تَغَيَّرَ الرَسمُ مِن سَلمى بِأَحفارِ
وَأَقفَرَت مِن سُلَيمى دِمنَةُ الدارِ
The ruins have changed since Salma's passing,
And the house is desolate without Sulaima.
وَقَد تَكونُ بِها سَلمى تُحَدِّثُني
تَساقُطَ الحَليِ حاجاتي وَأَسراري
If only Salma were here to tell me,
Relating the loss of my jewelry and secrets.
ثُمَّ اِستَبَدَّ بِسَلمى نِيَّةٌ قَذَفٌ
وَسَيرُ مُنقَضِبِ الأَقرانِ مِغيارِ
Yet ill intention took hold of Salma,
And the caravan of time moved on.
كَأَنَّ قَلبي غَداةَ البَينِ مُقتَسَمٌ
طارَت بِهِ عُصَبٌ شَتّى لِأَمصارِ
As if after our separation, my heart
Was ripped to shreds, scattered to the lands.
وَلَو تَلُفُّ النَوى مَن قَد تُشَوِّفَهُ
إِذاً قَضَيتُ لُباناتي وَأَوطاري
If only fate would bring together those I long for,
I would finish my rites and journeys.
ظَلَّت ظِباءُ بَني البَكّاءِ تَرصُدُهُ
حَتّى اِقتَنَصنَ عَلى بُعدٍ وَإِضرارِ
The she-wolves of the howling tribe wait to ambush him,
Until they seize him from afar, by evil and harm.
وَمَهمَهٍ طامِسٍ تُخشى غَوائِلُهُ
قَطَعتُهُ بِكَلوءِ العَينِ مِسهارِ
A grim, frightening disaster I fear its calamities-
I cut through it with my tears flowing free.
بِحُرَّةٍ كَأَتانِ الضَحلِ أَضمَرَها
بَعدَ الرَبالَةِ تَرحالي وَتَسياري
With a pregnancy like a pregnant she-camel,
After my travels and journeying far,
أُختِ الفَلاةِ إِذا شُدَّت مَعاقِدُها
زَلَّت قُوى النِسعِ عَن كَبداءَ مِسفارِ
When the sister of desolation ties her bonds,
The powers of birth fail, no baby delivered.
كَأَنَّها بُرجُ رومِيٍّ يُشَيِّدُهُ
لُزَّ بِجَصٍّ وَآجُرٍّ وَأَحجارِ
As if she were a Roman tower built
With bricks, stones and rocks galore,
أَو مُقفِرٌ خاضِبُ الأَظلافِ قادَ لَهُ
غَيثٌ تَظاهَرَ في مَيثاءَ مِبكارِ
Or an abandoned place, dust covered,
Where rain has gathered in a soggy marsh.
فَباتَ في جَنبِ أَرطاةٍ تُكَفِّئُهُ
ريحٌ شَآمِيَّةٌ هَبَّت بِأَمطارِ
She spends the night by sandy dunes that shelter her
From the north wind's pouring showers.
يَجولُ لَيلَتَهُ وَالعَينُ تَضرِبُهُ
فيها بِغَيثٍ أَجَشِّ الرَعدِ نَثّارِ
She tosses and turns all night, her eyes
Pelted by heavy rains and rumbling thunder.
إِذا أَرادَ بِها التَغميضَ أَرَّقَهُ
سَيلٌ يَدِبُّ بِهَدمِ التُربِ مَوّارِ
When she tries sleeping, a torrent keeps her awake,
Gushing through and eroding the soil.
كَأَنَّهُ إِذ أَضاءَ البَرقُ بَهجَتَهُ
في أَصفَهانِيَّةٍ أَو مُصطَلي نارِ
As if when lightning illuminates her joy,
She is a lamp, shining bright with fire.
أَمّا السَراةُ فَمِن ديباجَةٍ لَهَقٍ
وَبِالقَوائِمِ مِثلُ الوَشمِ بِالنارِ
Her tent is of smooth silk,
Its poles branded as if by fire.
