إِلى أَينَ مَرمى قَصدِها وَسُراها
رَمى اللَهُ مِن أَخفافِها بِوَجاها
To where is the goal of her path and night journey,
May God protect her from the lightness of her tread,
هُوَ اليَأسُ فَليُحبَس هِبابُ رِقابِها
كَما كانَ مَغرورُ الرَجاءِ حَداها
It is despair, so let the outpouring of tears be detained,
As the delusion of hope previously set its limit.
رَأَت لا مِعاً فَاِستَشرَقَت لَمَضائِهِ
وَلَو كانَ مِن مُزنِ النَدى لَشَفاها
She saw no water, so she wandered searching for water,
Had it been from the dripping of dew, it would have quenched her thirst.
تَدافَعَها الحَيُّ اللَئيمُ عَمايَةً
وَأَعرَضَ طَوعَ اللُؤمِ وَهوَ يَراها
The vile live person wrongfully diverted her,
And he turned away willfully while he could see her.
فَماطَلَ أَصحابُ الحِياضِ وُرودَها
وَأَعتَمَ أَربابُ المَبيتِ قِراها
So the owners of meadows denied her their roses,
And the lords of the stops made their abode gloomy to her.
تُلَطِّمُها الأَيدي القِصارُ عَنِ الرُقى
وَخَيرٌ مِنَ الرَيِّ الذَليلِ صَداها
The short hands push her away from comfort,
And better than the despised company is its echo to her.
تَرى كُلَّ مَيلاءِ السَنامِ كَأَنَّما
مِنَ الطَودِ إِلّا زَجوَها وَخُطاها
She sees every long-necked one as if
He were a mountain range, except for his withers and step.
مُناقِلَةً تَنجو بِزَجرَةِ غَيرِها
وَتَرهَبُ سَوطَ المَرءِ راعَ سِواها
Transporting, she escapes by the scolding of others,
And fears the whip of the man except his.
تَكادُ مِنَ الإِسراعِ تَسبُقُ أُمَّها
بِمَنتَجِها قَبلَ اللِقاحِ أَباها
She nearly outstrips her mother in her haste
With her newborn before it was sired by its father.
تَعودُ وَلَم تَشرَع بِحَوضِ اِبنِ حُرَّةٍ
وَلا عَرِيَت عِندَ الكِرامِ ذُراها
She returns although she did not set out to the drinking basin of Ibn Huraadh,
Nor did she pasture among the nobility their young she-camels.
رَأَينَ دِياراً بَينَ بُصرى وَجاسِمٍ
مَراعي لِيَومٍ لا تَلُسُّ خَلاها
She saw settlements between Busr and Jasim,
Pasture lands for a day whose bare solitude she does not settle in.
نُفوسُ لِئامٍ لا تُحَلُّ عُقودُها
وَأَيدي جُمودٍ لا يَنُضُّ صَفاها
Souls of the vile whose knots cannot be untied,
And hands of stagnation which neither coin nor wares can move.
أَلا لا تَلوموا ظاعِناً قَذَفَت بِهِ
بَناتُ السُرى عَن أَرضِكُم وَنَواها
Blame not the one madness has cast among you,
Whom the daughters of the litter ejected from your land and dwelling places.
رَعَت ذُروَةً فيكُم ضُحىً جاشِرِيَّةٌ
فَأَجشَرتُ في أَوطانِكُم وَأَعاها
She pastured on a hillock among you one morning,
So in your settlements I remained like one suffering from burns.
تَحَمَّلَ عَنها شَرُّ دارِ إِقامَةٍ
إِذا قيلَ أَيَّ الأَرضِ قالَ خَلاها
The worst of settlements to stay in shifted from her
When asked, which land, she said its bare solitude.
فَكَم موحَشاتٍ بِالرِفاقِ أَزاحَها
وَلِمَّةِ لَيلٍ بِالمَطِيِّ فَلاها
So many desolate places the company of friends has removed
And the black encampment night has done away with.
كَأَنَّ حِماكُم خِطَّةُ الخَسفِ لِلفَتى
إِذا سيمَها الحُرُّ الكَريمُ أَباها
Your guard is like the gaping of a chasm for the youth,
When the noble free man casts his bridle rein over it.
وَلَو بِاِبنِ لَيلى كانَ مَلقى رِحالِها
لَطَرَّقَ مِن حُرِّ النُضارِ ثَراها
Had her stopping place been the abode of Layla's son,
He would have watered the mounts of the noble, free men from its rainwater cisterns.
تَبايَنتَها فِعلاً فَكَم مِن عَظيمَةٍ
أَتيتَ بِها مَرحولَةً وَكَفاها
You have differed from her in deeds, so how many a mighty deed,
Have you subtracted, made helpless, and stopped?
حَماكَ مُلِمّاً مُنتَضىً لَكَ حَدُّهُ
وَداهِيَةً تَشحو لِضِغنِكَ فاها
The best part of your meadow suffices you, so its extent,
And fatness are enough for the greed of your mouth.
غَداةَ أَغامَت بِالعَجاجِ سَماؤُها
وَدارَت عَلى قُطبِ الطِعانِ رَحاها
One cloudy morning, the clouds in the sky gathered around her,
And lightning revolved about the pole of the one full of censure.
