رآني في الكَرى رَجَلٌ كَأَنّي
مِنَ الذَهَبِ اِتَّخَذَتُ غِشاءَ راسي
A man saw me in al-Kura as if
I had made a helmet of gold for my head,
قَلَنسُوَةً خُصِصَت بِها نَضاراً
كَهُرمُزَ أَو كَمَلكِ أُلي خُراسِ
Wearing a skullcap reserved for the elegant,
Like Khorramuz or an Uli king.
فَقُلتُ مُعَبِّراً ذَهَبٌ ذَهابي
وَتِلكَ نَباهَةٌ لي في اِندِراسي
So I said, expressing myself, “My gold is lost
And that is glory for me in my poem.”
نَهَيتُكَ أَن تُعَرَضَ بِنَتَ قيلٍ
تَقَيَّلُ في الذَوابِلِ وَالتِراسِ
I forbade you to parade the daughter of gossip
Who sways when she walks and is unsteady.
كَأَنَّ مَغارِسَ اللِثَتَينِ فَجرٌ
يُعَلُّ بِماءِ عالِيَةِ الغِراسِ
As if the gardens of her two jaws were a sunrise
Watering the plants of her prominent upper arms.
كَأَنَّ سَبيئَةً في الرَأسِ مِنها
بِبَيتِ فَمٍ سَبيئَةُ بَيتِ راسِ
As if she had a Pleiades in her head,
The house of her mouth the house of her head.
وَروقٍ كَالهَبا وَأَقَلُّ مُلقىً
عَلى شَوكِ القَتادِ أَو الهَراسِ
And a neck like lightning, the least bit inclined
Over the thorns of broom plants or bracken.
تَنَزَّلَ كَاِحتِلابِ الدَرِّ ضاقَت
مَسالِكُهُ فَأَتعَبَ في المِراسِ
She came down like the slipping of a pearl—
Its passageways narrowed, exhausted in the pass.
رَضيتُ بِهِ عَلى مَضَضٍ لِعِلمي
بِأَنَّ فَرائِسي تَجني اِفتِراسي
I was satisfied with her, though reluctantly, knowing
My mares were collecting their fodder.
وَمَن لِأَخيكَ لَو يَحدو رِكاباً
بِأَفراسٍ يَطَأنَ عَلى القَراسِ
Who can race horses for his brother
That would trample the turf and race-course?
أَقُمتُ وَكانَ بَعضُ الحَزمِ يَوماً
لِرَكبِ السُفُنِ أَن تُلقي المَراسي
One day I stood while some resolution
Told the ships’ convoy to cast off.
جَعَلتُكَ حارِسي فَبَغَيتَ كَيدي
وَهَمُّكَ حينَ أَهجَعُ في اِحتِراسي
I made you my guard but you betrayed my intentions
While you plotted as I slept in my watch.
كَراسي الهَضبِ طَيشٌ في رِجالٍ
أَلَظّوا بِالأُسرَةِ وَالكَراسي
The chairs of the hilly ground are crazed men
Who have clung to authority and chairs.