حَتّى إِذا اِنجابَ عَنهُ اللَيلُ وَاِنكَشَفَت
سَماؤُهُ عَن أَديمٍ مُصحِرٍ عاري
Until night departs, the sky clears of
Its dark cover, bare and naked.
آنَسَ صَوتَ قَنيصٍ أَو أَحَسَّ بِهِم
كَالجِنِّ يَهفونَ مِن جَرمٍ وَأَنمارِ
She hears a voice or senses them like
Jinns creeping, fleeing some crime.
فَاِنصاعَ كَالكَوكَبِ الدُرّيءِ مَيعَتُهُ
غَضبانَ يَخلِطُ مِن مَعجٍ وَإِحضارِ
So she stirs, angrily mixing
Accusations and excuses.
فَأَرسَلوهُنَّ يُذرينَ التُرابَ كَما
يُذري سَبائِخَ قُطنٍ نَدفُ أَوتارِ
She sends them off, scattering dust
As the pulling of strings shreds cotton.
حَتّى إِذا قُلتُ نالَتهُ سَوابِقُها
وَأَرهَقَتهُ بِأَنيابٍ وَأَظفارِ
Until I said, they have outrun her
And overwhelmed her with claws and fangs.
أَنحى إِلَيهِنَّ عَيناً غَيرَ غافِلَةٍ
وَطَعنَ مُحتَقِرِ الأَقرانِ كَرّارِ
She glanced at them with watchful eyes
And stabbed the inferior peers, again and again.
فَعَفَّرَ الضارِياتِ اللاحِقاتِ بِهِ
عَفرَ الغَريبِ قِداحاً بَينَ أَيسارِ
She chased off her attackers by waving
Her garment, a stranger amidst a group.
يَعُذنَ مِنهُ بِحُزّانِ المِتانِ وَقَد
فُرِّقنَ عَنهُ بِذي وَقعٍ وَآثارِ
They fled from her stench, though she was
Scattered by the impact and traces.
حَتّى شَتا وَهوَ مَغبوطٌ بِغائِطِهِ
يَرعى ذُكوراً أَطاعَت بَعدَ أَحرارِ
Until he crept away stealthily to relieve himself,
Now herding males who were once free.
فَردٌ تُغَنّيهِ ذِبّانُ الرِياضِ كَما
غَنّى الغُواةُ بِصَنجٍ عِندَ إِسوارِ
A lone horse, serenaded by the birds of the meadow,
As nomads sing with the tambourine at night.
كَأَنَّهُ مِن نَدى القُرّاصِ مُغتَسِلٌ
بِالوَرسِ أَو خارِجٌ مِن بَيتِ عَطّارِ
As if bathing in the dew of lilies
Or leaving a perfumer's shop,
وَشارِبٍ مُربِحٍ بِالكَأسِ نادَمَني
لا بِالحَصورِ وَلا فيها بِسَوّارِ
Drinking aged wine that intoxicates me
Without jars or anything to restrict it.
نازَعتُهُ طَيِّبَ الراحِ الشَمولِ وَقَد
صاحَ الدَجاجُ وَحانَت وَقعَةُ الساري
I competed with its sweet fragrance, as the rooster crowed
And the time of departure drew near.
مِن خَمرِ عانَةَ يَنصاعُ الفُراتُ لَها
بِجَدوَلٍ صَخِبِ الآذِيِّ مَرّارِ
It pours from the vines of Anah, so plentiful
The Euphrates diverts to flow in its channel, bitter and thick.
كُمَّت ثَلاثَةَ أَحوالٍ بِطينَتِها
حَتّى إِذا صَرَّحَت مِن بَعدِ تَهدارِ
It ferments through three stages until
It's halfway from being bitter to mature.
آلَت إِلى النِصفِ مِن كَلفاءَ أَترَعَها
عِلجٌ وَلَثَّمَها بِالجَفنِ وَالغارِ
A cure sipped and tasted with the eyelids and throat,
Neither pitch-black nor tortured by fire.
