أَتَشفيكَ تَيّا أَم تُرِكتَ بِدائِكا

وَكانَت قَتولاً لِلرِجالِ كَذَلِكا

Do I console you, oh Tayy, or are you left to your own pain?

She was fatal to men, likewise.

وَأَقصَرتَ عَن ذِكرِ البَطالَةِ وَالصِبى

وَكانَت سَفاهاً ضَلَّةً مِن ضَلالِكا

You fell short in mentioning idleness and childhood,

And that was ignorance, straying from your straying.

وَما كانَ إِلّا الحَينَ يَومَ لَقيتَها

وَقَطعَ جَديدٍ حَبلُها مِن حِبالِكا

It was just at the time when you met her,

And the new rope cut her rope from your ropes.

وَقامَت تُريني بَعدَما نامَ صُحبَتي

بَياضَ ثَناياها وَأَسوَدَ حالِكا

She got up to show me, after my companionship had slept,

The whiteness of her molars and the blackness of your state.

وَيَهماءَ قَفرٍ تَخرُجُ العَينُ وَسطَها

وَتَلقى بِها بَيضَ النَعامِ تَرائِكا

And a desolate wasteland where the eye goes into its middle

And finds ostrich eggs wandering in your midst.

يَقولُ بِها ذو قُوَّةِ القَومِ إِذ دَنا

لِصاحِبِهِ إِذ خافَ مِنها المَهالِكَ

The strong man of the people said to his companion when he feared destruction from it:

Woe to you, cast a glance around us with the eye, cautiously,

لَكَ الوَيلُ أَفشِ الطَرفَ بِالعَينِ حَولَنا

عَلى حَذَرٍ وَأَبقِ ما في سِقائِكا

And keep what is in your waterskin.

And a frightening rugged path I crossed with swiftness,

وَخَرقٍ مَخوفٍ قَد قَطَعتُ بِجَسرَةٍ

إِذا الجِبسُ أَعيا أَن يَرومَ المَسالِكا

When the solid ground despaired of reaching the roads.

When the night, its stars were wagering

قَطَعتُ إِذا ما اللَيلُ كانَت نُجومُهُ

تَراهُنَّ في جَوِّ السَماءِ سَوامِكا

In the atmosphere of the sky, your stakes.

With the blood of wild onagers I made its hump flow,

بِأَدماءَ حُرجوجٍ بَرَيتُ سَنامَها

بِسَيري عَلَيها بَعدَما كانَ تامِكا

By traveling over it after it had been complete.

It has two thighs that inevitably goad,

لَها فَخِذانِ تَحفِزانِ مَحالَةً

وَصُلباً كَبُنيانِ الصَفا مُتَلاحِكا

And a firmness like the compactness of al-Safa interlocked.

And a chest you see angularity in its shoulders,

وَزَوراً تَرى في مِرفَقَيهِ تَجانُفاً

نَبيلاً كَبَيتِ الصَيدَلانِيِّ دامِكا

Noble like the house of the apothecary lasting.

And a delicate, firm, masculine head,

وَرَأساً دَقيقَ الخَطمِ صُلباً مُذَكَّراً

وَدَأياً كَأَعناقِ الضِباعِ وَحارِكا

And a body like the necks of lionesses, perplexing.

To the tumultuous Giver I sent my eulogy,

إِلى هَوذَةَ الوَهّابِ أَهدَيتُ مِدحَتي

أُرَجّي نَوالاً فاضِلاً مِن عَطائِكا

Hoping for an excellent gift from your gifts.

My she-camel kept aside from all of al-Yamamah,

تَجانَفُ عَن جُلِّ اليَمامَةِ ناقَتي

وَما قَصَدَت مِن أَهلِها لِسِوائِكا

And did not head for its people seeking your seeking.

She touched some tribes, so she avoided their cisterns,

أَلَمَّت بِأَقوامٍ فَعافَت حِياضَهُم

قَلوصِي وَكانَ الشَربُ مِنها بِمائِكا

Stingy, while the drinking from it was with your water.

