بانَت سُعادُ وَأَمسى حَبلُها رابا
وَأَحدَثَ النَأيُ لي شَوقاً وَأَوصابا
Happiness has appeared, though its rope has become worn,
And separation has created in me longing and sleeplessness.
وَأَجمَعَت صُرمَنا سُعدى وَهِجرَتَنا
لَمّا رَأَت أَنَّ رَأسي اليَومَ قَد شابا
My good fortune and my abandonment have gathered,
When it saw that today my head has become white-haired.
أَيّامَ تَجلو لَنا عَن بارِدٍ رَتِلٍ
تَخالُ نَكهَتَها بِاللَيلِ سُيّابا
Days used to be bright for us instead of cold and monotonous,
Their taste by night seemed to be perfumed.
وَجيدِ مُغزِلَةٍ تَقرو نَواجِذُها
مِن يانِعِ المَردِ ما اِحلَولى وَما طابا
And the cheek of a weaver girl reciting her spindles
With the soft, pliant ogamy and whatever is pleasant.
وَعَينِ وَحشِيَّةٍ أَغفَت فَأَرَّقَها
صَوتُ الذِئابِ فَأَوفَت نَحوَهُ دابا
And the eye of a wild animal that fell asleep but was kept awake
By the sound of wolves, so she came hurrying towards them.
هِركَولَةٌ مِثلُ دِعصِ الرَملِ أَسفَلُها
مَكسُوَّةٌ مِن جَمالِ الحُسنِ جِلبابا
A gazelle like a ram of shifting sands, its lower part
Covered with the beauty of decoration and long robes.
تُميلُ جَثلاً عَلى المَتنَينِ ذا خُصَلٍ
يَحبو مَواشِطَهُ مِسكاً وَتَطيابا
She inclines languidly on the litter with braided tresses
That give off perfume when she moves them.
رُعبوبَةٌ فُنُقٌ خُمصانَةٌ رَدَحٌ
قَد أُشرِبَت مِثلَ ماءِ الدُرِّ إِشرابا
A doe, restless, brisk, plump, fleshy,
That was saturated as if with liquid pearls.
وَمَهمَهٍ نازِحٍ قَفرٍ مَسارِبُهُ
كَلَّفتُ أَعيَسَ تَحتَ الرَحلِ نَعّابا
And a roving, fleeing, barren hyena whose
Watering places I have burdened an old she-ass with.
يُنبي القُتودَ بِمِثلِ البُرجِ مُتَّصِلاً
مُؤَيَّداً قَد أَنافوا فَوقَهُ بابا
It neighs to awaken the nomads with a sound like thunder, connected,
Supported above it with a door.
كَأَنَّ كوري وَميسادي وَميثَرَتي
كَسَوتُها أَسفَعَ الخَدَّينِ عَبعابا
As if its saddle and its pillow and its cloak
Were black adornments upon the cheeks.
أَلجاهُ قَطرٌ وَشَفّانٌ لِمُرتَكِمٍ
مِنَ الأَميلِ عَلَيهِ البَغرُ إِكثابا
I diverted it with a shower and a downpour towards a rider
Upon it whose mouth was concealed with the headcloth.
وَباتَ في دَفِّ أَرطاةٍ يَلوذُ بِها
يَجري الرَبابُ عَلى مَتنَيهِ تَسكابا
And it spent the night in a howdah it sought refuge in
While the litter pole flowed over its back pouring down.
تَجلو البَوارِقُ عَن طَيّانَ مُضطَمِرٍ
تَخالُهُ كَوكَباً في الأُفقِ ثَقّابا
The lightning flashed from a heavy laden cloud,
Its zigzag seemed like a star in the horizon.
حَتّى إِذا ذَرَّ قَرنُ الشَمسِ أَو كَرَبَت
أَحَسَّ مِن ثُعَلٍ بِالفَجرِ كَلّابا
Until when the horn of the sun shone or it grew large,
It felt some great heat at dawn snarling.
يُشلي عِطافاً وَمَجدولاً وَسَلهَبَةً
وَذا القِلادَةِ مَحصوفاً وَكَسّابا
So it began snorting, trotting briskly, kicking,
With necklaces on its chest it shook off and scattered.
ذو صِبيَةٍ كَسبُ تِلكَ الضارِياتِ لَهُم
قَد حالَفوا الفَقرَ وَاللَأواءَ أَحقابا
Some boys whose livelihood was raiding those wild cows
For they were bound to poverty and misery for lifetimes.
فَاِنصاعَ لا يَأتَلي شَدّاً بِخَذرَفَةٍ
تَرى لَهُ مِن يَقينِ الخَوفِ إِهذابا
So it surrendered, not ceasing its pace out of panic,
You could see the certainty of fear in its retreat.
وَهُنَّ مُنتَصِلاتٌ كُلَّها ثَقِفٌ
تَخالُهُنَّ وَقَد أُرهِقنَ نَشّابا
And they are connected, all of them branded,
They seemed to be worn out with branding.
لَأياً يُجاهِدُها لا يَأتَلي طَلَباً
حَتّى إِذا عَقلُهُ بَعدَ الوَنى ثابا
For a moment it resists not ceasing its pursuit
Until when its intellect, after passion, returns.
فَكَرَّ ذو حَربَةٍ تَحمي مَقاتِلَهُ
إِذا نَحا لِكُلاها رَوقَهُ صابا
So the one with a spear that protects its owner
When it turns to confront them, wards it off and drives it away.
لَمّا رَأَيتُ زَماناً كالِحاً شَبِماً
قَد صارَ فيهِ رُؤوسُ الناسِ أَذنابا
When I saw a vulgar, impudent time
In which the heads of the people had become tails.
يَمَّمتُ خَيرَ فَتىً في الناسِ كُلَّهُمُ
الشاهِدينَ بِهِ أَعني وَمَن غابا
I set my mind on the best youth of all the people,
Those present and absent I intended him as witness.
لَمّا رَآني إِياسٌ في مُرَجَّمَةٍ
رَثَّ الشَوارِ قَليلَ المالِ مُنشابا
When Iyas saw me in poverty,
With little money and a worn-out saddle blanket.
أَثوى ثَواءَ كَريمٍ ثُمَّ مَتَّعَني
يَومَ العُروبَةِ إِذ وَدَّعتُ أَصحابا
He lodged me with the hospitality of a generous man, then he equipped me
On the day I bid farewell to my companions.
بِعَنتَريسٍ كَأَنَّ الحُصَّ ليطَ بِها
أَدماءَ لا بَكرَةً تُدعى وَلا نابا
With a horse like high ground horses whose plains,
No virgins are called to but blood.
وَالرِجلُ كَالرَوضَةِ المِحلالِ زَيَّنَها
نَبتُ الخَريفِ وَكانَت قَبلُ مِعشابا
And the man is like a meadow adorned
With autumn plants though it had been barren before.
جَزى الإِلَهُ إِياساً خَيرَ نِعمَتِهِ
كَما جَزى المَرءَ نوحاً بَعدَما شابا
May God reward Iyas with the best of His blessings
As He rewarded Noah after he grew old.
في فُلكِهِ إِذ تَبَدّاها لِيَصنَعَها
وَظَلَّ يَجمَعُ أَلواحاً وَأَبوابا
In his ship when He commanded him to build it
And he kept gathering boards and doors.