لَيسَت بِسَوداءَ مِن مَيثاءَ مُظلِمَةٍ
وَلَم تُعَذَّب بِإِدناءٍ مِنَ النارِ
It wears two robes, one of spider webs,
The other of fiber and resin.
لَها رِداءانِ نَسجُ العَنكَبوتِ وَقَد
لُفَّت بِآخَرَ مِن ليفٍ وَمِن قارِ
A blonde well-aged after years stored away
In cellars amongst gardens and rivers.
صَهباءُ قَد كَلِفَت مِن طولِ ما حُبِسَت
في مَخدَعٍ بَينَ جَنّاتٍ وَأَنهارِ
An untouched maiden whom suitors failed to court
Until a worshipper courted her with a dinar.
عَذراءُ لَم تَجتَلِ الخُطّابُ بَهجَتَها
حَتّى اِجتَلاها عِبادِيٌّ بِدينارِ
In a house of torn garments and worn abayas,
With nothing but rags as attire.
في بَيتِ مُنخَرِقِ السِربالُ مُعتَمِلٍ
ما إِن عَلَيهِ ثِيابٌ غَيرُ أَطمارِ
When I said let's settle on a price,
Her stingy soul recoiled like a conniving peddler.
إِذا أَقولُ تَراضَينا عَلى ثَمَنٍ
ضَنَّت بِها نَفسُ خَبِّ البَيعِ مَكّارِ
As if the cure, when I insisted on the deal,
Was a scoundrel, outcast among the moons.
كَأَنَّما العِلجُ إِذ أَوجَبتُ صَفقَتَها
خَليعُ خَصلٍ نَكيبٌ بَينَ أَقمارِ
When they came to her with a lantern and their abode,
She went to them, a sly fox, wild and cunning.
لَمّا أَتَوها بِمِصباحٍ وَمِبزَلِهِم
سارَت إِلَيهِم سُؤورَ الأَبجَلِ الضاري
They stab her above the glass, ancient and unlined,
As if musk was looted among our belongings.
تَدمى إِذا طَعَنوا فيها بِجائِفَةٍ
فَوقَ الزُجاجِ عَتيقٌ غَيرُ مُسطارِ
I swear by the Lord of the dancing girls, and what
Remains of Mecca's veils and curtains,
كَأَنَّما المِسكُ نُهبى بَينَ أَرحُلِنا
مِمّا تَضَوَّعَ مِن ناجودِها الجاري
By the sacrifice, when its fields turn red,
On the day of ritual and stoning and slaughter,
إِنّي حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ الراقِصاتِ وَما
أَضحى بِمَكَّةَ مِن حُجبٍ وَأَستارِ
By Zamzam's hovering bats,
And Yathrib's support and youth.
وَبِالهَدِيِّ إِذا اِحمَرَّت مَذارِعُها
في يَومِ نُسكٍ وَتَشريقٍ وَتَنحارِ
Quraysh would have forced and frightened me,
And Quraysh would have abandoned me in poverty.
وَما بِزَمزَمَ مِن شُمطٍ مُحَلِّقَةٍ
وَما بِيَثرِبَ مِن عونٍ وَأَبكارِ
The generous tribe of Harb, though death
Had come upon me and I awaited my supporters.
لَأَلجَأَتني قُرَيشٌ خائِفاً وَجِلاً
وَمَوَّلَتني قُرَيشٌ بَعدَ إِقتارِ
With them, darkness lifts from the living,
Until it rises beyond hearing and sight.
المُنعِمونَ بَني حَربٍ وَقَد حَدَقَت
بِيَ المَنِيَّةُ وَاِستَبطَأتُ أَنصاري
A people who, when they battle,
leave women be, even if pure.
بِهِم تَكَشَّفُ عَن أَحيائِها ظُلَمٌ
حَتّى تَرَفَّعَ عَن سَمعٍ وَأَبصارِ
قَومٌ إِذا حارَبوا شَدّوا مَآزِرَهُم
عَنِ النِساءِ وَلَو باتَت بِأَطهارِ
