أَرَثَّ جَديدُ الحَبلِ مِن أُمِّ مَعبَدٍ
بِعاقِبَةٍ وَأَخلَفَت كُلَّ مَوعِدِ
The rope of Ma'bad's mother has worn out with fateful consequence,
And failed every promise.
وَبانَت وَلَم أَحمَد إِلَيكَ نَوالَها
وَلَم تَرجُ فينا رِدَّةَ اليَومِ أَو غَدِ
She appeared but I hoped not for her gifts,
Nor did she intend to return to us tomorrow or the next day.
مِنَ الخَفِراتِ لا سَقوطاً خِمارُها
إِذا بَرَزَت وَلا خَروجَ المُقَيَّدِ
When she goes out unveiled, her veil does not slip,
Nor does the fettered break loose.
وَكُلَّ تَباريحِ المُحِبِّ لَقيتَهُ
سِوى أَنَّني لَم أَلقَ حَتفي بِمَرصَدِ
You find all the stratagems of the lover
Except that I have not cast myself into the observatory.
وَأَنِّيَ لَم أَهلِك خُفاتاً وَلَم أَمُت
خُفاتاً وَكُلّاً ظَنَّهُ بِيَ عُوَّدي
And that I have not stealthily died nor stealthily perished,
While all supposed me accustomed.
كَأَنَّ حُمولَ الحَيِّ إِذ تَلَعَ الضُحى
بِنا صِفَةِ الشَجناءِ عُصبَةُ مِذوَدِ
As if the camels’ loads in the brightness of dawn
Accuse us, a group of dejected weepers.
أَوِ الأَثأَبُ العُمُّ المُخَرَّمُ سوقُهُ
بِشابَةَ لَم يُخبَط وَلَم يَتَعَضَّدِ
Or the toothless old man with limping gait
Of youth untouched and unworn.
أَعاذِلَ مَهلاً بَعضُ لَومِكِ وَاِقصِدي
وَإِن كانَ عِلمُ الغَيبِ عِندَكِ فَاِرشِدي
Delay, reproach me awhile and aim right,
If the knowledge of the unseen is with you, then guide me.
أَعاذِلَتي كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ وَاِبنُ أُمِّهِ
مَتاعٌ كَزادِ الراكِبِ المُتَزَوِّدِ
Every man excuses himself, even the son of his mother –
Goods are like the traveler’s provisions.
أَعاذِلَ إِنَّ الرُزءَ في مِثلِ خالِدٍ
وَلا رُزءَ فيما أَهلَكَ المَرءُ عَن يَدِ
I make excuses - fate lies with the likes of Khalid
While no fate in what a man has destroyed by his own hand.
وَقُلتُ لِعارِضٍ وَأَصحابِ عارِضٍ
وَرَهطِ بَني السَوداءِ وَالقَومُ شُهَّدي
And I said to the critic and the critic's companions
And the clan of Bani Sawda and they are my witnesses,
عَلانِيَةً ظُنّوا بِأَلفَي مُدَجَّجٍ
سَراتُهُمُ في الفارِسيِّ المُسَرَّدِ
Openly they supposed me clad in double mail
While their secrets in the Persian style are concealed.
وَقُلتُ لَهُم إِنَّ الأَحاليفَ أَصبَحَت
مُطَنِّبَةً بَينَ السِتارِ فَثَهمَدِ
And I said to them the rumors in the morning
Have become pregnant between the veil, so they faded.
فَما فَتِئوا حَتّى رَأَوها مُغيرَةً
كَرِجلِ الدِبى في كُلِّ رَبعٍ وَفَدفَدِ
They did not stop until they saw them changing
Like the leg of a hyena in every land and valley.
وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الخَيلَ قُبلاً كَأَنَّها
جَرادٌ يُباري وِجهَةَ الريحِ مُغتَدي
And when I saw the horses facing as if they were
Locusts competing with the wind’s direction.
أَمَرتُهُمُ أَمري بِمُنعَرَجِ اللِوى
فَلَم يَستَبينوا النُصحَ إِلّا ضُحى الغَدِ
I ordered them at the winding valley
But they understood the advice only at dawn the next day.
فَلَمّا عَسوني كُنتُ مِنهُم وَقَد أَرى
غِوايَتَهُم وَأَنَّني غَيرُ مُهتَدي
When they disobeyed me, I knew
Their misguidance, and that I was not guided.
وَهَل أَنا إِلّا مِن غَزِيَّةَ إِن غَوَت
غَوَيتُ وَإِن تَرشُد غَزيَّةُ أَرشَدِ
What am I but one of an invading troop? If they go astray, I go astray,
And if the troop is guided, I am guided.
دَعاني أَخي وَالخَيلُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ
فَلَمّا دَعاني لَم يَجِدني بِقُعدَدِ
My brother called me and the horses were between me and him
When he called me he did not find me sitting still.
أَخي أَرضَعَتني أُمُّهُ بِلِبانِها
بِثَديِ صَفاءٍ بَينَنا لَم يُجَدَّدِ
My brother, his mother suckled me at her breast
With pure milk, no rancor between us.
فَجِئتُ إِلَيهِ وَالرِماحُ تَنوشُهُ
كَوَقعِ الصَياصي في النَسيجِ المُمَدَّدِ
So I came to him while the spears pierced him
Like the beat of rain on outspread leather.
وَكُنتُ كَذاتِ البَوِّ ريعَت فَأَقبَلَت
إِلى جَلَدٍ مِن مَسكِ سَقبِ مُقَدَّدِ
And I was like a she-camel aroused, so she came
To a skin of musk whose ties were cut.
