غَدا سَلَفٌ فَأَصعَدَ بِالرَبابِ
وَحَنَّ وَما يَحِنُّ إِلى صِحابِ
Tomorrow dawned, so he mounted his steed
And yearned, though yearning is not for comrades
دَعا عَبَراتِهِ شَجَنٌ تَوَلّى
وَشاماتٌ عَلى طَلَلٍ يَبابِ
His tears called forth griefs that multiplied
And twilights over ruins that moulder and decay
وَأَظهَرَ صَفحَةً سُتِرَت وَأُخرى
مِنَ العَبَراتِ تَشهَدُ بِالتَبابِ
And showed a cheek once hidden, and another
Of tears that testify to separation
كَأَنَّ الدارَ حينَ خَلَت رُسومٌ
كَهَذا العَصبِ أَو بَعضِ الكِتابِ
It was as if the abode, when its features vanished,
Was like this shinbone or some of the writ
إِذا ذُكِرَ الحِبابُ بِها أَضَرَّت
بِها عَينٌ تَضَرُّ عَلى الحِبابِ
When lovers were recalled in it, an eye would ache
That aches for lovers over their abodes
دِيارُ الحَيِّ بِالرُكحِ اليَماني
خَرابٌ وَالدِيارُ إِلى خَرابِ
The abode of the living at Ar-Rukhkha in Yemen
Is ruin, and the abode is on the way to ruin
رَجَعنَ صَبابَةً وَبَعَثنَ شَوقاً
عَلى مُتَحَلَّبِ الشَأنَينِ صابِ
They aroused longing and sent back youthfulness
To one distinguished in condition and plight
وَما يَبقى عَلى زَمَنٍ مُغيرٍ
عَدا حَدَثانُهُ عَدوَ الذِئابِ
And nothing remains of a changing world
Except its events, foe of the wolves
وَدَهرُ المَرءِ مُنقَلِبٌ عَلَيهِ
فُنوناً وَالنَعيمُ إِلى اِنقِلابِ
And the life of a man turns against him
Capriciously, and bliss is on the way to change
وَكُلُّ أَخٍ سَيَذهَبُ عَن أَخيهِ
وَباقي ما تُحِبُّ إِلى ذَهابِ
And every brother will depart from his brother
While most of what you love is on the way to loss
وَلَمّا فارَقَتنا أُمُّ بَكرٍ
وَشَطَّت غُربَةً بَعدَ اِكتِئابِ
And when she who was Umm Bakr left us
And remoteness stretched out after dejection
وَبِتُّ بِحاجَةٍ في الصَدرِ مِنها
تَحَرَّقُ نارُها بَينَ الحِجابِ
And I spent the night needing her in my breast
With a fire from her burning between the veils
خَطَطتُ مِثالَها وَجَلَستُ أَشكو
إِلَيها ما لَقيتُ عَلى اِنتِحابِ
I traced her image and sat complaining
To her of what I faced in my confusion
أُكَلِّمُ لَمحَةً في التُربِ مِنها
كَلامَ المُستَجيرِ مِنَ العَذابِ
I speak to a glimpse of her in the earth
Like the speech of one seeking refuge from punishment
كَأَنِّيَ عِندَها أَشكو إِلَيها
هُمومي وَالشِكاةُ إِلى التُرابِ
As if I were complaining to her
Of my concerns, though complaining is to dust
سَقى اللَهُ القِبابَ بِتَلِّ عَبدى
وَبِالشَرقينِ أَيّامَ القِبابِ
May God water the tombs at the plot of Abd
And the Eastern quarters, days of tombs
وَأَيّاماً لَنا قَصُرَت وَطابَت
عَلى فُرعانَ نائِمَةَ الكِلابِ
And days we had that were short but pleasant
Over cubs sleeping of the wild dogs
لَقَد شَطَّ المَزارُ فَبِتُّ صَبّاً
يُطالِعُني الهَوى مِن كُلِّ بابِ
Distant indeed has the visitation become! I spend the night weeping,
With yearning surveying me from every door
وَعَهدي بِالفُراعِ وَأُمِّ بَكرٍ
ثَقالِ الرِدفِ طَيِّبَةِ الرُضابِ
And my pact with Al-Fura` and Umm Bakr –
Ladies heavy of buttocks, pleasant of scent!
