أَسَأَلتَ رَسمَ الدارِ أَم لَم تَسأَلِ
بَينَ الجَوابي فَالبُضَيعِ فَحَومَلِ
Did you ask about the abode or did you not ask?
Between the two answers is the desolate wilderness and Homal.
فَالمَرجِ مَرجِ الصُفَّرَينِ فَجاسِمٍ
فَدِيارِ سَلمى دُرَّساً لَم تُحلَلِ
The meadow of yellow grass and pouring rain,
The abodes of Salma laid with no adobe bricks.
أَقوى وَعُطِّلَ مِنهُمُ فَكَأَنَّهُ
بَعدَ البِلى آيُ الكِتابِ المُجمَلِ
It became stronger and was neglected by them, so it is
After decay, like obscure verses in the scripture.
دَمِنٌ تَعاقَبَها الرِياحُ دَوارِسٌ
وَالمُدجِناتُ مِنَ السِماكِ الأَعزَلِ
Abodes taken by turns by the winds, round about them,
With palm-trunk ceilings without branches above.
فَالعَينُ عانِيَةٌ تَفيضُ دُموعُها
لِمَنازِلٍ دَرَسَت كَأَن لَم تُؤهَلِ
My eyes are suffering, their tears pouring forth
For dwellings whose traces were erased as if never inhabited.
دارٌ لِقَومٍ قَد أَراهُم مَرَّةً
فَوقَ الأَعِزَّةِ عِزُّهُم لَم يُنقَلِ
An abode of a people I saw them once
When their glory was above all glory, never transferred.
لِلَّهِ دَرُّ عِصابَةٍ نادَمتُهُم
يَوماً بِجِلَّقَ في الزَمانِ الأَوَّلِ
For God's sake, the loss of a band I regretted,
One day at Juljaq in time long past.
يَمشونَ في الحُلَلِ المُضاعَفِ نَسجُها
مَشيَ الجِمالِ إِلى الجِمالِ البُزَّلِ
Walking about in overlapping robes, their gait
Like that of camels, to camels with splendid howdahs.
الضارِبونَ الكَبشَ يَبرُقُ بَيضُهُ
ضَرباً يَطيحُ لَهُ بَنانُ المَفصِلِ
Striking the sheep whose whiteness flashes
With a blow making its joints give way.
وَالخالِطونَ فَقيرَهُم بِغَنِيِّهِم
وَالمُنعِمونَ عَلى الضَعيفِ المُرمِلِ
Mixing their poor with their wealthy,
Bestowing favors on the weak and destitute.
أَولادُ جَفنَةَ حَولَ قَبرِ أبيهِمُ
قَبرِ اِبنِ مارِيَةَ الكَريمِ المُفضِلِ
The sons of Jafnah, around the grave of their father,
The grave of the son of Mariyah, generous and preferred.
يُغشَونَ حَتّى ما تَهِرُّ كِلابُهُم
لا يَسأَلونَ عَنِ السَوادِ المُقبِلِ
They live there until even their dogs do not bark
And do not ask about the approaching darkness.
يَسقونَ مَن وَرَدَ البَريصَ عَلَيهِمُ
بَرَدى يُصَفِّقُ بِالرَحيقِ السَلسَلِ
They give drink to whoever comes upon them
With pure wine that claps with the tinkling of the pendant.
يُسقَونَ دِرياقَ الرَحيقِ وَلَم تَكُن
تُدعى وَلائِدُهُم لِنَقفِ الحَنظَلِ
They are given to drink a draft of pure wine, though
Their mares were not called to the soft dunes.
بيضُ الوُجوهِ كَريمَةٌ أَحسابُهُم
شُمُّ الأُنوفِ مِنَ الطِرازِ الأَوَّلِ
The faces white, their lineage noble,
The scent of their noses of excellent pedigree.
فَعَلَوتُ مِن أَرضِ البَريصِ إِلَيهِمُ
حَتّى اِتَّكَأتُ بِمَنزِلٍ لَم يوغَلِ
I ascended from the land of Barys unto them
Until I leaned upon an abode never explored.
