أَجِدَّكَ لَم تَغتَمِض لَيلَةً
فَتَرقُدَها مَعَ رُقّادِها
I find you have not slept a night
To lie with slumber as your bedfellow,
تَذَكَّرُ تَيّا وَأَنّى بِها
وَقَد أَخلَفَت بَعضَ ميعادِها
Remembering Teyya and where she resides,
Though she missed some of the appointed time.
فَميطي تَميطي بِصُلبِ الفُؤادِ
وَصولِ حِبالٍ وَكَنّادِها
So wipe, wipe with resolute heart
And the arrival of messages and their carrier,
وَمِثلِكِ مُعجَبَةٍ بِالشَبا
بِ صاكَ العَبيرُ بِأَجسادِها
And one like you enamored with youth
Whose breath perfumes their bodies.
تَسَدَّيتُها عادَني ظُلمَةٌ
وَغَفلَةُ عَينٍ وَئيقادِها
Darkness overcame me and the negligence of an eye and its kindling.
So I passed the night without my wife
فَبِتُّ الخَليفَةَ مِن زَوجِها
وَسَيِّدَ نُعمٍ وَمُستادِها
And the joy of blessings and their giver,
And one turning away with what he has
وَمُستَدبِرٍ بِالَّذي عِندَهُ
عَلى العاذِلاتِ وَإِرشادِها
To those who withdraw and their guide.
And a white old man mixed with mud
وَأَبيَضَ مُختَلِطٍ بِالكِرا
مِ لا يَتَغَطّى لِأَنفادِها
Who does not cover his mouth from its stench.
He came advising me to travel by night
أَتاني يُؤامِرُني في الشَمو
لِ لَيلاً فَقُلتُ لَهُ غادِها
So I said to him, “Let it go its way.”
We set out early, before the souls and their envy,
أَرَحنا نُباكِرُ جِدَّ الصَبو
حِ قَبلَ النُفوسِ وَحَسّادِها
Until our cock crowed properly
To a garden at the blacksmith’s.
فَقُمنا وَلَمّا يَصِح ديكُنا
إِلى جَونَةٍ عِندَ حَدّادِها
He picked from it choice first fruits—
Safe, free of blemish or blight.
تَنَخَّلَها مِن بِكارِ القِطافِ
أُزَيرِقُ آمِنُ إِكسادِها
So we said, “Here it is,”
With blood knots in its lead rope.
فَقُلنا لَهُ هَذِهِ هاتِها
بِأَدماءَ في حَبلِ مُقتادِها
But he said, “You owe me nine more
And this is not equal to its like.”
فَقالَ تَزيدونَني تِسعَةً
وَلَيسَت بِعَدلٍ لِأَندادِها
I said, “Let our arbiter decide,”
and when he saw, he brought witnesses.
فَقُلتُ لِمِنصَفِنا أَعطِهِ
فَلَمّا رَأى حَضرَ شُهّادِها
He illuminated his dark place with lamps
While night was pitch black in its intensity.
أَضاءَ مِظَلَّتَهُ بِالسِرا
جِ وَاللَيلُ غامِرُ جُدّادِها
Our coins are all good,
So do not detain us with their jingling.
دَراهِمُنا كُلَّها جَيِّدٌ
فَلا تَحبِسَنّا بِتَنقادِها
So he got up and poured coffee for us
To calm us after his threats.
فَقامَ فَصَبَّ لَنا قَهوَةً
تُسَكِّنُنا بَعدَ إِرعادِها
Bitter, revealing a redness
When it cleared after his pouring.
كُمَيتاً تَكَشَّفُ عَن حُمرَةٍ
إِذا صَرَّحَت بَعدَ إِزبادِها
Like the leg of an ostrich in its daintiness
When steadied after he seats it.
كَحَوصَلَةِ الرَألِ في دَنِّها
إِذا صُوِّبَت بَعدَ إِقعادِها
He passed by us with his pot
His palm dyed from its brewing.
فَجالَ عَلَينا بِإِبريقِهِ
مُخَضَّبُ كَفٍّ بِفِرصادِها
Horsemen spent the night with their steeds,
And horses in their housing
فَباتَت رِكابٌ بِأَكوارِها
لَدَينا وَخَيلٌ بِأَلبادِها
For people who had been the buyers
Of their drink before its pouring.
لِقَومٍ فَكانوا هُمُ المُنفِدينَ
شَرابَهُمُ قَبلَ إِنفادِها
We were delighted, intoxicated,
Playing with us after he lessened it.
فَرُحنا تُنَعِّمُنا نَشوَةٌ
تَجورُ بِنا بَعدَ إِقصادِها
And an open plain thought its expanses
The men of Iyad in their skins—
وَبَيداءَ تَحسِبُ آرامَها
رِجالَ إِيادٍ بِأَجلادِها
The guide said about it to the elite horsemen:
“Do not miss any of its markers.”
يَقولُ الدَليلُ بِها لِلصَحا
بِ لا تُخطِئوا بَعضَ أَرصادِها
When its ruins collapsed, I took
Its noble parts at their base.
قَطَعتُ إِذا خَبَّ رَيعانُها
بِعَرفاءَ تَنهَضُ في آدِها
Smooth saddlebags tossed with patches—
One growing plump in her skin.
سَديسٍ مُقَذَّفَةٍ بِاللَكي
كِ ذاتِ نَماءٍ بِأَجلادِها
You see her when night falls,
The Pleiades shine after her blackness.
