أَبا نِزارٍ تُفسِدُ القَومَ النِعَم

غَفَّلَكَ الوَجدُ وَزَكّاني العَدَم

Abu Nizar, you corrupt a prosperous people,

Neglect has made you heedless, but privation has sharpened me.

تُرَمِّمُ المالَ وَبِالقَرضِ ثُلَم

إِنّي إِذا راحَت عَلى الحَيِّ النَعَم

You mend your money, but at the cost of a breach,

When bounty flows in my district, eulogy and nobility flow in my house.

راحَ عَلى بَيتي الثَناءُ وَالكَرَم

لا سَلِمَ المالُ إِذا العِرضُ سَلِم

Wealth is not secure when honor is lost,

I used to call you, but now the matter is resolved.

قَد كُنتُ نادَيتُكَ وَالأَمرُ أَمَم

أَما تَرى خَلفُ عَقابيلَ الظُلُم

Don't you see that after the darkness of the valleys comes dawn

The first light of morning crowns the heights of the banner.

لَوثُ خِمارِ الصُبحِ في رَأسِ العَلَم

نَفسَكَ إِنَّ الخَيلَ بِالقَومِ زِيَم

Take care of yourself - the horses belong to the tribe.

Withdraw from your misleading folly, break off your blind lance.

اِنجُ فَعَن لَفتَتِكَ الرُمحُ الأَصَم

ناشَذتُكَ اللَهَ وَتَحنانَ الرَحِم

I adjure you by God and the cherishing of kin

And say: leave off from a path that is not straight.

وَقُلتُ حِد عَن مَنهَجٍ غَيرِ لَقَم

فَلَم تُطِعني رُبَّ رَأيٍ مُتَّهَم

But you did not obey me, like a suspect in judgment.

Your hearing was heedful, but in your mind - deafness.

سَمعُكَ واعٍ وَبِعَقلِكَ الصَمَمَ

حَتّى لَقيتَ خَطفَةَ البازي الضَرِم

Until you met the sudden swoop of the fast gazelle

Mother of Duhaym, carrying the daughter of Raqam,

أُمَّ الدُهَيمِ حامِلاً بِنتَ الرَقَم

أَمَرَّها المِقدارُ إِمرارَ الوَذَم

Destiny made her pass to bring you down,

You escaped after your feet were entangled.

أُفلِتَّ مِنها بَعدَ إِنشابِ القَدَم

وَبَعدَما ضاقَ عَلَيكَ المُزدَحَم

And when the press became too narrow for you,

You slipped out while the claws were still caught in the hide.

مُنفَلِتَ الأُظفورِ مِن شَقِّ الجَلَم

أَقسَمتُ بِالبَيتِ الحَرامِ وَالحُرُم

I swear by the sacred house and the holy precinct,

And by the throngs circling in soiled robes

وَبِالمُلَبّينَ غَدَوا شُعثَ اللِمَم

عَلى رَذايا مِن وَجىً وَمِن سَأَم

On pleasure for me and relief from care,

That there will come forth from the mountains of Radwa and Kheyam,

يَطلَعنَ مِن أَجبالِ رَضوى وَخِيَم

بِها وَقارٌ بَعدَما كانَ لَمَم

After the stain, dignity, honor and calm,

And whatever tears flowed in anguish and blood

وَما جَرى بِالخَيفِ مِن دَمعٍ وَدَم

يَومَ يَطيرُ الناسُ غِربانَ الجُمَم

The day men will fly like the ravens of carrion

Wherever you see those plateaus and peaks

حَيثُ تَرى تِلكَ المَجالي وَالقِمَم

يُمسينَ غِرباناً وَيَغدونَ رَخَم

At evening they will become ravens and at dawn - vultures,

While the supplicant, then and thereafter, will be doomed.

وَالمُستَجارُ بَعدَ ذا وَالمُلتَزَم

تَلقى بِهِ لِأُمَمٍ بَعدَ أُمَم

You will meet with tribe after tribe

Parted, not joined to a tribe or group.

مُفتَرِقاً لا عَن قِلىً وَمُصطَدَم

صَكَّ المُجيلِ زَلَماً بَعدَ زَلَم

The straight branch broke off branch after branch

I will burst your rib with a cleavage that cannot be mended,

لَأَصدَعَن عِرضَكَ صَدعاً لا يُلَم

عَطّاً كَما عَطَّ الفَزارِيُّ الأَدَم

Like the splitting by the tribesman Al-Adamm in revenge.

