هَل عاجِلٌ مِن مَتاعِ الحيِّ مَنظورُ
أَم بَيتُ دومَةَ بَعدَ الإِلفِ مَهجورُ
Is there any hope to obtain the goods of the living that I see,
Or is the abode of Duma after a thousand years desolate?
أَم هَل كَبيرٌ بَكى لَم يَقضِ عَبرَتَهُ
إِثرَ الأَحِبَّةِ يَومَ البَينِ مَعذورُ
Or did an elder weep and not finish shedding his tears
For his loved ones on the day of parting, excused?
لَكِن بِفِرتاجَ فَالخَلصاءِ أَنتَ بِها
فَحَنبَلٍ فَلِوى سَرّاءَ مَسرورُ
But you are in Firtaj of sincere and loyal people,
So rejoice, O Hanbal, travel cheerfully!
وَبِالأُنَيعِمِ يَوماً قَد تَحِلُّ بِهِ
لَدى خَزازَ وَمِنها مَنظَرٌ كيرُ
And one day you arrived at Al-Unayyim,
At the abode of Khazzaz, with an abundant view.
قَد قُلتُ لِلرَكبِ لَولا أَنَّهُم عَجِلوا
عوجوا عَلَيَّ فَحَيّوا الحَيَّ أَو سيروا
I told the caravan, had they not hurried
And avoided me, to greet the living or travel on.
قَلَّت لِحاجَةِ نَفسٍ لَيلَةٌ عَرَضَت
ثُمَّ اِقصِدوا بَعدَها في السَيرِ أَو جوروا
A night passed by the need of a soul,
Then head straight in travel or deviate.
غُرٌّ غَرائِرُ أَبكارٌ نَشَأنَ مَعاً
حُسنُ الخَلائِقِ عَمّا يُتَّقى نورُ
Young virgin girls grew up together
Of good character, fearful of what should be feared.
لَبِسنَ رَيطاً وَديباجاً وَأَكسِيَةً
شَتّى بِها اللَونُ إِلّا أَنَّها فورُ
Wearing fine garments and brocade and robes
Of different colors, though not silk.
لَيسَ الحَديثُ بِنُهبى يَنتَهِبنَ وَلا
سِرٌّ يُحَدِّثنَهُ في الحَيِّ مَنشورُ
The talk is not to plunder or eavesdrop,
Nor a secret to gossip in the living assemblies.
وَقَد تُلافي بِيَ الحاجاتِ ناجِيَةٌ
وَجناءُ لاحِقَةُ الرِجلَينِ عَيسورُ
The necessities of life have evaded me,
And a nimble she-camel pursues me.
تُساقِطُ المَشيَ أَفناناً إِذا غَضِبَت
إِذا أَلَحَّت عَلى رُكبانِها الكورُ
She makes the walker stumble if she gets angry,
When the fetters cling to her legs.
حَرفٌ أَخوها أَبوها مِن مُهَجَّنَةٍ
وَعَمُّها خالُها وَجناءُ مِئشيرُ
Her companion, her father, is from a mixed breed,
And her uncle, her maternal uncle, a broker.
وَقَد ثَوَت نِصفَ حَولٍ أَشهُراً جُدُداً
يَسفي عَلى رَحلِها بِالحيرَةِ المورُ
She remained a year and months as if new,
Wasting away in Al-Hira with anxiety.
وَقارَفَت وَهيَ لَم تَجرَب وَباعَ لَها
مِنَ الفَصافِصِ بِالنُمِّيِّ سِفسيرُ
And she mated though she had no experience,
And he sold her for money to an outbidder.
أَبقى التَهَجُّرُ مِنها بَعدَ كِدنَتِها
مِنَ المَحالَةِ ما يَشغى بِهِ الكورُ
After her vengeance, estrangement from her
Is impossible, however much the fetters cling.
تُلقي الجِرانَ وَتَقلَولي إِذا بَرَكَت
كَما تَيَسَّرَ لِلنَفرِ المَها النورُ
She kicks the neighbors and butts, when she kneels,
As the light was accessible to the people.
كَأَنَّ هِرّاً جَنيباً تَحتَ غُرضَتِها
وَاِصطَكَّ ديكٌ بِرِجلَيها وَخِنزيرُ
As if a stray dog was under her cover,
And a rooster collided with her legs, and a pig.
كَأَنَّها ذو وُشومٍ بَينَ مَأفِقَةٍ
وَالقُطقُطانَةِ وَالبُرعومِ مَذعورُ
As if she is spotted between miscarriages
And barn owls, jerboas, terrified and confused.
أَحَسَّ رَكزَ قَنيصٍ مِن بَني أَسَدٍ
فَاِنصاعَ مُنثَوِياً وَالخَطوُ مَقصورُ
The thigh of the wearer of a Qinis-garment felt it
From Bani Asad, so he bent over, and his step faltered.
يَسعى بِغُضفٍ كَأَمثالِ الحَصى زَمِعاً
كَأَنَّ أَحناكَها السُفلى مَآشيرُ
He runs with small gravel-like stones painfully,
As if her lower jaws are crushing.
