أَعادَ لي عيدَ الضَنى

جيرانُنا عَلى مِنى

My neighbors have returned my days of grief to me

At Mina

مَواقِفٌ تُبَدِّلُ ذا الشَي

بِ شِطاطاً بِحِنى

With situations that change this gray-haired one

To a young man, happy again

يَقولُ مَن عايَنَ ها

تيكَ الطُلى وَالأَعيُنا

Those who saw them say

Those gazelles with the kohl around their eyes

هَذا غَزالٌ قَد عَطا

وَذاكَ ظَبيٌ قَد رَنا

This is a gazelle who has given up

And that is a wild cow who has cried out

وا لَهفَتا مِن واجِدٍ

عَلى الشَبابِ وَالغِنى

Passionate with desire

For youth and song

مِن أَجلِها يَرضى الغَري

بُ بِالبَوادي وَطَنا

For them the jealous would accept

To live in the deserts as a homeland

أَنسى قَنا مُرّانِها

مَوارِنٌ ذاتُ قَنا

I forget their bent spears

Smooth-sided lances

يُلقى بِها فَوارِسٌ

لا يَحفِلونَ الجُبَنا

With which horsemen charge

Not fearing cowardice

مُجتَمِراتٌ رُحنَ عَن

رَميِ الجِمارِ مَوهِنا

Crowded together, they left off

Throwing pebbles, subdued

تَرَوُّحَ السِربِ عَنِ ال

وِردِ إِذا اللَيلُ دَنا

The flock takes comfort from the pond

When night approaches

كَم كَبِدٍ مَعقورَةٍ

لِلعاقِرينَ البُدُنا

How many despairing livers

For the childless bodies

بِأَعيُنٍ تَرَكتُها

عَلى القُلوبِ أَعيُنا

With eyes that have left them

Eyes on hearts

وَإِنَّما جَعَلنَها

لِرَدِّ قَولٍ أَلسُنا

But they have only made them

To refute a saying of tongues

يورِقُ مِنهُنَّ الحَصى

حَتّى يَكادُ يُجتَنى

From them pebbles burst into leaf

Almost bursting out

لِيَهُن مَن لَم يَفتَتِن

إِنّا لَقينا الفِتَنا

Woe to him not infatuated

We have certainly met temptation

يُخفي تَباريحَ الهَوى

وَقَد عَنانا ما عَنا

He hides the confusion of passion

Though it loosened what was tied

كَميا النُزوعُ عِندَكُم

كَذا النِزاعُ عِندَنا

How much pulling away with you

And contention with us

يا صاحِبَي رَحلي قِفا

فَسائِلا لي الدِمَنا

My two companions stop

Asking me for protection

بِالغَمرِ قَد غَيَّرَها

صَوبُ الغَمامِ مُدجِنا

The rain has changed it

To the direction of the clouds, drenching

وَأَمطِرا دَمعَيكُما

ذاكَ الكَثيبَ الأَيمَنا

And rain down your tears

On that right-hand sand dune

الدارُ عِندي سَكَنٌ

إِذا عَدِمتُ السَكَنا

The house is a dwelling for me

When I lack any dwelling

قالا وَمِن أَينَ رَما

كَ الشَوقُ قُلتُ مِن هُنا

They said: and from where

Did longing hit you like an arrow?