Sparks of fire from the flint flew up in the live coal,

دَبيبُ نارِ القَينِ طارَت في الفَحَم

أَقرَعُ فيهِ بِشَبا طَعنٍ وَذَم

I plunge into it with the stab of censure and blame.

I shake the water skin until the water mixes with blood,

نَهزُ الدِلاءِ تَلتَقي وَالماءُ جَم

وَيلٌ إِذاً يَومَ النِطاحِ لِلأَجَم

Woe, then, on the day of butting, to the doomed!

How long can the stock last under the blow of misfortune?

كَم يَلبَثُ الأَصلُ عَلى ضَربِ القُدُم

عُرِّضتَ مِنّي لِبَصيرٍ بِالقِيَم

You exposed me to one who sees what is right.

A guardian of honor, burning hot when branded,

حامي الأُوارِ مُنضِجٌ إِذا وَسَم

آسي الحَفيظاتِ إِذا الداءُ أَلَم

Swift to visit deadly pains that torment,

Who cuts short the ills of the veins and so decides,

عاجَلَ أَدواءِ العُروقِ فَحَسَم

حَثحَثَةَ الذِئبِ عَوى مِنَ القَرَم

Like the snarling of the wolf or the bellow of the bull.

Who senses weakness in a breath of wind and hastens on,

آنَسَ وَهناً نَسمَ ريحٍ فَنَسَم

ماضٍ عَلى اللَيلِ إِذا لَم يَرَ شَم

Advancing in the night without seeing the darkness.

He who makes men sick is pelted with sickness,

مَن أَسقَمَ الناسَ رَمَوهُ بِالسَقَم

وَمَن رُمِي بِالموقِظاتِ لَم يَنَم

And he who is hit with reminders does not sleep.

How many laden with care have lodged with you,

كَم ضافَ رَحلي مِنكُمُ طارِقَ هَم

بِتُّ لَهُ أَخطِمُ دائي وَأَزُم

While I bite my lips and frown for them.

The lion dreaded and was suspicious of the skulls,

تَوَجُّسَ اللَيثِ اِستَرابَ بِالأَجَم

أَهدُرُ عَن شِقشِقَةِ العَودِ القَطِم

So I put away the creaking of the notched stick,

Until I was struck down, though I said not a word.

حَتّى رُميتُ رُبَّ نَبلٍ عَن كَلِم

إِنَّ هُمومَ القلَبِ أَعوانُ الهِمَم

Cares of the heart are allies of resolves,

A man may wound himself though he is a cousin,

قَد يَقدَعُ المَرءُ وَإِن كانَ اِبنَ عَم

وَيَقطَعُ العُضوَ الكَريمَ لِلأَلَم

And cut off the precious limb because of the pain.

Unless oblivion overtakes you, I will force you

لَأُلزِمن إِن لَم يُغَيِّبَكَ الرَجَم

لِهزِمَتَيكَ عاقِراً مِنَ اللُجُم

To taste the humiliation of defeat from me.

Your blood will flow unavenged and you have done no wrong.

يَسيلُ ذِفراكَ دَماً وَما ظَلَم

مَوارِدَ الجَهلِ مَصادِرُ النَدَم

The springs of ignorance are the sources of regret,

A whiff of disgrace is like the breath of poison,

نَفحَةَ عارٍ مِثلُها نَفثَةُ سَم

تَشُمُّها بِمارِنٍ غَيرِ أَشَم

Which a happy man smells without knowing its danger.

He fears it though he has neither sinned nor done wrong.

إِذا وَعاها ضاحِكُ القَومِ وَجَم

يَخافُها وَما جَنى وَلا جَرَم

Take it as war, like the war of the blood-letter,

None of us today have honor if we make peace.

خُذها حُروباً كَأَهاضيبِ الدِيَم

لا عَزَّ مِنّا اليَومَ مَن أَلقى السَلَم

If you are free, not debased in your nature,

Then tell us, who are the slaves and the dwarfs?

إِن كُنتَ حُرّاً غَيرَ مَغموزِ الشِيَم

فَقُل لَنا مَنِ العَبيدِ وَالقَزَم

She came with you, not concealing her purpose,

Hers are intrigues, and her womb - barrenness.

جاءَت بِهِ مِخداجَةٌ غَيرَ مُتَم

لَها الرَزايا وَلِبَطنِها العَقَم