غَشيتَ لِلَيلى بِلَيلٍ خُدورا
وَطالَبتَها وَنَذَرتَ النُذورا
You visited Layla in the night in stealth,
And sought her and vowed offerings.
وَبانَت وَقَد أَورَثَت في الفُؤا
دِ صَدعاً عَلى نَأيِها مُستَطيرا
But she appeared, bequeathing in separation
A crack in my heart fleeing away.
كَصَدعِ الزُجاجَةِ ما تَستَطي
عُ كَفُّ الصَناعِ لَها أَن تُحيرا
Like the crack of a glass bottle - the skill
Of glassmakers cannot mend it.
مَليكِيَّةٌ جاوَرَت بِالحِجا
زِ قَوماً عُداةً وَأَرضاً شَطيرا
A queen who dwelt among hostile people
And a rugged land.
بِما قَد تَرَبَّعُ رَوضَ القَطا
وَرَوضَ التَناضِبِ حَتّى تَصيرا
With what she graced the garden of palm trees
And the garden of date palms, until they became
كَبَردِيَّةِ الغيلِ وَسطَ الغَريفِ
إِذا خالَطَ الماءُ مِنها السُرورا
Like the cold of intense winter amidst the branches
When water mixed with joy in it
وَتَفتَرُّ عَن مُشرِقٍ بارِدٍ
كَشَوكِ السَيالِ أُسِفَّ النَؤورا
And it shone like the radiance of a cold East
Like the thorns of torrents, saddening the ostriches.
كَأَنَّ جَنِيّاً مِنَ الزَنجَبي
لِ خالَطَ فاها وَأَرياً مَشورا
As if a demon of insanity
Mixed with it and a madman bewildered.
وَإِسفِنطَ عانَةَ بَعدَ الرُقا
دِ شَكَّ الرِصافُ إِلَيها غَديرا
And it heated the grape of Anah after fermenting -
The vintner doubted whether to discard it.
وَإِن هِيَ ناءَت تُريدُ القِيامَ
تَهادى كَما قَد رَأَيتَ البَهيرا
And if she sways intending to stand
She totters as you have seen the young camel.
لَها مَلِكٌ كانَ يَخشى القِرافَ
إِذا خالَطَ الظَنُّ مِنهُ الضَميرا
She had a king who feared suspicions
When doubt mixed with conscience.
إِذا نَزَلَ الحَيُّ حَلَّ الجَحيشَ
شَقِيّاً غَوِيّاً مُبيناً غَيورا
When the brave descended, the army became
Wretched, deviant, manifest, jealous.
يَقولُ لِعَبدَيهِ حُثّا النَجا
وَغُضّا مِنَ الطَرفِ عَنّا وَسيرا
He says to his servants, “Hurry the departure
And lower your eyes from us and march away.”
فَلَيسَ بِمُرعٍ عَلى صاحِبٍ
وَلَيسَ بِمانِعِهِ أَن تَحورا
So he cannot prevent a companion
Nor prevent her door, nor is able to flee with her.
وَلَيسَ بِمانِعِها بابَها
وَلا مُستَطيعٍ بِها أَن يَطيرا
So she appeared with a brilliant beauty
Though there was languor in her glance.
فَبانَ بِحَسناءَ بَرّاقَةٍ
عَلى أَنَّ في الطَرفِ مِنها فُتورا
A creature of perfect nature like the moon,
She has not seen a sun or a bright morrow.
مُبتَلَّةِ الخَلقِ مِثلِ المَها
ةِ لَم تَرَ شَمساً وَلا زَمهَريرا
She cools with the cold of a cloak of bride
Embroidered with musk in summer.
وَتَبرُدُ بَردَ رِداءِ العَرو
سِ رَقرَقتَ بِالصَيفِ فيهِ العَبيرا
And on a night when a dog cannot
Bark but whimper, she grows warm.