فَطاعَنتُ عَنهُ الخَيلَ حَتّى تَنَهنَهَت
وَحَتّى عَلاني حَلِكُ اللَونِ أَسوَدِ
So I warded the horses off him until they were done in
And until the wounds on me became black.
فَما رِمتُ حَتّى خَرَّقَتني رِماحُهُم
وَغودِرتُ أَكبو في القَنا المُتَقَصِّدِ
I did not throw until their spears rent me
And I was immersed wounded in the intended valley.
قِتالُ اِمرِئٍ آسى أَخاهُ بِنَفسِهِ
وَيَعلَمُ أَنَّ المَرءَ غَيرَ مُخَلَّدِ
A man fighting grieved his brother with himself
And knows man is not immortal.
تَنادوا فَقالوا أَردَتِ الخَيلُ فارِساً
فَقُلتُ أَعَبدُ اللَهِ ذَلِكُمُ الرَدي
They called out and said: Do you want the horses, O rider?
So I said: I worship God, that guides me.
فَإِن يَكُ عَبدُ اللَهِ خَلّى مَكانَهُ
فَما كانَ وَقّافاً وَلا طائِشَ اليَدِ
If God's servant moves from his place
Then he was neither wavering nor reckless.
وَلا بَرِماً إِذا الرِياحُ تَناوَحَت
بِرَطبِ العِضاهِ وَالهَشيمِ المُعَضَّدِ
Nor deviant, when the winds contend
With the juicy, green branches.
وَتُخرِجُ مِنهُ صَرَّةُ القَومِ جُرأَةً
وَطولُ السُرى ذَرِّيَّ عَضبٍ مُهَنَّدِ
And bring out from it the people's package of courage
And length of travel, offspring of fierce determinedness.
كَميشُ الإِزارِ خارِجٌ نِصفُ ساقِهِ
صَبورٌ عَلى العَزاءِ طَلّاعُ أَنجُدِ
Like the skirts of his loincloth coming out, half his leg exposed,
Patient in condolence, early riser.
قَليلٌ تَشَكّيهِ المُصيباتِ حافِظٌ
مِنَ اليَومِ أَعقابَ الأَحاديثِ في غَدِ
He seldom complains of misfortunes, protective
From the day of consequences of events tomorrow.
صَبا ما صَبا حَتّى عَلا الشَيبُ رَأسَهُ
فَلَمّا عَلاهُ قالَ لِلباطِلِ اِبعَدِ
The youth passed until grey hair raised his head
So when it raised it, he said to falsehood: Begone!
تَراهُ خَميصَ البَطنِ وَالزادُ حاضِرٌ
عَتيدٌ وَيَغدو في القَميصِ المُقَدَّدِ
You see him girt, provisions present,
Ready, setting out with cut loincloth.
وَإِن مَسَّهُ الإِقواءُ وَالجَهدُ زادَهُ
سَماحاً وَإِتلافاً لِما كانَ في اليَدِ
If exhaustion and effort befall him, it increases
His generosity and squandering of what was in his hand.
إِذا هَبَطَ الأَرضَ الفَضاءَ تَزَيَّنَت
لِرُؤيَتِهِ كَالمَأتَمِ المُتَبَدِّدِ
When he descends upon the open land, it adorns itself
For seeing him like a scattered mourning assembly.
فَلا يُبعِدَنكَ اللَهُ حَيّاً وَمَيِّتاً
وَمَن يَعلُهُ رُكنٌ مِنَ الأَرضِ يَبعُدِ
May God not distance you alive or dead
For who makes him a pillar of earth is distanced.
رَئيسُ حُروبٍ لا يَزالُ رَبيئَةً
مُشيحاً عَلى مُحقَوقِفِ الصُلبِ مُلبِدِ
Leader of wars, he remains forever wakeful
Walking proudly with erected, firm spear.
وَغارَةٍ بَينَ اليَومِ وَالأَمسِ فَلتَةٍ
تَدارَكتُها رَكضاً بِسِيدٍ عَمَرَّدِ
And a raid between yesterday and today, an unexpected calamity
I met it galloping with a noble, honored steed.
سَليمِ الشَظى عَبلِ الشَوى شَنِجِ النَسا
طَويلِ القَرا نَهدٍ أَسيلِ المُقَلَّدِ
Safe from fragments, ready for flames, bending spears,
Long necked, long legged, with dangling ornament.
يَفوتُ طَويلَ القَومِ عَقدُ عِذارِهِ
مُنيفٌ كَجِذعِ النَخلَةِ المُتَجَرِّدِ
He overtakes the tall ones, the knot of his head rope undone,
Fine, like the trunk of a palm stripped bare.
فَكُنتُ كَأَنّي واثِقٌ بِمُصَدَّرٍ
يُمَشّي بِأَكنافِ الحُبَيبِ بِمَشهَدِ
So I was as if confident in an escort
Walking with the sides of the beloved openly.
لَهُ كُلُّ مَن يَلقى مِنَ الناسِ واحِداً
وَإِن يَلقَ مَثنى القَومِ يَفرَح وَيَزدَدِ
To him, whoever he meets of people is one,
And if he meets two, he rejoices and is gladdened.
وَهَوَّنَ وَجدي أَنَّني لَم أَقُل لَهُ
كَذَبتَ وَلَم أَبخُل بِما مَلَكَت يَدي
And it eased my suffering that I did not say to him
“You lie,” and did not begrudge what my hands possessed.
فَإِن تُعقِبِ الأَيّامُ وَالدَهرُ تَعلَموا
بَني قارِبٍ أَنّا غِضابٌ بِمَعبَدِ
If days bring requital and fate, you will know
O clan of Qarib, that we are wrathful at Ma'bad.
