حَيِّ المَنازِلَ بَينَ السَفحِ وَالرُحَبِ
لَم يَبقَ غَيرُ وُشومِ النارِ وَالحَطَبِ
The dwellings between the slopes and plains
Remain nothing but embers and firewood
وَعُقَّرٍ خالِداتٍ حَولَ قُبَّتِها
وَطامِسٍ حَبَشِيِّ اللَونِ ذي طَبَبِ
And leafless, eternal bushes around their dome
And a dark Abyssinian with braided hair
وَغَيرُ نُؤيٍ قَديمِ الأَثرِ ذي ثُلَمٍ
وَمُستَكينٍ أَميمِ الرَأسِ مُستَلَبِ
And an old, dilapidated structure of gaps
And a helpless, bareheaded pauper
تَعتادُهُ كُلُّ مِئلاةٍ وَما فَقَدَت
عَرفاءَ مِن مورِها مَجنونَةِ الأَدَبِ
Every beautiful, crazy woman is used to it
They lost the knowledge of their highbred kinsfolk
وَمُظلِمٍ تُعلِنُ الشَكوى حَوامِلُهُ
مُستَفرِغٍ لِسِجالِ العَينِ مُنشَطِبِ
And a darkening one whose burdens announce her complaint
Pouring the gaze of her eyes, crumpled
دانٍ أَبَسَّت بِهِ ريحٌ يَمانِيَةٌ
حَتّى تَبَجَّسَ مِن حَيرانَ مُنثَعِبِ
Submissive, made desolate by a Yemeni wind
Until it seemed to waver, leaning
تَجَفُّلَ الخَيلِ مِن ذي شارَةٍ تَئِقٍ
مُشَهَّرِ الوَجهِ وَالأَقرابِ ذي جَبَبِ
The horses recoil from one flagging, exhausted
Baring the face and pulling the brows, frowning
يَعُلُّها بِالبِلى إِلحاحُ كَرِّهِما
بَعدَ الأَنيسِ وَمَرُّ الدَهرِ ذي الحِقَبِ
Their insistence wears it out after its companion
And the passage of time full of epochs
فَهيَ كَسَحقِ اليَماني بَعدَ جِدَّتِهِ
أَو دارِسِ الوَحيِ مِن مَرفوضَةِ الكُتُبِ
So it is like the flash of Yemeni lightning after its ferocity
Or one who studies revelation among discarded books
وَقَد عَهِدتُ بِها بيضاً مُنَعَّمَةً
لا يَرتَدينَ عَلى عَيبٍ وَلا وَصَبِ
I knew it was smoothly plastered
Not wearing any defects or moss
يَمشينَ مَشيَ الهِجانِ الأُدمِ يوعِثُها
أَعرافُ دَكداكَةٍ مُنهالَةِ الكُثُبِ
Walking the walk of docile, brown hyenas
On sand dunes, heaped with bumps
مِن كُلِّ بَيضاءَ مِكسالٍ بَرَهرَهَةٍ
زانَت مَعاطِلَها بِالدُرِّ وَالذَهَبِ
Of every white, apathetic, dull-witted
Her saddlebags adorned with pearls and gold
حَوراءُ عَجزاءُ لَم تُقذَف بِفاحِشَةٍ
هَيفاءُ رُعبوبَةٌ مَمكورَةُ القَصَبِ
A helpless, frightened one not accused of indecency
Shy, bent-stemmed, slender
يَسقي الضَجيعَ لَدَيها بَعدَ رَقدَتِها
مِنها اِرتِشافُ رُضابِ الغَربِ ذي الحَبَبِ
Who gives drink to one resting near her
A sip of pure, beloved wine
يَنفي أَعادِيَها عَن حُرِّ مَجلِسِها
عَمروُ بنُ غَنمٍ بِزارِ العِزِّ ذي الأَشَبِ
Protecting her honored gathering from enemies
Amr ibn Ghanam, with a host of glory and spears
تَرمي مَقاتِلِ فُرّاغٍ فَتُقصِدُهُم
وَما تُصابُ وَقَد يَرمونَ مِن كَثَبِ
She shoots the warriors of Furagh, targeting them
Though she misses while they shoot from every dune
فَالقَلبُ عانٍ وَإِن لامَت عَواذِلُهُ
في حَبلِهِنَّ أَسيرٌ مُسمِحُ الجَنَبِ
My heart helps me though her biting reproaches capture me
A prisoner in their ropes, my side exposed
هَل يُسلِيَنَّكَ عَمّا لا يَفينَ بِهِ
شَحطٌ بِهِنَّ لِبَينِ النِيَّةِ الغَرَبِ
Can they distract you from what does not live up to
The suspicion about them in the intention of the doubter?