وَتَسخُنُ لَيلَةَ لا يَستَطيعُ
نُباحاً بِها الكَلبُ إِلّا هَريرا
You see her wear silk openly
But she lines with that silk on the inside.
تَرى الخَزَّ تَلبَسُهُ ظاهِراً
وَتُبطِنُ مِن دونِ ذاكَ الحَريرا
When she adorns a wrist with two bracelets
Joined by pearls in a rare combination,
إِذا قَلَّدَت مِعصَماً يارَقَي
نِ فُصِّلَ بِالدُرِّ فَصلاً نَضيرا
And above it an emerald necklace
And a ruby that misses something precious,
وَجَلَّ زَبَرجَدَةٌ فَوقَهُ
وَياقوتَةٌ خِلتَ شَيئاً نَكيرا
With it your heart took flight from you
And you found yourself confused or perplexed,
فَأَلوَت بِهِ طارَ مِنكَ الفُؤادُ
وَأَلفَيتَ حَيرانَ أَو مُستَحيرا
Although when she saw me come
She said with sight that discerned:
عَلى أَنَّها إِذ رَأَتني أُقا
دُ قالَت بِما قَد أَراهُ بَصيرا
“She saw a man of distant lands
Of differing nature, blind and sightless.
رَأَت رَجُلاً غائِبَ الوافِدَي
نِ مُختَلِفَ الخَلقِ أَعشى ضَريرا
“For calamities made me stumble
And what you know was borrowed.”
فَإِنَّ الحَوادِثَ ضَعضَعنَني
وَإِنَّ الَّذي تَعلَمينَ اِستُعيرا
When the guide of a youth in the country
Obeyed the prince and feared stumbling
إِذا كانَ هادي الفَتى في البِلا
دِ صَدرَ القَناةِ أَطاعَ الأَميرا
When walking, avoided ease and thorns and roughness,
In that is what benefits the youth,
وَخافَ العِثارَ إِذا ما مَشى
وَخالَ السُهولَةَ وَعثاً وَعورا
And which man does not meet misfortunes,
And a wilderness in which people lose their way?
وَفي ذاكَ ما يَستَفيدُ الفَتى
وَأَيُّ اِمرِئٍ لا يُلاقي الشُرورا
I traversed it when the listeners
Heard the cricket's singing in it.
وَبَيداءَ يَلعَبُ فيها السَرا
بُ لا يَهتَدي القَومُ فيها مَسيرا
With a she-camel of Thumail
It fulfilled the goal after a difficult journey.
قَطَعتُ إِذا سَمِعَ السامِعو
نَ لِلجُندُبِ الجَونِ فيها صَريرا
A beautiful one who lies with the saddlebags
When the sinful women deny.
بِناجِيَةٍ كَأَتانِ الثَميلِ
تُوَفّي السُرى بَعدَ أَينٍ عَسيرا
To a king like the crescent of the sky,
Most faithful, glorious and benign,
جُمالِيَّةٍ تَغتَلي بِالرِدافِ
إِذا كَذَّبَ الآثِماتُ الهَجيرا
Tall, sublime, protecting the guest
And giving to the needy.
إِلى مَلِكٍ كَهِلالِ السَما
ءِ أَزكى وَفاءً وَمَجداً وَخَيرا
You are tremendous and a glorious man
And your sea among men rises above seas.
طَويلِ النَجادِ رَفيعِ العِما
دِ يَحمي المُضافَ وَيُعطي الفَقيرا
You have favored me with abundant gifts
While stinginess in me was great.
أَهَوذَ وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ ماجِدٌ
وَبَحرُكَ في الناسِ يَعلو البُحورا
So my family is your ransom on days of estrangement
When the fetter leaves my steps short.
مَنَنتَ عَلَيَّ العَطاءَ الجَزيلَ
وَقَد قَصَّرَ الضَنُّ مِنّي كَثيرا
And my family is your ransom in battle
When the war cries of men grow loud.
