كَتَمْنا الهَوى وكَفَفْنا الحَنينا

فلَمْ يَلْقَ ذُو صَبوَةٍ ما لقِينا

We concealed our love and suppressed our yearning,

So no impetuous one met what we met.

وأنْتُمْ تَبُثّونَ سِرَّ الغَرا

مِ طَوْراً شِمالاً وطَوْراً يَمينا

While you spread the secret of love

Sometimes northwards, other times southwards.

ولما تَنادَيْتُمُ بالرّحي

لِ لَمْ يَتْرُكِ الدّمْعُ سِراً مَصونا

And when you called out with pleasure -

Why did tears not remain a guarded secret?

وكيف نُحاوِلُ كِتْمانَهُ

وقد أخْضَلَ العَبَراتُ الجُفونا

And how can we attempt to conceal it

When tears have moistened the eyelids?

أَمِنْتُمْ على السِّرِّ مِنا القُلوبَ

فهَلاّ اتّهَمْتُم عليهِ العُيونا

You trusted our hearts with the secret -

Why then did you not blame the eyes for it?

وممّا أذاعَتْهُ يومَ العُذَيْبِ

مَهارى بسِرْبِ عَذارى حُدِينا

And from what the camels uttered on the day of departure

My female companions blended with a herd of young she-camels.

أوانِسُ أبرَزَهُنَّ النّوى

فلاحَتْ بُدوراً وماسَتْ غُصونا

Fair companions brought forth by the resting place,

Dazzling with brightness and fruitful with branches.

ومدّتْ إلينا منَ الخِدْرِ غِيداً

وأغْضَتْ على النّظَرِ الشَّزْرِ عِينا

They stretched to us from the howdahs songs

And lowered over the sights their bashful eyes.

أحِنُّ إلَيها ومِنْ دُونِها

تَعُدُّ الرّكائِبُ بِيناً فَبينا

I yearn for her, and without her

The riding camels reckon the distances between us.

وأيْنَ العِراقُ منَ الأخشَبَيْنِ

وإنْ أعْمَلَ الصَّبُّ طَرْفاً شَفونا

Where is Iraq compared to the two encampments -

Even if my tears make an eyelid flood?

بعَيْشِكُما أيُّها الحادِيانِ

قِفا وعلى ما أعاني أَعِينا

By your lives, O you two guides,

Stop, and regarding what I suffer, weep.

فإنّ المَطايا رأَتْ بالعَقيقِ

مَعاهِدَ منْ آلِ سُعْدى بَلينا

For the camels saw in the valley

Covenants from the family of Saʿda in decay.

فأحْداقُهُنَّ تَرُشُّ الدّموعَ

وأنْفاسُهُنَّ تَقُدُّ الوَضينا

Their glances pour down tears

And their breaths light up the kindling.

ويَحْكي السّرابُ إذا ما زَها

ظَعائِنَها البَحْرَ يزْهو السّفينا

The mirage relates, when it is disturbed,

Their complaints - the sea roars with ships.

ولابُدَّ مِنْ زَفْرَةٍ تَستَطي

رُ مِنْ أرحُلِ الرّازِحاتِ العُهونا

A sigh must escape

From the chests of the moaning, lovelorn women.

سُقِينَ الحَيا الجَوْدَ مِنْ أيْنُقٍ

أطَعْنَ الهَوى وعَصَيْنَ البُرينا

The cups of generosity were emptied for us from a noble one,

Who rebelled against love and disobeyed the open deserts.

أرَبْعَ البَخيلَةِ ماذا دَهاكَ

وما للحِمى خاشِعاً مُسْتَكينا

O you who blame the withholding one, what has emboldened you,

And why do you cower, weakened and submissive against the fever?

فأينَ الخِيامُ التي ظُلِّلَتْ

بسُمْرٍ أُلاحِظُ فيها المَنُونا

Where are the tents that were shaded

By a pleasurable gathering in which I delighted in intimacy?

وقد ساءَني أن أرى دارَها

تَصوغُ الحمائِمُ فيها لُحونا

It was displeasing to me to see her abode

Where doves coo their melodies.