حَتّى أُشِبَّ لَهُنَّ الثَورُ مِن كَثَبٍ
فَأَرسَلوهُنَّ لَم يَدروا بِما ثيروا
Until the bulls roused because of her leaping,
So they let them go, not knowing the result.
وَلّى مُجِدّاً وَأَزمَعنَ اللَحاقَ بِهِ
كَأَنَّهُنَّ بِجَنبَيهِ الزَنابيرُ
He turned away majestically, and they intended to catch up,
As if they are hornets around his sides.
حَتّى إِذا قُلتَ نالَتهُ أَوائِلُها
وَلَو يَشاءُ لَنَجَّتهُ المَثابيرُ
Until when you say the vanguards reached him,
Though if he wished, the confusers would have saved him.
كَرَّ عَلَيها وَلَم يَفشَل يُهارِشُها
كَأَنَّهُ بِتَواليهِنَّ مَسرورُ
He turned upon her and did not fail, harassing her,
As if he is pleased with following them.
فَشَكَّها بِذَليقٍ حَدُّهُ سَلِبٌ
كَأَنَّهُ حينَ يَعلوهُنَّ مَوتورُ
He shook her with a thin that is stripping,
As if he is agonized when mounting them.
ثُمَّ اِستَمَرَّ يُباري ظِلَّهُ جَذِلاً
كَأَنَّهُ مَرزُبانٌ فازَ مَحبورُ
Then he continued, his shadow competing,
As if it is a terrified and defeated gambler.
يالَ تَميمٍ وَذو قارٍ لَهُ حَدَبٌ
مِنَ الرَبيعِ وَفي شَعبانَ مَسجورُ
Woe to Tameem and Thow Qaran, he has a hump
From spring, and in Shaaban fettered!
قَد حَلَّأَت ناقَتي بُردٌ وَراكِبَها
عَن ماءِ بَصوَةَ يَوماً وَهوَ مَجهورُ
The cold outfitted my she-camels and their rider
From the water of Baswa one day, and he is assembled.
فَما تَناءى بِها المَعروفُ إِذ نَفَرَت
حَتّى تَضَمَّنَها الأَفدانُ وَالدورُ
Goodwill did not neglect them when they fled
Until the valleys and houses gave them refuge.
قَومٌ لِئامٌ وَفي أَعناقِهِم عُنُفٌ
وَسَعيُهُم دونَ سَعيِ الناسِ مَبهورُ
Wicked people, with harshness around their necks,
And their endeavor unlike people's is confused.
وَيلُ اُمِّهِم مَعشَراً جُمّاً بُيوتُهُمُ
مِنَ الرِماحِ وَفي المَعروفِ تَنكيرُ
Woe to their mothers, an assembly of insects, their homes
With spears, and in goodwill, rejection!
إِذ يَشزِرونَ إِلَيَّ الظَرفَ عَن عُرُضٍ
كَأَنَّ أَعيُنَهُم مِن بُغضِهِم عورُ
When they squint at me spitefully
As if their eyes from hatred are defective.
نَكَّبتُها مائَهُم لَمّا رَأَيتَهُمُ
صُهبَ السِبالِ بِأَيديهِم بَيازيرُ
I avoided their water when I saw them,
Evil carriers of buckets in their hands.
مُخَلَّفونَ وَيَقضي الناسُ أَمرَهُمُ
غُسُّ الأَمانَةِ صُنبورٌ فَصُنبورُ
Left behind while people fulfill their purpose,
The worst of trusts, hornets and more hornets!
لَولا الهُمامُ الَّذي تُرجى نَوافِلُهُ
لَنالَهُم جَحفَلٌ تَشقى بِهِ العورُ
If not for the aspirations whose supererogations are hoped for,
A calamitous army would have made the disabled miserable.
لَولا الهُمامُ لَقَد خَفَّت نَعامَتُهُم
وَقالَ راكِبُهُم في عُصبَةٍ سيروا
If not for the aspirations, their ostrich-like ways would have weakened,
And their rider in a group would have said: March on!
يُعلونَ بِالقَلَعِ البُصرِيِّ هامَهُمُ
وَيُخرِجُ الفَسوَ مِن تَحتُ الدَقاريرُ
Raising the Probhari fortress, their zeal,
And the trash comes out from under the cisterns.
تَناهَقونَ إِذا اِخضَرَّت نِعالُكُمُ
وَفي الحَفيظَةِ أَبرامٌ مَضاجيرُ
You strut when your slippers turn green,
And your pockets contain lots of junk.
أَجلَت مُرَمَّأَةُ الأَخبارِ إِذ وَلَدَت
عَن يَومِ سَوءٍ لِعَبدِ القَيسِ مَذكورُ
The reporter of news foretold a bad day
For Abd Al-Qays, mentioned and recorded.
إِنَّ الرَحيلَ إِلى قَومٍ وَإِن بَعُدوا
أَمسَوا وَمِن دونِهِم ثَهلانُ فَالنيرُ
Surely heading to a people, even if distant,
Is easier than staying with the feeble and weak.
تُلقى الأَوَزّونَ في أَكنافِ دارَتِها
تَمشي وَبَينَ يَدَيها التِبنُ مَنثورُ
She meets the equipage in the bosoms of its abode,
Walking with hay scattered before her.
