أَصرَمتَ حَبلَكَ مِن لَمي

سَ اليَومَ أَم طالَ اِجتِبابُه

My rope has worn out from twisting,

Has the rain stopped today or is its absence prolonged?

وَلَقَد طَرَقتُ الحَيَّ بَع

دَ النَومِ تَنبَحُني كِلابُه

And I have certainly wandered the district after sleep

As its dogs bark and awaken me,

بِمُشَذَّبٍ كَالجِذعِ صا

كَ عَلى تَرائِبِهِ خِضابُه

With a well-groomed, smooth trunk,

Its mourning women wailing over it.

سَلِسٍ مُقَلَّدُهُ أَسي

لٍ خَدُّهُ مَرِعٍ جَنابُه

Smooth, adorned with a soft tether,

Its cheek soft, its side graceful.

في عازِبٍ وَسَميِّ شَه

رٍ لَن يُعَزِّبَني مَصابُه

In an unmarried one, and elite, honorable

Month, its affliction will not make me unmarried.

حَطَّت لَهُ ريحٌ كَما

حُطَّت إِلى مَلِكٍ عِيابُه

The wind has descended upon it as it would

Descend to a hated king his storm cloud.

وَلَقَد أَطَفتُ بِحاضِرٍ

حَتّى إِذا عَسَلَت ذِئابُه

And I have certainly lingered in the present

Until, when its wolves swarmed, it dripped honey.

وَصَغا قُمَيرٌ كانَ يَم

نَعُ بَعضَ بِغيَةٍ اِرتِقابُه

And Sagga, who used to prevent

Some of the aspirations of its climbing, listened.

أَقبَلتُ أَمشي مِشيَةَ ال

خَشيانِ مُزوَرّاً جِنابُه

I walked the walk of fear,

Feigning its boldness.

وَإِذا غَزالٌ أَحوَرُ ال

عَينَينِ يُعجِبُني لِعابُه

And there a gazelle, the lovely eyed,

Its saliva pleasing to me.

حَسَنٌ مُقَلَّدُ حَليِهِ

وَالنَحرُ طَيِّبَةٌ مَلابُه

Beauty, adorned with its jewelry,

And the throat most fragrant are its garments.

غَرّاءُ تَبهَجُ زَولَهُ

وَالكَفُّ زَيَّنَها خِضابُه

Radiant, delighted by its visit,

And the palm beautified by its dye.

لَعَبَرتُهُ سَبحاً وَلَو

غُمِرَت مَعَ الطَرفاءِ غابُه

I would cross it by swimming even if

Its forest were flooded.

وَلَوَ اِنَّ دونَ لِقائِها

جَبَلاً مُزَلِّقَةً هِضابُه

And even if between meeting it

Were a slippery mountain its precipices.

لَنَظَرتُ أَنّى مُرتَقا

هُ وَخَيرُ مَسلَكِهِ عِقابُه

I would look from where surmounting,

And the best of its roads is its pass.

لَأَتَيتُها إِنَّ المُحِب

بَ مُكَلَّفٌ دَنِسٌ ثِيابُه

I would come to it though the lover

Is obligated, base, his clothes dirty.

وَلَوَ اِنَّ دونَ لِقائِها

ذا لِبدَةٍ كَالزُجِّ نابُه

And even if between meeting it

Were a sticky marsh its pits.

لَأَتَيتُهُ بِالسَيفِ أَم

شي لا أُهَدَّ وَلا أَهابُه

I would come to it with the sword walking,

Neither deviating nor fearing its horror.

وَلِيَ اِبنُ عَمٍّ ما يَزا

لُ لِشِعرِهِ خَبَباً رِكابُه

And I have a cousin whose poetry

Still has no maturity though its stirrups aged,

سَحّاً وَساحِيَةً وَعَم

ما ساعَةٍ ذَلِقَت ضَبابُه

It raced and roamed and for an hour

Its clouds drizzled.

ما بالُ مَن قَد كانَ حَظ

ظي مِن نَصيحَتِهِ اِغتِيابُه

Why does he whose advice

I used to guard, his absence makes me angry?