So when she came to the sheltering sands and its people,

فَلَمّا أَتَت آطامَ جَوٍّ وَأَهلَهُ

أُنيخَت وَأَلقَت رَحلَها بِفَنائِكا

She knelt down and cast off her saddle in your courtyard.

And no one’s effort in the people reached your effort, O unique one,

وَلَم يَسعَ في الأَقوامِ سَعيَكَ واحِدٌ

وَلَيسَ إِناءٌ لِلنَدى كَإِنائِكا

Nor is there a container for dew like your container.

I heard of generosity, bounty, and gentleness,

سَمِعتُ بِسَمعِ الباعِ وَالجودِ وَالنَدى

فَأَدلَيتُ دَلوي فَاِستَقَت بِرِشائِكا

So I let down my bucket, and it drew with your rope.

A man who could bear burdens, if others than him

فَتىً يَحمِلُ الأَعباءَ لَو كانَ غَيرُهُ

مِنَ الناسِ لَم يَنهَض بِها مُتَماسِكا

From the people had to carry them, would not remain coherent.

And you are the one who taught me to feather myself,

وَأَنتَ الَّذي عَوَّدتَني أَن تَريشَني

وَأَنتَ الَّذي آوَيتَني في ظِلالِكا

And you are the one who sheltered me in your shade.

So indeed, you have a share in me of

فَإِنَّكَ فيما بَينَنا فِيَّ موزَعٌ

بِخَيرٍ وَإِنّي مولَعٌ بِثَنائِكا

Good, and I am inclined towards your praise.

You found Ali a builder so you inherited him,

وَجَدتَ عَلِيّاً بانِياً فَوَرِثتَهُ

وَطَلقاً وَشَيبانَ الجَوادَ وَمالِكا

As well as Talha and Shayban the generous and your property.

Radiant seas that sustain the people in every serious situation -

بُحورٌ تَقوتُ الناسَ في كُلِّ لَزبَةٍ

أَبوكَ وَأَعمامٌ هُمُ هَؤُلائِكَا

Your father and uncles, they are those.

And that is only because your two palms are with bounty

وَما ذاكَ إِلّا أَنَّ كَفَّيكَ بِالنَدى

تَجودانِ بِالإِعطاءِ قَبلَ سُؤالِكا

That give with generosity before being asked.

They say, in parity, his biggest concern

يَقولونَ في الإِكفاءِ أَكبَرُ هَمِّهِ

أَلا رُبَّ مِنهُم مَن يَعيشُ بِمالِكا

Is - how many of them live off your property!

You found the collapse of a ridge so you rebuilt it

وَجَدتَ اِنهِدامَ ثُلمَةٍ فَبَنَيتَها

فَأَنعَمتَ إِذ أَلحَقتَها بِبِنائِكا

Thus you blessed when you joined it to your structure.

And you nurtured orphans and embraced a girl child

وَرَبَّيتَ أَيتاماً وَأَلحَقتَ صِبيَةً

وَأَدرَكتَ جَهدَ السَعيِ قَبلَ عَنائِكا

And undertook the effort of striving before your fatigue.

And no glorious one’s striving in the prominent equaled your striving

وَلَم يَسعَ في العَلياءِ سَعيَكَ ماجِدٌ

وَلا ذو إِنىً في الحَيِّ مِثلَ قَرائِكا

Nor one of resolve in the living like your neighbors.

And every year you launch a raid,

وَفي كُلِّ عامٍ أَنتَ جاشِمُ غَزوَةٍ

تَشُدُّ لِأَقصاها عَزيمَ عَزائِكا

Girding your will for its farthest point.

Bestowing wealth, and in praise, prestige,

مُوَرِّثَةٍ مالاً وَفي الحَمدِ رِفعَةَ

لِما ضاعَ فيها مِن قُروءِ نِسائِكا

For what was lost in it of your wombs' offspring.

The birds inform them of you with a cry,

تُخَبِّرُهُنَّ الطَيرُ عَنكَ بِأَوبَةٍ

وَعَينٌ أَقَرَّت نَومَها بِلِقائِكا

And an eye that settled its sleep with seeing you.