كم دونَ مسراكَ مِن بيدٍ وأخطارِ
ومِن أصَمَّ صليبِ الكعبِ خطّارِ
How much peril beneath your abode,
And the most deafening clash of Ka'ba's foot.
في كفَّ أروعَ دامي الظُّفْرِ مُنْصَلِتٍ
رَحْبِ الذَّراعِ على الأهوالِ صبّارِ
In the grasp of the finest of my arms, unsheathing,
With broad forearms, steadfast against horrors.
مُشَيَّعٍ هبواتُ النقعِ تستُره
أضحتْ له كعرينِ الضيغمِ الضاري
Attended by gusts of musk, cloaking him,
He became like violent southern winds.
حُرًّ يسيرُ إلى الحربِ العوانِ وقد
أبدتْ نواجذَها ما بينَ أحرارِ
A freeman marching to war and its supporters,
As their claws emerged among the noble.
حُمْسٍ برودُهمُ الزغَّفُ الَّلاصُ اِذا
أمستْ برودُ أُناسٍ سُحْقَ أطمارِ
Valiant whose coldness is disabling when
The cold of some became crushed boulders.
يلقى الأسودَ بآسادٍ غَطارِفَةٍ
في جَحْفَلٍ لَجِبٍ كالسَّيلِ جَرّارِ
He meets the lions with roaring warriors
In a lofty, stiff torrent, gushing.
ما فيهمُ في مجالِ الكرَّ غيرُ أخي
بأسٍ على صَهَواتِ الخيلِ كرّارِ
Among them in the field of war, none but my brother,
With might atop the galloping steeds.
يا خافقَ القلبِ لمّا شامَ بارقةً
في حِندسِ الليلِ تبدو ذاتَ أنوارِ
O heart that flutters when a lightning flashed
In the darkness of night, revealing lights.
لم يدرِ عن أيَّ أرضٍ لاحَ مومِضُها
تحتَ الدُّجُنَّةِ لمّا لاحَ يا حارِ
It knew not from which land its sparkle gleamed
Beneath the gloominess when it shone, O swift one.
شِمْ ثغرَ سُعدى فقد حيّاكَ بارِقُهُ
ليلاً ودعْ عنكَ شَيْمَ البارقِ الساري
Smell the cheek of Suda, its lightning greeted you
At night, cease your hearing of the flowing lightning.
وعاذلٍ قلتُ لمّا لامني سَفَهاً
له أتؤثرُ بالتعنيفِ أِقصاري
And to the blamer when he blamed me foolishly
I said: Do you wish by blaming to shorten me?
لا تلْحَني أن همتْ عينايَ مَن أَسَفٍ
على مرابعِ أوطاني وأوطاري
Rebuke me not if my eyes grieved
For the dwellings of my homelands and encampments.
أضحى الأقاحيُّ مفتّراًبعرْصَتِها
لمّا تحدَّرَ فيها دمعيَ الجاري
The sides of the valley mocked since my flowing tear
Streamed down within it.
تلك الديارُ سقىَ الوسميُّ ساحتَها
مِن جفنِ كلَّ مُلِثَّ القطرِ مِدرارِ
That abode which the branded one watered its grounds
From the eyelids of every weeping cloud.
منازلٌ كنتُ أحيانَ الشبابِ بها
أختالُ بينَ قَماريًّ وأقمارِ
Dwellings which I strutted in my youth's days
Promenading between gamblers and moons.
أجرُّ فضلَ ذيولِ اللهوِ مِن مرحٍ
في روضةٍ أُنُفٍ غَنّاَء مِعْطارِ
I dragged the train of frivolity playfully
In a grove, melodious, fragrant.
تأرجتْ برياحِ الوصلِ ساحتُها
كأنَّما فُتَّ فيها فأْرُ عطّارِ
Its grounds were scented by the winds of union
As if unlocked within it were a perfumer's vase.
فمَنْ يعيدُ لياليَّ التي سَلَفَتْ
لذيذةً بأُصيحابي وسُماري
Who will restore for me those bygone nights
That went by delightful with my friends and vigil?
أعدْ حديثَ الهوى يا مَنْ يحدَّثُني
عنه ألذَّ أحاديثٍ وأسمارِ
Relate to me the tale of love, O you who relates to me
The sweetest tales and evenings.
ما كنتُ لولا نوى الأحبابِ
ذا شَرَقٍ بالدمعِ جوّابَ آفاقٍ وأمصارِ
I would not, were it not for the intent of loved ones,
Have an east with tears responding to horizons and towns.
أحثُّ كلَّ عَفَرناةٍ هَمَلَّعَةٍ
مَوّارةٍ وأمونِ السيرِ مَوّارِ
I spur every fattened, pampered,
Tamed camel, easy to control.
في مهمهٍ قَذَفٍ أُمسي وأُصبحُ في
أرجائِه حِلْفَ أقتادٍ وأكوارِ
In an endeavor I spend my mornings and evenings wherein
Are hosts of friends and comrades.
اِذا قطعتُ بها يَهْماءَ مُقْفِرَةٍ
بدتْ لديَّ موامٍ ذاتُ أقفارِ
When I crossed with them a desolate wilderness
It seemed inhabited to me with ruins.
تثني الجرانَ إلى المشتاقِ شاكيةً
مُرَدَّداً بينَ اِخفاء واِظهارِ
The sands incline to the longing lover complaining,
Concealing and revealing me in turns.
تختبُّ فيهنَّ بي كالهَيْقِ معنِقةً
مِن فوقِها نضوُ أزماعٍ وأسفارِ
Within them it doubted me like an ailing camel,
Above it the descent of integrals and journeys.
