تَهانَفتَ وَاِستَبكاكَ رَسمُ المَنازِلِ
بِقارَةِ أَهوى أَو بِسَوقَةِ حائِلِ
The ruins of dwellings have come together and wept,
In Al-Qārah which I love or in Suqah of Ḥā'il.
خَلَت مِن جَميعِ ساكِنينَ وَبُدِّلَت
ظِباءَ السَليلِ بَعدَ خَيلٍ وَجامِلِ
It has become empty of all its inhabitants and replaces
The packs of Salīl after the horses and camels.
ذَكَرتُ بِها مَن لَم أُبالِيَ بَعدَهُ
تَفَرُّقَ حَيٍّ في النَوى مُتَزائِلِ
I remembered in it those whom I no longer care for,
Scattered lives in the resting places of the caravans.
وَإِنَّ اِمرَأً بِالشامِ أَكثَرُ قَومِهِ
وَبُطنانَ لَيسَ الشَوقُ عَنهُ بِغافِلِ
And a man in Syria has more people
And the clan of Buṭnān, longing is not heedless of him.
فَدونَ الأُلى كَلبٌ وَأَفناءُ عامِرٍ
وَدونَ الأُلى أَفناءُ بَكرِ بنِ وائِلِ
Below Al-Ulā is a dog and the open plains of ʿĀmir
And below Al-Ulā are the open plains of Bakr bin Wā'il.
وَحَنَّت إِلى أَرضِ العِراقِ حَمولَتي
وَما قَيظُ أَجوافِ العِراقِ بِطائِلِ
My camel flocks yearned for the land of Iraq
And the heat of the plains of Iraq is not ineffective.
فَقُلتُ لَها لا تَجزَعي وَتَرَبَّصي
مِنَ اللَهِ سَيباً إِنَّهُ ذو نَوافِلِ
So I said to her "Do not worry and wait patiently
For relief from God, He of recurring gifts".
كُلي الحَمضَ بَعدَ المُقحَمينَ وَرازِمي
إِلى قابِلٍ ثُمَّ اِعذِري بَعدَ قابِلِ
Eat bitter plants after the inserted ones, and direct
Yourself to a guide, then make excuses after the guide.
مَهاريسُ لاقَت بِالوَحيدِ سَحابَةً
إِلى أُمُلِ العَزّافِ ذاتِ السَلاسِلِ
The star clusters met the solitary one, a cloud
To the harbor of the Pleiades with chains.
تَواكَلَها الأَزمانُ حَتّى أَجَأنَها
إِلى جَلَدٍ مِنها قَليلِ الأَسافِلِ
Time has entrusted it until it made it take refuge
In a skin, little of its lower parts remaining.
فَلَمّا اِنجَلَت عَنها السِنونَ هَوَت لَها
مَقانِبُ هَطلى مِن غَريمٍ وَسائِلِ
So when the years slipped away from it, the claws swooped down on it
Of a pouring rain from an enemy with inquiries.
فَلَم يُبقِ مِنها الحَقُّ إِلّا أَرومَةً
غِلاظَ الرِقابِ جِلَّةً كَالجَنادِلِ
So it left of the truth only a small elevation
Of thick necks, smooth like hourglasses.
وَضَيفٍ كَفَت جيرانَها وَتَوَكَّلَت
بِهِ جَلدَةٌ مِن سِرِّها أُمُّ حائِلِ
And a guest whose neighbors sufficed him while he entrusted
To it a piece of his secret, Umm Hā'il.
نَعوسٌ إِذا دَرَّت جَرورٌ إِذا غَدَت
بُوَيزِلُ عامٍ أَو سَديسٌ كَبازِلِ
Na'ūs, when Darrah become animated, Ghada when she walks
Buwaizil of a year or Sudais like oxen.
إِذا ما دَعَت شيباً بِجَنبَي عُنَيزَةٍ
مَشافِرُها في ماءِ مُزنٍ وَباقِلِ
When she calls white hair by the side of 'Unayzah,
Her toes in the water of Muzain and Bāqil.
دَعَت بِصَريحٍ ذي غُثاءٍ هَراقَهُ
سَواري العُروقِ في الضُروعِ السَحابِلِ
She called with evident sickness which poured
Bracelets of veins in the breasts that yield milk.