لَئِنْ ضَنّتِ السُّحُبُ الغادِياتُ

فلَسْتُ بدَمْعي عليها ضَنينا

If the passing clouds denied me,

I will not begrudge it my tears.

كأنّ الشّآبيبَ مِنْ صَوْبِهِ

مَواهِبُ خَيْرِ بَني الحَبْرِ فينا

As if the showers from its direction

Are the gifts of the Blessed People in this year.

أغَرُّ لأعظَمِهِمْ هامَةً

وأوْضَحِهِمْ في قُرَيْشٍ جَبينا

I boast to their greatest one, lofty of status,

And clearest of forehead among Quraysh.

إذا ما انْتَمى عَمَتِ الأبْطَحَيْنِ

مآثِرُهُ وامْتَطَيْنَ الحَجونا

When the glories of the heir to the two open plains are recounted,

His achievements, he mounted the pavilions.

وتِلْكَ البَنيّةُ مُذْ أُسِّسَتْ

أبَتْ غَيرَ عَبدِ مَنافٍ قَطينا

That blessed clan, ever since it was founded,

Would never accept other than a descendant of Manaf.

بِها رَكَزوا السُّمْرَ فوقَ العُلا

وشَدّوا بِها الصّاهِلاتِ الصُّفونا

With it they planted the tent pegs atop the high grounds,

And with it they tied taut the towering tent poles.

وشنّوا على وَلَدَيْ يَعْرُبٍ

غِواراً يُضَرِّمُ حَرْباً زَبُونا

And they launched against the two sons of Yaʿrub

A war that kindles raging fires.

وحَلَّ بَنو هاشِمٍ بالبِطاحِ

مَحَلَّ الضّراغِمِ تَحْمي العَرينا

The children of Hashim camped in the valley,

In the place of wild beasts protecting their den.

أيَبْغي العِدا شَأْوَهُمْ والرِّياحُ

إذا ما ابْتَدَرْنَ إليهِ وَجينا

Does the enemy desire their condition while the winds

Blow towards them violently?

أبى اللهُ أنْ تَقْبَلَ المَكْرُما

تُ عِرْضاً هَزيلاً ومالاً سَمينا

God refused that the honored ones

Accept a meager offer or wealth of goods.

وعندي للمُقْتَدي أنْعُمٌ

أمِنْتُ بهِنَّ الزّمانَ الخَؤونا

And in my possession are commodities

I have entrusted to withstand hard times.

وإني وإنْ ضَعْضَعَتْني الخُطوبُ

لأَنْفُضُ عنْ فَضْلِ بُرْدَيَّ هُونا

Even if disasters shake me,

I easily cast off the surplus of my cloak.

وقدْ عَلمَتْ خِندِفٌ أنّني

أكونُ بنَيْلِ المَعالي قَمينا

Kindif has learned that I

Obtain the heights of glory purely.

وللضّيْفِ حَقٌّ وعَمْرو العُلا

يَعُدُّ الحقوقَ عليهِ دُيونا

A guest has a right, and ʿAmr of high lineage

Considers rights upon him as debts.

ولمّا اقْشَعرَّتْ بطاحُ الحِجازِ

كَفى قَومَهُ أزْمَةَ المَحلِ حينا

When the abodes of Hijaz shuddered,

He sufficed his people the trial of that time.

وفاضَتْ لدَيْهِ دِماءُ العِشارِ

على شُعَلِ النّارِ للطّارِقينا

Before him the blood of the impostors gushed

Onto the flames of fire for the transgressors.

وأنتَ ابْنُهُ والوَرى يَمتَرو

نَ مِنْ راحَتَيْكَ الغَمامَ الهَتونا

You are his son, and people dispute

Your two rests - the inconstant clouds.

فلا زِلْتَ مُلْتَحِفاً بالعُلا

تُقَضّي الشّهورَ وتَنْضو السّنينا

So you have continued wrapped in the lofty robes,

Spending months and accumulating years.