إِذا السَيلُ والى في الرِكاءِ سِجالَهُ
وَأَنبَطَ أَنقَوتَ النَدى وَأَماها
When the torrent argues false arguments in the creek beds,
And the howdahs of the rain splash foam.
أَرى شَجَراً طالَت وَقَصَّرَ ظِلُّها
فَلا أَورَقَت يَوماً وَطالَ ذَواها
I see many a tree whose shade is tall, while it did not
Ever yield leaves or fruits and its branches lengthened.
وَلَو جَمَعَت لَونَينِ بُذلُ شِباكِها
لَطالَبَها الراجي بِمَنعِ جَناها
If it gathered the hues of two types in its netting,
The one seeking its fruit would demand it withheld them.
أَضَرّاً وَلُؤماً لا أَباً لِأَبيكُمُ
سَفاهاً لِرَأيِ العاجِزينَ سَفاها
Injury, to your father, and blindness to the opinion of the helpless blind,
We blame the palms of the beneficent when they yield harvest,
نَلومُ أَكُفُّ المُحسِنينَ إِذا جَنَت
فَكيفَ بِأَيدٍ لا يُنالُ جَداها
So what about hands that cannot be attained or equaled?
Misguidance, to the hopes of one hoping for your spring,
ضَلالاً لِراجي نَشطَةٍ مِن رَبيعِكُم
رَمى الداءَ في أَكلائِكُم فَحَماها
Who casts the sickness into your food vessels so it protects them.
An eye that hoped you would be its pupils
وَعَينٍ رَجَتكُم أَن تَكونوا جَلاءَها
فَكُنتُم عَلى عَكسِ الرَجاءِ قَذاها
So you were the opposite of that hope's quarry.
You sought my praise then vetoed hearing it
طَلَبتُم ثَنائي ثُمَّ عِفتُم سَماعَهُ
كَمَن خَطَبَ العَذراءَ ثُمَّ قَلاها
Like one who proposes to a maiden then divorces her.
Not every good place is a receptacle for my amulets
وَما كُلُّ جيدٍ مَوضِعٌ لِقَلائِدي
وَلا قَمِنٌ مِن صَوغِها وَحُلاها
Nor a wrist for threading them and their beads on it.
So let not your eyes be deluded, O builder of enclosures,
فَلا تَغرُرَن عَينَيكَ يا خابِطَ الدُجى
قِبابٌ بَناها اللُؤمُ حَيثُ بَناها
By enclosures the base built where they built them!
The home of the vile, if a riding party sees its direction,
وَدارُ لِئامٍ إِن رَأى الرَكبُ سَمتَها
تَحايَدَ عَنها عامِداً وَطَواها
It turns away from it, intentionally, and ignores it.
Flaming like the fires of a hermitage,
مَساوٍ كَنيرانِ البِقاعِ مُضيئَةً
وَنارُ ظَلامٍ لا يُضيءُ سَناها
A fire of darkness that does not illuminate its flint stone.
Will no one chant to me of the land? For I
أَلا غَنِّياني بِالدِيارِ فَإِنَّني
أُحِبُّ زَروداً ما أَقامَ ثَراها
Love the echo of a lute when it stayed at the remains of the abodes.
And between al-Naqa and al-An'umayn is an area,
وَبَينَ النَقا وَالأَنعُمَينِ مَحَلَّةٌ
حَبيبٌ لِقَلبي قاعُها وَرُباها
Beloved to my heart are its plains and open spaces.
So, O Na'mans, give to drink to Na'man what
وَنَعمانُ ياسُقيا لِنَعمانَ ما جَرَت
عَليهِ النَعامى بَعدَنا وَصَباها
The ostriches will alight upon after we left and our youth.
And for the heart between al-Mazmain and their environs
وَلِلقَلبِ عِندَ المَأزَمَينِ وَجَمعِها
دُيونٌ وَمَقضى خَيفِها وَمِناها
Are obligations, and the fulfilling of its promises and vows.
A wild cow with the rounds of pushing
وَظَبيٍ بِأَطوارِ الجِمارِ إِذا غَدا
رَمى كَبِداً مَقروحَةً وَرَماها
Casts aside a wounded liver and throws it away.
A wild doe that did not accompany any but her sister the sun,
وَغَيداءَ لَم تَصحَب سِوى الشَمسِ أُختِها
وَلا جاوَرَت إِلّا الغَزالَ أَخاها
Nor take up company except with the gazelle her brother.
The khillah of horsemen, the eyes of its prey
وَخُلَّةِ فُرسانٍ عُيونُ ظِبائِها
أَمَضُّ جِراحاً مِن طِعانِ قَناها
Are more effective in delivering blows than the piercing blades of its spears.
This is the house, not houses on the outskirts of Babylon,
هِيَ الدارُ لا دارٌ بِأَكنافِ بابِلٍ
جَديرٌ بِضَيمِ النازِلينَ حِماها
Meet for the injustice of those who alight at its sanctuary.
Way stations Munammin provides its traveling party,
مَنازِلُ مَمنونٌ عَلى الرَكبِ زادُها
نَزورٌ عَلى كَدِّ المِطالِ جَداها
Its hospitality surplus to the burden of one asking its favors.
So it did not give drink but to swords and spears,
فَلا سُقِيَت إِلّا الصَوارِمَ وَالقَنا
وَلا صابَ إِلّا بِالدِماءِ حَياها
Nor sustained life except with blood.
