أَمِنكَ تَأَوُّبُ الطَيفِ الطَروبِ
حَبيبٌ جاءَ يُهدى مِن حَبيبِ
From your shelter does the gentle breeze implore
A beloved has come, gifted from a beloved
تَخَطّى رِقبَةَ الوَشينَ وَهناً
وَبُعدَ مَسافَةُ الخَرقِ المَجوبِ
He surmounted the haughty soul and its languor
And the distance of the desolate wilderness
يُكاذِبُني وَأَصدُقُهُ وِداداً
وَمِن كَلَفٍ مُصادَقَةُ الكَذوبِ
He lies to me, and I believe him in affection
Feigned intimacy is the habit of liars
تُجيبُ الدارُ سائِلَها فَتُنبي
عَنِ الحَيِّ المُفارِقِ مِن تُجيبِ
The abode answers its questioner, making known
Of the living who departed, the respondents
نَأَوا بِأَوانِسٍ يَرجِعنَ وَحشاً
إِذا فوجِئنَ بِالشَعَرِ الخَضيبِ
They associated with loved ones, returning lonesome
When suddenly met by hoary hair
أَقولُ لِلِمَّتي إِذ أَسرَعَت بي
إِلى الشَيبِ اِخسَري فيهِ وَخيبي
I say to my life as it hastens me
To old age, "Ruin me in it, and disappoint me!"
مُخالِفَةً بِضَربٍ بَعدَ ضَربٍ
وَما أَنا وَاِختِلافاتُ الضُروبِ
A difference of method after method
Yet I and differences in methods are not of accord
وَكانَ حَديثُها فيها غَريباً
فَصارَ قَديمُها حَقَّ الغَريبِ
And her conversation in them was strange
Thus, her antiquity became truly strange
يَعيبُ الغانِياتُ عَلَيَّ شَيبي
وَمَن لي أَن أُمَتَّعَ بِالمَعيبِ
The singers blame my grey hair on me
But who can I be to enjoy what is blameworthy?
وَوَجدي بِالشَبابِ وَإِن تَوَلّى
حَميداً دُونَ وَجدي بِالمَشيبِ
I experienced my youth and though it turned away
Praiseworthy, without my experience of old age's dignity
أَما لِرَبيعَةِ الفَرَسِ اِنتِهاءٌ
عَنِ الزَلزالِ فيها وَالحُروبِ
Is it not time for Taghlib's springtime to end
Of tremors within it and wars?
لِكُلِّ قَبيلَةٍ خَيلٌ تَداعى
إِلى خَيلٍ مُعاوِدَةِ الرَكوبِ
For each tribe are horses that come forth
To horses rehearsing riding
كَدَأبِ بَني المُعَمِّرِ حينَ زاروا
بَني عَمروٍ بِمُصمِيَةٍ شَعوبِ
As was the habit of the sons of Mu'ammar when they visited
The sons of 'Amr at Musayyid amidst throngs
تَبالوا صادِقَ الأَحسابِ حَتّى
نَفَوا خَوَرَ الضَعيفِ عَنِ الصَليبِ
They confronted the sincere in reckoning until
They averted the loss of the weak against the cross
صَريحُ الخَيلِ وَالأَبطالِ أَغنى
عَنِ الهُجُناتِ وَالخِلطِ المَشوبِ
The openness of horses and heroes is richer
Than the crossbreeds and the adulterated mixtures
وَكانوا رَقَّعوا أَيّامَ سِلمٍ
عَلى تِلكَ القَوادِحِ وَالنُدوبِ
They would patch up the days of Sulaym
Upon those cups and wounds
إِذا ما الجُرحُ رُمَّ عَلى فَسادٍ
تَبَيَّنَ فيهِ تَفريطُ الطَبيبِ
When the wound was bandaged over corruption
The healer's negligence was evident
رَزِيَّةُ هالِكٍ جَلَبَت رَزايا
وَخَطبٌ باتَ يَكشِفُ عَن خُطوبِ
The pleasure of loss brought losses
And speech that revealed courtships
يُشَقُّ الجَيبُ ثُمَّ يَجيءُ أَمرٌ
يُصَغَّرُ فيهِ تَشقيقُ الجُيوبِ
The pocket is torn, then comes a matter
In which tearing pockets is belittled
وَقَبرٌ عَن أَيامِنِ بَرقَعيدٍ
إِذا هِيَ ناحَرَت أُفُقَ الجَنوبِ
And a grave, after my days of Barqa'id
When it slaughters the horizon of the south
يَسُحُّ تُرابُهُ أَبَداً عَلَيها
عِهاداً مِن مُراقِ دَمٍ صَبيبِ
Its soil will forever sweep upon it
A pledge from the pouring of youthful blood
إِذا سَكَبَت سَماءٌ ثُمَّ أَجلَت
ثَنَت بِسَماءِ مُغدِقَةٍ سَكوبِ
When a sky pours forth, then holds back
It curves with a generous downpour
وَلَم أَرَ لِلتِراتِ بَعُدنَ عَهداً
