نَأَتكَ رَقاشِ إِلّا عَن لِمامِ
وَأَمسى حَبلُها خَلَقَ الرِمامِ
We came to you bearing only the banners,
While its ropes were knotted by the dew,
وَما ذِكرى رَقاشِ إِذا اِستَقَرَّت
لَدى الطَرفاءِ عِندَ اِبنَي شَمامِ
And the memory of bearing the banners was not recalled
In the abodes of Ibn Shamam.
وَمَسكِنُ أَهلَها مِن بَطنِ جَزعٍ
تَبيضُ بِهِ مَصايِيفُ الحَمامِ
The dwelling of its people is the belly of a tree trunk
Where doves nest white as the pigeons.
وَقَفتُ وَصُحبَتي بِأُرَينَباتٍ
عَلى أَقتادِ عوجٍ كَالسَمامِ
My friends and I stood at jujube trees
On curved branches like hooks.
فَقُلتُ تَبَيَّنوا ظُعُناً أَراها
تَحُلُّ شُواحِطاً جُنحَ الظَلامِ
So I said to them, look for the grouse I see
Perching at dusk, the wings of darkness.
لَقَد مَنَّتكَ نَفسُكَ يَومَ قَوٍّ
أَحاديثَ الفُؤادِ المُستَهامِ
Indeed your soul has granted you favors one day of strength,
Discussions of the infatuated heart,
وَقَد كَذَبَتكَ نَفسُكَ فَاِكذَبَنها
لِما مَنَّتكَ تَغريراً قَطامِ
And your soul has lied to you, so lie to it
For as much as it favored you, a harmful deceit.
وَمُرقِصَةٍ رَدَدتُ الخَيلَ عَنها
وَقَد هَمَّت بِإِلقاءِ الزَمامِ
And to a dancer I pulled back the horses from her
When she intended to throw off the reins.
فَقُلتُ لَها اِقصِري مِنهُ وَسيري
وَقَد عَلِقَ الرَجائِزُ بِالخِدامِ
So I said to her, shorten your way and walk on,
For the litters are hung on the servants.
وَخَيلٍ تَحمِلُ الأَبطالَ شُعث
غَداةَ الرَوعِ أَمثالَ السِهامِ
And horses carrying heroes disheveled
On the morrow of fright like arrows.
عَناجيجٍ تَخُبُّ عَلى رَحاها
تُثيرُ النَقعَ بِالمَوتِ الزُؤامِ
Hens taking cover over their eggs
Stirring the brooding with the death wail.
إِلى خَيلٍ مُسَوَّمَةٍ عَلَيها
حُماةُ الرَوعِ في رَهَجِ القَتامِ
To horses marked upon which are
The brave in the gloom of darkness.
عَلَيها كُلَّ جَبّارٍ عَنيدٍ
إِلى شُربِ الدِماءِ تَراهُ ظامي
On them every stubborn tyrant
Is seen flocking to drink blood,
بِأَيديهِم مُهَنَّدَةٌ وَسُمرٌ
كَأَنَّ ظُباتِها شُعَلُ الضِرامِ
In their hands Indian swords and spears
As if their poles are flames of fire.
فَجاؤوا عارِضاً بَرداً وَجِئنا
حَريقاً في غَريفٍ ذي ضِرامِ
So they came challenging with coolness while we came
Ablaze in a valley having flames.
وَأَسكِت كُلَّ صَوتٍ غَيرِ ضَربٍ
وَعَترَسَةٍ وَمَرمِيٍّ وَرامي
And I silenced every voice but the striking,
The stabbing and the throwing and the shooting,
وَزَعتُ رَعيلَها بِالرُمحِ شَذراً
عَلى رَبِذٍ كَسِرحانِ الظَلامِ
And I scattered their regiments with the spear in particles
Upon meadows like the expanse of darkness.
أَكُرُّ عَلَيهِمُ مُهري كَليماً
قَلائِدُهُ سَبائِبُ كَالقِرامِ
I attack them driving my tame horse
Its necklaces the braids like tar.
إِذا شَكَّت بِنافِذَةٍ يَداهُ
تَعَرَّضَ مَوقِفاً ضَنكَ المُقامِ
If it pierces with a fang its hands
It meets head-on, hard of stance.
كَأَنَّ دُفوفَ مَرجِعِ مِرفَقَيهِ
تَوارَثَها مَنازيعُ السِهامِ
As if the ranks of the return of its elbows
Inherited them the axes of arrows.
تَقَدَّمَ وَهوَ مُضطَمِرٌ مُضِرٌّ
بِقارِحِهِ عَلى فَأسِ اللِجامِ
It advanced while it was concealing and harming
Its opponent with the axe of resolution.
يُقَدِّمُهُ فَتىً مِن خَيرِ عَبسٍ
أَبوهُ وَأُمُّهُ مِن آلِ حامِ
A young man from the best lineage of Abs leads it
Whose father and mother are from Ham's clan.
عَجوزٌ مِن بَني حامِ بنِ نوحٍ
كَأَنَّ جَبينَها حَجَرُ المَقامِ
An old woman from the clan of Ham son of Noah
As if her forehead is the rock of resolve.
