تَصابَيتَ أَم بانَت بِعَقلِكَ زَينَبُ

وَقَد جَعَلَ الوُدُّ الَّذي كانَ يَذهَبُ

Are you distracted or has Zainab appeared to your reason?

And love that would go has now remained

وَشاقَتكَ أَظعانٌ لِزَينَبَ غُدوَةً

تَحَمَّلنَ حَتّى كادَتِ الشَمسُ تَغرُبُ

Your love for Zainab in the morning was painful

I endured until the sun was about to set

فَلَمّا اِستَقَلَّت قُلتُ نَخلَ اِبنِ يامِنٍ

أَهُنَّ أَمِ اللاتي تُرَبِّتُ يَترَبُ

Then when she went away I said a date palm of Ibn Yamina

Are they more bent over or those who were brought up bending over?

طَريقٌ وَجَبّارٌ رِواءٌ أُصولُهُ

عَلَيهِ أَبابيلٌ مِنَ الطَيرِ تَنعَبُ

A massive, mighty, green road, birds of every kind alight upon it

With howdahs, litters, and green striped side panels

عَلونَ بِأَنماطٍ عِتاقٍ وَعَقمَةٍ

جَوانِبُها لَونانِ وَردٌ وَمُشرَبُ

They rode the valley until I feared they would disperse

Into two groups, one ascending and one descending

أَجَدّوا فَلَمّا خِفتُ أَن يَتَفَرَّقوا

فَريقَينِ مِنهُم مُصعِدٌ وَمُصَوِّبُ

I sought them though fatigue makes me stumble

A she-camel, snub nosed, large eyed, bleating

طَلَبتُهُمُ تَطوي بِيَ البيدَ جَسرَةٌ

شُوَيقِئهِ النابَينِ وَجناءُ ذِعلِبُ

Brandished, as if its leather saddlebags

Contained some of the red dye of Bahrain, the most bent over

مُضَبَّرَةٌ حَرفٌ كَأَنَّ قُتودَها

تَضَمَّنَها مِن حُمرِ بَيّانَ أَحقَبُ

When I reached the tribe, a loved one shone

As bright as a pleiades underneath the brooms

فَلَمّا اِدَّرَكتُ الحَيَّ أَتلَعَ أُنَّسٌ

كَما أَتلَعَت تَحتَ المَكانِسِ رَبرَبُ

Among the tribe are those who love Qana and those full of enmity and hatred

I forgot nothing, though I forgot to mention it

وَفي الحَيِّ مَن يَهوى لِقانا وَيَشتَهي

وَآخَرُ مَن أَبدى العَداوَةَ مُغضَبُ

Perhaps after parting, wishes come true

Cheeks upon which tears flow, slender as the branches

فَما أَنسَ مِلأَشياءِ لا أَنسَ قَولَها

لَعَلَّ النَوى بَعدَ التَفَرُّقِ تُصقِبُ

Of the nibq tree dripping with dew

A goblet shaped like a rooster's eye whose sharp edge

وَخَدّاً أَسيلاً يَحدُرُ الدَمعَ فَوقَهُ

بَنانٌ كَهُدّابِ الدَمَقسِ مُخَضَّبُ

I tested with honest youths as bells were being rung

An old salaf flask as if saffron and musk

وَكَأسٍ كَعَينِ الديكِ باكَرتُ حَدَّها

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ وَالنَواقيسُ تُضرَبُ

Were being pounded in its mortar then sealed

It has a man who smells strongly of tar in the exalted house

سُلافٍ كَأَنَّ الزَعفَرانَ وَعَندَماً

يُصَفَّقُ في ناجودِها ثُمَّ تُقطَبُ

As if he was afflicted with a skin disease from Darin the most humped over

Deliver a message from me to Hurayth

لَها أَرَجٌ في البَيتِ عالٍ كَأَنَّما

أَلَمَّ بِهِ مِن تَجرِ دارينَ أَركَبُ

For you have deviated from your original intent, you who slander

Do you wonder that I was once faithful to my neighbor?

أَلا أَبلِغا عَنّي حُرَيثاً رِسالَةً

فَإِنَّكَ عَن قَصدِ المَحَجَّةِ أَنكَبُ

By my life today we are amazed by that

Unlike you, the cisterns were once faithful to their neighbors

أَتَعجَبُ أَن أَوفَيتَ لِلجارِ مَرَّةً

فَنَحنُ لَعَمري اليَومَ مِن ذاكَ نَعجَبُ

Saving them from what they feared and dreaded

Giving them a continuous, unfailing inheritance

فَقَبلَكَ ما أَوفى الرُفادُ لِجارِهِ

فَأَنجاهُ مِمّا كانَ يَخشى وَيَرهَبُ

Being faithful though they were about to crumble

Helping them in dire need after

فَأَعطاهُ حِلساً غَيرَ نِكسٍ أَرَبَّهُ

لُؤاماً بِهِ أَوفى وَقَد كادَ يَذهَبُ

Things had gone without mending, and were about to break

While we are people whose habit is the custom of Naba'a

تَدارَكَهُ في مُنصِلِ الأَلِّ بَعدَما

مَضى غَيرَ دَأداءٍ وَقَد كادَ يَعطَبُ

Whenever the tribe had an outstanding, prominent one

We have bounty no shame touches its people

وَنَحنُ أُناسٌ عودُنا عودُ نَبعَةٍ

إِذا اِنتَسَبَ الحَيّانِ بَكرٌ وَتَغلِبُ

Who look after the stranger guest and milk livestock

And if a great misfortune befalls them

لَنا نَعَمٌ لا يَعتَري الذَمُّ أَهلَهُ

تُعَقَّرُ لِلضَيفِ الغَريبِ وَتُحلَبُ

There are spacious, generous people who disappear

And on the day of battle they are protected by

وَيُعقَلُ إِن نابَت عَلَيهِ عَظيمَةٌ

إِذا ما أُناسٌ موسِعونَ تَغَيَّبوا

A mare quick to the summons, who turns and gallops

Young camels from noble breed, some tall and some short

وَيَمنَعُهُ يَومَ الصِياحِ مَصونَةٌ

سِراعٌ إِلى الداعي تَثوبُ وَتُركَبُ

Warriors on them ready for the wily foe

And smooth swords that glitter like the wolf's fang

عَناجيجُ مِن آلِ الصَريحِ وَأَعوَجٍ

مَغاويرُ فيها لِلأَريبِ مُعَقَّبُ

Preserved for the day of peril among us and dried out

And every seasoned warrior like an impregnable fortress

وَلَدنٌ مِنَ الخَطِيِّ فيهِ أَسِنَّةٌ

ذَخائِرُ مِمّا سَنَّ أَبزى وَشَرعَبُ

You can see its superiority over its lord wavering

وَبيضٌ كَأَمثالِ العَقيقِ صَوارِمٌ

تُصانُ لِيَومِ الدَوخِ فينا وَتُخشَبُ

وَكُلُّ دِلاصٍ كَالأَضاةِ حَصينَةٍ

تَرى فَضلَها عَن رَبِّها يَتَذَبذَبُ