أَعاذِلَتَيَّ اليَومَ وَيحَكُما مَهلا
وَكُفّا الأَذى عَنّي وَلا تُكثِرا عَذلا
My darling scolded me today, be gentle with me
Spare me your blame and do not exaggerate my guilt
ذَراني تَجُد كَفّي بِمالي فَإِنَّني
سَأُصبِحُ لا أَسطيعُ جوداً وَلا بُخلا
Leave me alone for now, my money is enough for me
Soon I shall be unable to lavish or to hoard
إِذا وَضَعوا بَعدَ الضَريحِ جَنادِلاً
عَلَيَّ وَخَلَّيتُ المَطِيَّةَ وَالرَحلا
When they have placed upon my tomb crumbling ruins
And my she-camel turns away, the luggage piled on her back
وَأَبكَيتُ مِن عِتبانِ كُلَّ كَريمَةٍ
عَلى فاجِعٍ قامَت مُشَقَّقَةً عُطلا
Every generous woman shall weep for one distressed
Her clothing rent for a beloved now lost forevermore
مُدَمِّيَةً حُرّاً مِنَ الوَجهِ حاسِراً
كَأَن لَم تُمِت قَبلي غُلاماً وَلا كَهلا
Her face stained with tears as if neither boy nor elder
Had died before me, leaving her behind, bereft
وَقَد كُنتُ فيما قَد بَنى لِيَ حافِري
أَعالِيَهُ تَوّاً وَأَسفَلَهُ دَحلا
In what my feet have built with their nails
Lofty at top and broad below I take my final rest
فَلا أَنا مُجتازٌ إِذا ما لَقيتُهُ
وَلا أَنا لاقٍ ما ثَوَيتُ بِهِ أَهلا
I cannot look on that which lies ahead
Nor can I discover what destiny has in store
وَقَد قَسَموا مالي وَأَضحَت حَلائِلي
قَدِ اِستَبدَلَت غَيري بِبَهجَتِها بَعلا
My wealth they share amongst themselves and my wives
Have taken others in the place of me, to find their joy
وَأَضحَت لِبَعلٍ غَيرِ أَخطَلَ إِذ ثَوى
تَلُطُّ بِعَينَيها الأَشاجِعَ وَالكُحلا
To a husband other than Akhtal, Wail's son, she turns
Bemoaning, darkening her eyes with kohl
أَعاذِلَ إِنَّ النَفسَ في كَفِّ مالِكٍ
إِذا ما دَعا يَوماً أَجابَت لَهُ الرُسلا
My darling, when the Master calls the soul obeys
So spare me now, for my wealth cannot defeat mortality
ذَريني فَلا مالي يَرُدُّ مَنِيَّتي
وَما إِن أَرى حَيّاً عَلى نَفسِهِ قُفلا
Nor can the niggard soul elude death with its gold
So know me only to jest, the open-handed cannot die
وَلَيسَ بَخيلُ النَفسِ بِالمالِ خالِداً
وَلا مِن جَوادٍ مَيِّتاً فَاِعلَمي هُزلا
Alas, how many fear for their people's sake
But death's blow strikes them swifter still
أَلا رُبَّ مَن يَخشى نَوائِبَ قَومِهِ
وَرَيبُ المَنايا سابِقاتٌ بِهِ الفِعلا
And oh how often one walks on, hoped for still
Yet meets his end before returning, by some chance
وَيا رُبَّ غادٍ وَهوَ يُرجى إِيابُهُ
وَسَوفَ يُلاقي دونَ أَوبَتِهِ شُغلا
You recall fate's endless changes, recall then my love
For I have left her truly, and her loss has slain me
ذَكَرتَ اِنقِلابَ الدَهرِ فَاِذكُر وَسيمَةً
فَقَد خِلتُ حَقّاً حُبَّها قاتِلي قَتلا
Her radiance stunned me when off-guard was I
And I knew not that I had strayed beyond propriety's rule
وَقَد عَلَّقَتني السُقمَ إِذ بَرَقَت لَنا
عَلى غِرَّةٍ مِنّا وَما شَعَرَت فُضلا
I saw a face whose brilliance stunned and shocked me
A glance so dark it rendered me quite senseless
رَأَيتُ لَها وَجهاً أَغَرَّ فَراعَني
وَطَرفاً غَضيضاً مِثلُهُ أَورَثَ الخَبلا
A soft cheek on which no down has yet appeared
Adorned with a beauty-spot next the braids upon her neck
وَخَدّاً أَسيلاً غَيرَ زَغبٍ مَقَذُّهُ
بِمُذهِبَةٍ في الجيدِ قَد فُتِلَت فَتلا
She who launched no arrow to pierce my heart
Who strung no bow, prepared no shafts to aim
فَتِلكَ الَّتي لَم تُخطِ قَلبي بِسَهمِها
وَما وَتَّرَت قَوساً وَلا رَصَفَت نَبلا
A fawn she passed me by one morn, neither short nor tall
Shaking the twin necklaces at her throat as she walked on
غَداةَ غَدَت غَرّاءَ غَيرَ قَصيرَةٍ
تُذَرّي عَلى المَتنَينِ ذا عُذَرٍ جَثلا
Then spare me with that which cures the sick and free
A captive, though no crime he wrought, now bound in chains
فَجودي بِما يَشفي السَقيمَ وَخَلِّصي
أَسيراً بِلا جُرمٍ أَطَلتِ لَهُ الكَبلا
Of noble Taqb I am the farthest-reaching scion
My line the longest, my roots the most secure
وَإِنّي لِمَن عَلياءِ تَغلِبِ وائِلٍ
لَأَطوَلُها بَيتاً وَأَثبَتُها أَصلا
I am Jushamiy, my dwelling broad and lofty
Where one distressed resides, jesting though troubled he
أَنا الجُشَمِيُّ الرَحبُ في الحَيِّ مَنزِلاً
إِذا اِحتَلَّ مَضهودٌ بِمُضنِيَةٍ هَزلا
My uncle is the noble Amr ibn Malik
And Tha'laba al-Muwali in Manzurah has yet more virtue
وَعَمّايَ نِعمَ المَرءُ عَمروٌ وَمالِكٌ
وَثَعلَبَةُ المولي بِمَنظورَةٍ فَضلا
The valleys of Taqb know full well I am still fresh
Neither blighted nor bearing wicked fruit upon my branch
وَقَد عَلِمَت أُفناءُ تَغلِبَ أَنَّني
نُضارٌ وَلَم أَنبُت بِقَرقَرَةٍ أَثلا
Never have I neglected to heal her wounds
Nor ceased to be Taqb’s champion and hero undefeated
وَأَنِّيَ يَوماً لا مُضيعٌ ذِمارَها
وَلا مُفلِتي هاجٍ هَجا تَغلِباً بُطلا
