أَتَغضَبُ قَيسٌ أَن هَجَوتُ اِبنَ مِسمَعٍ
وَما قَطَعوا بِالعِزِّ باطِنَ وادي
Does Qais get angry when I satirize the son of Misma'
When they have never attained glory in the valley's depths?
وَكُنّا إِذا اِحمَرَّ القَنا عِندَ مَعرَكٍ
نَرى الأَرضَ أَحلى مِن ظُهورِ جِيادِ
Whenever the lances gleamed red in the fray
We saw the earth sweeter than the steeds' backs.
كَما اِزدَحَمَت شُرفٌ نِهالٌ لِمَورِدٍ
أَبَت لا تَناهى دونَهُ لِذِيادِ
As the lofty branches crowded together at the watering-place
Stubbornly refusing to make way for the thirsty.
وَقَد ناشَدَتهُ طَلَّةُ الشَيخِ بَعدَ ما
مَضَت حِقبَةٌ لا يَنثَني لِنِشادِ
And the shaikh's pupils appealed to him after
An age had passed that would not bend to poetry.
رَأَت بارِقاتٍ بِالأَكُفِّ كَأَنَّها
مَصابيحُ سُرجٍ أوقِدَت بِمِدادِ
They saw flashes from the palms as though they were
Lamps lit with ink in the darkness.
وَطَلَّتُهُ تَبكي وَتَضرِبُ نَحرَها
وَتَحسِبُ أَنَّ المَوتَ كُلَّ عَتادِ
And they appealed to him weeping, beating their breasts,
Thinking that death rejects all means.
وَما كُلُّ مَغبونٍ وَلَو سَلفَ صَفقُهُ
بِراجِعِ ما قَد فاتَهُ بِرِدادِ
Not all who are wronged, even if his bargain was a loss,
Can make up for what he has missed in barter.
فَإِيّاكَ لا أَقذِفكَ وَيحَكَ إِنَّني
أَصُكُّ بِصَخرٍ في رُؤوسِ صِمادِ
So beware lest I slander you. By your life I
Pelt rocks at the heads of the obstinate!
فَلا توعِدونا بِاللِقاءِ وَأَبرِزوا
إِلَينا سَواداً نَلقَهُ بِسَوادِ
Do not threaten us with meeting but show us
An army we will meet with an army.
فَقَد عُرِكَت شَيبانُ مِنّا بِكَلكَلٍ
وَعَيَّلنَ تَيمَ اللاتِ رَهطَ زِيادِ
Our gray-haired ones have been mixed with calamity
And the kinsfolk of Lat have worn out the clan of Ziyad.
وَلَو لَم يَعُذ بِالسِلمِ مِنهُنَّ هانِئٌ
لَعَفَّرنَ خَدَّي هانِئٍ بِرَمادِ
If it were not for making peace with them, Hani'
Would have rubbed Hani''s cheeks in the dust.
وَظَلَّ الحُراقُ وَهوَ يَحرُقُ نابَهُ
لِما قَد رَأى مِن قُوَّةٍ وَعَتادِ
And the burner kept on burning his vat
Because of what he saw of strength and materiel.
هَديرَ المُعَنّى أَلقَحَ الشَولَ غَيرَهُ
فَظَلَّ يُلَوّي رَأسَهُ بِقَتادِ
The buzzing of the meaning fertilized the desolate pasture
And it continued to twist its head in agony.
وَكُنَّ إِذا أَجحَرنَ بَكرَ بنِ وائِلٍ
أَقَمنَ لِأَهلِ الشامِ سوقَ جِلادِ
Whenever the Bakr b. Wa'il were stirred up
They would set up for the people of Syria a market of horror
بِقَومٍ هُمُ يَومَ الذَنائِبِ أَهلَكوا
شَعاثِمَ رَهطِ الحارِثِ بنِ عُبادِ
With men who on the day of trial destroyed
The head-bands of the clan of al-Harith b. 'Ubad.
فَأَدرَكَهُنَّ السِلمُ كُلَّ مُحارِبٍ
وَتَرنَ وَقُدناهُنَّ كُلَّ مَقادِ
Peace overtook them all, every warrior,
And we left them, cutting them all off.
