كَذَبَتكَ عَينُكَ أَم رَأَيتَ بِواسِطٍ

غَلَسَ الظَلامِ مِنَ الرَبابِ خَيالا

Your eyes have lied to you, or did you see in Wasit,

The darkness of night slip the image of a beloved,

وَتَعَرَّضَت لَكَ بِالأَبالِخِ بَعدَ ما

قَطَعَت بِأَبرَقَ خُلَّةً وَوِصالا

And she approached you with her flowing dress after,

She had parted with a lightning flash of her gathered garment and union,

وَتَغَوَّلَت لِتَروعَنا جِنِّيَّةٌ

وَالغانِياتُ يُرينَكَ الأَهوالا

And a female jinni crept out to frighten us,

While the singing slave-girls show you horrors,

يَمدُدنَ مِن هَفَواتِهِنَّ إِلى الصِبا

سَبَباً يَصِدنَ بِهِ الغُواةُ طُوالا

Extending from their bosoms to the youth,

A cause with which the lost ones wander ceaselessly,

ما إِن رَأَيتُ كَمَكرِهِنَّ إِذا جَرى

فينا وَلا كَحِبالِهِنَّ حِبالا

Never have I seen their cunning when it flows,

Among us nor their ropes as ropes,

المُهدِياتُ لِمَن هَوَينَ مَسَبَّةً

وَالمُحسِناتُ لِمَن قَلَينَ مَقالا

Misleading those who are enamored with infatuation,

And good to those who say little,

يَرعَينَ عَهدَكَ ما رَأَينَكَ شاهِداً

وَإِذا مَذِلتَ يَصِرنَ عَنكَ مِذالا

They keep their promise to you as long as they see you as a witness,

And if you are humiliated, they readily abandon you,

وَإِذا وَعَدنَكَ نائِلاً أَخلَفنَهُ

وَوَجَدتَ عِندَ عِداتِهِنَّ مِطالا

And if they promise you attainment, they break it,

And you find only procrastination with them,

وَإِذا دَعَونَكَ عَمَّهُنَّ فَإِنَّهُ

نَسَبٌ يَزيدُكَ عِندَهُنَّ خَبالا

And if they invite you, their lineage,

Increases you in their eyes as a fool,

وَإِذا وَزَنتَ حُلومَهُنَّ إِلى الصِبا

رَجَحَ الصِبا بِحُلومِهِنَّ فَمالا

And if you weighed their hearts against the youth,

The youth would outweigh their hearts and incline,

أَهِيَ الصَريمَةُ مِنكَ أُمَّ مُحَلِّمٍ

أَم ذا الدَلالُ فَطالَ ذاكِ دَلالا

Is it the sneering one from you or the mother of Muhallim,

Or the one who guides long in his guidance?

