أَتَرى دِيارَ الحَيِّ بِال
جِزعَينِ باقِيَةَ الخِيامِ
Do you see the dwellings of Hayy remain,
In Jiz'an, with tents still standing,
أَم فَرَّقَتهُم خِلفَةُ ال
أَيّامِ أَو نَجَعُ الغَمامِ
Or did the succession of days scatter them,
Or the depression of clouds?
ماذا عَلى الرُكبانِ لَو
حَيَّوا طُلولَكَ بِالسَلامِ
What would the riders say
If they revived your heights with greetings
أَو بَلَّغوا عَن واجِدٍ
لَفَّ الضُلوعَ عَلى الغَرامِ
Or reported on Wajid
Who wrapped his ribs around passion?
داءٌ وَصَلتُ بِها الهَوى
وَقَطَعتُ أَقرانَ المَلامِ
An ailment I contacted through love
And I surpassed the peers of blame,
وَبَلَوتُ مِن سُكرِ الشَبا
بِ أَجَنُّ مِن سُكرِ المُدامِ
And I tasted from the drunkenness of youth
More maddened than the drunkenness of wine.
أَيّامَ أَنظُرُ في مَعا
طِفِ شَملَتي نَظَرَ القَطامي
Days I look in the glances of
My cloak that looked like blood stains
وَأَروحُ قائِدَ فِتيَةٍ
سودِ الغَدائِرِ وَالجُمامِ
And I walk as the leader of some youths
With dark braids and turbans.
سَقَياً لِأَزمانٍ بِها
كُنتُ المُلَقَّبَ بِالغُلامِ
Water-boy for times when
I was titled “the boy”.
قَد قُلتُ لِلرَكبِ الهُجو
دِ عَلى الأَماعِزِ وَالإِكامِ
I said to the caravan of pedigree
On the she-goats and the burrows,
هُبّوا فَقَد تَتَيَقَّظُ ال
أَجدادُ لِلقَومِ النِيامِ
“Away! For the sires may awaken
For the sleeping tribe.”
زَمّوا المَطِيَّ وَأَحلَسوا
مِنها عَلى الدُبُرِ الدَوامي
Tether the riding-beasts and mount them
From behind, permanently,
وَدَعوا نَواظِرَها مِنَ ال
إِرقالِ تَعمى بِاللُغامِ
And leave their glances blind
In the turbid darkness.
حَتّى تُنيخوا في حِمى
صَعبِ المَراقي وَالمَرامي
Until you alight in the burning heat
Of rugged plains and highlands.
مَلِكِ المُلوكِ بِهِ يُرا
وَحُ بَينَ عَفوٍ وَاِنتِقامِ
Possessor of all sovereignty, through it
He vacillates between pardon and vengeance.
ما إِن أُبالي مِن وَرا
ئي بَعدَ أَن يُضحي أَمامي
I care not what is behind me
After I plunge ahead of me,
كَاللَيثِ يَقتَنِصُ الرِجا
لَ وَلا يُغيرُ عَلى السَوامِ
Like a lion seizing men
And does not attack cattle.
يُظمي الرِواءَ إِذا سَطا
وَإِذا سَخا أَروى الظَوامي
He lets the water-skins flow when he unsheathes,
And when he rages I water the hillsides.
القائِدُ الجُردِ العِتا
قِ يَجُلنَ في بيضٍ وَلامِ
The leader, the bare, distinguished
Warrior rolls in white turbans.
مِن كُلِّ ذي خُصَلٍ مُرا
حِ السَوطِ مَكدودِ اللِجامِ
From each one with a whip-like nature,
Reined-in, curbed,
وَمُسَوَّمِ الراياتِ يَخ
فِقُ في الجَماهيرِ العِظامِ
And marked by banners, he roars
Amongst the great crowds,
وَمُخَوِّلِ النِعَمِ الجِسا
مِ وَنازِعِ النِعَمِ الجِسامِ
And authorized blessings of the body
And rivaling blessings of bodies.
إِنَّ الجِيادَ عَلى المَرا
بِطِ تَشتَكي طولَ الجُمامِ
Verily the steeds at the battle-grounds
Complain of prolonged turbans.
تَرمي بِأَعيُنِها إِلى
البَلَدِ اليَماني وَالشَآمِ
They glance with their eyes
To the Yemeni cities and Greater Syria.
يَصهُلنَ مِن شَوقٍ إِلى
قَطعِ المَفاوِزِ وَالمَوامي
They neigh from yearning
To traverse the deserts and plateaus,
وَمُصِرَّةِ الآذانِ تَر
قُبُ وَثبَةً بَعدَ القِيامِ
Pricking up their ears, bounding
After rising for departure.
