أَجِدَّكَ وَدَّعتَ الصِبى وَالوَلائِدا
وَأَصبَحتَ بَعدَ الجَورِ فيهِنَّ قاصِدا
I find you bid the child farewell and become
Hostile to them after being unjust.
وَما خِلتُ أَن أَبتاعَ جَهلاً بِحِكمَةٍ
وَما خِلتُ مِهراساً بِلادي وَمارِدا
Yet I never buy ignorance with wisdom,
Nor an ignoramus with my homeland and rebels.
يَلومُ السَفِيُّ ذا البَطالَةِ بَعدَما
يَرى كُلَّ ما يَأتي البَطالَةَ راشِدا
The idle blame leisure when they see
All that leads to leisure guided.
أَتَيتُ حُرَيثاً زائِراً عَن جَنابَةٍ
وَكانَ حُرَيثٌ عَن عَطائِيَ جامِدا
I came to Hurayth, visiting with no ill intent,
Yet Hurayth was ungenerous with gifts.
لَعَمرُكَ ما أَشبَهتَ وَعلَةَ في النَدى
شَمائِلَهُ وَلا أَباهُ المُجالِدا
By your life! He was nothing like the stout one in valor
In appearance or his courageous father.
إِذا زارَهُ يَوماً صَديقٌ كَأَنَّما
يَرى أَسَداً في بَيتِهِ وَأَساوِدا
When a friend visits him one day, it’s as though
He saw a lion in his den with lion cubs.
وَإِنَّ اِمرَأً قَد زُرتُهُ قَبلَ هَذِهِ
بِجَوٍّ لَخَيرٌ مِنكَ نَفساً وَوالِدا
I visited a man before him in a time
Better than you in soul and parentage.
تَضَيَّفتُهُ يَوماً فَقَرَّبَ مَقعَدي
وَأَصفَدَني عَلى الزَمانَةِ قائِدا
One day I was his guest, so he brought my seat near
And tied me to the saddle like a captive.
وَأَمتَعَني عَلى العَشا بِوَليدَةٍ
فَأُبتُ بِخَيرٍ مِنكِ يا هَوذُ حامِدا
He entertained me at night with a girl,
So I was endowed with better than you, O quenched flame!
وَما كانَ فيها مِن ثَناءٍ وَمِدحَةٍ
فَأَعني بِها أَبا قُدامَةَ عامِدا
In her were no praises or eulogies
Except those for Abu Qudamah, supported.
فَتىً لَو يُنادي الشَمسَ أَلقَت قِناعَها
أَوِ القَمَرَ الساري لَأَلقى المَقالِدا
A man who, were he to call out to the sun, it would take off its veil
Or to the crescent moon, it would shed its ornaments.
وَيُصبِحُ كَالسَيفِ الصَقيلِ إِذا غَدا
عَلى ظَهرِ أَنماطٍ لَهُ وَوَسائِدا
In the morning he is like a polished sword
On the backs of patterns for him and pillows.
يَرى البُخلَ مُرّاً وَالعَطاءَ كَأَنَّما
يَلَذُّ بِهِ عَذباً مِنَ الماءِ بارِدا
He sees stinginess as bitter and giving as though
He takes pleasure in fresh, cool water.
وَما مُخدِرٌ وَردٌ عَلَيهِ مَهابَةٌ
أَبو أَشبُلٍ أَمسى بِخَفّانِ حارِدا
No coward or deserter has hope of safety
From Abu Ashbal when he attacks with his cavalry.
وَأَحلَمُ مِن قَيسٍ وَأَجرَأُ مُقدَماً
لَدى الرَوعِ مِن لَيثٍ إِذا راحَ حارِدا
More forbearing than Qays and bolder than Muqaddam
In the face of fears when he sets out attacking.
يَرى كُلَّ ما دونَ الثَلاثينَ رُخصَةً
وَيَعدو إِذا كانَ الثَمانونَ واحِدا
He sees all those under thirty as an easy target
And charges when the foe is but one.
وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الرَحلَ قَد طالَ وَضعُهُ
وَأَصبَحَ مِن طولِ الثِوايَةِ هامِدا
When I saw the journey had become long
And he despaired from the prolonged wandering,
كَسَوتُ قُتودَ الرَحلِ عَنساً تَخالُها
مَهاةً بِدَكداكِ الصُفَيِّينِ فاقِدا
I clad the camel litters with she-camels that seemed
Like a bellowing cow separated from the herd.
أَتارَت بِعَينَيها القَطيعَ وَشَمَّرَت
لِتَقطَعَ عَنّي سَبسَباً مُتَباعِدا
With her eyes, she startled the flock and hastened
To cut me off from the distant caravan.
تَبُزُّ يَعافيرَ الصَريمِ كِناسَها
وَتَبعَثُ بِالفَلا قَطاها الهَواجِدا
She paws the ground like an ostrich ruffling its feathers
And sends the wild cows racing in panic.