إِذا وُرِّعَت أَن تَركَبَ الحَوضَ كَسَّرَت
بِأَركانِ هَضبٍ كُلَّ رَطبٍ وَذابِلِ
When she was asked to mount the basin, she broke
The corners of the plateau, every wet and withering thing.
وَإِن سَمِعَت رِزَّ الفَنيقِ تَكَشَّفَت
بِأَذنابِ صُهبٍ قُرَّحٍ كَالمَجادِلِ
And if she heard the call of the watchman she uncovered
With the tails of foxes, mangy like disputants.
وَإِن صابَ غَيثٌ مِن وَراءِ تَنوفَةٍ
هَدى هَديَ سَبّارٍ بَعيدِ المَناقِلِ
And if rain came from behind Tanūfah,
It guided guidance of far-traveling Sabbar.
وَإِنّي وَذِكرايَ اِبنَ حَربٍ لَعائِدٌ
لِخُلَّةِ مَرعِيِّ الأَمانَةِ واصِلِ
And I and my remembrance, son of Harb, will return
To the tribe of the shepherd of loyalty, keeping ties.
أَبوكَ الَّذي أَجدى عَلَيَّ بِنَصرِهِ
فَأَسكَتَ عَنّي بَعدَهُ كُلَّ قائِلِ
Your father who was of greatest help to me with his aid
So he silenced after him every critic.
وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ لا بُدَّ أَن قَد أَصَبتَني
بِمَوعِدَةٍ دَينٍ عَلَيكَ وَعاجِلِ
And you are a man, it is inevitable that you have inflicted me
With a promised debt upon you and soon due.
وَقَد عَلِمَت قَيسٌ وَأَفناءَ خِندِفٍ
وَمَذحِجُ إِذ وافَيتُهُم في المَنازِلِ
And Qais and the plains of Khindif knew
When I reached them at the resting places.
ثَنائي عَلَيكُم آلَ حَربٍ وَمَن يَمِل
سِواكُم فَإِنّي مُهتَدٍ غَيرُ مائِلِ
My praise of you, family of Harb, and whoever turns away
Other than you, I am rightly guided, not leaning.
رَأَتكَ ذَوُو الأَحلامِ خَيراً خِلافَةً
مِنَ الراتِعينَ في التِلاعِ الدَواخِلِ
The people of wisdom saw you as best successorship
Among the fourth in entering the assemblies.
وَأَجزَأتَ أَمرَ العالَمينَ وَلَم يَكُن
لِيُجزِئَ إِلّا كامِلٌ وَاِبنَ كامِلِ
And you made sufficient the affair of the two worlds, and none could
Make sufficient except a perfect one, son of the perfect.
إِلَيكَ اِبتَذَلنا كُلَّ أَدماءَ حُرَّةٍ
وَأَعيَسَ مَشّاءٍ أَمامَ الرَواحِلِ
We sacrificed for you every free soul
And calf of Mash'a in front of the riding camels.
رَباعٍ كَوَقفِ العاجِ تَثني حِبالَهُ
شَراسيفُ حُدَّت غَرضُها غَيرُ جائِلِ
Quarterings like the stance of ivory, bending its ropes,
Thoroughbreds whose goal is not fruitless.
مُشَرَّفُ أَطرافِ المَحالِ مَزَلِّهِ
مَعادَ المِلاطِ مُعرِقٍ في العَقائِلِ
Lofty of the edges of the carpets of his camping place,
The place of saliva's coagulation in the plaits.
فَيا لَكَ مِن خَدٍّ وَذِفرَي أَسيلَةٍ
وَمِن عُنُقٍ صَعلٍ وَمَوضِعِ كاهِلِ
So excellent your cheek and pouring hairlocks,
And excellent your sturdy neck and place of shoulder.
وَرَأسٍ كَإِبريقِ اليَهودِيِّ أَشرَفَت
لَهُ حُبُكٌ أَجيادُها كَالمَراجِلِ
And a head like the ewer of a Jew, above it
Are plaits, their chiefs like fuel.
وَمِن عُجُزٍ فيها جَناحانِ أَلحَقا
تَوالِيَ لا شَختٍ وَلا مُتَخاذِلِ
And from the rear two wings joined
Consecutive, no disconnecting and no neglecting.
