أَجُبَيرُ هَل لِأَسيرِكُم مِن فادي
أَم هَل لِطالِبِ شِقَّةٍ مِن زادِ
Oh Agbair, is there a ransomer for your captive?
Or provision for the seeker of companionship?
أَم هَل تُنَهنَهُ عَبرَةٌ عَن جارِكُم
جادَ الشُؤونَ بِها تَبُلُّ نِجادي
Or does a neighbor's tear dissuade you
When fate's decrees make the noble weep?
مِن نَظرَةٍ نَظَرَت ضُحىً فَرَأَيتُها
وَلَمَن يَحينُ عَلى المَنِيَّةِ هادي
From a glance I saw at dawn revealed
That none can guide one fated to die.
بَينَ الرَواقِ وَجانِبٍ مِن سَيرِها
مِنها وَبَينَ أَرائِكِ الأَنضادِ
Between the corridor and her gait
And between the litters' curtains drawn
تَجلو بِقادِمَتَي حَمامَةِ أَيكَةٍ
بَرَداً أُسِفَّ لِثاتُهُ بِسَوادِ
Her dove-like steps were cooled
By the black hem of her trailing gown
عَزباءُ إِذ سُئِلَ الخِلاسُ كَأَنَّما
شَرِبَت عَلَيهِ بَعدَ كُلِّ رُقادِ
The maid asked about her health as though
She’d just risen from night’s repose
صَهباءَ صافِيَةً إِذا ما اِستَودِفَت
شُجَّت غَوارِبُها بِماءِ غَوادي
A blond beauty, when she dons it
Her braids flow like brooks between hills
إِن كُنتِ لا تَشفينَ غُلَّةَ عاشِقٍ
صَبٍّ يُحِبُّكِ يا جُبَيرَةُ صادي
If you cannot heal a lover’s heartache-
A passion-maddened man who loves you-
فَاِنهَي خَيالَكِ أَن يَزورَ فَإِنَّهُ
في كُلِّ مَنزِلَةٍ يَعودُ وِسادي
Then end your image coming to visit
For at every halt he'll dwell on hopes of union.
تُمسي فَيَصرِفُ بابُها مِن دونِها
غَلَقاً صَريفَ مَحالَةِ الأَمسادِ
You come at night but the door's barred against you
As if no visitors would enter in
أَحدِث لَها تُحدِث لِوَصلِكَ إِنَّها
كُندٌ لِوَصلِ الزائِرِ المُعتادِ
Talk to her, your talk may allow you to meet
For she's a fortress, accustomed to guests.
وَأَخو النِساءِ مَتى يَشَأ يَصرِمنَهُ
وَيَكُنُّ أَعداءً بُعَيدَ وِدادِ
Yet womankind, when they please, are estranged
And act the part of distant foes.
وَلَقَد أَنالُ الوَصلَ في مُتَمَنِّعٍ
صَعبٍ بَناهُ الأَوَّلونَ مَصادِ
Indeed, I gained union with one who was aloof,
A difficult conquest, built by men of old.
أَنّى تَذَكَّرُ وُدُّها وَصَفاءَها
سَفَهاً وَأَنتَ بِصُوَّةِ الأَثمادِ
How can you recall her love and purity
Fool, while you dwell in sin's abode?
فَشِباكِ باعِجَةٍ فَجَنبَي جائِرٍ
وَتَحُلُّ شاطِنَةً بِدارِ إِيادِ
So, an unmanageable lattice and crooked side,
And she descends to others' homes in Iyad,
مَنَعَت قِياسُ الماسِخِيَّةِ رَأسَهُ
بِسِهامِ يَترِبِ أَو سِهامِ بِلادِ
Her headdress held her back by force
Of arrows, whether well-aimed or stray.
وَلَقَد أُرَجِّلُ جُمَّتي بِعَشِيَّةٍ
لِلشَربِ قَبلَ سَنابِكِ المُرتادِ
I hobble my mount in the evening
To drink before the frequented tavern.
وَالبيضِ قَد عَنَسَت وَطالَ جِراؤها
وَنَشَأنَ في قِنٍّ وَفي أَذوادِ
The white camels bellow and wander far,
Growing up in meadows and sand dunes.
وَلَقَد أُخالِسُهُنَّ ما يَمنَعنَني
عُصُراً يَمِلنَ عَلَيَّ بِالأَجيادِ
I draw them near when they try to avoid me
In the afternoon, weary of my goad.
وَلَقَد غَدَوتُ لِعازِبٍ مُستَحلِسِ ال
قَربانِ مُقتاداً عِنانَ جَوادِ
Often I rode out to a fair maid, not fearing
To sacrifice a steed's leading rein.
