غَشيتُ بِقُرّا فَرطَ حَولٍ مُكَمَّلِ
مَغانِيَ دارٍ مِن سُعادَ وَمَنزِلِ
I passed by Qurra in the midst of ample dwellings,
The songs of an abode of joy and home.
تَرى جُلَّ ما أَبقى السَواري كَأَنَّهُ
بُعَيدَ السَوافي أَثرُ سَيفٍ مُفَلَّلِ
You see most of what the horsemen left as if it were
Far from the horse trails, the mark of a dangling sword.
دِيارٌ لِسُعدى إِذ سُعادُ جَدايَةٌ
مِنَ الأُدمِ خُمصانُ الحَشا غَيرُ خَثيَلِ
It is the abode of Su’da when Su’ad is a helper,
Made of hides, not coarse hair-tents.
هِجانُ البَياضِ أُشرِبَت لَونَ صُفرَةٍ
عَقيلَةُ جَوٍّ عازِبٍ لَم يُحلَّلِ
The white sheep were dyed yellow,
An unmarried maiden of the air not made lawful.
تَضِلُّ المَداري في ضَفائِرِها العُلى
إِذا أُرسِلَت أَو هَكَذا غَيرَ مُرسَلِ
The rings in her braids wander
When she lets them down or keeps them up.
كَأَنَّ الرِعاثَ وَالسُلوسَ تَصَلصَلَت
عَلى خُشَشاوَي جَأبَةِ القَرنِ مُغزِلِ
It was as though the trailing trains and lower parts
Rustled over the bent poles of the spindle.
أَمَلَّت شُهورَ الصَيفِ بَينَ إِقامَةٍ
ذَلولاً لَها الوادي وَرَملٍ مُسَهَّلِ
The summer months harbored between staying
With the valley and sands made easy for them.
بِأَبطَحَ تُلفيها فُوَيقَ فِراشِها
ثَقالُ الضُحى لَم تَنتَطِق عَن تَفَضُّلِ
With sand hills wrapping their carpet bedding
The heaviness of the forenoon, unable to speak of favor.
يُغَنّي الحَمامُ فَوقَها كُلَّ شارِقٍ
غِناءَ السُكارى في عَريشٍ مُظَلَّلِ
The doves sing above it every dawn
The songs of the intoxicated in a shaded shelter.
إِذا وَرَدَت تَسقي بِحِسيٍ رِعاؤها
قَصيرِ الرِشاءِ قَعرُهُ غَيرُ مُحبِلِ
When she waters with a bucket whose bottom
Is short of being deep or hollow.
يَزينُ مَرادَ العَينِ مِن بَينِ جَيبِها
وَلَبّاتِها أَجوازُ جَزعٍ مُفَصَّلِ
Adorning the eye’s desire among her bosom
And folds, the joints of a hemmed cloak.
كَجَمرِ غَضاً هَبَّت لَهُ وَهوَ ثاقِبٌ
بِمَروَحَةٍ لَم تَستَتِر رِيحُ شَمأَلِ
Like burning embers she fans it while it penetrates
With a fan whose wind is not concealed.
وَوَحفٌ يُغادى بِالدِهانِ كَأَنَّهُ
مَديدٌ غَداهُ السَيلُ مِن نَبتِ عُنصُلِ
And a tent that travels with dye as though it were
A pole the torrent made from the trunks of palm trees.
تَظَلُّ مَداريها عَوازِبَ وَسطَهُ
إِذا أَرسَلَتهُ أَو كَذَا غَيرَ مُرسَلِ
Its sides shelter spinsters when
She sends it forth or so unfurled.
إِذا هِيَ لَم تَستَك بِعودِ أَراكَةٍ
تُنُخِّلَ فَاِستاكَت بِهِ عودُ إِسحَلِ
When it does not avail with a tent pole
She seeks benefit from an acacia pole.
إِذا سَئِمَت مِن لَوحَةِ الشَمسِ كَنَّها
كِناسٌ كَظِلِّ الهَودَجِ المُتَحَجِّلِ
When weary of the sun’s pane it shelters her
Like the shade of a covered howdah.
بَني جَعفَرٍ لا تَكفُروا حُسنَ سَعيِنا
وَأَثنوا بِحُسنِ القَولِ في كُلِّ مَحفَلِ
Clan of Ja’far, do not reject our good efforts
And speak well in every gathering.
وَلا تَكفُروا في النائِباتِ بَلاءَنا
إِذا مَسَّكُم مِنها العَدوُّ بِكَلكَلِ
And do not reject, in misfortunes, our affliction
When an enemy touches you with harm.
فَنَحنُ مَنَعنا يَومَ حِرسٍ نِساءَكُم
غَداةَ دَعانا عامِرٌ غَيرَ مُؤتَلي
We—when Amer had called us, not avoiding—
Protected your women the day of Hirrs.
دَعا دَعوةً يالَ الجُلَيحَاءِ بَعدَما
رَأى عُرضَ دَهمٍ صَرَّعَ السِربَ مُثعَلِ
He called a call, “O people of Julayha”, after
Seeing the shame of Dahm strewn about cut to pieces.
فَقالَ اِركَبوا أَنتُم حُمَاةٌ لِمِثلِها
فَطِرنا إِلَى مَقصورَةٍ لَم تُعَبَّلِ
Then he said, “You who protect the likes of them, ride!”
So we hastened to an unfinished destination.
