لَعَمري لَقَد سَلَّمتُ لَو أَنَّ جِثوَةً
عَلى جَدَثٍ رَدَّ السَلامَ كَلامُها
By my life! If a corpse
In its grave returned a greeting, I would have accepted it as speech.
فَهَوَّنَ وَجدي أَنَّ كُلَّ أَبي اِمرِئٍ
سَيُثكَلُ أَو يَلقاهُ مِنها لِزامُها
So it consoled my sorrow that every part
Of my father will either decay or be bound by it.
وَقَد خانَ ما بَيني وَبَينَ مُحَمَّدٍ
لَيالٍ وَأَيّامٌ تَناءى اِلتِئامُها
The nights and days between me and Muhammad
Have failed in their connection and gathering.
كَما خانَ دَلوَ القَومِ إِذ يُستَقى بِها
مِنَ الماءِ مِن مَتنِ الرِشاءِ اِنجِذامُها
As the people's bucket failed while being drawn
From the water, splintering from the rope's strain.
وَقَد تَرَكَ الأَيّامُ لي بَعدَ صاحِبي
إِذا أَظلَمَت عَيناً طَويلاً سِجامُها
The days after my companion left me
Seem to jab my eyes whenever they darken.
كَأَنَّ دَلوحاً تُرتَقى في صُعودِها
يُصيبُ مَسيلَي مُقلَتَيَّ سِلامُها
As if a bucket pulled up in its climbing
Hits and wounds the veins of my tear ducts.
عَلى حُرِّ خَدّي مِن يَدَي ثَقَفِيَّةٍ
تَناثَرَ مِن إِنسانِ عَيني نِظامُها
On my hot cheek the hand of a Thaqif woman threw
The organization of my eye's vision into disarray.
لَعَمري لَقَد عَوَّرتُ فَوقَ مُحَمَّدٍ
قَليباً بِهِ عَنّا طَويلاً مَقامُها
By my life! For Muhammad I distorted
My heart, keeping it from him for so long.
شَآمِيَّةً غَبراءَ لا غولَ غَيرُها
إِلَيها مِنَ الدُنيا الغَرورِ اِنصِرامُها
A Syrian woman, dusty, no other ghoul but her,
Drawing herself away from the world’s vanities.
فَلِلَّهِ ما اِستَودَعتُمُ قَعرَ هُوَّةٍ
وَمِن دونِهِ أَرجاؤُها وَهِيامُها
By God, how I entrusted the bottom of a valley,
And below it, its depths and precipices!
بِغورِيَّةِ الشَأمِ الَّتي قَد تَحُلُّها
تَنوخُ وَلَخمٌ أَهلُها وَجُذامُها
In Ghouriya of Damascus, which Tanihk
And Lakhm inhabit, its people stricken with leprosy.
وَقَد حَلَّ داراً عَن بَنيهِ مُحَمَّدٌ
بَطيئاً لِمَن يَرجو اللِقاءَ لِمامُها
Muhammad has moved away from his sons
Slow for one who hopes for reunion’s conclusion.
وَما مِن فِراقٍ غَيرَ حَيثُ رِكابُنا
عَلى القَبرِ مَحبوسٌ عَلَينا قِيامُها
No separation but where our mounts
Are stabled at his tomb, rising over us.
تُناديهِ تَرجو أَن يُجيبَ وَقَد أَتى
مِنَ الأَرضِ أَنضادٌ عَلَيهِ سِلامُها
It calls to him, hoping he will answer, and yet
There has come from the earth a barrier to its greeting.
وَقَد كانَ مِمّا في خَليلَي مُحَمَّدٍ
شَمائِلُ لا يُخشى عَلى الجارِ ذامُها
Among what was in my friend Muhammad
Were traits from which no neighbor had to fear harm.