تَراها إِذا أَدلَجَت لَيلَةً
هَبوبَ السُرى بَعدَ إِسآدِها
Like a wide-eyed doe that has a dwarf oak for shade
In the thickness of the air and its clouds.
كَعَيناءَ ظَلَّ لَها جُؤذُرٌ
بِقُنَّةِ جَوٍّ فَأَجمادِها
She spent the night sadly gathering brushwood
Over the sorrow of a soul and its kindling.
فَباتَت بِشَجوٍ تَضُمُّ الحَشا
عَلى حُزنِ نَفسٍ وَإيحادِها
So dawn sprinkled water on her
A blooming meadow rising with the Pleiades.
فَصَبَّحَها لِطُلوعِ الشُروقِ
ضِراءٌ تَسامى بِإيسادِها
And four stallions raced with her,
Striving alongside her effort.
فَجالَت وَجالَ لَها أَربَعٌ
جَهَدنَ لَها مَعَ إِجهادِها
But she did not come out into the open battlefield
To leave it after guiding them.
فَما بَرَزَت لِفَضاءِ الجَهادِ
فَتَترُكَهُ بَعدَ إِشرادِها
Rather, when the horsemen wearied her,
She turned upon it with her bridle.
وَلَكِن إِذا أَرهَقَتها السِرا
عُ كَرَّت عَلَيهِ بِميصادِها
So its dashing made its ribs quake
Doubting the strength of its limbs.
فَوَرَّعَ عَن جِلدِها رَوقُها
يَشُكُّ ضُلوعاً بِأَعضادِها
That is how she seemed when she went out at daybreak,
Splitting the ground with her climbing.
فَتِلكَ أُشَبِّهُها إِذ غَدَت
تَشُقُّ البِراقَ بِإِصعادِها
She visits the well-being of one with a bright future—
He is today the protector of his promise.
تَؤُمُّ سَلامَةَ ذا فائِشٍ
هُوَ اليَومَ حَمٌّ لِميعادِها
How many terraces are below your home
With pebbles, hailstones, and their knots!
وَكَم دونَ بَيتِكَ مِن صَفصَفٍ
وَدَكداكِ رَملٍ وَأَعقادِها
A wasteland thirsty in the night—
The voice of its pouring waters keeps me company.
وَيَهماءَ بِاللَيلِ غَطشى الفَلا
ةِ يُؤنِسُني صَوتُ فَيّادِها
The placing of a water-skin and its carrier,
The kneeling of a stallion and its bridling,
وَوَضعِ سِقاءٍ وَإِحقابِهِ
وَحَلَّ حُلوسٍ وَإِغمادِها
So if donkeys set their affairs aright
And ceased vying with their young,
فَإِن حِميَرٌ أَصلَحَت أَمرَها
وَمَلَّت تَساقِيَ أَولادِها
You would find their best
When they make peace, and your lion
وَجِدتَ إِذا اِصطَلَحوا خَيرَهُم
وَزَندُكَ أَثقَبُ أَزنادِها
Is the heaviest of their weights.
If war blazes among them,
وَإِن حَربُهُم أوقِدَت بَينَهُم
فَحَرَّت لَهُم بَعدَ إِبرادِها
It becomes confused after its kindling.
You are found patient with its adversity
وُجِدتَ صَبوراً عَلى رُزئها
وَحَرَّ الحُروبِ وَتَردادِها
And the heat of wars and their repetition.
The tribes said, “Who do we have
وَقالَت مَعاشِرُ مَن ذا لَنا
بِحَربٍ عَوانٍ وَتَطرادِها
With a war of enmity and its chase?”
They had tested it before with their kidneys’ fat,
وَكانوا بِشَحمِ الكُلى قَبلَها
فَقَد جَرَّبوها لِمُرتادِها
So it was familiar to those who frequent it.
One who is excessive in supererogation—
كَثيرُ النَوافِلِ تَبري لَهُ
مَرازِئُ لَيسَ بِعَدّادِها
Its special merits have no number.
One married without an authorized contract
وَمَنكوحَةٍ غَيرِ مَمهورَةٍ
وَأُخرى يُقالُ لَهُ فادِها
And another who is told, “Redeem her.”
Another taken from the household of a woman
وَمَنزوعَةٍ مِن فِناءِ اِمرأً
لِمَبرَكِ آخَرَ مُزدادِها
For the blessing of another besides her husband.
She moves through names not her own,
تَدُرُّ عَلى غَيرِ أَسمائِها
مُطَرَّفَةً بَعدَ إِتلادِها
Sent back after giving birth.
Wasted by winter, when the wet nurses
هَضومُ الشِتاءِ إِذا المُرضِعا
تُ جالَت جَبائِرُ أَعضادِها
Went around with the strength of their bones.
Your people, if they guarantee a neighbor,
وَقَومُكَ إِن يَضمَنوا جارَةً
يَكونوا بِمَوضِعِ أَنضادِها
Will be in the place of its supporters.
They will not seek its secret because of wealth
فَلَن يَطلُبوا سِرَّها لِلغِنى
وَلَن يُسلِموها لِإِزهادِها
Nor surrender it because of asceticism.
They are people who, when they witness a raid,
أُناسٌ إِذا شَهِدوا غارَةً
يَكونونَ ضِدّاً لِأَندادِها
Become opposed to its equals.
