يَومَ قَفَّت حُمولُهُم فَتَوَلَّوا

قَطَّعوا مَعهَدَ الخَليطِ فَشاقوا

The day their caravans halted and turned away

They severed our covenant and became disloyal

جاعِلاتٍ جَوزَ اليَمامَةِ بِالأَش

مُلِ سَيراً يَحُثُّهُنَّ اِنطِلاقُ

The female ostriches of Al-Yamamah cried with grief

Goad them on, their setting out is imminent

جازِعاتٍ بَطنَ العَتيقِ كَما تَم

ضي رِقاقٌ أَمامَهُنَّ رِقاقُ

Frightened, their bellies gaunt, as if

Thin intestines writhed ahead of them

بَعدَ قُربٍ مِن دارِهِم وَاِئتِلافٍ

صَرَموا حَبلَكَ الغَداةَ وَساقوا

After being near their homes and united

At dawn they cut your rope and marched away

يَومَ أَبدَت لَنا قُتَيلَةُ عَن جي

دٍ تَليعٍ تَزينُهُ الأَطواقُ

The day the slain of Jidh displayed

Polished heads adorned with bands

وَشَتيتٍ كَالأُقحُوانِ جَلاهُ ال

طَلُّ فيهِ عُذوبَةٌ وَاِتِّساقُ

And scattered bodies like locusts exposed

To the morning dew, sweet and well-arranged

وَأَثيثٍ جَثلِ النَباتِ تُرَوّي

هِ لَعوبٌ غَريرَةٌ مِفناقُ

Housed goods piled like the growth of plants

Watered by playful, cheerful runnels

حُرَّةٌ طَفلَةُ الأَنامِلِ كَالدُم

يَةِ لا عانِسٌ وَلا مِهزاقُ

A fawn, young of the does, innocent

Neither stubborn nor unruly

كَخَذولٍ تَرعى النَواصِفَ مِن تَث

ليثَ قَفراً خَلا لَها الأَسلاقُ

Like an abandoned orphan grazing gazelles

While the wild is desolate, devoid of other herds

تَنفُضُ المَردَ وَالكَباثَ بِحِملا

جٍ لَطيفٍ في جانِبَيهِ اِنفِراقُ

She shakes the spray andSWITCHES with a gentle

Sway, whose sides flow open in two parts

في أَراكٍ مَردٍ يَكادُ إِذا ما

ذَرَّتِ الشَمسُ ساعَةً يُهراقُ

On a tall, verdant palm, when

The sun has risen barely an hour, it spills its sap

وَهيَ تَتلو رَخصَ العِظامِ ضَئيلاً

فاتِرَ الطَرفِ في قُواهُ اِنسِراقُ

And it follows the scattering bones, weak,

Its eyes listless, its limbs slack

ما تَعادى عَنهُ النَهارَ وَلا تَع

جوهُ إِلّا عُفافَةٌ أَو فُواقُ

It suffers neither day nor night

Except in decency or nobility

مُشفِقاً قَلبُها عَلَيهِ فَما تَع

دوهُ قَد شَفَّ جِسمَها الإِشفاقُ

Her heart anxious for it yet she does not

Harm it for pity has softened her body

وَإِذا خافَتِ السِباعَ مِنَ الغي

لِ وَأَمسَت وَحانَ مِنها اِنطِلاقُ

When she fears the beasts at dusk

And night falls, it is time for her to set out

رَوَّحَتهُ جَيداءُ ذاهِبَةُ المَر

تَعِ لا خَبَّةٌ وَلا مِملاقُ

A smooth doe, steady of gait, no deceit or guile

Bear patiently, my soul, parting is inevitable

فَاِصبِري النَفسَ إِنَّ ما حُمَّ حَقٌّ

لَيسَ لِلصَدعِ في الزُجاجِ اِتِّفاقُ

Like the back of a shield, a desolate plain

Where none returns except the echo

وَفَلاةٍ كَأَنَّها ظَهرُ تُرسٍ

لَيسَ إِلّا الرَجيعَ فيها عَلاقُ

I crossed it, and under me a recalcitrant she-camel

Difficult, biting, kicking

قَد تَجاوَزتُها وَتَحتي مَروحٌ

عَنتَريسٌ نَعّابَةٌ مِعناقُ

A fox-colored camel making rocks split

With her hardy tread, hard as flint

عِرمِسٌ تَرجُمُ الإِكامَ بِأَخفا

فٍ صِلابٍ مِنها الحَصى أَفلاقُ

And I would cut off a friend if I gained

No benefit, for brotherly love is rare indeed

وَلَقَد أَقطَعُ الخَليلَ إِذا لَم

أَرجُ وَصلاً إِنَّ الإِخاءَ الصِداقُ

With a burning hearth heated by tree-cutters

Whose fuel is the oryx and wild goats

بِكُمَيتٍ عَرفاءَ مُجمَرَةِ الخُف

فِ غَذَتها عَوانَةٌ وَفِتاقُ

Of rugged hills, it repels visitors

When the guests jostle for position

ذاتِ غَربٍ تَرمي المُقَدَّمَ بِالرَد

فِ إِذا ما تَدافَعَ الأَرواقُ

At the shelter, when the day has lit its fire

As the shade is seized by the thorns

في مَقيلِ الكِناسِ إِذ وَقَدَ اليَو

مُ إِذا الظِلُّ أَحرَزَتهُ الساقُ

Her quick mares, the asses, and the fillies

Pant as the drivers shout

وَكَأَنَّ القُتودَ وَالعِجلَةَ وَال

وَفرَ لَمّا تَلاحَقَ السُوّاقُ

Above a jaded camel, worn by travel,

The cries of the stallions and the grunts