كَسَلِّ المَشرَفِيَّةِ مِن قَريبِ
And I have not seen for the Pleiades after our era
An ascent like that of Al-Musharrafiyyah's nearby
تُصَوَّبُ فَوقَهُم حِزَقُ العَوالي
وَغابُ الخَطِّ مَهزوزَ الكُعوبِ
The arrows of loftiness are aimed over them
And the line of trembling knees disappeared
كَنَخلِ سُمَيحَةَ اِستَعلى رَكيبٌ
تُكَفّيهِ الرِياحُ عَلى رَكيبِ
Like the date palms of Sumayhah, a hill ascended
Shielded by the winds atop a hill
فَمَن يَسمَع وَغى الأَخَوَينِ يُذعَر
بِصَكٍّ مِن قِراعِهِما عَجيبِ
Who then can hear the clamor of the two brothers and not be terrified
By a clash from their combat, wondrous
تَخَمُّطَ تَغلِبَ الغَلباءِ أَلقَت
عَلى الثَرثارِ بَركاً وَالرَحوبِ
The struggle of Taghlib cast down upon Tharthar
Spate and meadows
زَعيماً خُطَّةٍ وَرَدا حِماماً
وُرودَهُما جَبا الماءِ الشَروبِ
A chieftain of a plot, and a wild pigeon
Whose return was to drink from the waters
إِذا آدَ البَلاءُ تَحَمَّلاهُ
عَلى دَفَّي مُوَقَّعَةٍ رَكوبِ
When adversity came, they bore it
Upon the shoulders of the firmly mounted
إِذا قُسِمَ التَقَدُّمُ لَم يُرَجَّح
نَصيبٌ في الرِجالِ عَلى نَصيبِ
When precedence is divided, no share amongst men
Is weighted over any share
خَلا أَنَّ الكَبيرَ يُزادُ فَضلاً
كَفَضلِ الرُمحِ زيدَ مِنَ الكُعوبِ
Except that the elder is given excellence
As the excellence of a spear over spears
فَهَل لِاِبنى عَدِيٍّ مِن رَشيدٍ
يَرُدُّ شَريدَ حِلمِهِما الغَريبِ
Is there anyone rational of the sons of 'Adiyy
To restore the wanderer of their forbearing wisdom?
أَخافُ عَلَيهُما إِمرارَ مَرعىً
مِنَ الكَلَإِ الَّذي عُلِقاهُ موبي
I fear for them the passage of a pasture
From the fodder that they suspended, withering
وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ حَربَهُما خَبالٌ
عَلى الداعي إِلَيها وَالمُجيبِ
And I know that their war is but caprice
Upon the inviter to it and the respondent
كَما أَسرى القَطا لِبَياتِ عَمروٍ
وَسالَ لِهُلكِهِ وادي قَضيبِ
As the war prisoner of ‘Amr was led
To his demise, and the valley of Qadhib overflowed
وَفي حَربِ العَشيرَةِ مُؤيِداتٌ
تُضَعضِعُ تالِدَ العِزِّ المَهيبِ
And in the war of the clan, there are supporters
That shake the ancient glories, revered
لَعَلَّ أَبا المُعَمَّرِ يَتَّليها
بِبُعدِ الهَمِّ وَالصَدرِ الرَحيبِ
Perhaps Abu Al-Mu'ammar recites them
In distant anxiety and a vast chest
وَكَم مِن سُؤدُدٍ قَد باتَ يُعطي
عَطِيَّةَ مُكثِرِ فيهِ مُطيبِ
How many necklaces has the night given
The gift of the perfumer within it
أَهَيثَمُ يا اِبنَ عَبدِ اللَهِ دَعوى
مُشيدٍ بِالنَصيحَةِ أَو مُهيبِ
O Haytham son of ‘Abdullah, a claim
Of one praising advice or deterring
وَما يُدعى لِما تُدعى إِلَيهِ
سِواكَ اِبنَ النَجيبَةِ وَالنَجيبِ
And none are called to what you are called to
Other than you, son of the honorable and the noble
تَناسَ ذُنوبَ قَومِكَ إِنَّ حِفظَ ال
ذُنوبِ إِذا قَدُمنَ مِنَ الذُنوبِ
Overlook your people's sins, for keeping
Sins when they arrive from sins
فَلَلسَهمُ السَديدُ أَحَبُّ غِبّاً
إِلى الرامي مِنَ السَهمِ المُصيبِ
For the straight arrow is more beloved errant
To the archer than the arrow that hits
مَتى أَحرَزتَ نَصرَ بَني عُبَيدٍ
إِلى إِخلاصِ وُدِّ بَني حَبيبِ
When you have attained victory for the clan of ‘Ubayd
To the sincerity of affection for the clan of Habib
فَقَد أَصبَحتَ أَغلَبَ تَغلِبِيٍّ
عَلى أَيدي العَشيرَةِ وَالقُلوبِ
You will have become the strongest of Taghlib
At the hands of the clan and their hearts