وَلَقَد عَلِمتِ إِذا العِشارُ تَرَوَّحَت

هَدَجَ الرِئالِ تَكُبُّهُنَّ شَمالا

And you certainly knew when the pleasure seekers breathe,

The feet slip and they fall to the left,

تَرمي العِضاةَ بِحاصِبٍ مِن ثَلجِها

حَتّى يَبيتَ عَلى العِضاهِ جُفالا

They cast icicles with a night rain,

Until ice remains on the plains,

أَنّا نُعَجِّلُ بِالعَبيطِ لِضَيفِنا

قَبلَ العِيالِ وَنَقتُلُ الأَبطالا

We hasten to slaughter the lamb for our guest,

Before the family, and kill the heroes,

أَبَني كُلَيبٍ إِنَّ عَمَّيَّ اللَذا

قَتَلا المُلوكَ وَفَكَّكا الأَغلالا

Sons of Kulayb, my paternal uncle who,

Killed the kings and broke the shackles,

وَأَخوهُما السَفّاحُ ظَمَّأَ خَيلَهُ

حَتّى وَرَدنَ جِبى الكِلابِ نِهالا

And their brother, the killer, who let his horses drink,

Until they reached the dogs' watering place dripping,

يَخرُجنَ مِن ثَغرِ الكُلابِ عَلَيهِمِ

خَبَبَ السِباعِ تَبادَرُ الأَوشالا

They come out against them from the dogs' den,

The beasts of prey rush forward into the plains,

مِن كُلِّ مُجتَنَبٍ شَديدٍ أَسرُهُ

سَلِسِ القِيادِ تَخالُهُ مُختالا

Of every strong-bodied horse its leading reins slip

As it smoothly prances, acting haughtily,

وَمُمَرَّةٍ أَثَرُ السِلاحِ بِنَحرِها

فَكَأَنَّ فَوقَ لَبانِها جِريالا

And a red-striped horse whose mark from iron remains on its side,

As if there were a coat of mail over its flanks,

قُبَّ البُطونِ قَدِ اِنطَوَينَ مِنَ السُرى

وَطِرادِهِنَّ إِذا لَقَينَ قِتالا

Driving away the warriors when they encounter battle,

Bending their thickset bodies,

مُلحَ المُتونِ كَأَنَّما أَلبَستَها

بِالماءِ إِذ يَبِسَ النَضيحُ جِلالا

Purebred smooth-bodied horses as if you clothed them,

With water when the spate dries up,

وَلَقَلَّما يُصبِحنَ إِلّا شُزَّباً

يَركَبنَ مِن عَرَضِ الحَوادِثِ حالا

Rarely do they dawn except all bridled,

Riding the top of events in a state,

فَطَحَنَّ حائِرَةَ المُلوكِ بِكَلكَلٍ

حَتّى اِحتَذَينَ مِنَ الدِماءِ نِعالا

So they crushed the erring of kings with stirring up conflict,

Until their sandals were bloodstained from the blood,

وَأَبَرنَ قَومَكَ ياجَريرُ وَغَيرَهُم

وَأَبَرنَ مِن حَلَقِ الرِبابِ حِلالا

And they proved true your people, O Jarir, and others,

And proved true from the concord of the flutes the lawful,

وَلَقَد دَخَلنَ عَلى شَقيقٍ بَيتَهُ

وَلَقَد رَأَينَ بِساقِ نَضرَةَ خالا

And they entered upon Shaqq the house of,

And they saw the anklet of Nadrah without blemish,

وَبَنو غُدانَةَ شاخِصٌ أَبصارُهُم

يَسعَونَ تَحتَ بُطونِهِنَّ رِجالا

While the eyes of the sons of Gudanah peered,

Seeking men under their abdomens,

يَنقُلنَهُم نَقلَ الكِلابِ جِرائَها

حَتّى وَرَدنَ عُراعِراً وَأُثالا

Bearing them off as she-dogs bear their pups,

Until they reached ruined dwellings and households,

خُزرَ العُيونِ إِلى رِياحٍ بَعدَما

جَعَلَت لِضَبَّةَ بِالرِماحِ ظِلالا

Squint-eyed to the winds after,

They had made their spears give shade to the hyena,

وَما تَرَكنَ مِنَ الغَواضِرِ مُعصِراً

إِلّا قَصَمنَ بِساقِها خَلخالا

And they left no noble horseman,

Except they broke his ankle bracelet,

وَلَقَد سَما لَكُمُ الهُذَيلُ فَنالَكُم

بِإِرابَ حَيثُ يُقَسِّمُ الأَنفالا

And Hudhayl aimed at you the arrows so he attained you,

With a skillful shooting in which the booty is shared,

في فَيلَقٍ يَدعو الأَراقِمَ لَم تَكُن

فُرسانُهُ عُزلاً وَلا أَكفالا

With warhorses gloomy of face as if,

From the work of carrion mingled in their lineage,

بِالخَيلِ ساهِمَةَ الوُجوهِ كَأَنَّما

خالَطنَ مِن عَمَلِ الوَجيفِ سُلالا

And they wheeled upon Fazarah with a flanking maneuver,

Turning away the wild ass and rolling on,

وَلَقَد عَطَفنَ عَلى فَزارَةَ عَطفَةً

كَرَّ المَنيحِ وَجُلنَ ثُمَّ مَجالا

So they gave Adwan's confederates a bitter cup (to drink),

And removed the might of the sons of Hubab entirely,

فَسَقَينَ مِن عادَينَ كَأساً مُرَّةً

وَأَزَلنَ جَدَّ بَني الحُبابِ فَزالا

Covering the shoulder of an exposed slain man,

While the son of the defeated they left humiliated,

يَغشَينَ جيفَةَ كاهِلٍ عَرَّينَها

وَاِبنَ المُهَزَّمِ قَد تَرَكنَ مُذالا

So they killed those who bore arms and others,

And left their children dependent on you,

فَقَتَلنَ مَن حَمَلَ السِلاحَ وَغَيرَهُم

وَتَرَكنَ فَلَّهُمُ عَلَيكَ عِيالا

And Juhafah wept for what,

They had done to the Shar'abiyyah when he saw the children,

وَلَقَد بَكى الجَحّافُ مِمّا أَوقَعَت

بِالشَرعَبِيَّةِ إِذ رَأى الأَطفالا

And, O Jarir, you have undertaken a matter beyond your capacity,

And you have seen the nakedness of your ignorant mother,

وَلَقَد جَشِمتَ جَريرُ أَمراً عاجِزاً

وَأَرَيتَ عَورَةَ أُمِّكَ الجُهّالا

And if a branch of Mujashi' aimed for glory,

And the valley gathered against you flooding,

وَإِذا سَما لِلمَجدِ فَرعا وائِلٍ

وَاِستَجمَعَ الوادي عَلَيكَ فَسالا

You were flotsam in the surge of a turbulent and frothing sea,

Which the current had cast, lost,

كُنتَ القَذى في مَوجِ أَكدَرَ مُزبِدٍ

قَذَفَ الأَتِيُّ بِهِ فَضَلَّ ضَلالا

And they trod the Mount of Mercy so,

They cast mountains upon the mountains,

وَلَقَد وَطِئنَ عَلى المَشاعِرِ مِن مِنىً

حَتّى قَذَفنَ عَلى الجِبالِ جِبالا

So take your sheep, O Jarir, away to pasture, for you,

Have deluded yourself in solitude, astray,

فَاِنعَق بِضَأنِكَ يا جَريرُ فَإِنَّما

مَنَّتكَ نَفسُكَ في الخَلاءِ ضَلالا

You have deluded yourself that you can rival Darim,

Or equal Hajob in his turban and his reason,

مَنَّتكَ نَفسُكَ أَن تُسامِيَ دارِماً

أَو أَن تُوازِنَ حاجِباً وَعِقالا

And if you placed your father in their balance,

His weighting pan would jump up empty to you,

وَإِذا وَضَعتَ أَباكَ في ميزانِهِم

قَفَزَت حَديدَتُهُ إِلَيكَ فَشالا

Boasting and howling are for Darim,

While the simpleton is their brother the heavyweight,

إِنَّ العَرارَة وَالنُبوحَ لِدارِمٍ

وَالمُستَخِفُّ أَخوهُمُ الأَثقالا

They who keep back the water until they drink,

Its leftovers and portion it out contention,

المانِعينَ الماءَ حَتّى يَشرَبوا

عِفَواتِهِ وَيُقَسِّموهُ سِجالا

And the son of Maraghah who holds back his camels,

Casting the strange women who taste no moisture,

وَاِبنُ المَراغَةِ حابِسٌ أَعيارَهُ

قَذفَ الغَريبَةِ ما يَذُقنَ بِلالا