فَوقَ مُستَبقِلٍ أَضَرَّ بِهِ الصَي

فُ وَزَرُّ الفُحولِ وَالتَنهاقُ

Or a lone lost camel pasturing on arta plants

Spending the night in their thickets in distress

أَو فَريدٍ طاوٍ تَضَيَّفَ أَرطا

ةً يَبيتُ في دَفِّها وَيُضاقُ

Taken out by Qahba, trailing her skirt

A half-blind she-camel leads her string

أَخرَجَتهُ قَهباءُ مُسبِلَةُ الوَد

قِ رَجوسٌ قُدّامُها فُرّاقُ

He did not sleep the night of the full moon

Until dawn illuminated him with its light

لَم يَنَم لَيلَةَ التَمامِ لِكَي يُص

بِحَ حَتّى أَضائَهُ الإِشراقُ

Marked by Satim's face or Licayan's

His youth worn away by separation

ساهِمَ الوَجهِ مِن جَديلَةَ أَو لِح

يانَ أَفنى ضِرائَهُ الإِطلاقُ

He suffered neither day nor night

Except the sands' ebb and the offshoot plants

وَتَعادى عَنهُ النَهارَ تُواري

هِ عِراضُ الرِمالِ وَالدَرداقُ

Flies pestered him like swooping kites

Bent only on catching up

وَتَلَتهُ غُضفٌ طَوارِدُ كَالنَح

لِ مَغاريثُ هَمُّهُنَّ اللُحاقُ

Thus did I liken my she-camel as she sped

Towards me after the lightning, to lightning

ذاكَ شَبَّهتُ ناقَتي إِذ تَرامَت

بي عَلَيها بَعدَ البِراقِ البِراقُ

And so I visit the Banu Qais

When love's link with the beloved is severed

فَعَلى مِثلِها أَزورُ بَني قَي

سٍ إِذا شَطَّ بِالحَبيبِ الفِراقُ

I am one of them, they are my people

And I yearn for them

إِنَّني مِنهُمُ وَإِنَّهُمُ قَو

مي وَإِنّي إِلَيهِمُ مُشتاقُ

They are who they are, wine flows

Their feasts commence and rights are disputed

وَهُمُ ما هُمُ إِذا عَزَّتِ الخَم

رُ وَقامَت زِقاقُهُم وَالحِقاقُ

The disgraced - nothing to do with misfortune’s time

Until they recover when they recover

المُهينينَ مالَهُم لِزَمانِ ال

سَوءِ حَتّى إِذا أَفاقَ أَفاقوا

The rich are stingy toward the refugees

And so their tents lack manners

وَإِذا ذو الفُضولِ ضَنَّ عَلى المَو

لى وَصارَت لِخَيمِها الأَخلاقُ

The people walked proudly to debauchery

While the pauper - where is the evening meal?

وَمَشى القَومُ بِالعِمادِ إِلى الرَز

حى وَأَعيا المُسيمُ أَينَ المَساقُ

There they took what was not theirs

While the leather wine-skins of the pure poured forth

أَخَذوا فَضلَهُم هُناكَ وَقَد تَج

ري عَلى فَضلِها القِداحُ العِتاقُ

When the wine circulated, they set down the cups

And the drinkers and horizons withdrew

فَإِذا جادَتِ الدُجى وَضَعوا القِد

حَ وَجُنَّ التِلاعُ وَالآفاقُ

The race of the light horses increased not their folly

Nor their sport amongst themselves and vying

لَم يَزِدهُم سَفاهَةً شَربَةُ الكَأ

سِ وَلا اللَهوُ بَينَهُم وَالسِباقُ

When the worst were made equal to the clean

And spitting decreased amongst the affected

وَإِذا ما الأَكَسُّ شُبِّهَ بِالأَر

وَقِ عِندَ الهَيجا وَقَلَّ البُصاقُ

Against desire, horses were ridden to frenzy

For judgment fails when passions rise

رُكِبَت مِنهُمُ إِلى الرَوعِ خَيلٌ

غَيرُ ميلٍ إِذ يُخطَأُ الإيفاقُ

I placed my belongings in Najran's meadows

At ease, though longing still remains

واضِعاً في سَراةِ نَجرانَ رَحلي

ناعِماً غَيرَ أَنَّني مُشتاقُ

With mares whose riders hurry

Home, while they desire Iraq

في مَطايا أَربابُهُنَّ عِجالٌ

عَن ثَواءٍ وَهَمُّهُنَّ العِراقُ

At dawn we have a ride and travel-food

And early start and hasty departure

دَرمَكٌ لَنا غُدوَةً وَنَشيلٌ

وَصَبوحٌ مُباكِرٌ وَاِغتِباقُ

With bright-faced youths as if drink's injury

Had struck them - overthrown empty wineskins

وَنَدامى بيضُ الوُجوهِ كَأَنَّ ال

شَربَ مِنهُم مَصاعِبٌ أَفناقُ

In them are bounty, generosity, charm

Eloquence in them and polished speech

فيهِمُ الخِصبُ وَالسَماحَةُ وَالنَج

دَةُ فيهِم وَالخاطِبُ المِصلاقُ

High-minded, loathing wrong

Remaining when destitutes depart

وَأَبِيّونَ ما يُسامونَ ضَيماً

وَمَكيثونَ وَالحُلومُ وِثاقُ

You see a gathering thronged as with lions

Garlanded, clothed in thin raiment

وَتَرى مَجلِساً يَغَصُّ بِهِ المِح

رابُ كَالأُسدِ وَالثِيابُ رِقاقُ