وَقَد حَلَفتُ يَميناً غَيرَ كاذِبَةٍ
بِاللَهِ رَبِّ سُتورِ البَيتِ ذي الحُجُبِ
I swore a true oath
By God, Lord of the house’s screens
وَكُلِّ موفٍ بِنَذرٍ كانَ يَحمِلُهُ
مُضَرَّجٍ بِدِماءِ البُدنِ مُختَضِبِ
And all fulfilling a vow they carried
Blood-stained from stabbed bodies
إِنَّ الوَليدَ أَمينَ اللَهِ أَنقَذَني
وَكانَ حِصناً إِلى مَنجاتِهِ هَرَبي
Al-Walid, God's trustee, saved me
And was a fortress when I fled
أَتَيتُهُ وَهُمومي غَيرُ نائِمَةٍ
أَخا الحِذارِ طَريدَ القَتلِ وَالحَرَبِ
I went to him, worries sleepless
Brother of caution, fugitive of killing and war
فَآمَنَ النَفسَ ما تَخشى وَمَوَّلَها
قَذمَ المَواهِبِ مِن أَنوائِهِ الرُغُبِ
He secured the soul, fearing, and supported it
Throwing gifts from his desirable treasures
وَثَبَّتَ الوَطءَ مِنّي عِندَ مُضلِعَةٍ
حَتّى تَخَطَّيتُها مُستَرخِيَ اللَبَبِ
And affirmed my stance in the battle
Until I overcame it, my purpose relaxed
خَليفَةُ اللَهِ يُستَسقى بِسُنَّتِهِ
أَلغَيثُ مِن عِندِ مَولى العِلمِ مُنتَجِبِ
God’s Caliph, prayed for, for his way
Bringer of rain, selected by the Lord of Knowledge
إِلَيكَ تَقتاسُ هَمّي العيسُ مُسنَفَةً
حَتّى تَعَيَّنَتِ الأَخفافُ بِالنَقَبِ
My restless worries follow you closely
Until their fast pace was hobbled
مِن كُلِّ صَهباءَ مِعجالٍ مُجَمهَرَةٍ
بَعيدَةِ الضَفرِ مِن مَعطوفَةِ الحَقَبِ
Of every blond, hastening, roaring
Far from braiding, joined epochs
كَبداءَ دَفقاءَ مِحيالٍ مُجَمَّرَةٍ
مِثلِ الفَنيقِ عَلاةٍ رَسلَةِ الخَبَبِ
Spotted, wide-eyed, reddish
Like a phoenix, sharp-nosed, wide-nostrilled
كَأَنَّما يَعتَريها كُلَّما وَخَدَت
هِرٌّ جَنيبٌ بِهِ مَسٌّ مِنَ الكَلَبِ
As if a cat possesses her whenever she becomes aroused
A wild tom, touching her with its paw
وَكُلِّ أَعيَسَ نَعّابٍ إِذا قَلِقَت
مِنهُ النُسوعُ لِأَعلى السَيرِ مُغتَصِبِ
And every barren hyena when aroused
Leaping to the top of the hill, usurping
كَأَنَّ أَقتادَهُ مِن بَعدِ ما كَلَمَت
عَلى أَصَكَّ خَفيفِ العَقلِ مُنتَخَبِ
As if it pulled him after conversing
On smooth pebbles, carefully chosen
صُعرُ الخُدودِ وَقَد باشَرنَ هاجِرَةً
لِكَوكَبٍ مِن نُجومِ القَيظِ مُلتَهِبِ
Erection of the cheeks when they encountered an abandoned woman
Of a planet among the blazing stars
حامي الوَديقَةِ تُغضي الريحُ خَشيَتَهُ
يَكادُ يُذكي شَرارَ النارِ في العُطَبِ
Protector of the creek, the wind subdues its fear
Almost kindling the sparks of fire in the firewood
حَتّى يَظَلَّ لَهُ مِنهُنَّ واعِيَةٌ
مُستَوهِلٌ عامِلُ التَقزيعِ وَالصَخَبِ
So that one of them remains conscious
Practicing coquetry and clamor
إِذا تَكَبَّدنَ مِمحالاً مُسَربَلَةً
مِن مُسجَهِرٍّ كَذوبِ اللَونِ مُضطَرِبِ
When they undertake a difficult journey, dressed in robes
