أَلا لَيتَ المَنازِلَ قَد بَلَينا
فَلا يَرمينَ عَن شُزُنٍ حَزينا
Alas, if only we had reached the dwellings,
So no sad person casts me away in grief.
كَأَنَّ عَلى الجِمالِ أَوانَ خَفَّت
هَجائِنَ مِن نِعاجِ أُراقَ عينا
As if the beauty of the camels was fading,
Yearning does the lambs’ eyes pour.
وَضَعنَ بِذي الجَداةِ فُضولَ ريطٍ
لَكِيما يَختَدِرنَ وَيَرتَدينا
They placed before the burly man surplus provisions,
So they can recover and don his garments.
تَكادُ الشَمسُ تَخضَعُ حينَ تَبدو
لَهُن وَما وَبِدنَ وَما لُحينا
The sun nearly sets in awe when it rises above them,
As fair they are, they have not yet been created, nor born.
أَلا لَيتَ الرِياحَ رَسولُ قَومٍ
بِمَرجِ صِراعَ أَو بِالأَندَرينا
Alas, if only the winds were a messenger for some people,
In the pasturelands of Sira' or Al-Andarin.
وَما بَيضاءُ في نَضَدٍ تَداعى
بِبَرقٍ في عَوارِضَ قَد شَرينا
Nor is the white one clad in fine garments
Like lightning in the storm clouds we drove.
يُضيءُ صَبيرُها في ذي حَبِيٍّ
جَواشِنَ لَيلِها بَيناً فَبَينا
Its patience at night in Dhi Haby
Lights up its dark night intermittently.
بِأَحسَنَ مِن غَنِيَّةَ يَومَ راحَت
وَجارَتِها وَمِن أُمِّ البَنينا
Better than the singing of a resting day,
And the calling of its neighbor, and mother of boys.
وَما بَيضاتُ ذي لِبَدٍ هِجَفِّ
سُقينَ بِزاجِلٍ حَتّى رَوينا
The white eggs in Dhi Labad are not
Watered with fresh water until we quench their thirst.
وُضِعنَ فَكُلُّهُنَّ عَلى غِرارِ
هِجانُ اللَونِ قَد وَسَقَت جَنينا
They are placed atop stone vessels,
Their different colors have grown saplings.
يَبيتُ يَحُفُّهُنَّ بِقَفقَفَيهِ
وَيُلحِفُهُنَّ هَفهافاً ثَخينا
He spends the night protecting them with his wings,
And warming them, plump and fat.
بِهَجلٍ مِن قَساً ذَفرِ الخُزامى
تَداعى الجِربِياءُ بِهِ الحَنينا
With a cough from coarse, thick Fur’s,
The scabby came together in yearning.
بِحَيثُ هَراقَ في نَعمان خَرجٌ
دَوافِعُ في بِراقِ الأَديَثينا
Where the cavalry set out from Nu’man,
Riders in the meadows of Ed-Dithin.
تَفَقَّأَ فَوقَهُ القَلَعُ السَواري
وَجُنَّ الخازِ بازِ بِهِ جُنونا
The fortress, As-Sawari, crumbled over it,
And protected it, possessed by its madness.
فَما أَلواحُ دُرَّةِ هِبرِقِيٍّ
جَلا عَنها مُخَتِّمُها الكُنونا
The plaques of Durrah of Hibriqiy
Did not reveal its hidden treasures.
فَأَشرَطَ نَفسَهُ حِرصاً عَلَيها
وَكانَ بِنَفسِهِ حَجِئاً ضَنينا
He staked his soul out of greed for it,
And his soul was miserly and woeful.
تَظَلُّ بَناتُ أَعنَقَ مُسرِجاتٍ
لِرُؤيَتِها يَرُحنَ وَيَغتَدينا
The daughters of the long-necked saddled camels
Delight and frolic to see them.
فَإَمّا زالَ سَرجٌ عَن مَعَدِّ
وَأَجدِر بِالحَوادِثِ أَن تَكونا
So one saddle slipped from a camel’s back,
More deserving of events to come.
فَلا تَصلَي بِمَطروقٍ إِذا ما
سَرى في القَومِ أَصبَحَ مُستَكينا
So do not pray in a submissive state if
Morning breaks and you awake wretched.
إِذا شَرِبَ المُرِضَّةَ قالَ أَوكي
عَلى ما في سِقائِكَ قَد رَوينا
When he drinks deadly poison he says “enough,”
We quenched our thirst with your drink.
يَلومُ وَلا يُلامُ وَلا يُبالي
أَغَيّاً كان لَحمُكَ أَو سَمينا
He blames and is not blamed and does not care
If your meat was lean or fat.
يَظَلُّ أَمامَ بَيتِكِ مُجلَخِدّاً
كَما اِلقَيتِ بِالسَندِ الَوَضينا
He remains crouched at your home
As you threw him on the smooth rock.
إِذا اِشتَدَّ الزَمانُ أَكَبَّ لَغباً
فَلا قَرحاً يُدِرُّ وَلا لَبونا
When times get tough he shows extreme greed,
No wounds he dresses, and no garments he sews.
وَبَلّي إِن هَلَكتُ بِأَريحي
مِنَ الفِتيانِ لا يُضحي بَطينا
And I am destroyed by my companion among the youth
Who does not sacrifice his abdomen.
كَأَنَّ الصَقرَ يَقلِبُ مُقلَتَيهِ
إِذا نَفَضَ العُيوبَ وَقَد خَفينا
As if the falcon turns his eyes,
When he shook off drowsiness and we were frightened.
كَأَنَّ اللَيلَ لا يَغسى عَلَيهِ
إِذا زَجَرَ السَبَنتاةَ الأَمونا
As if the night does not sleep with it
When it scolds the slumbering guards.
يُصيبُ مَغارِماً في القَومِ قَصداً
وَهُنَّ لِغَيرِهِ لا يَبتَغينا
He deliberately earns spoils among the people,
While they do not seek to do so.
فَما كَلَّفتُكِ القَدَرَ المُغَبّى
وَلا الطَيرَ الَّذي لا تَعبُرينا
I did not assign you the unknown destiny,
Nor the bird which you cannot interpret.
أَصَمَّ دُعاءُ عاذِلَتي تَحَجّى
بِآخِرِنا وَتَنسى أَوَّلينا
The prayer of my blamer assailed me,
Forgetting our first and last.
لَبِسنا حِبرَهُ حَتّى اِقتُضينا
لِأَعمالٍ وَآجالِ قَضينا
We wore its ink until we demanded
For deeds and predetermined terms we fulfilled.
وَإِنَّ المَوتَ أَدنى مِن خَيالٍ
وَدونَ العَيشِ تَهواداً ذَنينا
Death is closer than a mirage,
And nearer to life, moaning woefully.
وَقارِقَةٍ مِنَ الأَيّامِ لَولا
سَبيلُهُمُ لَزاحَت عَنكَ حينا
If not for the intervening days,
They would have slipped away from you for a while.
دَبَبتُ لَها الضَرّاءَ وَقُلتُ أَبقى
إِذا عَزَّ اِبنُ عَمِّكَ أَن تَهوَنا
I followed adversity and said: “Shall I remain
When the son of your uncle disdained that you be lowered?”
