وَدِّع لَميسَ وَداعَ الصارِمِ اللاحي
إِذ فَنَّكَت في فَسادٍ بَعدَ إِصلاحِ
Bid farewell to Lamis with the farewell of the stern warrior
When you failed after reform, decayed.
إِذ تَستَبيكَ بِمَصقولٍ عَوارِضُهُ
حَمشِ اللِثاتِ عِذابٍ غَيرِ مِملاحِ
When your polished cheeks were tear-stained
With the torture of thick-lipped plainness, not beautiful.
وَقَد لَهَوتُ بِمِثلِ الرِئمِ آنِسَةٍ
تُصبي الحَليمَ عَروبٍ غَيرِ مِكلاحِ
And I have sported with the likes of graceful company,
That makes the forbearing drink unmixed wine without fatigue.
كَأَنَّ ريقَتَها بَعدَ الكَرى اِغتَبَقَت
مِن ماءِ أَصهَبَ في الحانوتِ نَضّاحِ
As if her spittle after old age had fermented
From the water of a black wineskin at the vintner's.
أَو مِن مُعَتَّقَةٍ وَرهاءَ نَشوَتُها
أَو مِن أَنابيبِ رُمّانٍ وَتُفّاحِ
Or from the squeezings of a heated grape, her intoxication arose,
Or from the pipes of a pomegranate or an apple.
هَبَّت تَلومُ وَلَيسَت ساعَةَ اللاحي
هَلّا اِنتَظَرتِ بِهَذا اللَومِ إِصباحي
She came blaming but it was not the hour of the warrior,
Why didn't she wait for my awakening with this blame?
قاتَلَها اللَهُ تَلحاني وَقَد عَلِمَت
أَنّي لِنَفسِيَ إِفسادي وَإِصلاحي
May God destroy her, she blames me and she knew
That my corruption and my reform are mine.
إِن أَشرَبِ الخَمرَ أَو أُرزَأ لَها ثَمَناً
فَلا مَحالَةَ يَوماً أَنَّني صاحي
If I drink wine or if I pay its price
There is no doubt that one day I will be sober.
وَلا مَحالَةَ مِن قَبرٍ بِمَحنِيَةٍ
وَكَفَنٍ كَسَراةِ الثَورِ وَضّاحِ
And no doubt one day from a grave of affliction,
And a shroud of thorn-wood and canes.
دَعِ العَجوزَينِ لا تَسمَع لِقيلِهِما
وَاِعمَد إِلى سَيِّدٍ في الحَيِّ جَحجاحِ
Leave the two old women, do not listen to their words,
And set out to a lord in the tribe, nimble.
كانَ الشَبابُ يُلَهّينا وَيُعجِبُنا
فَما وَهَبنا وَلا بِعنا بِأَرباحِ
Youth made us heedless and amazed us,
So we did not give nor sell for profits.
إِنّي أَرِقتُ وَلَم تَأرَق مَعي صاحي
لِمُستَكِفٍّ بُعَيدَ النَومِ لَوّاحِ
I have stayed awake while you have not kept me company, friend,
One averse to sleep, tossing and turning.
قَد نُمتَ عَنّي وَباتَ البَرقُ يُسهِرُني
كَما اِستَضاءَ يَهودِيٌّ بِمِصباحِ
You slept away from me while lightning kept me awake
As a Jew was illuminated by his lamp.
يا مَن لِبَرقٍ أَبيتُ اللَيلَ أَرقُبُهُ
في عارِضٍ كَمُضيءِ الصُبحِ لَمّاحِ
O you whom I stayed awake watching for lightning in the night
In a cheek as bright as the dawn’s light, glimmering.
دانٍ مُسِفٍّ فُوَيقَ الأَرضِ هَيدَبُهُ
يَكادُ يَدفَعُهُ مَن قامَ بِالراحِ
A firebrand dragging its abdomen on the ground
That one standing by the mill almost pushes away.
كَأَنَّ رَيِّقَهُ لَمّا عَلا شَطِباً
أَقرابُ أَبلَقَ يَنفي الخَيلَ رَمّاحِ
As if its spittle when it climbed up the wick
Was the relatives of a piebald driving away the horses, brandishing.
هَبَّت جَنوبٌ بِأَعلاهُ وَمالَ بِهِ
أَعجازُ مُزنٍ يَسُحُّ الماءِ دَلّاحِ
A south wind blew violently lifting its crown
The sterns of a water-drawer wiping the water, dripping.
فَاِلتَجَّ أَعلاهُ ثُمَّ اِرتَجَّ أَسفَلُهُ
وَضاقَ ذَرعاً بِحَملِ الماءِ مُنصاحِ
So its top convulsed and then its bottom jerked
And it complained of carrying the water, being constricted.
كَأَنَّما بَينَ أَعلاهُ وَأَسفَلِهِ
رَيطٌ مُنَشَّرَةٌ أَو ضَوءُ مِصباحِ
As if between its top and bottom
There was an unfurled curtain or the light of a lamp.
يَنزَعُ جِلدَ الحَصى أَجَشُّ مُبتَرِكٌ
كَأَنَّهُ فاحِصٌ أَو لاعِبٌ داحي
One with mange insistently scraping the pebbles
As if examining or playing, rubbing.
فَمَن بِنَجوَتِهِ كَمَن بِمَحفِلِهِ
وَالمُستَكِنُّ كَمَن يَمشي بِقِرواحِ
So salvation is not like an assembly
Nor the self-sufficient like one walking with crutches.
كَأَنَّ فيهِ عِشاراً جِلَّةً شُرُفاً
شُعثاً لَهاميمَ قَد هَمَّت بِإِرشاحِ
As if among them there were select excellent ones
Dishevelled attacking she-wolves that intended to tear apart.
هُدلاً مَشافِرُها بُحّاً حَناجِرُها
تُزجي مَرابيعَها في صَحصَحٍ ضاحي
Howling, their jaws open, their throats
Launching their packs in a clamouring yell.
فَأَصبَحَ الرَوضُ وَالقيعانُ مُمرِعَةً
مِن بَينِ مُرتَفِقٍ مِنها وَمُنطاحِ
So the meadows and valleys became filled
Among them a frequenter and one goring.
وَقَد أَراني أَمامَ الحيِّ تَحمِلُني
جُلذِيَّةٌ وَصَلَت دَأياً بِأَلواحِ
It showed me in front of the tribe, carrying me
A ramshackle she-camel connected with boards.
عَيرانَةٌ كَأَتانِ الضَحلِ صَلَّبَها
جَرمُ السَوادِيِّ رَضّوهُ بِمِرضاحِ
Lame, its saddle ropes swollen, tightened
By the evil of the black one who pierced it with an awl.
سَقى دِيارَ بَني عَوفٍ وَساكِنَها
وَدارَ عَلقَمَةِ الخَيرِ بنِ صَبّاحِ
It watered the abodes of Bani Auf and their dwellers
And the house of Alqamah the Bountiful son of Sabbah.