نَغدو بِناجودٍ وَمُسمِعَةٍ لَنا
بَينَ الكُرومِ وَبَينَ جَزعِ القَسطَلِ
We walk about with carpets and musical instruments,
Between vineyards and slender palm trunks.
فَلَبِثتُ أَزماناً طِوالاً فيهِمُ
ثُمَّ اِدَّكَرتُ كَأَنَّني لَم أَفعَلِ
I remained among them for ages long,
Then it was as if I had never done so.
إِما تَرَي رَأسي تَغَيَّرَ لَونُهُ
شَمَطاً فَأَصبَحَ كَالثَغامِ المُحِولِ
You would see my head changed of color,
Becoming grizzled, like a overturned cooking pot.
فَلَقَد يَراني موعِدِيَّ كَأَنَّني
في قَصرِ دومَةَ أَو سَواءِ الهَيكَلِ
Indeed my friend sees me as if I were
In the palace of Domah or on the Sawa plain.
وَلَقَد شَرِبتُ الخَمرَ في حانوتِها
صَهباءَ صافِيَةً كَطَعمِ الفُلفُلِ
And I have drunk wine in its taverns
Pale, clear, tasting like pepper.
يَسعى عَلَيَّ بِكَأسِها مُتَنَطِّفٌ
فَيَعُلُّني مِنها وَلَو لَم أَنهَلِ
The waiter bustles toward me with his cup
Raising me with it even if I do not partake.
إِنَّ الَّتي ناوَلتَني فَرَدَدتُها
قُتِلَت قُتِلتَ فَهاتِها لَم تُقتَلِ
The one who handed it to me and I returned it—
“Kill her, kill her,” I said, “Bring it, do not kill her.”
كِلتاهُما حَلَبُ العَصيرِ فَعاطِني
بِزُجاجَةٍ أَرخاهُما لِلمَفصِلِ
Both of them squeeze the juice, giving me
A bottle they swing to the joints.
بِزُجاجَةٍ رَقَصَت بِما في قَعرِها
رَقَصَ القَلوصِ بِراكِبٍ مُستَعجِلِ
A bottle that dances with what is inside
Dances like the swaying of a camel with a hurried rider.
نَسَبي أَصيلٌ في الكِرامِ وَمِذوَدي
تَكوي مَواسِمُهُ جُنوبَ المُصطَلي
My lineage is honorable, generous,
Its seasons ripen in the south wind’s warmth.
وَلَقَد تُقَلِّدُنا العَشيرَةُ أَمرَها
وَنَسودُ يَومَ النائِباتِ وَنَعتَلي
The tribe entrusts its affairs to us
And we master the day of calamities and endure them.
وَيَسودُ سَيِّدُنا جَحاجِحَ سادَةً
وَيُصيبُ قائِلُنا سَواءَ المَفصِلِ
Our lord roams about the nobles,
And our speaker hits the joints with his speech.
وَنُحاوِلُ الأَمرَ المُهِمَّ خِطابُهُ
فيهِم وَنَفصِلُ كُلَّ أَمرٍ مُعضِلِ
We undertake the important matter—its discourse
Among them we elucidate each complex issue.
وَتَزورُ أَبوابَ المُلوكِ رِكابُنا
وَمَتى نُحَكَّم في البَرِيَّةِ نَعدِلِ
Our mounts frequent the gates of kings,
And when we arbitrate in the wilderness, we are just.
وَفَتىً يُحِبُّ الحَمدَ يَجعَلُ مالَهُ
مِن دونِ والِدِهِ وَإِن لَم يُسأَلِ
A gallant man who loves praise places his wealth
Aside from his father even if not asked.
يُعطي العَشيرَةَ حَقَّها وَيَزيدُها
وَيَحوطُها في النائِباتِ المُعضِلِ
He gives the tribe its due and increases it,
Protecting it in baffling adversities.
باكَرتُ لَذَّتَهُ وَما ماطَلتُها
بِزُجاجَةٍ مِن خَيرِ كَرمٍ أَهدَلِ
I enjoyed it early on and did not defer it
With a bottle from the best mature vineyard.