فَالدَهرُ غَيَّرَ ذاكَ يا اِبنَةَ مالِكٍ
وَالدَهرُ يُعقِبُ صالِحاً بِفَسادِ
But time has changed that, O Malik's daughter,
And time follows righteousness with corruption.
إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ مِن عُصبَةٍ قَيسِيَّةٍ
شُمِّ الأُنوفِ غَرانِقٍ أَحشادِ
I am a man of the noble Qais tribe,
Prominent-nosed and pure stock.
الواطِئينَ عَلى صُدورِ نِعالِهِم
يَمشونَ في الدَفَنِيِّ وَالأَبرادِ
Who walk on the sandals' straps
Through al-Dafani and al-Abrad,
وَالشارِبينَ إِذا الذَوارِعُ غولِيَت
صَفوَ الفِضالِ بِطارِفٍ وَتِلادِ
Who, when the wine cups are passed around,
Drink pure wine from clear goblets,
وَالضامِنينَ بِقَومِهِم يَومَ الوَغى
لِلحَمدِ يَومَ تَنازُلٍ وَطِرادِ
Who vouch for their tribe on the day of battle,
When glory and ruin shift and alternate.
كَم فيهِمُ مِن فارِسٍ يَومَ الوَغى
ثَقفِ اليَدَينِ يَهِلُّ بِالإِقصادِ
Among them are horsemen on the day of war
Who pounce with hands practiced in thrusting spears,
وَإِذا اللُقاحُ تَرَوَّحَت بِأَصيلَةٍ
رَتَكَ النِعامِ عَشِيَّةَ الصُرّادِ
And when the drove-beasts are terrified
By a high-bred mare on an evening of hobbling,
جَرياً يَلوذُ رِباعُها مِن ضُرِّها
بِالخَيمِ بَينَ طَوارِفٍ وَهَوادي
Her colts take refuge with the tents
Between the flaps and valleys.
حَجَروا عَلى أَضيافِهِم وَشَوَوا لَهُم
مِن شَطِّ مُنقِيَةٍ وَمِن أَكبادِ
They roasted meat for their guests and heated wine,
Clarified butter and seasoned fat.
وَإِذا القِيانُ حَسِبتَها حَبَشِيَّةً
غُبراً وَقَلَّ حَلائِبُ الأَرفادِ
When the cooking pots seemed like Abyssinians
Covered in dust, though few sheep remained,
وَيَقولُ مَن يَبقيهِمُ بِنَصيحَةٍ
هَل غَيرُ فِعلِ قَبيلَةٍ مِن عادِ
One counseling them would say: Is this not the deed
Of a tribe, rather than the people of ‘Ad?
وَإِذا العَشيرَةُ أَعرَضَت سُلّافُها
جَنِفينَ مِن ثَغرٍ بِغَيرِ سِدادِ
When their clan turns away the pots
Obliquely, unevenly placed,
فَلَقَد نَحُلُّ بِهِ وَنَرعى رِعيَهُ
وَلَقَد نَليهِ بِقُوَّةٍ وَعَتادِ
We indeed endow them with gifts and heed their pledge
And requite them with might and equipment.
نَبقي الغِبابَ بِجانِبَيهِ وَجامِلاً
عَكَراً مَراتِعُهُ بِغَيرِ جَهادِ
We leave their shameful side and treat them kindly
Though their pastures have gone wild through neglect.
لَم يَزوِهِ طِرَدٌ فَيُذعَرَ دَرؤُهُ
فَيُلِجَّ في وَهَلٍ وَفي تَشرادِ
No driven beast was he, to be startled and flee,
Plunging into a hollow or waste.
وَإِذا يُثَوِّبُ صارِخٌ مُتَلَهِّفٌ
وَعَلا غُبارٌ ساطِعٌ بِعِمادِ
When a frantic caller shouts and dust rises high
With tent poles as columns from the earth,
رَكِبَت إِلَيكَ نَزائِعٌ مَلبونَةٌ
قُبُّ البُطونِ يَجُلنَ في الأَلبادِ
Smooth-sided she-camels hasten to you
With lions in their brisk, sure tread.
مِن كُلِّ سابِحَةٍ وَأَجرَدَ سابِحٍ
تَردي بِأُسدِ خَفِيَّةٍ وَصِعادِ
From each swimmer and naked swimmer
Fearing a charging, angry lion.
إِذ لا يُرى قَيسٌ يَكونُ كَقَيسِنا
حَسَباً وَلا كَبَنيهِ في الأَولادِ
When Qais cannot be seen acting like our Qais
In lineage or sons, scions of nobility.