مرَّتْ به في عُبابِ الآلِ سابحةً
كأنَّها منه في لُجًّ وتيّارِ
Past it sailed in the prime of kin, swimming
As if it were amidst it in a whirlpool and current.
تنحو الأحبَّةَ لمّا أن نأتْ بهمُ
نُجْبٌ تسابقُ منها كلَّ طيّارِ
It heads towards loved ones when I come with them
A flock competing, every flier of them.
نأوا فلولا المنى ما عشتُ بعدَهمُ
وكم أعيشُ على وعدٍ وانظارِ
They went away, and had it not been for wishes I would not have lived after them
And how long will I live on a promise and awaiting?
وما تدرَّعتُ أدراعاً مضاعفةً
للصبرِ إلا وعفّاهنَّ تَذكاري
I did not arm myself with layered armaments
Of patience, but reminiscing softened them.
تذكُّراً لزمانٍ فاتَ فارطُه
وطيبِ أوقاتِ آصالي وأسحاري
Remembering a time that went, departing,
And the goodness of my roots and dawns.
قد كانَ فيهنَّ لو دامتْ بشاشتُها
للصبَّ لذَّةُ أسماعٍ وأبصارِ
In them, had their vitality persisted,
The ear would have delighted in sights and visions.
وقفتُ في الدارِ مِن بعدِ الخليطِ وقد
أقوتْ معاهِدُها مِن ساكني الدارِ
I stood in the abode after the mixed company and its
Covenants with its dwellers had perished.
أكفكِفُ الدمعَ خوفَ الكاشحينَ على
مواطنٍ أقفرتْ منهمْ وآثارِ
I restrain my tears fearing the perceivers
In places they evacuated, without marks and traces.
دعني من اللومِ يا مَنْ لامني سفهاً
فما يفيدُكَ تعنيفي وانذاري
Leave me from blame, O you who blamed me foolishly
For what benefits you to rebuke and warn me?
الدارُ دارُ أحبائي الذين مَضَوا
والوجدُ وجديَ والأفكارُ أفكاري
The abode is that of my loved ones who went away
And my fervor is my fervor, and thoughts my thoughts.
فما الوقوفُ إذا استثبتُّ معلمها
عليَّ في رسمِها العاري مِنَ العارِ
So what is this standing when its landmarks that
Bared me of coverings remained upon me?
فكم سكبتُ على الأطلالِ مِن كَمَدٍ
دمعاً ألثَّ على تربٍ وأحجارِ
So how much flowing tears did I pour on the ruins
Weeping abundantly on soil and pebbles!
وبتُّ أرتاحُ أن هبَّتْ يمانيةٌ
تسري مِنَ الليلِ في بحرٍ مِنَ القارِ
I wished to find rest if a southern wind blew
Traveling the night in a sea of tar.
لعلَّها عنهمُ بالقربِ تُخبِرُني
وأنْ تُسِرَّ بذكرِ الوصلِ أسراري
Perhaps it may inform me of news of them
And delight me with mentioning the union of my secrets.
آثرتُ عودَهمُ مِن بعدِ ما ذهبوا
يا بُعدَ مَطْرَحِ أهوائي واِيثاري
I preferred their visitation after they went away
O remoteness from where my passions and preferences lie!
لم يبقَ بعدَ رحيلِ الحيَّ مِن اِضَمٍ
اِلا تذكُّرُ أنباءٍ وأخبارِ
After the living left, nothing remained of longing
Except remembering news and reports.
مذْ بانَ بانتْ لذاذاتي وهذَّبَني
دهري وقدَّمتُ دونَ اللهوِ أعذاري
Since they were gone, gone were my bliss and refinement
My fate disciplined me, and I presented excuses for amusement.
فليس لي موئلٌ أن شفَّني وَلَهٌ
اِلاّ ترنُّمُ أغزالي وأشعاري
I have no haven that healed my affliction and worry
Except the singing of my gazelles and poems.
اذا تناشدَها الركبانُ أثملَهمْ
لفظٌ لأبرعِ نظّامٍ ونثّارِ
When the caravan vied in reciting them, the words
Burdened them, of the most eloquent composer and strewer.
فمَنْ يساجِلُني فيها وأينَ له
منها عذوبةُ اِبرادي واِصداري
So who rivals me in them? Where is for him in them
The sweetness of my writing and reciting?
فكم خناذيذِ أشعارٍ سبقتُهمُ
سبقَ الجوادِ بها في كلَّ مضمارِ
So how many songbirds of poetry I preceded,
Preceding them in it in every field.
بارَوا قريضي فبارُوا بالذي نظمتْ
قرائحي مِن كلامٍ غيرِ خوّارِ
They probed my rhymed prose so they probed what
My instinct composed of peerless speech.
ذابوا لديهِ كما ذاب الرَّصاصُ اِذا
رفَّعتَه حينَ تبلوه على النارِ
They melted before it as lead melts when
You raise it when you test it over the fire.
مِن أينَ للغابطِيْ فضلي واِنْ كَثُروا
كمثلِ عُوني إذا تُجلى وأبكاري
Whence is the excellence of the ignorant over me, numerous as they are,
Like my help when it appears and dawns?
تُجلى فتشغِفُهْم منها بدائعُها
حسناً واِنْ جَهِلوا علمي ومقداري
It appears and their souls crave its wonders,
Beauteous even if they know not my knowledge and worth.
فُيذعِنونَ إذا ما هزَّهم غزلي
هزَّ النسيمِ فروعَ البانِ والغارِ
They acquiesce when my love verse shakes them
As the breeze shakes the branches of acacia and caves.
