لَعَمري لَئِن أَمسى مِنَ الحَيِّ شاخِصا
لَقَد نالَ خَيصاً مِن عُفَيرَةَ خائِصا
By my life! If he survives from the living tribe
He has certainly gained something special from a special woman
إِذا جُرِّدَت يَوماً حَسِبتَ خَميصَةً
عَلَيها وَجِريالاً يُضيءُ دُلامِصا
If she is stripped naked one day, you would think
Her chemise and cloak illuminate with shining stars
تَقَمَّرَها شَيخٌ عِشاءً فَأَصبَحَت
قُضاعِيَةً تَأتي الكَواهِنَ ناشِصا
An old man enjoyed her intimately at night, so she became
A Kudha'i woman, coming to soothsayers as a sign
فَأَقصَدَها سَهمي وَقَد كانَ قَبلَها
لِأَمثالِها مِن نِسوَةِ الحَيِّ قارِصا
So I targeted her with my arrows, and before her
I used to target the likes of her among the women of the living tribe
أَتاني وَعيدُ الحوصِ مِن آلِ جَعفَرٍ
فَيا عَبدَ عَمرٍ لَو نَهيتَ الأَحاوِصا
The threat of Al-Huwais came to me from the family of Ja'far
So O slave of ‘Amr, if only you would forbid those who threaten harm
فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَملِك أَبَكرَ بنَ وائِلٍ
مَتى كُنتُ فَقعاً نابِتاً بِقَصائِصا
So I said, while I did not refrain from insulting Bakr ibn Wail:
When was I ever a sprouting weed among withered trees?
وَقَد مَلَأَت بَكرٌ وَمَن لَفَّ لَفَّها
نُباكاً فَأَحواضَ الرَجا فَالنَواعِصا
Bakr and those who sought her have filled her
With weeping, so the cisterns and courtyards overflow with tears
أَعَلقَمُ قَد حَكَّمتَني فَوَجَدتَني
بِكُم عالِماً عَلى الحُكومَةِ غائِصا
O ‘Alqamah, you have judged me so you found me
Knowledgeable regarding governance, though deficient
كِلا أَبَوَيكُم كانَ فَرعاً دِعامَةً
وَلَكِنَّهُم زادوا وَأَصبَحتَ ناقِصا
No, both your fathers were branches supporting a tree
But they increased while you became diminished
هُمُ الطَرَفُ الناكو العَدُوِّ وَأَنتُم
بِقُصوى ثِلاثٍ تَأكُلونَ الوَقائِصا
They are well-fed enemies while you
Eat crumbs of dried dates and leftovers
تَبيتونَ في المَشتى مِلاءً بُطونُكُم
وَجاراتُكُم جَوعى يَبِتنَ خَمائِصا
You sleep satiated while your neighbors
Go hungry, spending the night famished
يُراقِبنَ مِن جوعٍ خِلالَ مَخافَةٍ
نُجومَ السَماءِ العاتِماتِ الغَوامِصا
Out of hunger's desperation, they observe
The dark, clustered stars of the gloomy sky
أَتوعِدُني أَن جاشَ بَحرُ اِبنِ عَمِّكُم
وَبَحرُكَ ساجٍ لا يُواري الدَعامِصا
Do you threaten me that the sea of your cousin's son will surge
While your sea is calm, not stirring the pillars?
فَلَو كُنتُمُ نَخلاً لَكُنتُم جُرامَةً
وَلَو كُنتُمُ نَبلاً لَكُنتُم مَعاقِصا
If you were date palms, you would be pollinated female trees
If you were arrows, you would be blunted
رَمى بِكَ في أُخراهُمُ تَركُكَ العُلى
وَفَضَّلَ أَقواماً عَلَيكَ مَراهِصا
He discarded you among the lowest of them and
Preferred other tribes over you, though defective
فَغَضَّ جَديدَ الأَرضِ إِن كُنتَ ساخِطاً
بِفيكَ وَأَحجارَ الكُلابِ الرَواهِصا
So restrain your burning anger if you are discontent
And the rocks pelted by rabid dogs
فَإِن تَتَّعِدني أَتَعِدكَ بِمِثلِها
وَسَوفَ أَزيدُ الباقِياتِ القَوارِصا
If you threaten me, I will reciprocate alike
And I will increase the remaining severe rhymes
قَوافِيَ أَمثالاً يُوَسِّعنَ جِلدَهُ
كَما زِدتَ في عَرضِ القَميصِ الدَخارِصا
Rhymes into proverbs that will expand his skin
As you have expanded the width of your too-large shirt
وَقَد كانَ شَيخانا إِذا ما تَلاقَيا
عَدُوَّينِ شَتّى يَرمِيانِ الفَرائِصا
Our two elders, when they met as enemies
Would pelt one another with virtuosic compositions
وَما خِلتُ أَبقى بَينَنا مِن مَوَدَّةٍ
عِراضُ المَذاكي المُسنِفاتِ القَلائِصا
No affection remains between us
The camel litters of protracted hostilities are torn
فَهَل أَنتُمُ إِلّا عَبيداً وَإِنَّما
تُعَدّونَ خوصاً في الصَديقِ لَوامِصا
Are you anything but slaves, though you are counted
Among the sincere friends, slyly wriggling away?
تَخامُصُكُم عَن حَقِّكُم غَيرُ طائِلٍ
عَلى ساعَةٍ ما خِلتُ فيها تَخامُصا
Your evasion from your rights is futile
I have not evaded at all for a moment
فَإِن يَلقَ قَومي قَومَهُ تَرَ بَينَهُم
قِتالاً وَأَكسارَ القَنا وَمَداعِصا
If my people meet your people, you will see
Fighting between them, broken spears and bloodshed
أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ العَرضَ أَصبَحَ بَطنُها
نَخيلاً وَزَرعاً نابِتاً وَفَصافِصا
Do you not see that the pleased land
Has become palms and crops, sprouting and growing
وَذا شُرُفاتٍ يُقصِرُ الطَيرُ دونَهُ
تَرى لِلحَمامِ الوُرقِ فيهِ قَرامِصا
With lofty stalks, beneath which birds cannot reach?
You see doves nestled among the leaves
