لَو أَعلَمُ الأَيّامَ راجِعَةً لَنا
بَكَيتُ عَلى أَهلِ القِرى مِن مُجاشِعِ
If I knew the days would come back to us
I would have wept for the people of the settlements out of longing
بَكَيتُ عَلى القَومِ الَّذينَ هَوَت بِهِم
دَعائِمُ مَجدٍ كانَ ضَخمُ الدَسائِعِ
I would have wept for the people who honorable pillars
of glory fell down taking away their great hopes
إِذا ما بَكى العَجعاجُ هَيَّجَ عَبرَةً
لِعَينَي حَزينٍ شَجوُهُ غَيرُ راجِعِ
When the crested lark cries it stirs up tears
in the eyes of the grieving whose lament does not cease
فَإِن أَبكِ قَومي يا نَوارُ فَإِنَّني
أَرى مَسجِدَيهِم مِنهُمُ كَالبَلاقِعِ
So if you make my people cry, O Nawar, I do
see their mosques among them like patches
خَلاءَينِ بَعدَ الحِلمِ وَالجَهلِ فيهِما
وَبَعدَ عُبابِيِّ النَدى المُتَدافِعِ
Empty after wisdom and ignorance in them
and after the descending copious, pouring rain
فَأَصبَحتُ قَد كادَت بُيوتي يَنالُها
بِحَيثُ اِنتَهى سَيلُ التِلاعِ الدَوافِعِ
So my houses have come to be almost reached
by where the surging violent flood ended
عَلى أَنَّ فينا مِن بَقايا كُهولِنا
أُساةَ الثَأى وَالمُفظِعاتِ الصَوادِعِ
Yet among us there are remnants of our elders
the misery of loss and the terrifying calamities
كَأَنَّ الرُدَينِيّاتِ كانَ بُرودُهُم
عَلَيهِنَّ في أَيدٍ طِوالَ الأَجاشِعِ
As if their coolness upon the soft dunes
were in hands that were long in yearning
إِذا قُلتُ هَذا آخِرُ اللَيلِ قَد مَضى
تَرَدَّدَ مُسوَدٌّ بَهيمِ الأَكارِعِ
When I say this is the end of night passing
an ominous pitch dark night replies insistently
وَكائِن تَرَكنا بِالخُرَيبَةِ مِن فَتىً
كَريمٍ وَسَيفٍ لِلضَريبَةِ قاطِعِ
And we left in the ruins some generous gallant youth
and sword cutting off the enemy
وَمِن جَفنَةٍ كانَ اليَتامى عِيالَها
وَسابِغَةٍ تَغشى بَنانَ الأَصابِعِ
And some Jafnah whose dependents were orphans
and Sābiġah covering the fingers in henna
وَمِن مُهرَةٍ شَوهاءَ أَودى عِنانِها
وَقَد كانَ مَحفوظاً لَها غَيرَ ضائِعِ
And some Muhrah, unlucky, whose reins betrayed her
though they had been kept safe for her, not lost