وَصاحِبٍ نَبَّهتُهُ

بَعدَ اللَغوبِ وَالوَنى

I said: from here

And a friend I awakened

رَمى الكَرى في سَمعِهِ

فَبَعدَ لَأيٍ أَذِنا

After inattention and love

He flung denial in my hearing

وَقامَ كَالمُصعَبِ ذي ال

رَوقِ يَجُرُّ الرَسَنا

So stay far from any ear

And he got up like erect Sakhb

فَقُلتُ مَن مُعاقِدي

عَلى الرَدى قالَ أَنا

Dragging spear and step

So I said: who has pledged

اِتَّقِ ما بي تَتَقّي

وَلَو أَنابيبَ القَنا

To reject me? He said: I

Fear me, even if the channels fear not

كُلُّ الظُبى حَدائِدٌ

وَقَلَّ مِنها المُقتَنى

All the gazelles are wild

And few of them are to be had

وَإِنَّما الصَونُ عَلى

قَدرِ المَضاءِ وَالغِنا

Preservation is only

According to fate and wealth

وَبارِقٍ أَشيمُهُ

كَالطَرفِ أَغضى وَرَنا

Flashing, I think it

Greenest softness and tenderness

أَو رُمحِ مَحبوكِ القَرا

باتِ شَموعاً أَرِنا

Or a spear with interwoven necks

Like candles, show us

أَيقَظتُ عَنُه صاحِباً

يَنجابُ عُلوِيَّ السَنا

I awakened a companion there

Of towering gray hair

فَقُلتُ إِيهِ نَظَراً

أَما قَضَيتَ الوَسَنا

And said: look

Have you not finished your evening yet?

أَينَ تَقولُ صَوبُهُ

فَقالَ لي دونَ قَنى

Where are you headed?

He said to me: Below the water-skin

ذَكَّرَني الأَحبابَ وَال

ذِكرى تَهيجُ الحَزَنا

It reminded me of loved ones and

Remembrance that stirs up grief

أَضامِنٌ أَن لا يَني

يَشوقُ قَلباً ضَمِنا

Bosoms that do not console

A heart pining with longing

مِن بَطنِ مُرٍّ وَالسُرى

تَؤُمُّ عُسفانَ بِنا

From the belly of a bitter saddle

And travel that Usfan shelters us

وَبِالعِراقِ وَطَري

يا بُعدَ ما لاحَ لَنا

And Iraq and a land

Oh distance with nothing visible to us

أَشتاقُهُم وَمُربِخٌ

إِلى زَرودٍ بَينَنا

I yearn for them while a cooking pot

Boils between us

يا وَيحَ لي مِن شَجَني

أَما مَلَلتُ الشَجَنا

Oh woe is me from my passion

Have I not wearied of passion?

رَحَّلَني عَن وَطَني

إِنّي ذَمَمتُ الوَطَنا

It has moved me from my homeland

I have condemned the homeland

ما رابَني مِن أَبعَدي

ما رابَني مِنَ الدُنى

Nothing has suited me from my remoteness

Nothing has suited me from life

وَلَو وَجَدتُ مَرقَعاً

لَبِستُ ثَوبي زَمَنا

If I found a patched garment

I would wear my cloth for a while

أَنّى وَمَن يَغلِبُ بِال

رَقعِ أَديماً لَخِنا

Where, and who can overcome

With patches, a worn-out hide?

أَقسَمتُ بِالمَحجوجِ مَر

فوعِ العِمادِ وَالبُنى

I swore by the pillar

With high columns and buildings

مِثلِ سَنامِ العَودِ قَد

عالوا عَليهِ الظُعُنا

Like the mast of a tent they

Have propped it up with poles

مَوضوعَةً صِفاحُهُ

وَضعَ المَطِيِّ الثَفِنا

Laid out, its breadth

Takes up the place of the mounted knight

وَالأَسوَدُ المَلموسُ قَد

جابوا عَليهِ الرُكُنا

And the blackened much-handled one

They have supported its corners

يَلقى عَليهِ مُضَرٌ

بَعدَ الصَفاءِ اليَمَنا

Mudar throws on it

After pure Yaman

تَحَكُّكَ الجُربِ عَلى ال

أَجذالِ مِن مَضِّ الهَنا

You scratch mangy scab

From the itch of poverty

لَأَقبِلَنَّ مَعشَراً

تِلكَ الطَوالَ اللُدُنا

I would go to a group

Of tall, ugly-faced women

تَلَمُّظَ الأَصلالِ لَج

لَجنَ إِلَينا الأَلسُنا

Licking dry gums, they came to us

With tongues smeared

يَطلُبنَ وِردي ظَمَإٍ

إِمّا الرَدى أَو المُنى

Seeking my promise of a drink

Either rejection or death

يُصبِحُ في أَطرافِها

لِلقَومِ فَقرٌ وَغِنى

In their corners

People find poverty and wealth

لَقَد أَنى أَن أَحمِلَ ال

ضَيمَ بِها لَقَد أَنى

Indeed, I have despaired of bearing

Grief with them; indeed, I have despaired