يَزورُني القَومُ هَذا أَرضُهُ يَمَنٌ

مِنَ البِلادِ وَهَذا دارُهُ الطَبَسُ

The people come visiting, this is their Yemeni land

From the countries, and this is their home, Tabas.

قالوا سَمِعنا حَديثاً عَنكَ قُلتُ لَهُم

لايُبعِدُ اللَهُ إِلّا مَعشَراً لَبَسوا

They said, "We heard talk about you." I said to them,

"May God not banish except a group who wore abuse."

يَبغَونَ مبنىً مَبناً لَستُ أُحسِنُهُ

فَإِن صَدَقتُ عَرَتهُم رَوجُهٌ عُبُسُ

They want a building I don't know how to build

So if I spoke truly, their faces scowled and frowned.

أَعانَنا اللَهُ كُلٌّ في مَعيشَتِهِ

يَلقى العَناءَ فَدُرَّيُ فَوقَنا دُبَسُ

God has helped us, each in his livelihood,

He faces hardship, so above us is folded coarse wool.

ماذا تُريدونَ لا مالٌ تَيَسَّرَ لي

فَيُستَماحُ وَلا عِلمٌ فَيُقتَبَسُ

What do you want? No money was made easy for me

To be borrowed, nor knowledge to be grasped.

أَتَسأَلونَ جَهولاً أَن يُفيدَكُمُ

وَتَحلُبونَ سَفيّاً ضَرعُها يَبَسُ

Do you ask an ignorant one to benefit you,

And milk a barren she-camel whose udder has dried?

ما يُعجِبُ الناسَ إِلّا قَولُ مُختَدِعٍ

كَأَنَّ قَوماً إِذا ما شُرَّيوا أُبِسوا

Nothing pleases people except the words of a deceiver,

As if a people, when they are bought, are corroded.

قَد أَنفَدوا في ضِياعٍ كُلَّ ما عَمِروا

فَكانَ مِثلَ جِلالِ البُدنِ ما لَبِسوا

They exhausted all they built in losses,

So their bodies were like their worn out clothes.

أَنّا الشَقيُّ بِأَنّي لا أُطيقُ لَكُم

مَعونَةً وَصُروفُ الدَهرِ تَحتَبِسُ

I am wretched in that I cannot help you,

And the turns of fate hold back.

مَن لِليَمانينَ أَن يُمسوا وَنارُهُمُ

شَبيبَةٌ وَسُهَيلٌ بَينَهُم قَبَسُ

Who are the Yemenis that they spend the night, and their fire

Is youthful, and Suhail is among them, kindled?

وَلِلبَداويِّ أَن يُبنى الخِباءُ لَهُ

في ضاحِكاتٍ بِهِنَّ العَبسُ وَالعَبَسُ

And for the Bedouin that tents be built for him

Among laughing women, some frowning, some frowning?

كَأَنَّ أَسرارَ أَقوامٍ وَإِن كُتِمَت

أَنفاسُ وَلهانَ تُطَفّى حينَ تُحتَبَسُ

It is as if the secrets of people, even if hidden,

The breaths and glances of eyes are extinguished when confined.

وَحَدَّثَت عَن خَباياهُم وُجوهُهُمُ

فَقَد أَتوكَ بِنَجواهُم وَما نَبَسوا

Their faces have talked about their hidden depths,

So they came to you with their whispers which they did not vocalize.

ساعاتُنا كَذِئابِ الخَتلِ إِن غَبَسَت

في اللَيلِ فَالذِئبُ في أَلوانِهِ الغَبَسُ

Our hours are like the hyenas of nightfall, if they become dusky

At night, then the wolf in its colors is dusky.