فَأَهلي فِداؤُكَ يَومَ الجِفا
رِ إِذ تَرَكَ القَيدُ خَطوي قَصيرا
Ask Tamim while eloquence is with me,
And if you conceal, you will find me aware."
وَأَهلي فِداؤُكَ عِندَ النِزالِ
إِذا كانَ دَعوى الرِجالِ الكَريرا
They wish you in absence what they never
Cease to build at every worthy watering place.
فَسائِل تَميماً وَعِندي البَيانُ
وَإِن تَكتُموا تَجِدوني خَبيرا
So you set out your family from their people,
And your stirring met with slight success.
تَمَنَّوكَ بِالغَيبِ ما يَفتَأو
نَ يَبنونَ في كُلِّ ماءٍ جَديرا
And when you met the deceivers,
You found God over them All-Powerful.
فَأَخطَرتَ أَهلَكَ عَن أَهلِهِم
فَصادَفَ قِدحُكَ فَوزاً يَسيرا
And you prepared for war its furnishings -
Long spears and stallions.
وَلَمّا لُقيتَ مَعَ المُخطِرينَ
وَجَدتَ الإِلَهَ عَلَيهِم قَديرا
And coats of mail of David's weaving,
Led with the army brigade after brigade,
وَأَعدَدتَ لِلحَربِ أَوزارَها
رِماحاً طِوالاً وَخَيلاً ذُكورا
When they throng in the narrow space
Crowding each other tightly.
وَمِن نَسجِ داوُودَ مَوضونَةً
تُساقُ مَعَ الحَيِّ عيراً فَعيرا
They have a bell like the rustle of gravel
Struck by night winds in the black dark.
إِذا اِزدَحَمَت في المَكانِ المَضي
قِ حَتَّ التَزاحُمُ مِنها القَتيرا
And a groaning that tires their champions
As the outstrippers tired the laggard.
لَها جَرَسٌ كَحَفيفِ الحَصا
دِ صادَفَ بِاللَيلِ ريحاً دَبورا
Your steeds enjoy comfort in summer,
Honored with barley and chaff.
وَجَأواءَ تُتعِبُ أَبطالَها
كَما أَتعَبَ السابِقونَ الكَسيرا
Their necks—their trunks—like a marrow bone
Whittled at by the beaks of eagles.
جِيادُكَ في الصَيفِ في نِعمَةٍ
تُصانُ الجِلالَ وَتُعطى الشَعيرا
And no escaping a raid in the autumn
Until you defeat the shameless cheat.
سَواهِمُ جُذعانُها كَالجِلا
مِ أَقرَحَ مِنها القِيادُ النُسورا
They compete with the plateau does
Disheveled when they ascend the hills.
وَلا بُدَّ مِن غَزوَةٍ في المَصي
فِ حَتٍّ تُكِلُّ الوَقاحَ الشَكورا
You are the generous one, and you are the one who,
When spirits filled up the chests,
يُنازِعنَ أَرسانَهُنَّ الروا
ةَ شُعثاً إِذا ما عَلَونَ الثُغورا
Deserves the stab on the day of meeting
That makes the women stab the breasts.
فَأَنتَ الجَوادُ وَأَنتَ الَّذي
إِذا ما النُفوسُ مَلَأنَ الصُدورا
And no surging wave from the sea of rats
Covers the sandbar and climbs over the dykes,
جَديرٌ بِطَعنَةِ يَومِ اللِقا
ءِ تَضرِبُ مِنها النِساءُ النُحورا
Capsizing ships with its tusks
And felling many a worn-out house,
وَما مُزبِدٌ مِن خَليجِ الفُرا
تِ يَغشى الإِكامَ وَيَعلو الجُسورا
With more generous than it in what he possesses
So he gives the hundred and gives the few.
يَكُبُّ السَفينَ لِأَذقانِهِ
وَيَصرَعُ بِالعَبرِ أَثلاً وَدورا
بِأَجوَدَ مِنهُ بِما عِندَهُ
فَيُعطي المِئينَ وَيُعطي البُدورا