فَاِصدُم بِها ثَغرَ العِدا
بِجَوانِبِ اللَجِبِ اللُهامِ
So collide with it the sides
Of the glorious, splendid mountains.
يَحمِلنَ أُسدَ الغابِ قَد
عَقَدوا الدَوابِرَ بِاللِمامِ
Bearing the lions of the jungles,
Who knotted their poles with banners,
مُستَلئِمينَ بِها كَأَن
نَ رُؤوسَهُم بيضُ النَعامِ
Harmonizing themselves with them
As if their heads were ostrich plumes,
مِن كُلِّ هَفّافِ القَمي
صِ أَشَمَّ مَعروقِ العِظامِ
From every slender lively one,
The most redolent of bones,
ماضٍ كَأَنَّ ذِراعَهُ
مِن قائِمِ العَضبِ الحُسامِ
Charging as if his forearm
Were the upright blade.
يَغدونَ في فيحِ الفَلا
مُتَجارِحينَ مِنَ الزَحامِ
They set out at dawn
Battling the crowds,
يَتَفَيَّؤونَ عَجاجَةً
كَجآجِىءِ الغَيمِ الرُكامِ
Flaying violently
Like the streaming of cumulus clouds,
حَتّى تَقودَ مِنَ المَطا
لِبِ كُلَّ مَمنوعِ الزَمامِ
Until you lead, of things prohibited,
Every restrained thing by the halter.
لا تَغرُرَنَّكَ مِن عَدُو
وِكَ رَميَةٌ مِن غَيرِ رامِ
Let not the arrow of your enemy,
Shot without intent, trick you.
أَشلى بِها الضِرغامُ حَت
تى هَبَّ مِن طيبِ المَنامِ
The sucklings were crippled by it
Until they awoke from sweet sleep.
هِيَ عِندَهُ سَبَبُ الشَبا
بِ وَعِندَنا سَبَبُ الفِطامِ
It is to him the cause of youth
While to us the cause of weaning.
أَنّى يُقَرطِسُ ذو العَمى
غَرَضَ المَرامي بِالسِهامِ
How can the blind one
Aim at the high places with arrows!
هَيهاتَ أَن تَطَأَ الذِئا
بُ مَرابِضَ اللَيثِ الهُمامِ
Alas! For the hyenas to tread
The den of the resolute lion!
أَينَ النُجومُ مِنَ الحَصى
أَينَ النُضارُ مِنَ الرُغامِ
Where are the stars compared to pebbles!
Where the blossoms compared to pumice!
غَلَبَت عَلى كَرَمِ المَعا
رِقِ فيهِ أَخلاقُ اللِئامِ
The morals of the ignoble prevailed
Over the vineyard of the fine ones among them.
فَذَوَت نَضارَتُهُ وَغُص
نُكَ دونَهُ رَيّانُ نامِ
So its blossoms melted away
And you were warned below it the slumbering informant.
طَلَبَ العُلى خَبَطاً فَضَل
لَ ضَلالَ عاشِيَةِ الظَلامِ
He sought the Most High falteringly so he strayed
Straying in the darkness of night.
يَحدو بِها سَفَهاً وَقَد
عَلِقَت يَمينُكَ بِالخُطامِ
He bounds with it foolishly though
Your right hand holds the bridle.
يا كاشِفَ الكَربِ المُلِم
مِ وَكافِيَ الداءِ العُقامِ
O He who relieves grave distress
And remedies chronic disease!
بُلِّغتَ غاياتِ المُنى
وَوَرِثتَ أَعمارَ الأَنامِ
You attained the ultimate wishes
And inherited the lifespans of mankind.
فَاِسلَم عَلى غَيظِ الزَما
نِ وَدُم عَلى رُغمِ الحِمامِ
So submit to the rage of Time
And persist in spite of mourning doves,
وَتَهَنَّ بِالتَحويلِ غَي
رَ مُحَوَّلٍ عَن ذا المَقامِ
And be gentle with transferring
One not transferred from this position,
مُتَمَلِّياً بِالعُمرُ يُع
طيكَ الرَدى عَقدَ الذِمامِ
Wearing out your life, which gives you
The knotted rope of obligation.
لا زِلتَ تَلبَسُ كُلَّ عا
مٍ واعِدٍ بِبُلوغِ عامِ
You still wear each promising year
The reaching of a year.
لَو كانَ شَيءٌ دائِماً
بَشَّرتُ مُلكَكَ بِالدَوامِ
If something were everlasting
I would give good tidings to your kingdom of permanence!