Of deceitful colored, troubled silk
يَأرِزنَ مِن حِسِّ مِضرابٍ لَهُ ذَأَبٌ
مُشَمِّرٍ عَن عَمودِ الساقِ مُرتَقَبِ
They fear him whenever his desire stirs
Until he took on a loan, tired of fatigue
يَخشَينَهُ كُلَّما اِرتَجَّت هَماهِمُهُ
حَتّى تَجَشَّمَ رَبواً مُحمِشَ التَعَبِ
When they are confined for immersion hastily
In thick, dark mud, shedding drops
إِذا حُبِسنَ لِتَغميرٍ عَلى عَجَلٍ
في جَمِّ أَخضَرَ طامٍ نازِحِ القَرَبِ
They rebuke him in his ragged cloak
Obviously destitute, meager
يَعتَفنَهُ عِندَ تينانٍ بِدِمنَتِهِ
بادي العُواءِ ضَئيلِ الشَخصِ مُكتَسِبِ
Bent, as if the smoke of coals mixed with him
Obviously poor, long-impoverished, depressed
طاوٍ كَأَنَّ دُخانَ الرِمثِ خالَطَهُ
بادي السَغابِ طَويلِ الفَقرِ مُكتَئِبِ
They give him a glance of denial, knowingly
Eyes askance, circling like hearts
يَمنِحنَهُ شَزرَ إِنكارٍ بِمَعرِفَةٍ
لَواغِبَ الطَرفِ قَد حَلَّقنَ كَالقُلُبِ
And when the people were deceived, their rage
Overwhelmed the group of gazelles with riders
وَهُنَّ عِندَ اِغتِرارِ القَومِ ثَورَتَها
يَرهَقنَ مُجتَمَعَ الأَذقانِ بِالرُكَبِ
Some of them slowly sway, the tossing of their legs
Graceful hands, whereby they gain, fresh and sweet
مِنهُنَّ ثُمَّتَ يَزفي قَذفُ أَرجُلِها
إِهذابَ أَيدٍ بِها يَفرينَ كَالعَذَبِ
Like the flashing of iron hands, stripped
Mourning the youth of time’s bite and calamities
كَلَمعِ أَيدي مَثاكيلٍ مُسَلِّبَةٍ
يَنعَينَ فِتيانَ ضَرسِ الدَهرِ وَالخُطُبِ
My journey to them left of its treasures
Only the core of the planks and joints
لَم يُبقِ سَيري إِلَيهِم مِن ذَخائِرِها
غَيرَ الصَميمِ مِنَ الأَلواحِ وَالعَصَبِ
Until it reached the people who possess
The glory of kings and highest pedigree
حَتّى تَناهى إِلى القَومِ الَّذينَ لَهُم
عِزُّ المُلوكِ وَأَعلى سورَةِ الحَسَبِ
Whites, whose assemblies none equaled
Among all the dignitaries of the Arabs
بيضٌ مَصاليتُ لَم يُعدَل بِهِم أَحَدٌ
في كُلِّ مُعظَمَةٍ مِن سادَةِ العَرَبِ
The most numerous in count, the purest in ancestry
The most praiseworthy in towns, during dire straits
الأَكثَرينَ حَصىً وَالأَطيَبينَ ثَرىً
وَالأَحمَدينَ قِرىً في شِدَّةِ اللِزَبِ
Their dreams when they intend are not like others’ dreams
Nor their grip, when angry, like others’ grip
ما إِن كَأَحلامِهِم حِلمٍ إِذا قَدَروا
وَلا كَبَطشِهِمِ بَطشٌ لَدى الغَضَبِ
They are the core of the worshipers of a radiant sun in its brilliance
Their essence is not of outcasts
وَهُم ذُرا عَبدِ شَمسٍ في أُرومَتِها
وَهُم صَميمُهُمُ لَيسوا مِنَ الشَذَبِ
That was predestined for their first
An inheritance they inherited, father to father
وَكانَ ذَلِكَ مَقسوماً لِأَوَّلِهِم
وِراثَةً وَرِثوها عَن أَبٍ فَأَبِ