مِنَ المُتَصَيِّداتِ بِكُلِّ نَبلٍ
تَسيلُ إِذا مَشَت سَيلَ الحُبابِ
Huntresses with every valor,
Who flow, when they walk, in floods of musk
مُصَوَّرَةٌ يَحارُ الطَرفُ فيها
كَأَنَّ حَديثَها سُكرُ الشَرابِ
Imaged – the eyes are confused by her –
As if her talk were the drunkenness of wine
لَيالِيَ لا أَعوجُ عَلى المُنادي
وَلا العُذّالِ مِن صَعَمِ الشَبابِ
Nights I do not complain to the rebuker
Nor the blamer, from the unruliness of youths
وَقائِلَةٍ رَأَتني لا أُبالي
جُنوحَ العاذِلاتِ إِلى عِتابِ
And a sayer who saw me care nothing
For the censure of blamers toward rebuke
مَلِلتَ عِتابَ أَغيَدَ كُلَّ يَومٍ
وَشَرٌّ ما دَعاكَ إِلى العِتابِ
You have wearied of the rebuke every day
And evil is what led you to rebuke
إِذا بَعَثَ الجَوابُ عَلَيكَ حَرباً
فَما لَكَ لا تَكُفُّ عَنِ الجَوابِ
If replying stirs up war against you
Why do you not refrain from reply?
أَصونُ عَنِ اللِئامِ لُبابَ وُدّي
وَأَختَصُّ الأَكارِمَ بِاللُبابِ
I protect the kernel of my affection
And reserve the noble for the pith
وَأَيُّ فَتىً مِنَ البَوغاءِ يُغني
مَقامي في المُخاطَبِ وَالخِطابِ
And which gallant among the eloquent could suffice me
In addressing and speech?
وَتَجمَعُ دَعوَتي آثارَ قَومي
هُمُ الأُسدُ الخَوادِرُ تَحتَ غابِ
And my invitation gathers the traces of my people -
They are the lions, the audacious, under cover
وُلاةُ العِزِّ وَالشَرَفِ المُعَلّى
يَرُدّونَ الفُضولَ عَلى المُصابِ
Rulers of glory and elevated honor
Who repel presumption against the stricken
وَقَومٌ يُنكِرونَ سَحابَ قَومي
رَفَعنا فَوقَهُم غُرَّ السَحابِ
And a people who deny the clouds of my people -
We raised above them the height of the clouds
وَأَبراراً نَعودُ إِذا غَضِبنا
بِأَحلامٍ رَواجِحَ كَالهِضابِ
And we are virtuous when we grow angry
With dreams lofty as plateaus
وَإِن نُسرِع بِمَرحَمَةٍ لِقَومٍ
فَلَسنا بِالسِراعِ إِلى العِقابِ
And if we hasten with a raid against a people,
We are not hasty in punishment
نُرَشِّحُ ظالِماً وَنَلُمُّ شَعثاً
وَنَرضى بِالثَناءِ مِنَ الثَوابِ
We nominate an unjust man and reproach a disheveled one,
And we are content with praise instead of reward
تَرانا حينَ تَختَلِفُ العَوالي
وَقَد لاذَ الأَذِلَّةُ بِالصِعابِ
You see us, when the heights differ,
And the abased have resorted to the rugged--
نَقودُ كَتائِباً وَنَسوقُ أُخرى
كَأَنَّ زُهاءَهُنَّ سَوادُ لابِ
We lead battalions and drive others
As if their armor were the blackness of night
إِذا فَزَعَت بِلادُ بَني مَعَدٍّ
حَمَيناها بِأَغلِمَةٍ غِضابِ
When the lands of Bani Ma`ad are alarmed
We protect them with clubs of wrath
وَكُلِّ مُتَوَّجٍ بِالشَيبِ يَغدو
طَويلَ الباعِ مُنتَجَعَ الجِنابِ
And every long-armed graybeard among them
Steps forth with gathered loins
مِنَ المُتَضَمِّنينَ شَبا المَنايا
يَكونُ مَقيلُهُ ظِلَّ العُقابِ
Of those who harbor the fates of death,
His rest will be in the shade of staves
إِذا حَسَرَ الشَبابُ فَمُت جَميلاً
فَما اللَذّاتُ إِلّا في الشَبابِ
When youth passes, die beautifully!
For pleasures are only in youth
