هُوَ ما تَرى فأقِلَّ منْ تَعنيفي
وحَذارِ منْ مُقَلِ الظِّباءِ الهِيفِ
He is not what you think, so reproach me little,
And beware of blaming the shy gazelles.
ولهٌ يَبيتُ لهُ المُتَيَّمُ ساهِراً
بحَشىً على ألَمِ الجَوى مَوْقوفِ
He has a night when the lover keeps vigil for him,
Restrained by longing for the pain of passion.
ويظَلُّ حِلْفُ الدّمعِ مِلْءَ جُفونِهِ
والوَجْدُ مِلْءَ فُؤادِهِ المَشْغوفِ
The oath of tears keeps filling his eyelids,
And fervor keeps filling his ardent heart.
عَرَضَتْ ونَحْنُ على الحِمى ومَطيُّنا
كالسّمْهَريِّ أُقيمَ بالتّثْقيفِ
She appeared while we were at the tribe, and our steed
Was like a trained horse brought for the raid.
نَشوانَةُ اللّحَظاتِ تُرْسِلُ نَظْرَةً
عَجِلَتْ بِها كالشّادِنِ المَطْروفِ
The glances of the moment sent a look
That hastened with it like a startled ostrich.
يَهْفو بِها مَرَحُ الصِّبا فتَهُزُّ مِنْ
قَدٍّ كَما جُدِلَ العِنانُ قَضيفِ
The dawn breeze wafted it and it shook
A figure twined at the neck like a plaited lock.
وتُراعُ عندَ قِيامِها حَذَراً على
خَصْرٍ يَجولُ بهِ الوِشاحُ لَطيفِ
She was cautious when she stood up, wary
Of a waist circled by a delicate sash.
ووراءَ ذَيّاكَ اللّثامِ مَباسِمٌ
حامَتْ عليْها غُلّةُ المَلْهوفِ
Behind the veil were smiling faces
Covered by the mantle of the inflamed.
تَفْتَرُّ عن بَرَدٍ يكادُ يُذيبُهُ
قُبَلٌ تَرَدَّدُ في اللَّمى المَرشوفِ
It melted from a coolness almost dissolved
By kisses that touched again and again.
لمّا رأتْ رَحْلي يُقرَّبُ للنّوى
عَلِقَتْ سُوادُ بِحِنْوِهِ المَعطوفِ
When she saw my camel prepared for departure
The blackness of her eye's kohl clung to it.
وجَرَتْ أحاديثٌ تَبيتُ قَلائِدٌ
مِنْ أجْلِهِنَّ حَواسِداً لشُنوفِ
Conversations occurred that spent the night as necklaces
For which wrists were adorned with bracelets.
أَأُمَيْمَ كُفّي مِنْ دُموعِكِ وانْظُري
خَبَبي إِلى أمَدِ العُلا ووَجِيفي
Shall I wipe my hand of your tears and look
To the furthest horizon and wander?
وتبرَّضي النُّغَبَ الثِّمادَ وجاوِري
سَرَواتِ حَيٍّ بالبِطاحِ خُلوفِ
Shall I abandon the lush meadows and dwell
Among the willows of a barren valley?
أنا مَنْ عَرَفْتِ وبَعْدَ يَومِهِمُ غَدٌ
وعليَّ بزّةُ أجْدَلٍ غِطْريفِ
I am the one you knew, and after their day comes tomorrow,
And I am clothed in a striped cloak.
لا يعلَمُ اللُّؤَماءُ أينَ مُعَرَّسي
وبأيّ وادٍ مَرْبَعي ومَصيفي
The girls do not know where is my wedding place
Or which valley and summer pasture are mine.
لَفَظَتْ دِيارُهُمُ الكِرامَ فما لَوى
طَمَعٌ إِلى عَرَصاتِهِنَّ صَليفي
Their abodes have lost the generous ones, so desire
Does not covet their sandy tracts.
وأبى عُرَيقٌ فيَّ منْ عَرَبيّةٍ
أنّي أخَيّمُ والهَوانُ حَليفي
My soul refused in me the villages
That I pitch my tent while disgrace is my ally.
ونَجيبَةٍ مَمْغوطَةٍ أنْساعُها
تَخْدي بمَعْروقِ العِظامِ نَحيفِ
A supple she-camel whose straps
Chafe with the protruding bones.
فزَجَرْتُها والوِرْدُ يَضْمَنُ رِيَّها
ولَها على الظّمأِ ازْوِرارُ عَيوفِ
So I drove her away while the roses in her mount
Guarantee her water on thirsty days.
وطَفِقْتُ أفْرُقُ وهْيَ طائِشةُ الخُطا
لِمَمَ الدُّجى بِيَدِ الصّباحِ الموفي
I began to separate while she wandered lost
At the darkness of night with the dawn’s first light.
