سَرَتْ وظَلامُ اللّيلِ سِتْرٌ على السّاري

وقَدْ عَرَّجَ الحادي بِبَطْحاءَ ذي قارِ

The night has spread and the dark of night is a veil upon the wanderer

As the guide marched through the plain of Dhi Qar

بحَيْثُ هَزيزُ الأرْحَبيِّ أوِ الكَرى

يَميلُ بأعناقٍ ويَهْفو بأكْوارِ

Where the neighing of the wild ass or the mountain goat echoes

Swaying their necks and bellowing in their pens

ألَمَّتْ بِرَكْبٍ منْ قُرَيشٍ تَطاوَحَتْ

بهمْ عُقَبُ المَسْرَى وأنضاءُ أسْفارِ

A caravan of Quraish was beset

By the heels of the departed and the wrists of journeys

فَقالَتْ وقدْ عَضَّتْ عَلَينا تَعجُّباً

أنامِلَ بَيْضاءَ التَّرائِبِ مِعْطارِ

So she said, having bitten us in wonder:

White she-camels of fragrant saddlebags

سَقى ورَعى اللهُ المُعاوِيَّ إنهُ

حُشاشةُ مَجْدٍ تالِدٍ بينَ أطْمارِ

May God water and pasture Muawiya

He is the raincloud of continual glory between ruins

وإني بِما مَنَّى الخَيالُ لَقانِعٌ

وإنْ لَم يَكُنْ في ذاكَ حَظٌّ لمُخْتارِ

And I am content with what fancy has wished

Even if the chosen one has no share in that

فعِفَّتيَ اليَقظَى سَجِيَّةُ ماجِدٍ

وضَمَّتُهُ الوَسْنَى خَديعةُ غَدَّارِ

My chastity while awake is the trait of the glorious

And drowsiness has drawn him in, the guile of the treacherous

يَجوبُ إليَّ البيدَ والليلُ ناشِرٌ

على مُنحَنى الوادي ذَوائِبَ أنوارِ

The full moon and the night spread out

Over the bend of the valley, the lights of fires

وأفْديهِ منْ سارٍ على الأيْنِ طارِقٍ

وأهْواهُ منْ طَيفٍ على النّأْيِ زَوَّارِ

I ransom him from one who travels by night as a raider

And I lull him from a specter wandering in the distance

فَحيَّاهُ عَنِّي كلَّ مُمْسَى ومُصبَحٍ

تَهَزُّمُ وَطْفاءِ الرَّبابَيْنَ مِدْرارِ

So greet him for me every evening and dawn

As the singing women flow with melodies

إذا ضَجَّ فيها الرَّعْدُ أُلْبِسَتِ الرُّبا

حَياً وألاحَ البَرْقُ بالمِنْصَلِ العاري

When thunder roars through it, clothing is worn

And lightning flashes with the bare spear

على أنّ سَلمى حالَ دونَ لِقائِها

رِجالٌ يخوضونَ الرَّدى خَشيَةَ العارِ

Yet Salma's people barred her meeting

Men who fear dishonor wade into evil

مَتى ما أزُرْها ألْقَ عِندَ خِبائِها

أُشَيْعِثَ يَحمي بالقَنا حَوزَةَ الدّارِ

Whenever I visit her, I find near her tent

A disheveled guard protecting the household with a spear

وكمْ طَرَقَتْنا وهْيَ تَدَّرِعُ الدُّجى

وتَمشي الهُوَيْنى بينَ عُونٍ وأبْكارِ

How often she crept up on us, walking stealthily

Between help and virgins in the darkness of night

ولمَّا رأيْنَ اللَّيلَ شابَتْ فُروعُهُ

رجَعْنَ ولمْ يَدْنَسْ رِداءٌ بأوزارِ

When they saw the night had blackened its branches

They turned back, with no garment dirtied by hems

مَضى وحَواشيه لِدانٌ كأنَّما

كَساهُ النّسيمُ الرَّطْبُ رِقَّةَ أسْحارِ

He walked away, his skirts sagging as if

The moist breeze had clothed him in the softness of dawn

وهُنَّ يُجَرِّرْنَ الذُّيولَ على الثَّرى

مَخافَةَ أن يَستَوضِحَ الحَيُّ آثاري

While they dragged their trains on the ground

Fearing the living would notice their tracks

ومِمَّا أذاعَ السِّرَ وَرْقاءُ كلَّما

أمَلْتُ إلَيها السَّمْعَ نَمَّتْ بأسْراري

Of what the leaves have spread in secret, whenever

I inclined my ear, it whispered my mysteries

إذا هيَ ناحَتْ جاوَبَتْها حَمائِمٌ

كَما حَنَّ وَلْهَى في رَوائِمِ أظْآرِ

When she sighed, doves responded

As passion moaned through the thickets

كأنّ رُواتي عَلَّموهُنَّ مَنطِقي

فهُنَّ إذا غَرَّدْنَ أنشَدْنَ أشعاري

As if my messengers had taught them my words

So when they cooed, they recited my verses

أتَتْكَ القَوافي يا بْنَ عَمْرٍو ولمْ تَرِدْ

مُعَرَّسَ نُوَّامٍ عنِ الحَمدِ أغْمارِ

The rhymes came to you, O son of ‘Amr, though you never

Rejected the praise of the heavy with slumber

وقلَّدْتَنا نَعماءَ كالرَّوض عانَقَتْ

أزاهيرَهُ ريحُ الصَّبا غِبَّ أمْطارِ

