نامَ الخليُّ وما أُحسّ رُقادي

والهمُّ مُحتَضرٌ لَدَي وِبادي

The fate of the clan and my restless nights

And worries lie in wait for me and my lonely abode

من غير ما سَقمٍ ولكن شفّني

همٌّ أراهُ قد أصابَ فؤادي

Without illness that made me frail, yet some worries

Have stricken, I feel, and seized my heart

وَمن الحوادث لا أبالك أنني

ضُربت عليَّ الأرضُ بالأسدادِ

And of events, I care not that I am

Struck down upon this earth with misfortunes

لا أهتدي فيها لِموضع تَلعَةٍ

بينَ العراق وبين أرض مُرادِ

I cannot find my way in it to a place of refuge

Between Iraq and the land of Murad

ولقد علمتُ سِوى الذي نبأتِنى

أنَّ السبيلَ سبيلُ ذي الأعوادِ

And certainly I knew, apart from what you told me

That the path is the path of one beset with calamities

إن المنيّةَ والحتُوفَ كلاهما

يُوفي المخارمَ يرقيان سوادي

Verily death and misfortunes both

Fulfill their pledge, climbing my darkness

لن يَرضيا مني وفاءَ رَهينةٍ

من دُونِ نَفسي طارفي وتِلادى

They will not be pleased with me unless

I ransom myself, my freshness and offspring

ماذا أُؤملُ بَعدَ آلِ مُحرِّقٍ

تَركوا مَنازِلَهُم وبعدَ أيادِ

What can I hope for after the kin of Muharraq

Who left their dwellings and after their hands' work

أهل الخَوَرنق والسدير وبَارقٍ

والقصر ذي الشُرُفاتِ من سندادِ

The people of Khawarnaq, Sudair and Baraq

And the palace with the honorable chambers from Sindad

أرضاً تخيّرها لدار أبيهم

كعبُ بنُ مامَة وابنُ أمِّ دُؤادِ

A land they chose for their father's abode

Ka'b bin Zuhair and son of Umm Du'ad

جَرت الرياحُ على مكان ديارهم

فكأنما كانوا على ميعادِ

The winds blew upon the place of their dwellings

As though they were there for an appointed time

ولَقد غَنوا فيها بأنعَم عيشةٍ

في ظلِّ مُلكٍ ثابت الأوتادِ

And they sang in it with the most pleasant living

In the shade of established kingship

نَزلوا بأنقرة يسيلُ عليهمُ

ماءُ الفراتِ يجيءُ من أطوادِ

They dwelled in Anqarah with Euphrates' water

Flowing upon them coming from springs

أين الذَين بنوا فطال بناؤهم

وتَمتّعوا بالأهل والأولادِ

Where are those who built, so long their building lasted,

And enjoyed family and children?

فإذا النعيمُ وكلُّ ما يُلهى به

يوماً يَصيرُ إِلى بِلى ونفَادِ

Lo, luxury and all they were diverted by

One day turns into decay and depletion

في آل غَرف لو بَغيتَ لي الأسى

لوجدتَ فيهم أسوةَ العُدّادِ

In the clan of Gharaf, if you wished me sorrow

You would find in them the example of counters

ما بَعد زَيد في فتاةٍ فُرّقوا

قتلاً ونفياً بعدَ حُسنِ تآدي

After Zayd among the damsels they were separated

Killed and exiled after fair accord

فتخيَّروا الأرض الفضاءَ لِعزّهم

ويَزيدُ رافدُهم على الرُفادِ

So they chose the open land for their glory

With its streams increasing over meadows

أما تَريني قد بَليتُ وغاضَني

ما نيل من بَصَري ومن أجلادي

Do you not see me, I am worn out and it saddened me

What I gained from my sight and skin

وعَصيتُ أَصحابَ الصَّبابةِ والصّبا

وأطعتُ عاذلتي ولانَ قِيادي

And I disobeyed the hoodwinkers and youth

And obeyed my blamer though pliant her rein

وَلقد أروُح عَلى التّجار مُرَجِّلاً

مَذِلاً بِمالي لَيِّناً أَجيادي

And I would go to the merchants stumbling

Debased in my money, submissive my steeds

ولقد لَهوتُ وللشباب لذاذةٌ

بسُلافَةٍ مُزجَت بماءِ غَوادي

And I sported, and for youth is sweetness

With fine wine mixed with water from streams

من خَمر ذي نَطف أغَنَّ مُنطق

وافى بها لدراهِم الأسجادِ

Wine whose buds inspired speech

And for dirhams it presented carpets

يَسعى بها ذو تُومتين مُشَمِّرٌ

قنَأَت أناملُهُ منَ الفُرصادِ

With it, one with curled locks exerted effort

His fingers calloused from knocking on doors

والبيضُ تَمشي كالبدُورِ وكالدُّمى

ونواعمٌ يَمشينَ بِالأَرفادِ

And the white ones walked like moons and like statues

And delicate ones walked with a gentle gait

والبيضُ يَرمينَ القلوبَ كأنَّها

أُدحِيُّ بينَ صَريمةٍ وجَمَادِ

And the white ones cast hearts as if they

Were a flock between battle and inanimate nature

يَنطقنَ مَعرُوفاً وهُنَّ نَواعِمٌ

بيضُ الوُجوهِ رقيقةُ الأكبادِ

They speak softly and they are delicate

White of face, tender of liver

يَنطقنَ مخفوضَ الحديثِ تَهامُساً

فَبلَغنَ ما حاوَلنَ غَير تَنادي

They speak in hushed whispers, voices lowered

And so attained what they attempted without calling out

ولَقَد غَدوتُ لِعازبٍ مُتَناذِرٍ

أَحوَى المَذانبِ مُؤنَق الرّوادِ

And I frequented a dissolute bachelor

Who twisted his mustache, pliant his visitors

جادَت سَواريهِ وآزرَ نبتُهُ

نُفأً مِن الصَّفراءِ والزُّبادِ

His bracelets generous and his cloak scented

With wafts of yellow and grey

بالجو فالأموات حَول مغامرٍ

فبِضارج فقصيمَة الطُّرادِ

At midday, around a daredevil, the dead

So, with his sheath, short spear and horses

بمُشَمرٍ عِند جَهيز شدُّهُ

قيد الأوابدِ والرهانِ جوادِ

With a turbaned one, his tightening at preparation

Binding the ropes and wagering his steed

يشوي لنا الوحَدَ المُدلَّ بحُضرهِ

بشريج بين الشدِّ والإيرادِ

He grills for us the fatling slaughtered in his presence

A cooking between tightening and letting loose

ولَقد تلوتُ الظاعِنينَ بجسرةٍ

أجد مهاجرةِ السقَاب جَمادِ

And I followed those madly in love in a night

I found the emigration of hawks mute rocks

عَيرانةٍ سَدّ الربيعُ خصاصَها

ما يَستبين بها مَقيلُ قُرادِ

A caravan whom spring obstructed their maintenance

With them the resting place of caravans is not clear

فإذا وذلك لا مهاهَ لذِكرهِ

والدهرُ يُعقبُ صالِحاً بفسادِ

And when that has no end to its mention

And fate makes righteousness follow corruption