يُزجي عَقارِبَ قَولِهِ

لَمّا رَأى أَنّي أَهابُه

He throws the scorpions of his words

When he sees I fear him.

يا مَن يَرى رَيمانَ أَم

سى خاوِياً خَرِباً كِعابُه

O you who sees Remman empty,

Ruined, with its doors broken.

أَمسى الثَعالِبُ أَهلَهُ

بَعدَ الَّذينَ هُمُ مَآبُه

The foxes have become its people

After those who were its destination.

مِن سوقَةٍ حَكَمٍ وَمِن

مَلِكٍ يُعَدُّ لَهُ ثَوابُه

From Sogha judged, and from

A king for whom its reward was counted.

بَكَرَت عَلَيهِ الفُرسُ بَع

دَ الحُبشِ حَتّى هُدَّ بابُه

The horses leaped upon it after Aksum

Until its doors were destroyed.

فَتَراهُ مَهدومَ الأَعا

لي وَهوَ مَسحولٌ تُرابُه

You see it razed, its heights

And it is leveled with its soil swept.

وَلَقَد أَراهُ بِغِبطَةٍ

في العَيشِ مُخضَرّاً جَنابُه

And I saw it in prosperity

Its side green.

فَخَوى وَما مِن ذي شَبا

بٍ دائِمٍ أَبَداً شَبابُه

Then it became empty and none of enduring

Youth lasts forever its youth.

بَل هَل تَرى بَرقاً عَلى ال

جَبَلَينِ يُعجِبُني اِنجِيابُه

But do you see lightning in the

Two mountains pleasing to me its hastening?

مِن ساقِطِ الأَكنافِ ذي

زَجَلٍ أَرَبَّ بِهِ سَحابُه

From falling edges having

A pouring its clouds watered.

مِثلِ النَعامِ مُعَلَّقاً

لَمّا دَنا قِرداً رَبابُه

Like an ostrich suspended

When a monkey, its friend, approached.

وَلَقَد شَهِدتُ التاجِرَ ال

أُمّانَ مَوروداً شَرابُه

And I have witnessed the shameless merchant

His drink forbidden.

بِالصَحنِ وَالمِصحاةِ وَال

إِبريقِ يَحجُبُها عِلابُه

With the bowl, tray, and

Jug, its garments covering them.

فَإِذا تُحاسِبُهُ النَدا

مى لا يُعَدّيني حِسابُه

So if the people ask him to settle accounts

His reckoning does not bother me.

بِالبازِلِ الكَوماءِ يَت

بَعُها الَّذي قَد شَقَّ نابُه

With imperfect weights the cheat

Followed by the one whose fang split.

وَلَقَد شَهِدتُ الجَيشَ تَخ

فِقُ فَوقَ سَيِّدِهِم عُقابُه

And I witnessed the army beneath

Its master, its eagle soaring.

فَأَصَبتُ مِن غَيرِ الَّذي

غَنِموا إِذِ اِقتُسِمَت نِهابُه

So I gained unlike what

They gained when its spoils were divided.

بَل آلَ كِندَةَ خَبِّروا

عَنِ اِبنِ كَبشَةَ ما مَعابُه

But ask Kindah, inform me

Of the son of Kabasha what his character.

إِنَّ الرَزيئةَ مِثلُ حَب

وَةَ يَومَ فارَقَهُ صِحابُه

Misery is like a pearl the day

His companions parted from him.

بادَ العَتادُ وَفاحَ ري

حُ المِسكِ إِذ هُجِمَت قِبابُه

The fragrance of musk wafted when his

Tent was attacked.

مَن ذا يُبَلِّغُني رَبي

عَةَ ثُمَّ لا يُنسى ثَوابُه

Who will convey to me Rabīʿah

Then does not forget its reward?

إِنّي مَتى ما آتِهِ

لا يَجفُ راحِلَتي ثَوابُه

Whenever I come to it

The forelegs of my she-camel are not dry its reward.

إِنَّ الكَريمَ اِبنَ الكَري

مِ لِكُلِّ ذي كَرَمٍ نِصابُه

The generous one, son of generous

For every generous there is his profit.