And you gave us blessings, like a garden embraced

By the breeze of morning, before the rains

أيادِيكَ نُهْبَى الحَمْدِ في كُلِّ مَوطِنٍ

تَميلُ بأسْماعٍ إليْكَ وأبْصارِ

Your hands reap the praise in every abode

Leaning with ears and sights toward you

وأنتَ الذي قلَّمْتَ أظْفارَ فِتْنَةٍ

ألَحَّتْ بأنْيابٍ علَينا وأظْفارِ

You who trimmed the claws of sedition

That scraped at us with fangs and claws

ومَلْحَمةٍ دونَ الخِلافَةِ خُضْتَها

بعَزْمَةِ أبَّاءٍ على القِرْنِ كَرَّارِ

And the battle beneath the caliphate you joined

With the resolve of unyielding warriors

إذا الحَرْبُ حَكَّتْ بَرْكَها بِابْنِ حُرَّةٍ

مُهيبٍ بأولى كُبَّةِ الخَيْلِ مِغْوارِ

When war adorns its arena with the son of Hurrah

Awe-inspiring, foremost with the cheekpieces shaking

تأَلَّى يَميناً لا يُفرِّجُ غَمْرَةً

بهِ السَّيفُ إلا عَنْ ذُحولٍ وأوتارِ

Brandishing to the right, unfurling no darkness

With his sword but that of entrails and veins

سَيعلَمُ راعي الذَّوْدِ أنَّكَ قادِحٌ

بزَنْدٍ تَفَرَّى عَنْ شَرارَتِهِ وارِ

The shepherd of hostility will know you strike

With a flint that sparks off its embers

ودُون الذي يَبْغيهِ أرْوَعُ ساحِبٌ

أنابيبَ رُمْحٍ في الكَريهَةِ أكْسارِ

Better than he desires is the withdrawer

Of spear shafts into the hateful shattered

إذا الشّرَفُ الوضّاحُ أظْلَمَ أُفْقُهُ

تَوشّحَ منْ فَرعَيْ تَميمٍ بأقْمارِ

When the glorious light darkens its horizon

It is clothed by the Tamim branch with moons

يُراعُ العِدا مِنهُمْ إذا ما تحدَّبُوا

على كُلِّ رَقّاصِ الأنابيبِ خَطّارِ

The enemy dreads them when they appear

Upon every clashing coat of mail

بِكُلِّ طَويلِ الباعِ فَرَّاجِ كُرْبَةٍ

ووَهَّابِ أموالٍ ونَهَّابِ أعْمارِ

With every tall far reaching

Squanderer of wealth and plunderer of lives

يُدِرُّون أخْلافَ الغَمامِ بأوْجُهٍ

شَرِقْنَ بسَلْسالِ النَّضارَةِ أحْرارِ

They repel the rear of clouds with faces

That rise with the chains of youth, free

وأنتَ إذا ما خالَفَ الفَرْعُ أصْلَهُ

شَبيهُ أبيكَ القَرْمِ عَمْرو بنِ سَوَّارِ

While you, if the branch differs from its origin

Resemble your father, Qaram, son of Suwar

تُلاثُ عُرا الأحداثِ منكَ بماجِدٍ

لَدى السِّلْمِ نَفَّاعٍ وفي الحَرْبِ ضَرّارِ

Three times the flowers of youth are culled by you

With glories, in peace high reaching, in war hurtful

إذا ما انْتَضيتَ الرّأيَ أغمَدَ كَيْدُهُ

ظُبا كُلِّ مَعْصوبٍ بهِ النّقْعُ جَرّارِ

When you determine opinion, its ruse sheathes

The prey, every creature bound by its fetter pulls

وأصْدَرْتَ ما أوْرَدْتَ والحَزْمُ باسِطٌ

يَدَيْكَ ولا إيرادَ إلا بإصْدارِ

You issue what you import, and judgment extends

Your hands, no issue but by export

ولمَّا انْزَوَتْ عَنَّا وُجوهُ مَعاشِرٍ

يَصُدُّونَ في المَشْتى عنِ الضَّيْفِ والجارِ

And when faces of tribes turned from us

Who bar the buyer from guest and neighbor

رَفَعْتَ لنا نارَ القِرى بعدَما خَبَتْ

عَداكَ الرَّدى أُكْرِمْتَ يا مُوقِدَ النَّارِ

You raised for us the fire of villages after

Others besides you failed, honored lighter of flames

على حينِ أخْفى صَوتَهُ كُلُّ نابِحٍ

وبَرَّحَ تَعطيلُ القِداحِ بأيْسارِ

While others hushed their voices in the dark

And the guests felt shame in asking for bounty

فَلا مَجْدَ إلا ما حَوَيْتَ وقد بَنى

سِواكَ عُلاً لكنْ على جُرُفٍ هارِ

So no glory but what you contained, and others built

High, yet upon crumbling ruin

وواللهِ ما ضَمَّ انتِقادُكَ نَبْعةً

إِلى غَرَبٍ تُلْوي بهِ الرّيحُ خَوّارِ

By God, your selection let no spring flow

To a west where the wind twists the hollow

وفي الخَيْلِ ما لَمْ تَخْتَبرْهُنَّ مَغْمَزٌ

أبَى العِتْقُ أن يَخفَى لدى كُلِّ مِضْمارِ

In horses what a winker has not tried

Refuses cover by any racecourse

فعَدِّ عنِ الذِّئْبِ الذي شاعَ غَدرُهُ

ولا تَسْتَنِمْ إلا إِلى الضّيغَمِ الضّاري

So turn from the treacherous wolf whose betrayal spread

And feel secure only near the biting wolf