ونَصَلْتُ منْ أعْجازِهِ في غِلْمَةٍ
تَشْفي الغَليلَ بهِمْ صُدورُ سُيوفي
I climbed down against the rear guard in the darkness
That heals the chests of my swords with joy.
فأتَتْ مُعاوِيَّ الفَخارِ وألْصَقَتْ
طَرَفَ الجِرانِ بمَبْرَكٍ مألوفِ
She came to the pottery of Muawiyah and attached
The edge of the water-skin to a familiar peg,
نَزَلَتْ بمَغْشيِّ الرِّواقِ فِناؤُهُ
مَثْوى وفودٍ أو مَقَرُّ ضُيوفِ
Alighting at the covered alley whose courtyard
Is a dwelling for delegations or guests’ lodging.
بالمُسْتَثيرِ المَجْدَ منْ سَكَناتِهِ
حتّى يوَشِّحَ تالِداً بطَريفِ
She incited glory from its tranquility
Until it was adorned with a new cloak.
وإِلى أبي العَبّاسِ يَجْتَذِبُ الندى
مِدَحاً هيَ الحِبَراتُ منْ تَفْويفي
And to Abu Al-‘Abbas it attracted the dew of praise
Which my compositions instilled.
وإذا اعْتَرَكْنَ بمِسْمَعٍ قرَّطْنَهُ
فِقَراً كَسِمْطِ اللؤلُؤِ المَرْصوفِ
And if they chanced to hear a jingling
They stretched their necks like strung pearls.
مدّت هَواديَها الرّئاسَةُ نَحوهُ
في حادثٍ يَلِدُ الشِّقاقَ مَخوفِ
The leadership extended its prairies toward him
In an event that birthed dreaded dissention.
وأقرَّ نافِرَةَ القُلوبِ فلَمْ يَثِبْ
أسَدٌ يُجيلُ الطّرْفَ حولَ غَريفِ
It settled the discord of the hearts, so not
A lion with a stern gaze rose around the cave.
والضّرْبَةُ الأخْدودُ لم يُعْجَمْ لَها
سَطْرٌ بِعاجِلِ طَعْنَةٍ إخْطيفِ
The indented blow whose line no sword inscribed
With the swift strike of a piercing stab.
قَرْمٌ يُجيرُ على الزّمانِ إذا اعْتَدى
ويُقيمُ زَيْغَ نَوائِبٍ وصُروفِ
A hero who protects the times when transgressed
And rights the deviations of fortunes.
ويَلُفُّ كاشِحُهُ جَوانِحَهُ على
جُرْحٍ بعالِيَةِ القَنا مَقْروفِ
His attacker folds his wings over
A wound bound with the height of the spear.
ضمِنَ الحَياةَ لمُعْتَفيهِ يَراعُهُ
ورَمى العُداةَ حُسامُهُ بحُتوفِ
He guaranteed life for those who sought refuge with him
And his sword struck down the enemies with blows.
وقدِ امْتَطى رُتَباً مُنيفاتِ الذُّرا
حلَّ السُّها مِنها مَكانَ رَديفِ
He has mounted ranks higher than the Pleiades
Where the Suhayl took the place of its companion.
بخلائِقٍ نَفَحَتْ برَيّا رَوْضَةٍ
غَنّاءَ ذاتِ تبسُّمٍ ورَفيفِ
With manners that diffused the scent of a garden,
Melodious, smiling, and gentle.
وأنامِلٍ كَفلَتْ بصَوْبَيْ نائِلٍ
ودَمٍ بأطْرافِ الرِّماحِ نَزيفِ
With fingers that grasped the cups of the drinker
And blood on the spearheads of the wounded dripped.
تندى إذا جَمَدَتْ أكُفُّ مَعاشِرٍ
فكأنّها خُلِقَتْ منَ المَعْروفِ
They glisten when the palms of the carousers are still
As if created from bounty itself.
يا بْنَ الأكارِمِ دعوةً تَفْتَرُّ عنْ
أمَلٍ بأنديةِ الملوكِ مُطيفِ
O son of nobles, a call that reveals
A wish for your royal gatherings.
وعَدَتنيَ الأيّامُ عنكَ برُتْبَةٍ
ووَفورِ حَظٍّ منكَ غَيرَ طَفيفِ
The days have turned me from you to a position
And abundant fortune from you not slight.
والعَبْدُ مُنْتَظِرٌ وهُنَّ مَواطِلٌ
ومنَ العَناءِ إطالَةُ التّسْويفِ
The slave still waits while they are procrastinating,
And prolonging the response is tedious.