وَسُمرٍ خِفافٍ في حِذاءٍ نَعامَةٍ
ثَمانِيَةٍ روحٍ ظِماءِ المَفاصِلِ
And a reddish horse in a ostrich slipper,
Eight spirits, thirsty in joints.
إِذا قُلتُ جاهٍ لَجَّ حَتّى تَرُدَّهُ
قُوى أَدَمٍ أَطرافُها في السَلاسِلِ
When I say stubborn, he charges until you check him
With the strength of a man whose extremities are in chains.
بَعيدٌ مِنَ الحادي إِذا ما تَرَقَّصَت
بَناتُ الصُوى في السَبسَبِ المُتَماحِلِ
Far from the driver when the mares of Suwa dance
In the anklets, leaning towards one another.
تَرى الأَعظُمَ اللائي يَلينَ فُؤادَهُ
جُنوحَ الأَعالي مائِراتِ الأَسافِلِ
You see the greatest of heart whom their love softens
The wings of the lofty,wanton of the low.
كَذي رَمَلٍ مِن وَحشِ حَومَلَ بَلَّهُ
أَهاضيبُ في قِسٍّ مِنَ الريحِ شامِلِ
Like one with stony ground whom Showmal made wet with its spit
Precipices in a portion of wind encompassing.
تَخِرُّ عَلى مَتنِ الكَثيبِ وَمَتنُهُ
رَذاذٌ هَوى مِن ديمَةٍ غَيرِ وابِلِ
It drips upon the body of the hill and its body
Is spray which fell from a cloud without rain.
تَبيتُ بَناتُ الأَرضِ تَحتَ لَبانِهِ
بِأَحقَفَ مِن أَنقاءِ توضِحَ مائِلِ
The daughters of the land spend the night beneath its moistness
In the most chaste of she-oryxes, lying inclined.
كَأَنَّ القِطارَ حَرَّكَت في مَبيتِهِ
جَدِيَّةَ مِسكٍ في مُعَرَّسِ قافِلِ
As if the train stirred in its resting place
A sack of musk in the litter of a caravan.
فَلَمّا تَجَلّى لَيلُهُ عَن نَهارِهِ
غَدا سالِكاً بَينَ اللِوى فَالخَمائِلِ
So when its night parted from its day,
It traveled in the twists and turns.
فَهاجَ بِهِ لَمّا تَرَجَّلَتِ الضُحى
شَطائِبُ شَتّى مِن كِلابٍ وَنابِلِ
So it was roused when the dawn moved
By diverse mongrels and hounds.
فَأَبصَرَها حَتّى إِذا ما تَقارَبَت
وَفي النَفسِ مِنهُ كَرَّةٌ لِلأَوائِلِ
It saw them until when they drew near
And the soul dislikes the first ones for it.
حَمى الأَنفَ مِن بَعضِ الفِرارِ فَذادَها
بِأَسحَمَ لاةٍ ذي شَباةٍ وَعامِلِ
It protected its nose from some of the fleeing, so it repelled them
With a flash of lightning, unblemished and effective.
فَفَرَّقَ بَينَ السابِقينَ بِطَعنَةٍ
عَلى عَجَلٍ مِن سَلهَبٍ غَيرِ ناصِلِ
It separated the preceders with a stab
On a leg of Salhab, not reaching the target.
فَكانَ كَذي تَبلٍ تَذَكَّرَ ما مَضى
وَقَد كَرَّ كَرّاتِ الكَريمِ المُقاتِلِ
It was like a stallion who recalled what was past
When he performed the valorous deeds of the warrior.
يَهُزُّ بِأَطرافِ الحِبالِ وَيَنتَحي
عَلى الأَجنَبِ القُصوى هَزيزَ المُغاوِلِ
It sways at the ends of the ropes and sniffs
At the farthest side, swaying of the wavering.
كَما اِنقَضَّ دُرِّيٌّ تَخَلَّلَ مَتنُهُ
فُروجَ جَهامٍ آخِرَ اللَيلِ جافِلِ
As a lote tree whose core a plunging Dellal entered
At the end of the night, pouring.