طِوالُ الذُنابى أُتِرفَت وَهيَ جَونَةٌ
بِلَبسَةِ تَسبيغٍ وَثَوبٍ مُوَصَّلِ
Long of tails, bred freely, in clothes
Of dye and a joined garment.
فَجاءَت بِفُرسانِ الصَباحِ عَوابِساً
سِراعاً إِلى الهَيجا مَعاً غَيرَ عُزَّلِ
They came with the horsemen of the dawn, frowning
Hastening to the fray together, not held back.
فَأَحمَشَ أولاهُم وَأَلحَقَ سِربَهُم
فَوارِسُ مِنّا بِالقَنا المُتَنَخَّلِ
Their first dashed, overtaking their horses,
While horsemen from us, with the spears, perforated.
فَحامى مُحامينا وَطَرَّفَ عَنهُمُ
عَصائِبُ مِنّا في الوَغى لَم تُهَلَّلِ
Our defenders protected and warded them off
Brave ones from us in the melee, unadorned.
رَدَدنا السَبايا مِن نُفَيلٍ وَجَعفَرٍ
وَهُنَّ حَبالى مِن مُخِفٍّ وَمُثقِلِ
We returned the captives from Nufayl and Ja’far
While they were pregnant, some apparent, some hidden.
وَراكِضَةٍ ما تَستَجِنُّ بِجُنَّةٍ
بَعيرَ حِلالٍ راجَعَتهُ مُجَعفَلِ
And a she-camel fleeing, not avoiding with a camel litter,
A she-camel whose strap a torrent had torn.
فَقُلتُ لَها لَمّا رَأَيتُ الَّذي بِها
مِنَ الشَرِّ لا تَستَوهِلي وَتَأَمَّلي
So I said to her when I saw the harm upon her,
“Do not make light of it, consider!”
فَإِن كانَ قَومي لَيسَ عِندَكِ خَيرُهُم
فَإِنَّ سُؤالَ الناسِ شَافيكِ فَاِسأَلي
“If my people have not treated you well,
Then asking people will cure you, so ask.”
وَمُستَلحِمٍ تَحتَ العَوالي حَمَيتُهُ
مُعَمِّمِ دَعوى مُستَغيثٍ مُجَلِّلِ
A disheveled man under the highlands, I protected him
A man in turban with a plea, abased.
فَفَرَّجتُ عَنهُ الكَربَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما
تَأَوّى مِنَ الهَيجا إِلى حَوزِ مَعقِلِ
So I relieved his troubles until it was as though
He had taken refuge from the fray to the refuge of a fortress.
مُشيفٍ عَلى إِحدى اِثنَتَينِ بِنفَسِهِ
فُوَيتَ المَعالي بَينَ أَسرٍ وَمَقتَلِ
Brandishing with its blade, it drives away the dust as though
It were the pouring from a waterskin of Sihab, hurried.
بِرَمّاحَةٍ تَنفي التُرابَ كَأَنَّها
هَراقَةُ عَقٍّ مِن شَعيبى مُعَجَّلِ
When the swordsman looks at it, he dodges
Bowing with his hands, far from slashes.
إِذا نَظَرَت فيهِ الحَفِيَّةُ وَلوَلَت
خَنوفاً بِكَفَّيها بُعَيدَ التَوَلُّلِ
However much we mixed our blood with yours
And dyed our spears from cleavage and separation.
وَكائِن كَرَرنا مِن جَوادٍ وَراءَكُم
وَكائِن خَضَبنا مِن سِنانٍ ومُنصَلِ
However much we mixed our blood with you
And with a fighter and prisoner bound.
وَكائِن كَرَرنا مِن سَوامٍ عَلَيكُمُ
وَمِن كاعِبٍ وَمِن أَسيرٍ مُكَبَّلِ
Unkempt, his misery made public, deprived of provision,
Of those whom fate left behind, torn.
وَأَشعَثَ يَزهاهُ النُبوحُ مُدَفَّعٍ
عَنِ الزادِ مِمَّن خَلَّفَ الدَهرُ مُحثَلِ
He came to us but we did not drive him away when he came knocking,
And we said to him, “Your coming has been long, so alight.”
أَتانا فَلَم نَدفَعهُ إذَ جاءَ طارِقاً
وَقُلنا لَهُ قَد طالَ طولُكَ فَاِنزِلِ
We were hospitable but did not oblige him with our food,
So he went disputing with every single-headed one.
هَنَأنا فَلَم نَمنُن عَلَيهِ طَعامَنا
فَراحَ يُباري كُلَّ رَأسٍ مُرَجَّلِ
Then the affair settled down after having raged,
And were it not for our efforts, it would not have settled.
فَأَبَّلَ وَاِستَرخَى بِهِ الشَأنُ بَعدَما
أَسافَ وَلَولا سَعيُنا لَم يُؤَبِّلِ
That is so, and we did not deprive Tufayl ibn Malik
And we do good whenever asked.
فَذاكَ وَلَم نَحرَم طُفَيلَ بنَ مالِكٍ
وَكُنّا مَتى ما نُسأَلِ الخَيرَ نَفعَلِ
For us is a fortress that threw down all fortresses
Lying idle compared to it, every fortress.
لَنا مَعقِلٌ بَذَّ المَعاقِلَ كُلَّها
يُرى خامِلاً مِن دونِهِ كُلُّ مَعقِلِ
