لِمَنِ الدارُ أَقفَرَت بِبُواطِ

غَيرَ سُفعٍ رَواكِدٍ كَالغَطاطِ

For whom has the house been left desolate of tents,

Except for traces of encampments like shadows?

تِلكَ دارُ الأَلوفِ أَضحَت خَلاءً

بَعدَما قَد تَحُلُّها في نَشاطِ

That house of thousands has become empty,

After it used to fill with activity.

دارُها إِذ تَقولُ ما لِاِبنِ عَمروٍ

لَجَّ مِن بَعدِ قُربِهِ في شَطاطِ

Its house, when it says what is wrong with Ibn 'Amr,

He took refuge in it after his nearness on the shore.

بَلِّغاها بِأَنَّني خَيرُ راعٍ

لِلَّذي حَمَّلَت بِغَيرِ اِفتِراطِ

Tell her that I am the best guardian,

For the one who carried without excess.

رُبَّ لَهوٍ شَهِدتُهُ أُمَّ عَمروٍ

بَينَ بيضٍ نَواعِمٍ في الرِياطِ

I witnessed many vain entertainments there, O mother of 'Amr,

Among white delicate maidens in the meadows,

مَع نَدامى بيضِ الوُجوهِ كِرامٍ

نُبِّهوا بَعدَ خَفقَةِ الأَشراطِ

With the chosen ones with white faces like moons,

They were awakened after the throes of death.

لِكُمَيتٍ كَأَنَّها دَمُ جَوفٍ

عُتِّقَت مِن سُلافَةِ الأَنباطِ

As if it were the blood of an emancipated slave,

Freed from the slavery of the Nabataeans.

فَاِحتَواها فَتىً يُهينُ لَها الما

لَ وَنادَمتُ صالِحَ اِبنَ عِلاطِ

They contained a young man who humiliates wealth for it,

And the confidante of pious Ibn Hilat.

ظَلَّ حَولي قِيانُهُ عازِفاتٍ

مِثلَ أُدمٍ كَوانِسٍ وَعَواطِ

His singing slave-girls were around me,

Like red ostriches and wild cows.

طُفنَ بِالكَأسِ بَينَ شَربٍ كِرامٍ

مَهَّدوا حُرَّ صالِحِ الأَنماطِ

They passed around the cup among honorable drinking companions,

They prepared the wedding of pious Al-Anmat.

ساعَةً ثُمَّ قالَ هُنَّ بَدادِ

بَينَكُم غَيرَ سُمعَةِ الإِختِلاطِ

For a while, then he said, "Far be it from you,

Anything but an honorable gathering."

رُبَّ خَرقٍ أَجَزتُ مَلعَبَةِ الجِن

نِ مَعي صارِمُ الحَديدِ إِباطي

I have endured many rips from the playfulness of jinn,

The severe iron of my sword is with me.

فَوقَ مُستَنزِلِ الرَديفِ مُنيفٍ

مِثلِ سِرحانِ غابَةٍ وَخّاطِ

Above the stopping place of the friendly

Like a bracket of a forest and a seamstress.

بَينَما نَحنُ نَشتَوي مِن سَديفٍ

راعَنا صَوتُ مِصدَحٍ نَشّاطِ

While we were warming ourselves from the cold,

We were alarmed by the sound of someone yelling.

فَأُتينا بِسابِحٍ يَعبوبٍ

لَم يُذَلَّل بِمِعلَفٍ وَرِباطِ

So we were brought a swift steed,

Who was not weakened by fodder and ties.

غَيرِ مَسحٍ وَحَشكِ كومٍ صَفايا

وَمَرافيدَ في الشِتاءِ بِساطِ

Without wiping or scratching hay and horse blankets,

And saddlebags in winter and carpets.

فَتَنادَوا فَأَلجَموهُ وَقالوا

لِغُلامٍ مُعاوِدِ الإِعتِباطِ

So they called him, restrained him, and said

To a boy repeating mistakes,

سَكِّنَنهُ وَاِكفُف إِلَيكَ مِنَ الغَر

بِ تَجِد مائِحاً قَليلَ السِقاطِ

"Calm him down and stop him for me from the west,

You will find him with little stumbling."

فَتَوَلّى الغُلامُ يَقدَعُ مُهراً

تَئِقَ الغَربَ مانِعاً لِلسِياطِ

So the boy went to castrate a stallion,

Closing off the west, preventing whips.

وَتَوَلَّينَ حينَ أَبصَرنَ شَخصاً

مُدمَجاً مَتنُهُ كَمَتنِ المِقاطِ

And they turned away when they saw a figure

With his body like the body of a sword.

فَوقَهُ مُطعِمُ الوُحوشِ رَفيقٌ

عالِمٌ كَيفَ فَوزَةُ الآباطِ

Above it was a feeder of wild animals, a friend

Who knows the ways of cheetahs and lynxes,

داجِنٌ بِالطِرادِ يَرمي بِطَرفٍ

في فَضاءٍ وَفي صَحارٍ بَساطِ

Hunting with a crossbow, shooting from afar

In the wilderness and on a flat plain.

ثُمَّ والى بِسَمحَجٍ وَنَحوصٍ

وَبِعِلجٍ يَكُفُّهُ بِعِلاطِ

Then he turned away with tolerance and deliberation,

Restraining him with reins.

ثُمَّ رُحنا وَما يَخافُ خَليلي

مِن لِساني خِيانَةَ الإِنبِساطِ

Then we left and my friend does not fear

Betrayal from my tongue spreading.