشَقَّ مِنهُ سَبائِبُه
A young man whom no warriors could defeat
Nor singers compete with Qais in his prime.
فَتى الناسِ لَم تُصهِر إِلَيهِ مُحارِبٌ
وَلا غَنَوِيٌّ دونَ قَيسٍ يُناسِبُه
