Claude 2

  1. بَكَت عَيني وَعاوَدَها قَذاها

    بِعُوّارٍ فَما تَقضي كَراها

    My eyes wept, and their tears resumed their flow,

    With a traveler, but they cannot satisfy their grief,

  2. عَلى صَخرٍ وَأَيُّ فَتىً كَصَخرٍ

    إِذا ما النابُ لَم تَرأَم طِلاها

    Upon a rock, and which gallant is as rock,

    When the spearheads cannot make it recoil,

  3. فَتى الفِتيانِ ما بَلَغوا مَداهُ

    وَلا يَكدى إِذا بَلَغَت كُداها

    The gallant of gallants, they have not reached his extent,

    Nor does he weaken when he reaches his limit,

  4. حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ صُهبٍ مُعمِلاتٍ

    إِلى البَيتِ المُحَرَّمِ مُنتَهاها

    I swear by the Lord of lofty, working hills,

    Heading to the Sacred House, their destination,

  5. لَئِن جَزِعَت بَنو عَمروٍ عَلَيهِ

    لَقَد رُزِئَت بَنو عَمروٍ فَتاها

    If the clan of 'Amr mourns for him,

    The clan of 'Amr has surely lost their best man,

  6. لَهُ كَفٌّ يُشَدُّ بِها وَكَفٌّ

    تَحَلَّبُ ما يَجِفُّ ثَرى نَداها

    He has a palm with which he gives generously,

    And a palm from which flows what dries the soil of his munificence,

  7. تَرى الشُمَّ الجَحاجِحَ مِن سُلَيمٍ

    يَبُلُّ نَدى مَدامِعِها لِحاها

    You see the Pleiades from Suleim,

    Shedding the dew of their tears for their departed loved one,

  8. عَلى رَجُلٍ كَريمِ الخيمِ أَضحى

    بِبَطنِ حَفيرَةٍ صَخِبٍ صَداها

    For a noble man, the best protected of tents,

    Who lies in the belly of a resonant, echoing grave,

  9. لِيَبكِ الخَيرَ صَخراً مِن مَعَدٍّ

    ذَوُو أَحلامِها وَذَوُو نُهاها

    For the virtuous to weep, a rock from Ma'add,

    Those of dreams and those of resolve,

  10. وَخَيلٍ قَد لَفَفتَ بِجَولِ خَيلٍ

    فَدارَت بَينَ كَبشَيها رَحاها

    And steeds that turned between its rams,

    Circling in a band of steeds,

  11. تُرَفِّعُ فَضلَ سابِغَةٍ دِلاصٍ

    عَلى خَيفانَةٍ خَفِقٍ حَشاها

    Raising the favor of a long-necked, smooth-sided horse,

    Above a snorting, prancing horse with elegant gait,

  12. وَتَسعى حينَ تَشتَجِرُ العَوالي

    بِكَأسِ المَوتِ ساعَةَ مُصطَلاها

    And they race when the heights shake violently,

    With the cup of death, at the appointed time of watering,

  13. مُحافَظَةً وَمَحمِيَةً إِذا ما

    نَبا بِالقَومِ مِن جَزَعٍ لَظاها

    Guarding and protecting him when

    The clan was alarmed with overwhelming sorrow,

  14. فَتَترُكُها قَدِ اِضطَرَمَت بِطَعنٍ

    تَضَمَّنَهُ إِذا اِختَلَفَت كُلاها

    Then leaving him when he was pierced with a stab,

    Containing death, when the two bands parted,

  15. فَمَن لِلضَيفِ إِن هَبَّت شَمالٌ

    مُزَعزِعَةٌ تُجاوِبُها صَباها

    So who will host the guest if a north wind blows,

    Tempestuous, with answering winds from the south,

  16. وَأَلجا بَردُها الأَشوالَ حُدباً

    إِلى الحُجُراتِ بادِيَةً كُلاها

    And its cold makes the cooking pots cluster together

    Towards the dwellings, all apparent,

  17. هُنالِكَ لَو نَزَلتَ بِآلِ صَخرٍ

    قِرى الأَضيافِ شَحماً مِن ذُراها

    There, had you descended at the abode of the rock,

    The guest’s cauldron, fat from its contents,

  18. فَلَم أَملِك غَداةَ نَعِيِّ صَخرٍ

    سَوابِقَ عَبرَةٍ حَلَبَت صَراها

    I could not control, the morning Sakhir’s death was announced,

    Preceding tears that melted from their ducts,

  19. أَمُطعِمَكُم وَحامِلَكُم تَرَكتُم

    لَدى غَبراءَ مُنهَدِمٍ رَجاها

    Will you leave the one who fed you and carried you

    By a crumbling, ruined enclosure, its pillars gone?

  20. لِيَبكِ عَلَيكَ قَومُكَ لِلمَعالي

    وَلِلهَيجاءِ إِنَّكَ ما فَتاها

    Let your clan weep for your virtues,

    And for turmoil―you did not lose your composure,

  21. وَقَد فَقَدَتكَ طَلقَةُ فَاِستَراحَت

    فَلَيتَ الخَيلَ فارِسُها يَراها

    Talqah lost you and so found peace,

    If only the steeds could see their rider!